Hida City Tanezo, a marginal village with history and terraced rice paddies-Tourists turn to the side of the defenders?

Miyagawa Town, Hida City, is located in the northernmost part of Gifu Prefecture, on the border with Toyama Prefecture. Here is Tanekura, a village with beautiful terraced rice fields where you can feel the breath of history. The masonry terraced rice fields, built up through the cooperation of the residents over many years, continue to maintain their cultural landscape. Today, soba noodles and myoga are grown in the terraced rice fields, and they have become a seasonal tradition. (Photo: View from the hill of the village)

Particularly eye-catching is Itakura, which was built more than 100 years ago. It is built away from the house to protect food, seeds, and household items from fire. The name Tanekura comes from the fact that during natural disasters and famines in the mid-Edo period, the seeds stored in Itakura were distributed to other villages.

Tanekura is one of the most aging and depopulated areas in Gifu Prefecture, and although it is a marginal village with only eight households, it is surprising that the beautiful terraced rice fields are still maintained. Among them, 20 Itakura buildings remain today. Based on the tradition of "don't destroy the storehouse even if you destroy the house," the residents continue to carefully protect the "Itakura". Itakura and terraced rice fields are interwoven.

It is not a large village, but the terraced rice fields spread out, and the streets of the village are mostly sloping and undulating, so it would be difficult for the elderly to walk around. How is this landscape preserved?

The secret is that residents and people from outside the area, organizations and businesses work together to conserve the rice terraces from April to December. Throughout the year, organizations such as the "Hida City Furusato Tanezura Village" and the "Association for Protecting and Nurturing Tanegura" hold events such as installing fences for animal damage in the terraced rice fields, removing snow fences, working on the ginger and buckwheat fields, and mowing the grass to protect the rice terraces and the scenery and support the vitality of local residents.

Other events are held, such as the evening cooling concert in the summer and the "New Soba Festival" in November, where new soba noodles made with harvested buckwheat flour are served.

When I had lunch at TANEKURAHOUSE, a vacant house managed by Hida City, I asked Mr. Tsuchida of the Miyagawa Promotion Office of Hida City, "If the scenery is so beautiful, won't the number of tourists increase even in inconvenient places?" Mr. Tsuchida replied, "It is not important to increase the number of tourists, but to gather people who want to protect the rice terraces and continue to protect this area."

Despite the fact that Tanezo is one of the most wonderful places, information about it is limited. The "Tanezura Calendar," an A4-sized, double-page spread pamphlet created by Hida City, contains an annual schedule of conservation activities by cooperating organizations. This activity is open to the general public, but tourist guide information is omitted. For those who have visited Tanegura once and were impressed by the scenery, this calendar may be useful as an opportunity to revisit.

It seems that tourists who look at the rice terraces will change to the side that protects the rice terraces. Without being overly appealing, you can feel the care as if an ecosystem has been created to maintain the scenery of Tanezo.

After visiting the site, I thought about whether I should write an article about this scenery. However, I felt that this landscape is a treasure not only of Hida City and Gifu Prefecture, but also of Japan people that should be passed down to the future. And it would be ideal for the conservation of the area if the number of people who want to protect this land increases moderately, not 100 at once, but one, two, or 3 people.

For that reason, it seems just right to introduce it in a small "good travel news newsletter" instead of major media or famous influencers. I hope this article will help you participate in the preservation of Japan's treasures.

Access to Tanekura Village is about 10 minutes by taxi from S Station on the JR Takayama Main Line by public transportation. It takes about 40 minutes by taxi from Hida Furukawa Station, the center of Hida City. Free parking is available on site.

■ I want to go to "Ikegahara Marshland" (Miyagawa-cho Cave)

When visiting Tanegura, you should definitely stop by the "Ikegahara Marshland" in the prefectural nature park, which is about 30 minutes by car from Tanegura. Located at an altitude of 960m~980m, it boasts an area of about 5 hectares (about the size of one Tokyo Dome).

In the spring, the water lily colors the entire marshland, and in the summer, it is fun to look for shade between the trees and appreciate the marshland. In autumn, enjoy the changing colors of autumn leaves while stepping on the fallen leaves. It's the perfect place to spend some quiet time enjoying the natural beauty of the seasons.

A well-maintained wooden path runs through the marshland near the parking lot, and strollers and wheelchairs can stroll. Mr. Iwasa, the director of the Ikegahara Wetland Nature Conservation Center, who is engaged in wetland conservation activities as his life's work, told us about the difficulties of conservation and told us that "the Ikegahara Marsh is a little-known place where you can enjoy the autumn leaves slowly."

When you visit Hida City, which is located in the northernmost part of Gifu Prefecture, I would like you to visit not only "Hida Furukawa" but also the Miyagawa area, which spreads further north. As you head north on Route 360, you'll be amazed at the spectacular scenery of the clear stream of the Miyagawa River and the local JR Takayama Line.

Interview cooperation: Hida City Press Tour