Collaboration between NPOs andcorporations

Stay and work on a farm

Learning vacation

Working holiday in a farming village

Tohoku Tourism University

Experiencing farm village life

Continuing environment, communityand life

As a Class 3 Travel Operator

Private lodging on a farm

Cluster support

Various training programs

Temporary housing management

A place for community formation

Handicraft EAST LOOP

Recovery support: Management
activities

Recovery support: Relaxation andcomfort activities

Recovery support: Helping
entrepreneurs___________________________________

Intensive driving courses withaccommodation  Green tourism

Introduction of the initiatives by Tono Yamasato Net

Tono is a beautiful, ancient community which has existed since the Jomon period(ca. 10,500 to ca. 300 BC). In Tono, you can hear frogs croaking and see
dragonflies and fireflies flying. There are houses with thatched roofs, horses andpeople—men and women of all ages. There are fields, mountains, waterfronts
and houses.
People used to live a relaxed life in this “small universe.” We want to continue
and pass down this tradition in a suitable way to today's young people, so that ourchildren can inherit this beautiful landscape just the way it is. We want to sharesuch sentiment and take action together with people living in urban areas byexchanging activities.
This is our starting point.

NPO Tono Yama Sato Kurashi Network
President Shinichi Kikuchi
Born in Tono in 1949. Previously served as Director in
charge of Community Reform, Director of the Industrial
Promotion Department and Manager of Commerce,
Industry and Tourism Division, Tono City Government,
Iwate Prefecture, and Executive Director of Tono Furusato
Public Corporation

Introduction of Tono Yamasato Net's Clusters __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Tonogo Umakko Riding Club (Tonogo Horse Riding Club)(2001)To show the charm of horses, horse owners enjoy organizing various
public riding activities. These include Western-themed dance parties,
horse trekking under cherry blossom trees, the Tono National Yabusame(horseback archery) Competition in the summer, the Tohoku Power
Horse Competition, and other events.

Tsukimoushi Farmers Net (1997)

Tono Private Lodging Association (2006)

NPO Tono Eco Net (2003)

This group of farmers launched their own activities topromote green tourism. They have long been dedicated toholding tours. Some people have even moved to Tono afterparticipating in the tours.

This association helps guests find not only private lodging
but also “experience” activities. There are 135 registeredmembers (as of March 2014) who work to promote
educational trips, agricultural experience activities, andexchanges using the citizens' own initiative.

This organization was founded with the wish of restoring the natural landscapeof hills and fields in Tono so that it can be passed down to later generations. In
accordance with the concept of ecotourism—to contribute to the community
while preserving the nature—they work hard to develop environmental
conservation activities in close partnership with both the local community andthe administration. They also identify and utilize a diverse range of regional
resources, focusing on senior citizens (called “pahayachinika” in the local
dialect), and publish a high-quality regional information magazine.

Ayaori Yume wo Sakaseru Josei no Kai (Women'sGroup for Realizing Dreams in Ayaori) (1994)
Women from farm households gather together to help eachother realize and fulfill their dreams. Activities include aninstallation of a toilet in a rice paddy field, garbage treatmentusing EM (Effective Microorganisms), management of afarm restaurant “Yumesaki Chaya” at a roadside station, andso on. This group received the fifth Iwate Prefecture Lively
Mountainous Area Award in 1999 and the Minister ofAgriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Award in the Food
Amenity Contest in 2001, and was commended for Iwate
Community Development in 2002 and for Women andElderly Activities in Rural Areas in 2014.

Tono Tourism Map

Tono Green Tourism Study Group (1995)
Around half of the 20 members of this group are “I-turn”(city-born people migrating to rural areas) and the group has
no membership fees or regulations. They are a freeorganization. They have determined the major direction ofgreen tourism in Tono and are core members of ourorganization.

Active Mommies (2004)
Environmental Subcommittee of Miyamori
River Upper Reaches Producers' Association,
an agricultural producers' cooperativecorporation (1998)
The Environmental Subcommittee was formed as a special
committee for the Promotion Committee in order to reflect
women's voices and develop a livable community by making
the best of the rich natural environment. They are engaged inlandscape beautification activities, including planting ofground cover plants along the ridges between rice fields anddevelopment of a forsythia garden. Through these activities,
they have developed regional exchanges with other regions
which conduct similar activities (such as Shirataka Town inYamagata). As the members of the Environmental
Subcommittee are also members of the Association, theAssociation provides support such as preparation for events.

Miyamori Tourism Council (2005)
In cooperation with the Tono Private Lodging Association,
they are trying to further diversify the services they offer toguests.

Satoyama Club Yakamashi Village (2008)
This club was formed mainly by residents of the Miyashiro
hamlet in Matsuzaki-cho, wishing to create a place to enjoy“satoyama” (Japan’s traditional agricultural landscape) life
with close friends, and appreciate the nature, clear streams
and clean air. They have built a tree house and conductedvarious unique activities using the natural environment.

Women participating in folk entertainment groups wanted towork in a place where they could hear their children's voices,and so they decided to start a food-related business in theregion. They finally opened a restaurant called “Mommy'sKitchen” at “Yume Sanchoku Kamigo” in FY2012. They aredeveloping activities in an attempt to contribute to the region
as part of the sixth industrialization concept(vertical integration of primary, secondary, and tertiaryindustries) for agricultural products.

Thatching Craftsmen Group (2002)
This group was established to inherit and preserve thetraditional techniques and culture of thatching, which is asymbol of Japanese rural areas and essential for the pastoral
landscape. In addition to the preservation and restoration of
thatched roofs, they also develop hay fields.

Tohoku Community Development School (2007)
This group promotes regional development through humanresource development and provides consultation, practicaladvice and other support services for community development,
to assist the start-up of economically sustainable community
businesses.