Date : November 2 - 3, 2012
Report: Ishikawa Press Tour -World Agricultural Heritage Noto and Traditional Craftsmanship- (Nov. 2-3, 2012)
post date : 2013.08.24
FPCJ conducted a press tour to Ishikawa Prefecture on the occasion of Japan’s largest traditional crafts festival “National Traditional Crafts Festa” held in Ishikawa. Featuring Noto’s satoyama and satoumi (mountains and sea), which were designated as Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems last year, and also the prefecture’s traditional crafts, this press tour had six participants from China, Hong Kong, South Korea, Switzerland and Italy.
Noto’s Satoyama and Satoumi （1st day）
First, the tour visited a village called “Shunran-no-sato” in the Noto area, which maintains the beauty of pristine farmland, to cover local initiatives to revitalize the village that faces a graying and decreasing population. In the Shunran-no-sato village, local farmers currently operate a total of 30 guesthouses, renovating their own houses and offering guests an opportunity to engage in green tourism utilizing the local nature. This business has got off the ground, and Mr. Kiichiro Tada, who leads the initiative, says that the village expects a total of 10,000 visitors this year, while it used to have almost no visitors from outside. In the tour, the participants were briefed by Mr. Tada on the outline of the local initiative and visited two guesthouses featuring the traditional irori hearth and a Goemon-buro, a metal bathtub unique to Japan. For lunch, just like guests in the village, the participants enjoyed dishes using locally grown ingredients and served on Wajima-nuri lacquerware. They also interviewed a Taiwanese man working with Mr. Tada to revitalize the village. He said he decided to move to Shunran-no-sato as he was very impressed by the warmth of the local people when he met them for the first time.
The participants also covered a Noto Smart Drive Project jointly conducted by Ishikawa Prefecture and Toyota Motor Corp. This is Japan’s first project combining the environment, tourism and information technology. The participants had a briefing on the outline of the project and some of them enjoyed test-running Toyota’s plug-in hybrid Priuse.
jointly conducted by Ishikawa Prefecture and Toyota Motor Corp. This is Japan’s first project combining the environment, tourism and information technology. The participants had a briefing on the outline of the project and some of them enjoyed test-running Toyota’s plug-in hybrid Priuse.
Ishikawa’s traditional crafts（1st and 2nd day）
Amid the decreasing production of the famous traditional crafts of Ishikawa Prefecture, such as Wajima-nuri lacquerware and Kutani ceramics, this press tour focused on activities by those who propose new forms of traditional arts and crafts combined with modern styles and designs. Specifically, the participants covered Shioyasu Urushi Ware Company, which produces audio speakers and instruments employing traditional Wajima-nuri techniques; a group of women called “Saishitsu-kai,” which proposes Wajima-nuritable settings that go with contemporary living; and a group of younger craftsmen called“Kutani-juku,” which makes USB memory sticks, bicycles, Choro-Q toy cars, using the traditional techniques of Kutani ceramics. The participants also looked around the exhibitions at 2012 National Traditional Crafts Festa in Ishikawa; in Ishikawa; interviewed younger craftsmen at Utatsuyama Craft Workshop; visited Sakuda Gold & Silver Leaf; and toured Higashi Chaya District, where tea houses of the Edo period still remain unchanged.
