2022 TOP 100 GOOD
PRACTICE STORY
Title of the Story: Crowd Control at Nabegataki Park
Destination Name: Oguni Town (include any state, province or region)

Country:Japan

Submitter name: Syota Sasahara
Email address: s_sasahara@town.kumamoto-oguni.lg.jp
Position: Commerce, Industry and Tourism Section, Information Division, Oguni Town Hall
Submission category: (Please check one of the boxes that indicates the focus of your story)
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DESCRIBE YOUR GOOD PRACTICE STORY
Address each aspect of your good practice story in the different sections being
specific including relevant quantitative and qualitative information.

Issues faced
What was the problem/issue solved with the good practice?

Nabegataki Falls is a small waterfall 10m high and 20m wide located in Oguni Town, Kumamoto
Prefecture, Japan. It was formed by the erosion of pyroclastic flow deposits over the years,characterized by the very wide space behind the waterfall. In 2014, the Aso Geopark wasrecognized as a “Global Geopark," considered one of the most important places in the AsoGeopark where visitors can feel the heat of the Aso land.
Previously unknown to anyone and not a tourist attraction, it became popular and graduallyattracted tourists when it was used as a filming location for a TV commercial. At the time, there
was only a parking lot for a few cars for the waterfall, connected by a road described as apromenade maintained by hand by the local community in the mountain forest. The park wascompleted in 2012. Local residents and the local community are deeply involved in Nabigataki
Falls, with the direct sales shop operated by local residents and nighttime lighting events
organized by the local community (currently suspended due to the spread of COVID-19 infection
cases).
Due in part to such community efforts, Nabegataki has been featured in many TV programs andmagazines. Up to pre-pandemic 2019, it was visited by 240,000 tourists a year, making it one of
Kumamoto Prefecture's leading tourist spots. However, the roads in the surrounding villages are
narrow and difficult for multiple vehicles to pass, causing a major problem of heavy traffic
congestion in the villages during major holidays. This congestion problem has had a major impact
on the living environment of local residents, reducing the satisfaction level of visitors.
In 2015, Oguni Town introduced measures to alleviate traffic congestion by utilizing a closed
school in the village to provide a shuttle bus service, which temporarily eased traffic congestion
during major holidays. However, that effort was also halted due to the spread of COVID-19, asconditions of overcrowding and congestion in shuttle buses, shuttle bus stops and parks failed toaddress the measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 infections. This prompted the closure ofNabegataki Park during major holidays. The number of visitors to the park, which had risen
steadily, reaching 240,000 annually up to 2019, declined to about 90,000 in 2020. In order for
Nabigataki Park to remain a tourist destination in the future, it is necessary to resolve thisproblem and create a welcoming environment that preserves the living environment for local
residents and allows tourists to visit without health concerns.

Methods, steps and tools applied
How was the good practice implemented?

The following steps were taken to improve Nabigataki Park and alleviate traffic congestion.
2009: Start of Nabegataki Park development
2012: Nabegataki Park completed
2015: Nabegataki Park toll system introduced; heavy traffic congestion in villages aroundNabegataki Park; shuttle bus service implemented to alleviate traffic congestion
2020: Shuttle bus service suspended due to the spread of COVID-19; Nabegataki Park temporarilyclosed during major holidays
2021: Experimental demonstration begins of the advance reservation system at Nabegataki Park
2022: Full-scale operation of advance reservation system
While there have been many cases of reservation system implemented at indoor facilities andrestaurants, there has been almost no precedent for the implementation of such a system in an
outdoor nature park located in a rural community, such as Nabigataki. In efforts to alleviate trafficcongestion, it was necessary not only to limit the number of visitors entering the park, but also toadjust the number of parking spaces in the parking lot to prevent an over capacity.
Year

Number of visitors/persons

2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021

224,565
143,177
206,777
236,037
245,60389,17974,148

Key success factors
What helped you tackle the issues?

This project was realized in collaboration with the following stakeholders:
Local residents, local community: Traffic congestion mitigation measures require the cooperation
and understanding of local residents, and the details of the project must be communicated tothem as needed.
ASO Oguni Tourist Association: As one of the town's tourist attractions, we have received manyinquiries to the tourist association. We have been sharing information with Nabegataki Park as wehave worked on this initiative. The reception desk at Nabegataki Falls Park has been outsourced
to the ASO Onuguni Tourist Association, and since the switch to a reservation system will requirechanges in staff duties, training sessions have been held with opinions exchanged as part of joint
efforts to alleviate traffic congestion.
JTB Kumamoto Branch (travel agency): The company is the outsourcing partner for thereservation system, responsible for the system design and operation method development.

Lessons learned
While implementing the Good Practice what challenges were faced, and how were they overcome?

Lessons learned:- Ensure visitation to Nabegataki Fall through publicizing the use of the reservation system toprevent confusion- Setting the time frame and number of people of reservations to control traffic and parking
congestion- Impose special measures (different from normal days) during major holidays when more than
3,000 people visit the park per day

Solutions to address challenges are as follow:
Publicize the Reservation SystemThe biggest concern in introducing the reservation system was how to switch to the reservation
system without causing confusion among customers. We announced the changeover to thereservation system in advance through various media, including newspapers, transportation, andthe Internet. We also distributed flyers and posters to public facilities, lodging facilities, andrestaurants in the town so that visitors could obtain information before coming to NabegatakiFalls on the day of the switchover and the day before. In addition, since it was anticipated that
there would be many inquiries from customers at the time of the switchover, a call center was set
up in addition to responding to inquiries at the town hall. Also, a system was put in place torespond to inquiries about the reservation system and how to make reservations. In addition,with the cooperation of the ASO Oguni Tourist Association and the JTB Kumamoto Branch, wewere able to launch the reservation system without major confusion. As for the situation after theintroduction of the reservation system, the reservation rate during the demonstration period(November 2021-March 2022) was about 50%-60%, indicating that many more customers madereservations in advance than expected. However, those who could not make reservations had to
pay in cash at the counter as in the past, which left some issues to be addressed during major
holidays when there are many visitors to the park.

Setting the time slots and number of people for reservations:
Parking
is important to prevent traffic congestion. With assumptions of the number
Lessons management
learned:of visitors to Nabegataki Falls and how long they would be staying, we set the time and number ofpeople to reserve 40-minute slots with 170 people per slot. This is based on the calculation that85 spaces are used per reservation slot for 123 parking spaces, and by allowing room for 38
parking spaces, we can ensure accommodating someone came without a reservation. It isintended mainly to accommodate customers who arrive earlier or later than their reserved time.
We conducted a survey of visitors to the park after the reservation system started, allowing us toverify that the average time to enter the park was 30 minutes and 30 seconds, which was roughly
in line with our expectations. The fact that we were able to operate the reservation system withenough time to spare without overbooking the parking lots even during the peak 10:00-12:00
time slot was a good decision for the major multi-day holidays. The results also confirmed that thereservation quotas were effective in dispersing the number of visitors during the peak hours.
Countermeasures for major multi-day holidays:
For Golden Week, the first major multi-day holiday after the introduction of the reservationsystem, the following measures were implemented based on the results of the demonstration
experiment:(1) Consideration of a complete reservation system
During the period of the demonstration experiment, which was a period from fall to winter when
the number of visitors was relatively low, we operated the park using a combination of advancereservation through the website and on-site cash payment for those who could not makereservations. But since this method was likely to attract many visitors who had not madereservations during the major holidays, measures were taken under the assumption that thismethod would not be able to cope with the situation during major holidays. Therefore, in order tomanage the number of visitors, we decided to implement a complete reservation system foradmission to the park. However, if a full reservation system is used, visitors who cannot makereservations will not be able to enter the park. As a preventive measure, same-day tickets will beissued at the ASO Oguni Tourist Association counter in the Oguni Yu Station Roadside Station. We
began publicizing this system one month in advance and announced that during the GW period,visitors only with reservations would be able to enter the park.

(2) Consideration of time slots and number of people to make reservations
Since there are more visitors during major holidays than usual, we examined whether thereservation time frame of 40 minutes and 170 people set during the demonstration experimentneeded to be revised. We also considered increasing the number of visitors to 185 (a 10%increase), but the risk of overcrowding the parking lot was high, so we decided to maintain thenumber of reservations to 170. It also would be the first major holiday since the reservation
system was introduced.
(3) On-site response
Since we anticipated many visitors would come to the park without knowing that reservations
were required, we decided to set up a place in the middle of the village in Nabegataki Falls Park tocheck whether visitors had made reservations. This is because we anticipated that the parking lot
would be full if we had to confirm on the spot with visitors who came to the Nabegataki Falls Park
parking lot. Therefore, we used the grounds of an abandoned school in the village to confirm thatall non-local cars were reserved at the grounds. By doing so, we were able to create a mechanism
in which only those with reservations could pass through the section between the ruins of theelementary school and Nabegataki Falls Park. For those who had no reservations, a manualexplaining how to make reservations was distributed on the ground, and reservations were madeon the spot. Those who could not physically make reservations, such as those who had difficulty
operating the system, did not have a smartphone, or did not have a credit card, were asked to goto the Tourist Association counter in the Roadside Station Yu Station to purchase same-daytickets.
Result of measures for major holidays:
The number of visitors during the major holidays totalled approximately 11,000, and on days
when the weather was good, the maximum number of reservations was achieved. (Maximum
1,870 visitors per day *170 visitors per slot x 11 slots). About 90% of the visitors madereservations, and the confirmation of reservations at the old elementary school site wentsmoothly. In addition, there was 10%-20% room in the parking lot even during the peak hours.
However, we have received feedback from customers and local residents that the system ofrequiring customers who cannot make reservations to return to the roadside station, which takes
about 10 minutes each way, should be improved, and improvements are needed for the busy
summer season in the future.

Results, achievements and recognitions
What were the qualitative and quantitative results of the good practice?

The main benefits of the project are as follow:- Elimination of traffic congestion in the communities around Nabegataki Falls during major
holidays.
- Use of a reservation system that distribute (restricted) the number of people entering the parkby time slots created an environment in Nabegataki Falls Park where traffic congestion is not as
high.
- Implementation of reservation-only on the first major holiday – Golden Week – using thereservation system helped eliminate traffic congestion in the area, prevent the parking lots frombecoming full, and did not create a crowded situation for visitors in the park. We were able toconfirm that the time slots in the reservation system and the number of visitors entering the park
per time slot were appropriate.
The success of this project primarily benefited the following stakeholders:- Improved living conditions for local residents living near Nabegataki Falls due to the eliminationof traffic congestion
・Reduced the risk of COVID-19 infection among tourists by providing a safer environment forthem to enter the park even during the pandemic- Increased the number of visitors to Nabegataki Falls, which will lead to an increase in thenumber of visitors to tourism-related businesses in the town.

Additional references
Provide links to further information. Pictures and videos should be available for download either from YouTube,
Vimeo or other Cloud-based (Google/ One Drive) download URL (not WeTransfer).

Nabegataki Falls Park Reservation Website：https://ogunitown.info/nabegataki/