About Nagahama

 Located in the northern part of the city, Nagahama is a district in Ozu around the mouth of the Hijikawa, where the river flows into the Seto Inland Sea. Nagahama was also once a major lumber trading hub that flourished with the Hijikawa serving as a waterway for transporting timber. The neighborhood is dotted with eateries serving fresh bounties of local seafood harvested in the powerful currents of the bordering sea. Citrus fruits are another local specialty, grown on sea-facing slopes receiving plentiful sunlight. When the sun picturesquely sets offshore, gentle sea breezes often wash through Nagahama.
Daybreak brings an altogether transformed atmosphere, with morning mists and grand gusts of wind. This is a place where nature weaves a rich array of enchantingly expressive scenes.

About Hijikawa River History Experiences

 The concept: Experiential outings offering new discoveries and rediscoveries of Ozu through experiences of its topography, natural phenomena, industrial heritage, and more.

 The story of Ozu’s cultural and industrial development is intimately linked to the Hijikawa River. Vestiges of this heritage remain there to be glimpsed throughout the city and can still be experienced today.
This river that weaves its way through the city once served as a flourishing waterway transporting timber from upstream, which led to the construction of a river port and brought prosperity to Nagahama as a major lumber-trading hub situated at its mouth. Still today, a local woodworking industry making use of lumber and mill ends lives on. Though the area has also experienced frequent flooding and water damage, cultivation of resilient taro came to thrive here, leading to the development of an iconic feature of autumn in Ozu with the traditional imotaki events held centered around hotpots with taro and other ingredients cooked and served along the banks of the Hijikawa River in hope of bountiful harvests. Cultivation of mulberry trees, another crop hardy in the face of flooding, facilitated the development of the local sericulture (silk farming) industry as well and played a part in Ozu’s prosperity during the Meiji and Taisho eras around the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Cultural and architectural relics of this heritage continue to bless the city today.

 The way flooding has made the Ozu basin’s soil so fertile, enabling the cultivation of premium-quality agricultural produce… The way the flow of nutrients from the mouth of the river at Nagahama helps provide bountiful harvests of seafood and marine products… Observing ways of life in modern-day Ozu and the city’s streetscapes will undoubtedly guide visitors to see just how intimately the developments of so astonishingly many aspects of its history and culture are interwoven with the natural environment, and the Hijikawa River in particular.

 Amid growing concerns being raised regarding potential futures for the global environment, economy, and ways of life in this current day and age, firsthand experiences of Ozu’s history of development and present-day reality might just serve to offer helpful hints in moving forward. Come visit and contemplate links between past and future at your own leisurely pace, accompanied by a guide living here in Ozu as you learn all about this special place.

Fujita Tategu

 This local carpentry/joinery specialist has been involved with woodworking in the Ozu area since 1965, building a career focused on house construction work while also engaging in woodworking craftsmanship with subtle, playful touches. Come try your hand at crafting some woodworking all your own with a skilled artisan guiding you through the basics.

CERARICA NODA

 Making use of the wax trees (Rhus succedanea) and mokuro Japanese vegetable wax that supported thriving industries in the Ozu and Uchiko areas, CERARICA NODA offers visitors hands-on experiences making traditional Japanese candles, coasters, and more. Earnest considerations are also being made regarding optimal approaches to concerns about environmental issues, nature, and sustainability. Be sure to stop by, if you have the chance, for an experience of Ozu craftsmanship while enjoying engaging conversation.

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