Shikoku Tours is based on the island of Shikoku, the smallest and least developed of Japan’s four main islands. Japan is notoriously experiencing depopulation, the effects of which are particularly evident in rural regions like Shikoku. With depopulation comes the loss of traditional culture in all its aspects. This includes the built environment. All over Shikoku, beautiful old buildings are steadily deteriorating and ultimately disappearing.
The massacre happens in slow-motion, but it takes place right before your eyes. One day, that ramshackle but still elegant old home or kominka is gracing the centre of town. A week later, it’s gone, leaving only a surprisingly large patch of yellowish earth. Its beautiful proportions, its shingles patinaed by a century of rain, and its rippled, handmade glass with split bamboo ornamentation will never be seen again.
One of our goals in establishing Shikoku Tours was to provide an incentive to protect this irreplaceable heritage. ‘Old Japan’ as seen in sepia prints, displayed in museums around the world and more recently on social media, is a concept that resonates with many people, irrespective of their origin. We reasoned that if we could bring people to Shikoku to see it, the money they’d spend in the region might provide a motive for conserving the built environment, as well as generating some of the funds needed to achieve it.
We weren’t the only ones with that notion. Although their numbers are low, forward-looking entrepreneurs have been restoring traditional buildings as accommodation. This isn’t limited to kominka such as old farmhouses and townhouses. Warehouses, schools, and other structures are being repurposed, often with considerable ingenuity and panache on the part of local architects and builders who have been longing for the chance to conserve the buildings that they grew up with.
Shikoku Tours endeavours to include at least one of these restored or repurposed properties in all of our tours as an opportunity to connect with the authentic Japanese living of the past. Our “Unique Accommodation of Shikoku” tour is designed entirely around kominka. In Kiragawa, a town on the coast of Kōchi Bay known for its high-quality charcoal, our customers lodge in a compound consisting of beautiful plaster and tile warehouses dating from over hundred years ago. In the mountainous interior of Shikoku, travelers stay in a thatched farmhouse in Oku-Iya, among the most isolated valleys of hard-to-access Iya. It was once the home of a tobacco farmer. Now the Nakayama family grows vegetables there, relying on fermented grass mulch, a locally developed technology with a recorded history going back over a thousand years. There isn’t a supermarket or convenience store around for 40 km in any direction. I once asked Mrs. Nakayama how they’re able to live deep in the mountains without shops around, and she answered simply “Hozon jōzu, ka na” – I guess we’re good at keeping stuff.
Many of these kominka are run by multigenerational families and cooperatives, whose members are involved in local agriculture and fisheries that have eschewed many modern developments. Dinners and breakfasts consist entirely of their produce. The effusive praise from their foreign guests for the amazing food brings forth a slightly embarrassed, “Well well...!”.
By regularly sending adventurous guests to stay, we help to support the maintenance of traditional heritage and livelihoods. Gratifyingly, feedback from our customers indicates that these kominka stays are the most memorable aspects of their visits to Shikoku. Now we’re looking for adventure activities that will encourage visitors to extend their stays at each property. We’re also studying how to ensure occupancy in the less popular winter and mid-summer seasons. In this way, we’re addressing a critical issue that’s scarcely visible to the wider world outside Japan. Or to put it another way, we too want to be good at keeping stuff.
About Shikoku Tours
Shikoku Tours was established with the goal of introducing adventurous people to the wonders of the smallest of Japan’s main islands, and to help preserve its unique heritage and culture. We work closely with local stakeholders to craft tours that satisfy our international customers while contributing to regional economies. We’re constantly learning, from our partners and friends in Shikoku, and from the feedback that we receive from our customers. For more information, visit www.shikokutours.com or follow them on social media:
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