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The town office and the Niyodo
In a small Japanese town, the 役場 — the town office — is the largest employer and the center of local life: registrations, taxes, welfare, roads and tourism all pass through it, and its staff are often born in the town. A 協力隊 member is usually attached to one of its sections, such as 企画課 (planning), which handles projects that do not fit anywhere else. The 仁淀川, the river in this lesson, flows through Kōchi prefecture and is known across Japan for its exceptionally clear water; its color has a popular name, 仁淀ブルー. Like many rural areas of Shikoku, the towns along it have lost much of their population since the 1960s, and tourism and new residents are part of how they hope to stay alive. Interview Japanese is the most formal register most people ever use in person: 申し上げる, 存じます, させていただきたい, において, に基づいて. Hearing an interviewer slip into dialect at the end, as 岡村 does, is a sign that the formal part is over.