How newcomers and returning locals revive a forgotten corner of Tohoku
Iwate Prefecture to the far north-east of Tokyo has been largely neglected by foreign visitors, wrongly so. There is a wealth of natural sights and cultural treasures that are just waiting to be discovered.
A group of Iwate citizens, including newcomers from other parts of Japan, returning locals and some foreigners, took the initiative and made it their mission to re-tell the story of this area’s rich history and traditions. They reignited the pride of Iwate’s people in their past and heritage.
Each strand of the story translates into a unique experience that appeals to curious travellers venturing off-the-beaten path. While jobs and income for locals are part of the concept, the first purpose was to help locals rethink their identity by meeting and interacting with people from the outside, and to foster pride in the desire to live and work in Iwate.
We visited the people behind this co-creation project, called “Iwate, the Last Frontier” that comprises a local travel agency, a Destination Management Company (DMC) and several local tour operators, and asked them about their love for this area and their motivation and passion to be part of revival and preservation efforts.
Gaijin in Love with Iwate
The second largest prefecture of Japan after Hokkaido, Iwate boasts an area seven times the size of Tokyo. However, in terms of population, Iwate ranks at the tail end of Japan’s prefectures with only 1.2 million people.
Iwate is considered the "Last Frontier" because only 2% of Japan’s inbound visitors ever venture to this part of Tohoku, so tells us Quinlan Faris who actually coined the name for this project. You can find an interview with Quinlan from April 2021 here.
Quinlan hails from Wisconsin, USA, but he has been living in Iwate for over 10 years now. He lives in Morioka, the capital of Iwate Prefecture, but as an avid hiker he feels right at home on all the countless mountains of the area.
The reason why not many people travel to Iwate has nothing to do with bad transport connections, says Quinlan’s colleague, Katy Shina, originally from Brisbane, Australia.
The Tohoku Shinkansen is passing through and stopping several times within the prefecture borders, and domestic flight services connect the Iwate-Hanamaki Airport well with many airports around Japan.
Katy came to Japan first on a study-abroad program and later worked in tourism in Hokkaido before settling in Iwate in 2012. She now works for Michinori Travel Tohoku, a local travel agency, and wants to promote the largely unknown performing arts and cultural traditions of Iwate.
Back to the Land in Iwate
Many team members of Iwate, the Last Frontier, are U-turn and I-turn people who are passionate about Iwate at large and in particular about their local areas and specific interests.
In recent years a town-to-country migration is taking place in Japan. Urban workers quit their corporate life and the busy cities of Japan, like Tokyo or Osaka, and move to one of Japan’s many rural areas that suffer from depopulation and aging population.
The names “U-turn” and “I-turn” were coined to describe these people in Japan. A U-turn is someone who returns to the prefecture where they were born, whereas an I-turn is a person who moves from a city to the countryside, independently from where they were born.
Many of them make a passion, be it nature pursuits or cultural traditions, into their niche of work and find meaning in rural revitalisation and tourism projects. This way, they bring fresh wind and a host of skills and talents to the local areas that they are moving to.
Spotlight on Tono Tales
The Tono area, once an isolated and poor place in the middle of rugged mountains, became well-distinguished in Japan with the publication of the “Tono Monogatari”, a series of local folktales collected by ethnographer Kunio Yanagita at the beginning of last century.
Haruka Tada was born in Tono but studies and work took her to Tokyo and as far as Cuba. As a U-turn she moved back to Tono in 2018 and since then Haruka has been the local guide for the Tono area in the Iwate, the Last Fronier project.
“I only had the image that Iwate is rich in nature, and there was nothing else that stood out. After becoming part of this project I realized that there is a history of the ancients who nurtured the rich spirit and culture here that has been in harmony with nature for a long time, leading to today's belief and customs.”
Gaku Tomikawa, an I-turn, was born in Niigata Prefecture and worked in Tokyo but he settled in Tono in 2016 after a life-changing meeting, surprisingly, with a local historian. Since then he puts all his energy in learning about Tono’s culture and history.
“I got fascinated by the rich culture of Iwate. Participating in this project, I discover even more of the profound history and hidden stories of Iwate. I realized the value of the culture of this place and would like to continue to convey the enchantment of this land.”
Haruka and Gaku work together on a project, called “to know” which aims to revive the Tono Monogatari tales.
Preserving Unique Traditions
Shishi Odori is a dance where performers wear costumes similar to dragon dances you might have seen at Chinese New Year. The costume here represents a deer and the dance is called “deer dance”, a type of performing art unique to the Tohoku region. Iwate has several active deer dance troupes.
Masaya Yamada, born in Gunma Prefecture, is a part-time I-turn in Tohoku while also spending time in Tokyo. After the Great East Japan Earthquake he created a documentary to promote the deer dance of Tohoku in order to preserve the charm of the local performing arts and pass it on to future generations.
Hiking and Horses in Hachimantai
Fumiko Abe was born in Tokyo but came as an I-turn to the Hachimantai area of Iwate in 2015. She fell in love with the area as a student of comparative culture and folklore at Iwate University but then went to London, UK to work for a consulting company.
“Here I feel that even one step ahead of my daily life, there is so much unknown history and fascinating sites that inspire our mind and awaken our sense to become alive.
The image and purpose of this project have a lot in common with my activities and interests. I had longed to meet and work with the people who could share with each other at a deep level and inspire each other. I appreciate that this has happened, especially when I felt a bit lost working as an individual.”
Nowadays Fumiko runs a horse farm in the foothills of the Hachimantai Mountains and serves as a local guide and tour coordinator for local tour company MATOWA.
Iwate is famous for a local breed of horses called Nambu Horses. They were used as work horses in the fields and forests and as pack horses for the transportation of goods and were the most pricy possession of local people in the old days. So much so that they slept with their horses under the same roof in a magariya, the local iconic thatched roof houses built in an L-shape.
Walking the Michinoku Shiokaze Coastal Trail
Eastern Iwate features a 200 km long coastline. Many communities here were washed away by the tsunami in the wake of the Great Tohoku Earthquake in March 2011. One of these communities is Kamaishi where Ryuta Kubo was born.
On the other hand, this Sanriku Coast with its dramatic landscape and panoramic views has great potential for tourism. The Michinoku Shiokaze Coastal Trail winds its way along the coast and also passes through the Kamaishi area.
“Before the Great East Japan Earthquake, I had no interest in Iwate. There was no special feature, and I only had the impression that it was a low-profile area. My experience with the Great East Japan Earthquake led me to confront my hometown and roots deeply, and to explore the answer to the question: "What is the identity of people born in Tohoku?"”
He is another U-turn who came back to his home town in 2015. As the reconstruction project coordinator of the Kamaishi DMC, he focuses on sustainable tourism to revive the local area.
“Iwate, the Last Frontier is a journey of exploration and a vision that leads my life beyond the project. I have been able to meet my colleagues on this journey which has made my life fulfilling both in public and private.”
Tales of Resilience and Support
Kazutomo Miyagi is a local who has stayed in Iwate and worked as civil servant. He was also here when the earthquake and tsunami hit in March 2011. With the aim to lead regional reconstruction and revitalisation, he changed jobs and moved into tourism.
At Michinori Travel Tohoku he plans and coordinates many tours and experiences that are part of Iwate, the Last Frontier, and he is looking forward to helping foreign visitors with their tours in Iwate.
“Tourism plays an important part in the revival of rural areas and in the reconstruction of places ravaged by natural disasters and depopulation. Visitors support the local economy through spending time experiencing the culture and traditions, help bringing the pride of living in the area to the locals who themselves will be the medium of keeping the culture and traditions.”
The people of Iwate look forward to welcoming more international visitors once travel is possible again.
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