Text Size largest larger medium (normal) smaller smallest Back number Vol.1 Vol.2 Vol.3 Vol.4 Vol.5 Vol.6 Vol.7 Vol.8 Vol.9 Vol.10 Vol.11 Vol.12 Vol.13 Vol.14 Vol.15 Vol.16 Vol.17 Vol.18 Vol.19 Vol.20 Vol.21 Vol.22 Vol.23 Vol.24 Hita City is forever testing itself on new ideas by utilizing the houses and streets that have endured since the Edo period. Robert Watson, who has lived in this city for almost 18 years, is a local whose roots are firmly planted here. We asked him to navigate us through this city abundant with the old and new. The streets and houses of Mameda have a 300-year history. Walking through the town feels like a time-warp back to the Edo Period. Together with town-revitalists Kunio Ishimaru, Koichiro Kinoshita, and Yuko Tomiyasu The Shimaya Café, with its sub-name, the “Coffee Meeting Room”, is a perfect, relaxed setting to drink coffee and have discussions. Hello. I’m Watson. Eighteen years have passed since the day I first came to Hita City’s Oyama Town Hall as a Coordinator for International Relations. I already had had the experience of living in Tokyo for two years, so when I first laid my eyes on the historic streets and buildings of Mameda I thought, “This is Japan.” Today, I met with three regional development leaders, Mr. Kunio Ishimaru, director of the Hita City Tourism Association, Mr. Koichiro Kinoshita, president of the Mameda Town Preservation Society, and Mrs. Yuko Tomiyasu, managing director of Kuncho Sake Brewers, to listen to their stories about efforts in the Mameda district. We rendezvoused at the information café that Mr. Ishimaru manages, called Shimaya. I remember well the first time I met Mr. Ishimaru and listened to his many stories. When we came together this time, various anecdotes about the town seemed to flow quickly out of nowhere, and we four soon engaged ourselves in a vibrant discussion. Local developer Mr. Ishimaru spoke of his memories of earlier days. “Starting in 1976 there was a collective interest to revitalize the major shopping districts and so we held meetings to hold discussions. We decided, to do this would require bringing in customers from the outside. So we realized then that the only option we had was tourism. At the time, the most isolated part of the region around Hita City was Mameda Town. Even if we wanted to modernize it we didn’t have any leeway. Without such freedom, we tried instead to create a shopping district seen nowhere else, one that preserved and made use of the preserved houses and streets. As long as people came to Mameda Town other districts would get more business, and the whole of Hita City would become rejuvenated.” So the buildings and streets of Mameda Town over the course of many months and years gradually changed their appearance to comprise a new town that nostalgically retained an atmosphere of feudal culture. Year after year the number of tourists grew as the district staged such events as the “Tenryo Festival” and the “Hina Dolls Festival”. Last year, the “One Thousand Lights” Festival, at which 20,000 candles were lit inside bamboo cylinders and placed around the Kuma and Mameda Districts, became the topic of conversations across the nation. “Recently, the students of Hita City Rinko High School became actively involved. The children’s ideas were marvelous, attracting that many people to come see the new festival,” spoke Mrs. Tomiyasu. Mr. Kinoshita joined in. “In order to maintain economically a revitalized town, first the adults need to act, and then hand over their inspiration to the younger ones. It’s important to pass the energy that adults have onto the next generation.” The energy of these adults is sure to become a good example for the next generation. Spring in Hita City starts with gentle smiles. From around the country tourists gather to come peek at the beautiful face of every one of these 178 well-crafted dolls. This splendid festival first began here at the Kusano Family Manor. Said to have been built 319 years ago, this old estate gives off a calm air and serene quietness that I really find pleasing. The dolls that are shown here every year have been handed down from generation to generation and have thus survived till the present. The Hina Dolls Festival, appropriate for Japan’s early spring, is worth at least one look. Looking at the back part of the Kusano Manor and the garden. The garden changes character for each of the four seasons. I like winter season gardens the best. You can enjoy the garden setting as if it were a painting through this window. Built in 1688, the Kusano Family Manor looks as if it could become the stage for a period play. The Kusano Family Manor Hita City, Mameda Town 11-4, Kusano Family Manor TEL: 0973-24-4110 Schedule of Open Days Times: 10:00 ~ 16:30 1. Hina Dolls Festival February 15th ~ March 25 (No Closed Days) 2. Boys’ Festival April 28th ~ May 27th (Closed Every Thursday) 3. Gion Festival July 15th ~ 31st (Closed Every Thursday) 4. Tenryo Festival October 6th ~ 25th (Closed Every Thursday) Entrance Fees: Hina Dolls Festival Adults 550 Yen, Middle/High Students 250 Yen, Elementary Students Free (when accompanied by adult) Other Events: Adults 500 Yen, Middle/High Students 250 Yen, Elementary Students Free (when accompanied by adult) Tanso Hirose was a superior educator that grew up in Hita City. Since he was a small child he liked to study, learning from such figures as Confucius and Lao-tse, and also became famous as a poet. When Tanso was 24 he opened up his own school. This site, Kangien, is one of them. His own educating style, which incorporated educational principles that cultivated aesthetic sentiments, received recognition and drew youth from across the nation, becoming the nest from which they later flew. It appears that Hita City has since long ago been an environment that builds people. Kangien was designated a National Historic Site in 1932. Tanso educated over 3000 youth until he was 75 years of age – a 50-year period. Historic Site Kangien Site Hita City, Tanso 2-2-13 TEL: 0973-22-0268 Viewing Hours: 10:00 ~ 16:00 Viewing Fee: Free Closed: Mondays (when Monday is a national holiday, closed the next weekday; no closed days in March), New Years (December 29th ~ January 3rd) Copyright(c) 2007 Oita Prefecture. All rights reserved.