Nabegataki waterfall

Day six of the field study - continued

We began exploring local ecotourism sites by visiting Nabegataki, a waterfall in Oguni town. This waterfall has gradually become a tourist destination in the past six or seven years. Part of this is due to the fact that a bottled green tea commercial was filmed here in the mid-2000s with the well-known kabuki actor Ichikawa Ebizo, who is better known for recently becoming involved in a brawl in a Tokyo bar.

The waterfall is located down a road that winds past a Shinto shrine, farmhouses, and an elementary school recently abandoned by the need to bus students to a single town school. In order to accommodate a growing number of visitors, the town has expanded the existing parking lot, and cleared some forest for a new lot, which is still under construction.

The existing parking lot

Newly constructed parking lot at Nabegataki

The retaining wall supporting the new parking lot

The path down to the waterfall is quite steep, and when it rains, it can become slippery and treacherous. So in the past people laid old rugs on the path so that people can walk on something more stable. This created a makeshift atmosphere that some must like and others must find tacky. Some students later complained in their fieldnotes about the unprofessional look of the old rugs on the path to such a beautiful natural spot. But this is what happens when tourism is not planned, but gradually arises.

Steep path covered with rugs, with retaining wall in background

The town has begun to replace this old path with stone stairs, a change that has necessitated cutting a number of large old trees. This has made the path less dark and mysterious and more safe and accessible. Whether this is change is positive or negative depends on one's perspective.

Short new section of stairs

Stumps of trees removed

After a short walk downhill, during which the students stopped to take photos, we finally reached the falls, which create a curtain that one can walk behind to reach the opposite shore of the narrow river. A dozen or so other visitors were already behind or near the falls, or on their way up the path to their cars.

Looking down the path at the river below

Visitors about to climb the hill to the parking lot

The river

Students at the falls

The falls are particularly refreshing in the summer, but this day was not so hot to have us basking in the mist. Instead the students spent 30 minutes photographing each other in every conceivable pose and combination of friends. One student became obsessed with the moss on a rock and spent 10 minutes trying to get the perfect shot. Since there are no waterfalls like this in Singapore, it was a new experience for all of them, and by this time they had bonded with each other and wanted photos of their ever-closer friends.

Dr. Kohmoto enjoying the falls

Kairns near the falls

Students photographing... everything.

Fascinating mosses

Nabegataki falls

After nearly one hour at the falls, we departed for lunch.

Ecotourism and Green Tourism

Day 6 of field study

We arrived in Oguni after a long day of rafting and travel by train and bus from one end of Kumamoto Prefecture to the other. We checked into Minshuku Yūheim and were treated to a delicious meal upon arrival, a hamburger covered in shimeji mushroom sauce, potato salad, broccoli, miso soup, rice, and other small dishes.

Minshuku Yūheim, located in Oguni, Kumamoto Prefecture

Dinner at Yūheim

The rooms at Yūheim are simple, with tatami floors and DIY futons. The evening's heavy rain didn't deter some from catching up on laundry, but no one ventured out to enjoy the Oguni nightlife, which is surprisingly active, with a number of interesting bars around town.

Day six (a Sunday) began with a nice breakfast, followed by a lecture from Dr. Daichi Kohmoto, lecturer of Geography in the School of Tourism at Kobe Shukugawa Gakuin University. I first met Dr. Kohmoto in 2007 at the annual meetings of the Association of Japanese Geographers, held at Kumamoto University. We attended a fieldtrip to Minamata, where I first learned about all of its environmental efforts.

Dr. Kohmoto lectured on the two concepts of ecotourism and green tourism. These ideas, which may seem interchangeable, actually have different pasts and meanings, each having been utilized by a different ministry within the Japanese government. However, despite their different uses by officials, one finds entrepreneurs using the terms without consideration of their particularities, which we discovered later in the day.

Dr. Kohmoto lecturing on green tourism and ecotourism.

The lecture was an ideal opportunity to get students back into the academic mindset after a day of playing in the Kuma River, as well as a chance to hear from a Japanese scholar, instead of just me. Dr. Kohmoto has studied green tourism throughout Japan and has advised villages hoping to draw visitors to their agriculture or forestry-based destinations.

After the lecture, we departed Yūheim to see some local ecotourism firsthand.

Railroad Tracks

Singaporeans have a certain relationship with trains. Singapore's MRT, or Mass Rapid Transit, is always either elevated or below ground (as a subway). Therefore, no one can walk on the tracks. During one of the class sessions before leaving for Japan, I made students share tourist photos that best exemplify the "tourist gaze." One student showed a photo of her standing on some railroad tracks in Japan, thus doing something out of the ordinary, that she cannot do at home. Growing up in Iowa, where train tracks can be found in many small towns, I took for granted my ability to walk on or along the tracks, or to simply drive over them when needed. For my students, railroad tracks are something inaccessible, either high in the air or underground.

So, after our rafting excursion we waited for our train to arrive, and the students took advantage of their sudden proximity to railroad tracks to take dozens of photos of themselves in a range of poses. Alone or in groups, sitting or standing, or even jumping, they took so many shots I could hardly believe my eyes. So, I decided to take photos of them taking photos.

Photographs on railroad tracks.

Jumping for joy

Since we were at a tiny station - no ticket machine, no attendant, no shops, no vending machines - they were free to walk and jump around on the tracks. Their excitement for this is something I could have never imagined prior to this class, but I'm glad I was able to provide them the opportunity to make these memories.

Watari Station

After waiting about 20 minutes our train arrived and we continued to Oguni.

Rafting the Kuma River

Day 5 of the field study:

We had an early departure from Minamata on Saturday morning. All of the students said farewell to their host families and promised to write. This is yet another example of the importance of international exchange. For most of the students it was their first homestay, enabling them to question their stereotypes about Japanese families, gender roles, and houses. On the ride to our next destination, I heard many comments about how host fathers helped in the house more than they expected and how much larger the homes were than they had learned in class.

After a one-hour taxi ride on winding roads in the mountains of southern Kumamoto, we arrived at Watari Station (32°14'11.87"N, 130°41'41.18"E). Then we walked a few minutes to the rafting company, Land Earth. A handful of cool young men in laid-back clothes greeted us. These men would be our river guides, causing some excited chatter among our students. After changing into wet suits and receiving helmets and life jackets, we were ready to get in the water and experience eco-tourism.

Boat #1

Boat #2

30 seconds after settling in the boats, we had our first casualty, when the guide pushed R out of his raft. This became a theme that followed us down the river. Because the water level was so low, the river was slow and lazy. Therefore, the guides had to create excitement. We rowed under a waterfall, slid down an agricultural water chute, jumped of a 3-meter cliff, splashed each other, and floated in our life jackets.

A happy group of rafters after getting drenched in a waterfall.

Doing our best impression of synchronized swimmers.

Floating in the cool river.

Balance everyone!

The guides also purposefully flipped our rafts, took us down one set of rapids sideways, and did a number of other things to help us enjoy the lazy rapids. Everyone had fun, as one can see from the smiling faces.

The Hitoyoshi steam locomotive traveling upstream.

The entire trip took about three hours, although it would have been less than one-third that if we had actually paddled the entire way. We left the river at Isshouchi Station ( 32°15'4.94"N, 130°39'15.38"E) and took a bus back to our starting point, where we changed clothes and prepared to continue our trip by rail.

The rest of the day was a long train ride to Aso Station, then a long bus ride to Oguni town.

By the way, all photos courtesy of Land Earth rafting company.

Minamata

Day 4 of the field study

This morning began with a visit to the Minamata Disease Municipal Museum. This museum is built on a small hill overlooking what used to be a bay, but is now acres of land that was reclaimed. Unlike the land reclamation in Isahaya, this area was reclaimed for more tragic reasons, since it was contaminated with mercury runoff for decades from a factory owned by the Chisso company.

The museum features video, stories, maps, photographs, and other items related to Minamata disease, first recognized in the 1950s. Some of the videos are difficult to watch, including those of children with congenital Minamata disease and cats fed sludge full of mercury from Minamata Bay. Cats were the first to show signs of mercury poisoning, unable to walk straight, falling uncontrollably.

We heard a one-hour talk from a Minamata disease sufferer, then the students walked around the memorial space outside the museum.

Student interpreting for disease sufferer.

Students with the disease sufferer after the lecture.

Students at the Minamata Disease Memorial.

Then we went to lunch, a simple meal of chirashi zushi and soup. Afterwards, we walked to City Hall, where we heard a lecture from a public employee about the environmental efforts of Minamata. The most drastic measure has been that the city requires its residents to separate its garbage into 24 different types: cans (steel and aluminum), glass (four different colors), burnable, paper (cardboard, newspaper, catalogs, office paper), etc. It really is a remarkable system. The city claims that the residents accept this system without complaint. In fact, our speaker said that the monthly separation day offers neighbors an opportunity to communicate with each other.

Lecture at Minamata City Hall.

The students seemed interested in all of the amazing efforts by the city to create a new environmental image in the wake of disaster. They listened intently and asked questions.

Power supply for Kumamoto Prefectural vehicles is just in front of the main entrance at City Hall.

An eco-friendly car parked at City Hall.

Monitoring equipment noting the current power generated (top) by the solar panels on the City Hall roof, along with the total power generated so far that day (bottom).

Once the presentation finished, we walked to a local NPO that arranges farmstays and other activities mostly for student groups who visit Minamata and the neighboring town of Izumi, in Kagoshima Prefecture. There we heard from the leader of a group that supports Minamata disease sufferers.

Minamata River

After this long and tiring day, the students returned for a second night at their homestays. I was relieved to have some free time again, and I enjoyed a terrific meal at an izakaya. It beat the meal at Mos Burger from the previous night, when I was too tired to walk very far. I did enjoy going to Mos Burger, though, since its efforts also tie into the environmental theme. Each restaurant has a chalkboard or some other way of indicating where some of its fresh vegetables come from. For instance, according to the board below, both the lettuce and tomatoes I ate were grown in Yatsushiro City, Kumamoto Prefecture. I think this is a fascinating change to fastfood, taking food origins seriously.

Sashimi, which was one of almost ten dishes in my dinner set.

"Today's Vegetables" at MosBurger.

Kumamoto Castle

Day 3 of the field study:

We took an early train from Isahaya to Minamata City, enabling us to ride the new Kyushu Shinkansen.

Sign hanging inside the train.

It was great to experience this new train, although I'm not convinced the huge investment will ever pay off. There was already a reliable and fairly rapid rail service linking Fukuoka to Kagoshima. The Shinkansen makes the trip more fast, but with so many low-cost airlines now operating to cities around Kyushu and more people than ever owning automobiles, is the bullet train really necessary?

The train was beautiful, filled with aesthetic choices that reflected what one might call a traditional Japanese sensitivity. For example, the window shades were made of narrow and intricately-woven reeds.

Students enjoying their first ride on the Kyushu shinkansen.

The interior of the mostly empty car.

A garbage can made of woven bamboo, instead of the usual plastic or metal.

We stopped for a few hours in Kumamoto City to tour the castle.

Elementary school students on a field trip, viewing a well used during sieges.

Our guide explaining the fortifications of the castle, including the steep wall.

A man dressed as the famous swordsman, Miyamoto Musashi, who lived and has a tomb in Kumamoto.

After our tour we had an unusual lunch, consisting of items based on past menus of the lords of Higo domain (previous name of Kumamoto). The dishes were more bland than most of today's foods. However, it was a memorable experience for all of us.

Beautiful dishes, including this unusual spherical container for rice.

Lunch is by reservation only.

While the castle has nothing to do with the theme of ecotourism, some of the students very perceptively noticed some theme park aspects of the castle, like the characters dressed in costume (including Musashi and a ninja), which reminded some of them of Huis ten bosch. After our tour and some free time, we continued by rail to Shin-Minamata station, and the students met their homestay families.

All the participants and some friends at Kumamoto Castle (bottom image zoomed).