MIHAMA, Fukui -- A cultural preservation group in Mihama, Fukui Prefecture, has released a bilingual brochure in Japanese and English titled "HI-MO-TO-KI," aiming to attract more foreign tourists to the area.
The A4-size, 16-page brochure introduces traditional cultural events in the Sata area of the town. Outlines and schedules for events are presented with photos.
The Sata Traditional Culture Preservation Association said it hopes the bilingual brochure will get foreign tourists interested in local traditional culture and contribute to the vitalization of communities in the Sata area. The association was established in 2013 by local residents because Sutena Odori, a local version of Bon festival dancing, was at risk of being discontinued.
To pass local traditional cultural events on to future generations, the association published a Japanese version of the Himotoki brochure in 2016. In the spring of 2018, a version was published in which the events are described in manga form.
As foreigners have sometimes visited Bon festival dance events in the area, nine members of the association took the lead from November 2017 to make a bilingual brochure. Masako Imamura, 72, a former teacher in elementary and middle schools in Mihama, helped translate the brochure into English. The team spent about a year completing the bilingual version.
The bilingual brochure explains 30 traditional events in the area, including the Orita Jinja shrine's grand annual festival in May featuring a parade of its mikoshi portable shrine. It also introduces Sutena Odori, which is held in August.
Highly recommended events are marked with English words in the brochure. Events in which visitors are encouraged to participate are marked with the phrase "Very Welcome," while cultural events in which foreign tourists can try something first-hand are labeled "TRY."
Two leaflets, both A3-size folded in half, are also inserted in the brochure. One introduces folk legends in the Sata area related to seven traditional events, such as New Year's visits to shrines and temples, and setsubun -- the day before the change in seasons between winter and spring. The other is a map indicating the locations of shrines, temples and restaurants.
Four senior members of the association, including its head Kenzo Nakamichi, 75, presented 10 copies of the brochure to Mihama Mayor Jitaro Yamaguchi on Dec. 4. Nakamichi said: "The interests of foreign tourists are shifting from shopping to culture. I hope we can help attract more visitors."
Yamaguchi said happily, "I want to utilize [the brochure], eyeing the Tokyo Olympics and the scheduled extension of the Hokuriku Shinkansen line to Tsuruga Station."
The association made 500 copies of the brochure, which were distributed to public facilities, accommodation facilities, libraries and other places in Mihama and Tsuruga in Fukui Prefecture.
Read more from The Japan News at https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/
