Special Contents
Our New Staff Member Michael Introduces Himself
Who am I?
Don’t fear! That question isn’t meant in an existential sense. I am just trying to introduce myself. I am Michael. I am the new guy here with the enviable job of helping to try and lure foreign tourists to the beautiful Ina Valley in Southern Nagano (more about this wonderful place later, but for now back to me).
Born and raised in England, I have called Japan home for the last 10 years. Over my time I have moved about a little bit. For my sins, I spent the bulk of that time living on a small remote island in Okinawa called Geruma-Jima. Trust me it wasn’t the worst place to spend 5 to 6 years of my life. But the show had to go on and I moved to Yakushima, where I became a hiking guide.
Then childbirth (and the need for hospitals that comes with it) took me to Tokyo, where I worked on Mount Fuji, the Kumano Kodo, Hakone and more. I started my own business doing day hikes for foreign tourists in Tokyo. It was all looking hunky dory. And then … poof, all my business dried up and died. Thanks novel corona virus! I ummed and ahhed about what to do next. I even started learning to code. But I opted instead for a move to the countryside in pursuit of that life in the wild that I had always dreamed of. This is what brought me to the Ina Valley.
Here I work for a small village called Hiraya. I farm rice, hunt, teach natural dying and work on tourism. Most strikingly I am learning the ancient Japanese art of wara-zaiku, or crafting things out of rice straw. If I make it, I would be the first ever foreign shokunin. But let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves!
Most recently the Ina Valley Tourism Bureau has acquired my assistance. So, this is me reporting to duty. From now on you can expect articles introducing places, festivals, local food & drink, activities and whatever else piques my interest over here.
Most recently the Ina Valley Tourism Bureau has acquired my assistance. So, this is me reporting to duty. From now on you can expect articles introducing places, festivals, local food & drink, activities and whatever else piques my interest over here.
Who do I work for?
As mentioned above I work for the Ina Valley Tourism Bureau. The Ina Valley is in Central Japan or Southern Nagano. This valley is sandwiched between the Southern Alps and Central Alps. Look east, alps! Look west, alps! An alpinists’ dream for sure. But in the valley itself, there are eight rural towns and villages make up this area. From fireflies, to soba, drumming groups to straw craft each area has its own trademark. Not for a lack of beauty or charm, this place has flown completely under the radar of foreign tourists. The Tourism Bureau are a small and lovely team (yes, I have to say that now that I work for them). Little by little I plan on helping them by writing, developing and promoting to bring this valley out of relative obscurity and into the light!
Mission Statement
1. To bring a small amount of rural Japan curious foreign tourists to the Ina Valley.
2. To get enough information out there so that independent travelers can come here all on their own.
3. To support local guesthouses, artists, artisans and businesses, so that when you foreign visitors come (and you will come!) they will be ready.
4. To do these three while remembering to stick to our all-important SDGs!
2. To get enough information out there so that independent travelers can come here all on their own.
3. To support local guesthouses, artists, artisans and businesses, so that when you foreign visitors come (and you will come!) they will be ready.
4. To do these three while remembering to stick to our all-important SDGs!
OK, that was me, the bureau and our mission. Now this is me signing off. Until next time!