one town that is attracting particular attention among the small-sized cities, towns, and villages struggling with depopulation and aging, for its residents’ success in using art as a starting point in their initiative to generate local vitality: Kamiyama-chō (Kamiyama Town), located in a mountainous part of Tokushima Prefecture, which is one of four prefectures on the island of Shikoku. Shikoku is the region with the greatest proportion of communities likely to disappear, according to the MLIT and MIC research. What is happening in Kamiyama? Kamiyama is located about one hour by car from the city of Tokushima, mid-way along the course of the Akui River, famous for its clear waters and blue-tinged stones. The blue stones are also known for having been used in a sculpture by IsamuNOGUCHI located at UNESCO headquarters in Paris. The town is blessed with rich natural surroundings and is known as a leading producer of sudachi citrus fruits and plums. With the decline of its main industry of forestry, however, depopulation and aging progressed rapidly, until the number of deserted houses began to stand out. By 2015, the population had fallen to 5,400, less than one-third the 1955 population of about 21,000, and the proportion of elderly people was 49%. According to government estimates the population will fall to 3,000 by 2035 and the proportion of elderly will be 54%. The research done by the JPC put it at very high risk of disappearing, the population of women of child-bearing age projected to fall by 82.6%, the twentieth most severe