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#13 |
Meeting the "Real Strength of the People of Obuse" in Chestnuts, Flowers, and Hokusai |
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Obuse is a town of 12,000 located in northern Nagano city, at the entrance to Kitashinano, an area which includes the Myoko plateaus and the Nozawa hot springs. Obuse is the smallest of 188 cities and towns in Nagano prefecture, with a total area of 19 square kilometers. Despite its small size, the town draws an average of 1.2 million visitors every year. As you walk around town, you sense the culture and history of the area, and a vague sense of nostalgia accompanies the natural scenery. The area is well-known for its chestnuts, apples, grapes, wine, and sake. But the real secret of the popularity of this town is not simply the tourist attractions and local products. The most attractive thing about the town is its residents. These people are known as "Obuse-bito."
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# Obuse Trivia
Situated in the northeastern portion of the Nagano basin, Obuse town is surrounded by Mt. Karita in the north, the Chikuma River in the west, and the Matsukawa River in the south. It is a peaceful land, providing a vista of the Hokushin Five Mountains (Mt. Izuna, Mt. Togakushi, Mt. Kurohime, Mt. Myoko, and Mt. Madarao).
http://www.infocreate.co.jp/hometown/obuse/obuse-e.html
http://www.e-obuse.com/pn/index_s.html (In Japanese)
This region is best known for its chestnuts. Agriculture has been central to the region since ancient times, and Obuse chestnuts have a history of more than 600 years. At the beginning of the Edo era, these chestnuts were presented to the families of the Shogunate. Even today, vintage chestnut pastry shops such as the Obuse-do, Sakurai-kansyodo, and Chikufu-do, line the streets in the middle of town and continue to delight the palates of tourists.
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In the latter part of the Edo Era, shipping down the Chikuma River boomed and the region developed, becoming the economic and cultural center of Kita-shinano. In this climate, many artists and writers visited the town at the invitation of rich farmers and merchants. The most famous of these was Hokusai Katsushika. He visited the town several times by the invitations of Kozan Takai, a twelfth generation merchant, and left many of his works behind. Currently, visitors to Obuse wanting to see traces of Hokusai only need go to the Hokusai-kan, Japan's only Hokusai Art Museum, or visit the temple, Gansho--in, famous for its Hokusai ceiling illustration of "Happouniramihououzu" (Phoenix Looking at All Sides).
In an effort to keep the town from falling into the trap of being "another country tourist town" and to develop the beauty of Obuse further, many Obuse-bito are taking different approaches toward improving and promoting their town.
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# Hospitality: Encoded in the DNA of Obuse-bito |
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Obuse-bito #1
A La Obuse
Ryozo Ichimura |
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Ryozo Ichimura, president of the organization A La Obuse ("a la" means "of the" in French,) remarks: "Thirty years ago, I couldn't even imagine this much prosperity." Ichimura is also the vice-president of the long-established Obuse-do and was selected as a Super Obuse-bito in the list of "100 Most Charismatic Tourism Promoters" announced by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. Ichimura further comments:
"For people to want to gather there has to be a certain kind of atmosphere. The original Obuse town and people must have had the DNA traits that allowed them to naturally accept outsiders and outside ideas, and they have passed that DNA down to us."
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Certainly, Obuse has a tradition of accepting outsiders and exchanging goods and ideas with them, including shipping on the Chikuma River and visits by Hokusai, as mentioned above, and the establishment of Shinsei hospital (a sanatorium established in 1932 by the Canadian Anglican Church).
"Just having the Shinsei hospital here is itself 'posh.' In the back of the hospital are tennis courts. The 'balls with fur' that fell in those courts made a strong impression on us, who only knew rubber balls. New ideas are important, and I believe that we must develop them." |
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Chapel located next to the Shinsei Hospital (opened as a sanatorium, but is currently a general hospital) in the southern part of town. |
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A la Obuse is a third sector organization created to raise awareness of town improvement in the public sector. It was created to develop new economic and cultural activities with the Obuse flair. But, the town improvement envisioned by Ichimura is a clear departure from the simple idea of rejuvenating the town. His vision includes diverse aspects such as creating a new town facade while keeping the historical buildings, restoring cultivation of the "Obuse Maru Nasu" (Round Eggplant) once prominent in ancient times, and holding movie and music festivals.
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| The "Obuse Maru Nasu Project" began in the Spring of 2003. Will this Eggplant become the new Obuse specialty? |
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A modern renaissance has led to a reincarnated Obuse, achieved with many "landscaping projects." |
"We gained material wealth with the fast economic growth after World War II. But, along with the growth, I think we lost a lot of natural scenery. I want A la Obuse to take the lead in reacquiring the things we lost with modernization. I believe that the economy can develop where the spirit is peaceful in an area with good scenery."
Ichimura and A la Obuse are opening a window to the outside fresh air through new projects. It will be interesting to see what will come next from Obuse.
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A la Obuse also has a guest house for visitors and a tourist information center. |
A la Obuse Public website
http://www.ala-obuse.net/index.html (In Japanese)
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# Does the Obuse Webmaster see the analog side of life as important?! |
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Obuse-bito #2
e-obuse.com
(e or "ii" in Japanese means "good")
Eiju Hayashi |
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e-obuse.com is most convenient portal site to learn about Obuse on the Internet. The site features links to places of interest to visitors as well as places to dine and is a valuable planning resource to consult before any visit to Obuse.
The website is actually managed by a Buddhist priest, Eiju Hayashi. Hayashi is the vice-chief priest at the Shingon Buddhist Johkohji temple located at the foot of Mt. Karita.
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"At first, I set out to make a website for the temple. But, even though Obuse was a fairly well-known tourist spot at the time, there was little, if any, information about it available on the Internet. Someone had to take the lead and put in the effort, so e-obuse.com was established on November 11, 2000." |
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e-obuse.com
Top Page |
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Currently, the website also serves as the
site for the Obuse Cultural Tourist Association. Ryozo Ichimura, mentioned
above, is the chairman of the association and the directors are made
up mainly of people in their 20s and 30s. By adding youth, the residents
have ensured a more active association. "e-obuse.com" is not a website
upon which the tourist association simply posts a lot of unfocused information;
it puts forth all the positives. With the cooperation of local residents,
the staff researches positive stories and creates original content that
introduces the "real" Obuse. In particular, the "The Charismatic Craftsman" and "Kita-shinano
Tours" corners have very unique content.
"The charismatic craftsmen that we introduce on the website are not really charismatic," Hayashi
laughs. "But they are young, hard-working craftsmen. The response to the page
was greater than we expected and the artists have received orders from people
who have seen the website. Also, Kita-shinano Tours offers excursions that are
reminiscent of childhood, when you got together with friends after school and
asked 'so, what should we do now?' Unlike the tours that are on set days and
don't allow you to do anything that is not on the schedule, these tours find
the most delicious thing in ever-changing nature and look for the places and
things that have to be seen on that day."
Obuse-style is using high tech tools, such as the Internet, and it is the spirit
of vice-chief priest Hayashi that keeps an "analog" feel to the digital world.
Surely, the changing seasons in Obuse, and the town and people of Obuse will
be gradually revealed to us from this special viewpoint. |
Johkohji Temple |
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Tea house |
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Apothecary |
| This is "Johkohji" where Hayashi works as vice-chief priest. Climbing up the graceful stone steps, one sees the Apothecary (designated as an important cultural asset) build early in the Muromachi era (1333 - 1573). |
e-obuse.com
http://www.e-obuse.com/ (In Japanese)
Johkohji Temple
http://www.jyokoji.jp/ (In Japanese)
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# Obuse's Festival Coordinator |
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Obuse-bito #3
Obuse Iidankai
(Obuse Iidan Association)
Keiji Sekiya |
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We have introduced Ichimura and Hayashi, who have their regular jobs and still have the time to work for Obuse. But, these people say of Sekiya, "When does he have the time to do his own work?"
Sekiya is a computer systems adviser, but he also finds himself in the leading role for all types of events in Obuse.
"I'm not a formal man. I just do what I can to keep having fun. Obuse has so many visitors from all over Japan and most of them pass through seeing merely the surface of our town. I thought that was such a waste."
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Sekiya developed the "Warashibe Choja Bin" (Straw Millionaire Shuttle). This project involves a national network of people whom Sekiya met in Obuse. The network makes use of a truck that travels to various regions, exchanges products, and finally ends up in Obuse for a Product Expo.
"Obuse has been a prosperous city from the beginning. Through the exchange of products, there will also be an exchange of people and culture. The people of Obuse are especially curious about people and things from the outside rather than being suspicious or wary.
Since Ryozo (Ichimura of A la Obuse) is taking care of the academic portion, I thought that I'd take care of the 'dirty' work." |
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Bright colors from the "Festive City/Flower Friend Convention" festival sponsored by Obuse Iidankai |
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Sekiya took the lead in creating "Obuse Iidankai" along with about 30 others (in the local dialect, "iidankai" means "good, isn't it?"). The association manages and operates several local events including the product expo. Good exchange leads to good consumption. Warashibe Choja Bin also has the hidden potential of distributing products that meet local needs.
"The merchants of Omi (ancient name of the Shiga prefecture) had a saying "Urite yoshi, Kaite yoshi, Seken yoshi no sampo yoshi" (The three goods: the Seller is good, the buyer is good, the world is good). The type of distribution that fits this region and makes maximum use of our curiosity and of the Obuse brand should create a wonderful exchange and stimulate the region. With the thought of "don't refuse what comes and chase what leaves," I'll continue without swaggering," Sekiya laughs.
Sekiya's enthusiasm and popularity attract people from both within and outside of Obuse.
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# Obuse Wine: Accepted throughout the world |
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Obuse-bito #4
Obuse Winery
Akihiko Soga |
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Obuse is home to many sake cellars: Masuichi Sake Brewing, Matsubaya ﾐHonten, and Takazawa Sake Brewing. Of these, one brewery, started about 150 years ago near the end of the Edo Period, is now known as the "Obuse Winery." The winery has won the gold medal at an international competition and is becoming well-known.
"We began making wine in 1942. My grandfather began experimenting with fruit wines during the war because of the shortage of rice," says Akihiko Soga, who is in charge of fermentation and distilling and a veteran winemaker who learned his craft in a French winery. |
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"Although Japan is ahead in distillation technologies and some other areas, I learned in France that the goodness of the fields and the people who work them can be directly communicated through the grapes themselves. Although this should seem obvious, it just isn't known in Japan. That's why I wanted to prove that good wine cold be made here in Japan, and especially here in Obuse." Made from 100% domestic ingredients, we have pride in our product, and Obuse wine has received high praise from experts. Japanese soil and French soil are completely different. Also, there are many local experts on fruit, as Obuse was originally an agricultural village, and they teach various 'secrets.' Obuse was originally an agricultural village."
There are many visitors to Obuse and the consumption of Obuse Wine is growing (about 80% is consumed locally). The profit from this has been used as an investment in the flagship wine of the Obuse Winery, which then succeeded in creating a wine that has been recognized internationally. "Wine isn't just a taste; it also conveys an image of the climate and the land where the grape was grown. I want to continue making a high quality wine that imparts the Obuse image."
The Winery is also planning events such as harvests and seed plantings, so that the general public can also participate in the wine making process.
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| A sign announces "Congratulations! You found it" when you visit the winery that is separated from the center of town (in a hard to find area). |
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Grape vineyards in the south of Obuse |
Obuse Winery
http://obusewinery.com/ (In Japanese)
Obuse Cellars
http://obuse.net/ (In Japanese)
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# We have thus become Obuse-bito |
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Obuse-bito #5
Image Artist
Yuichiro Hanai
Kitashinano Obuse Film Festival |
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Hanai visited Obuse in 1999. He was on assignment for a TV news program.
"I'm from a mining town in Fukuoka, so when I first visited this area, it felt familiar. I left Fukuoka to go to Tokyo when I was 20. It was about 20 years after that when I came here. It was time for change in my life. I remember being fascinated by the things Obuse-bito said."
Currently, he works for the Cultural Project Division of Masuichi Ichimura Sake Brewing. While being involved in events such as the Obuse-do sponsored Cultural Salon "Obusession" (a term coined from "Obuse" and "session" that is a monthly discussion session and party) and the Kitashinano Obuse Film Festival, he is also a freelance image artist that focuses primarily on Obuse.
"Obuse has a different lifestyle rhythm than Tokyo, and audience size is not simply the number of TVs. Even so, there are things I can do because I live in Obuse. Things like 'expressing the air.'"
His long-time friends have told Hanai that his literary style has changed. Hanai adds, "Current trends are interpreted through a new sensation." This is also a sign that a new wind blows through Obuse.
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Obuse-bito #6
Obuse no Kaze
Yoshihiro Kitakaze |
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Kitakaze was born in Wakayama prefecture. When he was a high school student, he started traveling around Japan, staying at Youth Hostels along his path. He discovered Obuse during those travels and moved here 10 years ago. He realized his dream three years ago and opened the "Obuse no Kaze" youth hostel (Wind of Obuse).
"The charm of this town is the people. I was fascinated by the warmth and vigor. The people of this town keep changing and growing. I thought that I had to do the same."
The youth hostel format was chosen to facilitate communication with lodgers (and among lodgers), and the facilities are clean and comfortable, contrary to the existing public image of hostels.
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"Generally, a town will leave a bad impression when the lodging experience is bad. When you stay somewhere, the idea that "I don't want to stay at this hotel again" often becomes "I don't want to come back to this area again." |
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The Obuse no Kaze has modern facilities that are completely different from the old youth hostels where poor youths huddled in masses in their futons on the floor. It is a revolution in the youth hostel world. Even so, the hostel doesn't forget the at-home feeling of family service. We greet them when they return and wish them well when they leave, so that they can feel like Obuse-bito for even just one day.
Obuse no Kaze
http://homepage2.nifty.com/obusenokaze/ (In Japanese) |
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Story and Photographs: Hisashi Ikai
Information Source: e-obuse.com
In cooperation with: Yutaka Kinoshita (Bun-ya) and Etsuko Seki (A la Obuse)
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