OWASE, Mie -- A group of young Mie prefectural government officials is working with Owase residents to create events that will reinvigorate the region, including a walking tour along a Kumano Kodo pilgrimage trail for foreign residents living in the prefecture.
On Oct. 20, two members of the group and five students from Mie Prefectural Owase High School guided participants on the tour along the route, which encompasses the town of Kihoku and the city of Owase. The group calls itself "Kihoku Hamachiza" (hamachi yellowtail fish group in Kihoku) in the hope of keeping growing like young yellowtail fish known as hamachi in Japanese.
In the tour, Keiichiro Matsuno, the group leader who works at a public corporation promoting the Higashikishu region that includes Owase and Kihoku, said, "This region's population is dropping, but we hope to have more people visit here by making more people aware of the area's charms."
The walkers followed the route along the Magose-toge pass, which straddles the boundary between Owase and Kihoku. A path of moss-covered stones stretches through the magnificent forest of Owase cypress trees. As the group reached a small statue, Tomona Nishimura, a 17-year-old second-year student at the school, explained about the sight before them.
"This is called Yonaki Jizo," she said in English to the 16 participants, which included assistant language teachers and international students.
The high school students' preparations for the event included holding study meetings with Daisuke Nakai, a 72-year-old former English teacher at the school and a storyteller knowledgeable about the Kumano Kodo trail.
"I was nervous, but I think my explanations went well," Nishimura recalled. "I also learned about the history of this area, including the origin of the jizo statue, which was interesting."
The walk over the pass took about three hours, and the participants soaked up the natural beauty surrounding the route that is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Nicole Argudin, an ALT at Mie Prefectural Shima High School, said she enjoyed walking on the trail and having an English-speaking guide. Argudin, 23, said the beautiful stone path and the mountain views were wonderful.
Kihoku Hamachiza was formed in April 2013 with the aim of enlivening the Kihoku district through the ideas of young government employees assigned to work at the prefectural government's office in Owase. About 20 members aged in their 20s and 30s, and from various prefectural government sections, are involved in its activities.
The group has participated in about 20 events each year, such as local festivals and clean-ups of the Kumano Kodo trail. In October 2017, members organized the first walking tour that included the Magose-toge pass.
Since three years ago, the group has held annual meetings with students and others from Owase High School to share ideas on ways to enliven the region. In 2018, that collaboration was stepped up a notch by arranging two tours -- one walking along a mountain course, and one involving sea activities. The tours aim to raise awareness of the region's charms by having participants post messages on social media and through other means.
In the latest tour, guiding the foreign residents was left to the high school students, while Hamachiza members handled work behind the scenes, such as accompanying the participants and transporting them at the start and end of the tour. After completing the walk, the group went to the Mie Prefecture Kumano Kodo Center in Owase, where the participants used pieces of Owase cypress to play a Swedish skittles game called kubb, and local specialty products were promoted.
Matsuno transferred to the public corporation from the office in the prefectural capital of Tsu in April 2017, and became Hamachiza's sixth leader this fiscal year. Many members are transferred after about three years, but Matsuno, 26, is determined to keep the group going.
"We've deepened our connections with local people not just by doing our jobs as prefectural government employees, but by participating in local activities," Matsuno said. "I want Hamachiza to keep doing these activities so that we can contribute to the region, even if it's only in small ways."
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