Japan: Culture, Nature & Technology

DESCRIPTION

Our Japan programmes are so varied that we simply cannot feature all the different variations on this site or it would go on for days! We have a great humanities programme based out of Tokyo & Kyoto, natural sciences in the North (Hokkaido) and gaming technology in Tokyo, to name a few (and that doesn’t include the skiing options!) We like the below programme as it can be easily added to most of our Japanese cultural programmes, which include food tours, traditional homestays and fishing experiences, sword making, sumo practice, Mijayama excursions and exclusive cultural dinners with Maiko.

So what is the Kunisaki peninsula?

The Kunisaki Peninsula is an isolated mountainous region deep in rural Kyushu, the southernmost of Japan’s four main islands. It is known as sacred place where ascetic Buddhist monks trained to attain spiritual enlightenment. The landscape is shaped by volcanoes, such as Futago-san Mountain located in the centre of the peninsula, and therefore the area is rich in natural resources such as andesite and tuff.
Kunisaki has been certified as a Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System. As the region consisted of ridges and gorges and arable lands were limited, there was no land to create ponds and furthermore, low rainfall and volcanic soil made difficult to obtain enough water. Their ancestors planted Kunugi, Sawtooth Oaks to collect water and build connected system of Sawtooth Oak forests and multiple interlinked irrigation ponds. Sawtooth Oaks are regularly cut and logs are used to cultivate Shiitake mushrooms. It helps to stimulate the forest’s metabolism and to conserve the various ecosystems. Thanks to this rich natural environment and recycling-based agricultural systems, it is also the only area in Japan to cultivate Shichitoi rush, which used to weave luxurious tatami mats.

SAMPLE KUNISAKI TWO DAY ADD-ON