The New Era of Tourism: From Consuming Tourism to Co-creating Hometown
A New Candidate for the Next LocalDAO.
Hello. We would like to introduce Tenryukyo, the region that we have raised our hand as a candidate for the Local DAO, and our thoughts towards Tenryukyo.
Our Tenryukyo team has five members who have been involved in Tenryukyo in different ways, and we are working together on a daily basis on community activities to help revitalize the community. We’ve decided to join as a team because we believe it is important for five people who are seriously committed to the project to acknowledge each other's roles and to maximize our strengths. We are determined to contribute and to address the challenges we’ve faced in Tenryukyo.
To begin with, the name "Tenryukyo" actually refers to a scenic area, not a specific region. That means that people in the region have different ideas about the area that come to mind when they hear the name Tenryukyo.
Tenryukyo used to be a popular tourist spot, attracting many visitors. However, over time, the area has lost some of its brightness. In order to find a new related population and a new way of tourism in Tenryukyo, we have applied to be a candidate for the Local DAO.
Nature and Traditions Remaining In Tenryukyo
Tenryukyo is located in the southern part of Nagano Prefecture and is Iida City's further southernmost tourist spot. It has the best geographic location in Japan, with the Southern Alps to the east, the Central Alps to the west, and the Tenryu River running through it from north to south.
Historically, it thrived as a crucial hub for transportation, including both overland routes such as the Tozando Road and the Sanshu Kaido Road, as well as water transportation along the Tenryu River. This geographical advantage facilitated prosperity and contributed to its unique economic development.
One of the most unique characteristics of Tenryukyo is the beauty of the gorge, which is a result of the flow of the Tenryu River and the giant rocks and plants that rise up on both sides of the river. With its breathtaking natural beauty and powerful gorge views, Tenryukyo is known to be a place that captures many people's attention. On the boardwalk, you can enjoy seasonal flowers and plants of all kinds. Also, you can go down the Tenryu River by boat.
There are still historic and traditional cultures being passed down to this day. One of them is the Imada Ningyo, a three-man puppet show that has continued for more than 300 years. The "Tenryukyo Odori," a Bon dance performance to the accompaniment of live singing and playing of the Ryukyo small songs, has been performed since 1928, and folk culture such as kagura and Ningyo Joruri is still alive today.
The Dilemma of Being a Tourist Spot
Tenryukyo was known as a famous place to visit in Japan and was visited by many tourists. About 100 years ago, the area around Tenryukyo Station was covered with mulberry fields. The people who lived in the area at that time worked to develop Tenryukyo into one of the best tourist spots in Japan. The nostalgic and warm streets we see today were built through the hard work of the early pioneers of the time. Without tourism, life in Tenryukyo would not exist today.
Meanwhile, Tenryukyo as a tourist spot is undergoing a transitional phase. The number of tourists has dropped from 700,000 a year in the past to 200,000 now. Changes in the environment surrounding tourism, such as the development of transportation networks including highways and railroad extensions, and the shift from tour travel to individual travel, have left us behind tremendously fast.
Most of the souvenir shops and restaurants have gone out of business, as has the grand hotel, which was once a busy place in its early days. Some are still going strong and continuing to open their stores, but it is true that they feel limited by the current ways of tourism. They have to get their souvenirs ready for tourists and keep waiting until people who may or may not come. Even if they do come, they mainly stay for a few days, and many of them never come back once they have been here. Our lives have been supported by tourism, but it has now become a source of fatigue for our livelihoods.
To overcome this dilemma, Tenryukyo must protect its daily life and livelihoods while exploring new ways to become a tourist spot.
A New Hometown Where You Say 'Welcome Home'
We propose creating a "New Hometown" for all of you.
Usually, hometown means the place where you were born and raised. Life in a place begins by chance, and as one spends a lot of time there, one begins to feel a connection to that place, and an identity is formed. It is through shared identity that we feel a sense of familiarity when we meet people from the same hometown.
Today, we have the choice of having a new hometown. This "new hometown" is a place where they can meet others who are interested in pursuing their own ideas and who share the same values. In fact, not everyone who lives and works in Tenryukyo, including us, was born here. We are naturally inspired by the beauty of this place and the people who work in Tenryukyo. New people who find Tenryukyo intriguing choose it as their "new hometown" and this cycle makes it a valuable place to visit. Tenryukyo has this warmth that makes you feel nostalgic even if you are visiting for the first time. We believe that this is our new home, and together with the digital residents, we are building Tenryukyo into a place where we say, “I'm home, and welcome back."
Become A Tourist Spot Where Everyone Feels Home
The future we envision for Tenryukyo may serve as a solution to the dilemma faced by other tourist spots in Japan.
"Not a tourist spot to be consumed, but to be developed as a hometown." "The more tourists visit, the richer the local life and nature become."
We want Tenryukyo to become a new hometown for all those who live here, those who visit, and those who are involved. And through making their lives more fulfilling, we hope to develop it into a leading tourist spot that is uniquely diverse. By growing a new hometown, we believe that we can show the world a new way of tourism; by evolving with the changing times without denying the tourism established by our seniors 100 years ago, Tenryukyo will continue to inspire and bring people together and make it more prosperous for the next 100 years to come. That is the future that we see.
But we also acknowledge that we may not be able to reach that future on our own. We need your help. And together, we bring wisdom and resources from all over the world together to overcome the challenges and dilemmas that all tourist spots encounter. Please join us as digital residents of Tenryukyo and together we will create the future. We look forward to seeing you at Tenryukyo.
※ Video Credit: chillemo.iida
Team Members From Tenryukyo
Tomomi Matsuo
I am working on various projects to revitalize Tenryukyo in order to make it better known and to make it more exciting. Specifically, I organize events, develop Tenryu-kyo's local products, and guide visitors around Tenryukyo. I feel that Tenryukyo is a place with high potential, but we are not fully taking advantage of it. Our goal is to make Tenryukyo a place that everyone would want to visit again in the future when accessibility improves and it becomes easier to visit from other parts of Japan. We believe that the way for the region to survive in the future is to increase the number of connections among not only those involved in Tenryukyo, but also local residents and others involved in the population.
Yujiro Odaira
Currently, I am working on web business and regional revitalization projects in Tokyo and Iida City, Nagano, based on the philosophy of "bridging urban and rural areas." Through this project, I aim to spread the unique culture and values of the region to the world in the form of digital art. By reinterpreting the charm of rural areas from a new perspective of digital assets, I hope to become a bridge connecting rural areas to urban areas, the world, the past, and the future, enhancing the value of the region and creating new possibilities.
Sho Unayama
I am an engineer working on web services and local development projects in Tokyo and Iida City. I have always been drawn to blockchain technology and the principles of Web 3.0, and have been involved in multiple NFT projects and DAOs, enjoying new ways of being part of a community. We hope to be a bridge to create a cycle that allows each community to share in the benefits of the other.
Hidetoshi Yuzawa
I’m working with the public and private sector to increase the number of the people involved in Tenryukyo, to recognize each other's roles by connecting people, and to help build strength and vitality. There are a number of projects going on in Tenryukyo right now, and students and young people who want to work actively to develop their own abilities are visiting frequently, seeking their own roles and places to live through interactions and connections with others. These people are expanding their flexible and diverse lifestyle options for working and living in the new normal society, and are beginning to start their own businesses using the local resources. I hope that the Tenryukyo will continue to grow and thrive like a dragon, and that more and more people will be happy when they come across our beautiful people' and nature.
Naomi Oriyama
I am running a café called Tenryu-do in Tenryukyo and helping local communities to run their own businesses and start new ones. I’m also hosting an event called "Makanai Cafe, OKATTE" once a month with Yuzawa and Matsuo to provide a space where people can join, get free meals and do a pitch if they want to. It’s all for students, parents and the people in Tenryukyo
What’s going to happen next?
Shiiba Village (Miyazaki Prefecture) and Tenryukyo (Nagano Prefecture), which have been announced as new Local DAO regions, are not "confirmed" but only "candidates". As for the future, there will be a Nishikigoi NFT community vote in March (tentative) on whether or not to approve (tentative name) regarding the new Local DAO candidates.
If the vote passes with a majority of votes in favor, this next new village for the Local DAO will be confirmed. Details of the community vote will be shared on the official Nishikigoi NFT Discord community and official X account.