Creative newcomers and local food culture: revitalization, sustainability, and place-making between rural and urban

The role of new rural actors and entrepreneurial activities that utilize existing resources in new ways is increasingly portrayed as crucial for rural revitalization. Local gastronomy and food culture are often central to these processes, as they are tied to the identity and heritage of a place. What happens, however, when creative gastronomic experiences are provided by newcomers, rather than by local people? This study focuses on creative food businesses established by newcomers in rural Japan, examining the intersection of creative economies and rural revitalization, with a critical focus on the changing meaning of “authenticity” and “locality.” The results show how newcomers are connecting with and reinventing rural food cultures by acting as a bridge between localities and their food heritage on the one hand, and globalized food cultures and contemporary sustainability and post-growth values on the other. Furthermore, initiatives led by creative newcomers also reflect the changing policy direction of rural revitalization initiatives in Japan, and, more broadly, societal changes that are giving rise to new values and lifestyles. The discussion highlights newcomers’ new role in the construction of rural heritage and their transformative influence within rural communities, while also interrogating the contradictions and ambiguity embedded in this process.