the campaign included IWAMARU Kiyoshi, who runs a clothing store, SATO Hideo, who runs a hardware store, and MORI Masaki who runs a camp/caravan site. Iwamaru and Sato had served as presidents of the Jinryo PTA in the past while Mori would later serve as head of the Kamiyama Chamber of Commerce. At that time, these four were about 40 years old and since then they have taken a central role in supporting Kamiyama’s regeneration. In 1992, the year following their success, the Committee to Return Alice Home went on to form the Kamiyama International Exchange Association.

A local artist in residence program The International Exchange Association had been offering homestay experiences to Assistant Foreign Language Teachers (ALTs) from foreign countries who were stationed in elementary and middle schoolsaround Tokushima Prefecture, but that activity had never developed into something that could connect with a large project like regional revitalization. But then an opportunity caught their attention: the new long-term plan issued by Tokushima Prefecture in 1997 put forward the idea of an international culture village. Mori, the campground owner, had already been toying with the idea of starting an artist village, thinking that if young people came to the town to experience art and culture it would bring life to the whole town, not just the campground. When they discussed their ideas with officials in the prefectural government they suggested the group consider an artist in residence program (AIR), so they embarked on a case study trip to nearby Awaji Island to visit some AIRs that