Sustainable Tourism Initiatives in Toyama Prefecture

Around the world, various activities are being carried out to promote the importance of working towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In Toyama Prefecture’s tourism industry, there are hotels and companies that are implementing initiatives with the SDGs in mind.

Preserving the Scattered Village with Beautiful Rural Scenery for the Next Generation

In Tonami City, Toyama Prefecture, a beautiful rural landscape known as “Sankyoson” or “Scattered Village” spreads out, and in it the scenery of the past remains. The scattered village is a type of settlement where houses are scattered on a vast plain, and in this dispersed settlement spread out on the Tonami plains, trees are planted around the houses, resulting in a setup that is well-integrated with daily life. The area boasts beautiful scenery all year round, including the water-covered rice fields that reflect the sunset during the rice planting season in May, and golden plains in autumn.

In order to protect these beautiful landscapes, the locals are working to solve community issues such as preserving private forests and dealing with vacant houses, and are also implementing various initiatives for the sustainable development of their community. These initiatives include disseminating information on things like restaurants where people can taste the produce from the Scattered Village.

Scattered Village Observation Deck

Here, you can enjoy a panoramic view of the Scattered Village and its beautiful original landscape to your heart's content. There is also a telescope, so please feel free to take a look. When the weather is nice, you can also see the Tateyama Mountain Range and Toyama Bay.

Please visit the Tonami plains’ Scattered Village, which is gorgeous throughout the day, from morning until sunset.

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Tonami Sankyoson Museum

At the Tonami Sankyoson Museum, you can learn about Tonami’s Scattered Village in detail. The museum exhibits about the concept of scattered villages in four halls: History and Landscape, Folklore, Old Folk Houses, and Modern Life. You can experience and learn various things in each hall.
Farmers Restaurant Ookado

The restaurant is housed in a renovated Azumadachi house built in 1897 that is unique to the Tonami region. They offer a wide selection of dishes that are made with locally produced seasonal ingredients and eaten at local farms, including Ookado Somen noodles. You can enjoy traditional Tonami cuisine while looking at the idyllic rural scenery.

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"Rakudo-An," an Art Hotel Nestled in a Rice Field

Rakudo-An in the Tonami plains is engaged in initiatives that will lead to the region’s revitalization.

They also offer guestrooms and meals filled with the charms of Toyama, and through the hands-on experiences available, you can feel the nature around the village and the local virtues. In addition, in order to develop sustainable tourism that leads to the region’s revitalization, 2% of the room charge is allocated to a fund for an organization that conducts conservation activities in the Scattered Village.

Rakudo-An is a 120-year-old Azumadachi building that has been renovated and offers three guestrooms made with locally produced paper, silk, and clay. Modern art and antiques are displayed not only in the guestrooms but also throughout the hotel, including the lobby, allowing you to enjoy your stay with all five senses. Each room has its own charm, with one where you can relax in its gentle atmosphere, or another with large windows that look out onto the rice fields, allowing you to enjoy the scenery unique to the Scattered Village. Please try staying in the room you like.

In addition, at "Boutique Mizu to Takumi," located right next to Rakudo-An, you can purchase amenities that you can immediately use at the hotel, tableware that you can use in the restaurant, as well as Toyama’s delicacies. Please drop by and check it out. There are many carefully selected pieces on display, and you are sure to find something you like. It's also a great place to look for souvenirs.

At the restaurant, you can enjoy dishes made mainly with ingredients produced in Toyama and the Hokuriku region. There is no permanent menu, and instead they allow you to enjoy dishes unique to this area using seasonal ingredients, and the exquisite dishes will satisfy both your physical and emotional appetite.

The hotel also offers hands-on experiences that cultivate the teachings of the region’s predecessors to nurture the land. The activities offered vary from time to time, including somen noodle making and Etchu Isami Taiko drums experience. Please try out the activities, especially if you are staying at the hotel.

Please enjoy your stay at Rakudo-An and experience all that Toyama has to offer.

Making Glass Shrimp Fishing Sustainable

Glass shrimp, a well-known specialty of Toyama, is mainly caught in the Shinminato area of Imizu City. In the past, the price of Japanese glass shrimp had soared and then plummeted, and that crisis caused worry for the future of glass shrimp fishing. As a result, the Toyama Bay Glass Shrimp Club was established. The Toyama Bay Shiroebi Club proposes and works toward a sustainable fishing industry so that more people can enjoy glass shrimp for years to come.

The eight fishing boats used in glass shrimp fishing are divided into two groups that take turns fishing one day at a time to adjust the total catch and prevent resource depletion. The club also strives to disseminate information about these initiatives on the web and other means.

In order to maintain the value of glass shrimp, raise awareness about it and increase its cultural value, the Toyama Bay Shiroebi Club also operates sightseeing boats for glass shrimp fishing. The tour is a unique experience that allows you to see the process of shrimp fishing and see the freshly caught, crystal-clear glass shrimp, also known as the "Jewel of Toyama Bay."