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Guide Joe
Reinhart
Welcome, Mamta!
I’ll tell you anything you want to know about Tsukahara. |
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Visitor Mamta
Ahuja
I come often to Yufu City to dance, but it seems there’s still much much more
to learn about this place. |
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Situated
roughly at Oita Prefecture’s center, Yufu City is surrounded by Yufudake, Kurodake,
and other tall mountains, thus firmly embraced in the rich goodness of Mother
Nature.
In this volume
of O-net, we’ll hear about the activities of the Yufuin Tsukahara
Kogen Tourist Association. For a group of urbanites who moved
to Tsukahara to help protect nature, what forms of enchantment
do they find in its fields? |
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| The Majestic Nature of Tsukahara |
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Long time no see, Joe! We met once at a dance festival in
Yufu City, didn’t we? So, what are you doing these days in Tsukahara? |
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Of course, I remember you! Starting two years ago, I’ve been
planning and conducting tours to tell the entire world about how awesome nature
is in Tsukahara. I receive applications through my website, and every month a
large group of foreigners gather together. I take them all on cycling and trekking
tours to show them the area. |
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Sounds like fun. From your point of view, what do you think
is most interesting about Tsukahara? |
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In Tsukahara there are natural plants and flowers with each
season and delicious organic food. Everyone here is also warm and friendly. One
other thing—I worked as an architect before being a tour conductor, so I built
my own house here in Tsukahara from recycled materials my friends gave me. |
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That’s amazing! Can you show me around your hometown? |
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| The Tsukahara Highlands, stretched out below the northern side
of Mt. Yufudake. |
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| Scenes from cycling and trekking tours that Joe operates. |
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| Migrants Attracted by Tsukahara’s
Environment |
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There are many people who have moved to Tsukahara and started businesses
here because they are so enamored by Tsukahara’s vast natural landscape. Let’s
go meet one of them. |
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Hello! My name is Keiko Fujisawa. I’m president of the Yufuin Tsukahara Kogen
Tourist Association. I am one of many people who, being attracted by Tsukahara’s
natural beauty, moved here from Oita City. Mamta, is there any chance you’ve
danced in Tsukahara before? |
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Yes, once I was a part of the Tsukahara Kogen festival. And so was my older
sister before that. |
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I thought so! I still have a photo of the time you performed an Indian dance
for us at sunset in one of the fields. |
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Oh, that brings back memories. The association that held the event, Yufuin
Tsukahara Tourist Association, how did it get started? |
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Back in 1997, there were plans to develop a gigantic cemetery here, which
threatened to destroy the beautiful scenery. People in the tourism business rallied
together and initiated a movement to prevent it from taking place. The organization
that was started as people joined the fight against the cemetery problem was
the “Tsukahara Kogen Tourist Club.” Three years later it re-launched as a tourist
association. |
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Beside yourself, what other people became members? |
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About thirty people in the tourism business, all of whom at moved here to
Tsukahara. Many of them love Tsukahara, spending their time leisurely as they
run their businesses—myself included. After raising my children I wanted to spend
an easy life here, so twelve years ago I came to Tsukahara and opened a gallery. |
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Isn’t it a bit inconvenient living out here? |
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It’s pleasant here. After all, I can stretch out as much as I want. Wind
from Mt. Yufudake passes straight through this tract of land here, but I think
it’s also important to understand nature’s bitterness too. Why? Because humans
are given life by Mother Nature. The next day, when the wind dies down, it becomes
that much more peaceful. |
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You’re telling me! It’s so windy here. I’ve been thinking for a while…what
if you harnessed this wind and built a wind turbine? |
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That’s a good idea. There sure are problems here—inconvenience, damaged caused
by
deer—but we want to solve these problems communally and in a way that is mutually
respectful of nature. Tsukahara’s amazing scenery, its delicious air and water,
these are assets we must protect. For example, today’s fog is chock full of negative
ions. You just have to think of everything in a positive light! |
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I see your point. There are other ways of thinking. |
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Lately in Tsukahara, small, specialty stores are being built here more
and more. For instance, one business in Yufuin that handles natural foods opened
an organic restaurant. Someone else I know was drawn by Tsukahara’s natural beauty
and opened a bakery here. I really think that the more people, who truly love
Tsukahara and are conscientious in their actions gather here, the more Tsukahara
becomes an exciting place as a whole. |
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I really want to come again to Tsukahara to dance, so please, if possible,
plan another event. And don’t give up telling people about the attractiveness
of Tsukahara! |
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| The Tsukahara Kogen Festival is held every year from the
end of August to the beginning of September. The expansive landscape of Tsukahara
is drenched in fantastic reverie as the Yufuin Genryu Taiko group performs. |
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| Working through the tourist association, events like this are
entirely organized and run by volunteers. |
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| Ms. Fujisawa is particularly fond of the location on the open
grassland where the sunset is awe-inspiring and the nighttime sky is littered
with stars. |
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| We made a promise with Keiko Fujisawa, president of the Yufuin
Kogen Tourist Association, to meet again at the next event. |
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Tsukahara Hot
Spring |
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| This hot spring, which flows from the side of Mt. Garandake (1,045 m), is
slightly brown and has a strongly acidic composition. One tale has it that long,
long ago injured deer would bathe in its pools to heal their wounds. Even today
the spring is used in touji, the regimented use of hot springs to heal ailments. |
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Yufu River Gorge |
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| A breathtaking ravine formed by the Yufu River which flows between the Yufudake
and Tsurumidake mountains. With a v-shaped drop of 20 to 50 meters, this gorge
meanders for approximately twelve kilometers, its waters putting on a fantastic
presentation as they flow between boulders and collect in numerous deep pools.
The gorge maintains a pleasant coolness of 20 degrees Celsius in summer, when
you can rest easy and enjoy the scenery. |
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Oike Spring |
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| Located on the northern slopes of Mt. Kurodake, this natural spring decants
about 20,000 tons of water every day. The spring maintains a relatively constant
temperature of 12.6 degrees year-round, and is on the list of Japan’s top 100
natural springs. Many tourists from both inside and outside the prefecture come
to this spot to nature watch or bottle their own water. |
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| Copyright(c) 2008 Oita Prefecture. All rights reserved. |
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