Yonezawa Artistry
Legacy and vision. Two words that describe and drive Gentaro Nitta’s Nitta Textile Arts and Michiko Yamakuchi’s Yozando. Both are eminent textile enterprises based in Yonezawa City, Yamagata Prefecture, and manifest a celebration of the past as the industry looks toward the future.
From Mist to Medals
Just over an hour by train from Shinjuku, the Godo area of Isehara, Kanagawa Prefecture, lives up to its name, which means “gate of the gods.” The mists rising from nearby Sagami Bay often shroud the peak in mysterious clouds, leading to the nickname Afuri-yama (Mount Rainfall). And tucked away in the lush foothills is Kikkawa Jozo, a century-old sake brewery that is gaining international acclaim.
Plants and Trees
A stone monument, two or three feet tall, with a simple inscription stood before me. It read: “plants and trees.” Somokuto, as they are known in Japanese, are monuments concentrated mainly in Okitama, a region in southern Yamagata Prefecture in Tohoku, the northern part of Japan’s main island of Honshu. Adam Fulford shares more.
Spirit of Yozan
The death of a close friend at college prompted Tohoku native Hiroaki Miyajima to pursue a career in advertising in the United States. Having returned to his hometown of Yonezawa, Yamagata Prefecture, in 2011, he is now part of a local business collective whose mission is to secure the town’s future prosperity. The Ukogi collective, established by Miyajima and several other Kojokan graduates, channels the spirit of Yozan in a bid to grapple with the issues facing Yonezawa and many of Japan’s rural areas.
Of Sake and Scythe Weasels
On November 4, 2021, an evening of culture, flavors, and learning took place at Kojima Sohonten Co., Ltd., Japan’s 13th-oldest sake brewery, established in 1597. Located in Yonezawa, Yamagata Prefecture, Kojima Sohonten is best known for its award-winning Toko sake. When you’re inside the brewery, the dedication and craftsmanship of more than 400 years of brewing seem to infuse the darkened wood of the huge barrels. On this day, however, amid the ongoing travel restrictions, it was innovation—along with multiple cameras—that helped bring the historical setting to travel writers on the east coast of the United States.
Investing in Kochi Prefecture
For most, investing brings to mind index funds, real estate investment trusts, or property. But what about investing in the growth of your local community via beer, tourism, or fitness? In Kochi, on the island of Shikoku, three families are looking beyond plain profit as they seek to revitalize and secure the future of their communities in unexpected ways.