Interview with Haruhiko Kaneko of the Bitchu Totomichi Trail Promotion Council
Researching the “Totomichi”
When did you first learn about the Totomichi?
Kaneko (honorific omitted)
Around June 2016, I think.
At the time, with support from the Bitchu Prefectural Bureau, I was working on things like creating tours for foreign visitors to Japan.
When I went to the Bitchu Prefectural Bureau, someone from the Takahashi River Basin School told me, “We’ve learned that there’s a road called the Totomichi, which was used to transport fish from Kasaoka to Fukiya. But we don’t know the route south of Nariwa. Do you know the route south from Nariwa?” That was how it all began.
What made you want to research the Totomichi?
Kaneko
The moment I heard about the Totomichi, I felt I wanted to investigate it.
Since I knew nothing about it, I asked an acquaintance, “Have you heard of the Totomichi?”
He told me, “I know there was a Totomichi, but I don’t know where the road is. I do know someone who knows a lot about it, though.”
He introduced me to Mr. Moriyama Takashi and Mr. Shiota Hiroyuki. I was surprised when they told me, “We’ve been researching the Totomichi since 2006.”
What’s more, the two had published a report on their Totomichi research in the 2007 issue of the Takahashi River Basin Federation’s journal, “Takahashi River”. Learning about the Totomichi from that report made me even more interested.
The Takahashi River Basin Federation’s journal, “Takahashi River,” is published once a year
Identifying the Totomichi route
How did you go about identifying the route?
Kaneko
First, Mr. Moriyama introduced me to local historians in various areas.
When I went to speak with the historians he introduced, they in turn introduced me to other local historians they knew. I kept repeating this process of meeting people.
In December 2016, by piecing together various bits of information, we began to get a vague idea of where the Totomichi ran.
However, there were three places we couldn’t figure out.
Where were those three places?
Kaneko
The three places were between Nariwa and Uji in Takahashi City, between Unai in Yakage Town and Keno in Bisei Town, Ibara City, and around Nagasako in Kasaoka City.
Were you able to identify the three sections you couldn’t figure out?
Kaneko
We identified the path that climbs from Unai to Keno.
We still don’t know the other two sections for certain. The routes are much the same whichever way you climb, so there are various opinions. For now, we’ve chosen the route that seems most convincing as a provisional route.
Searching for the route between Unai and Keno was difficult, but we were blessed with an unexpected coincidence.
In January 2017, relying on Mr. Shiota’s memory that there had been a signpost in Keno around 2007, we searched all over the area around Keno.
We had found almost nothing and were about to give up, exhausted, when I happened to see a farmer working in a field in Keno and blurted out, “We’re looking for the Totomichi. Was there a signpost around here?”
The farmer pointed to a bamboo thicket stretching for about 100 meters above the field on the slope and said, “It was somewhere around there.”
Thinking we probably wouldn’t find a signpost, I started cutting through the bamboo. As I did, a dirt path about 2 ken (approximately 4 meters) wide began to emerge, and at the bottom of the thicket, the “signpost of destiny” buried there came into view.
The signpost of destiny was a rectangular stone pillar. It had tilted after being pushed by a slender tree that had grown up beside it, and looked as if it might tumble down the slope below.
(Photo courtesy of the Bitchu Totomichi Trail Promotion Council)
The northeast-facing side of the signpost was inscribed with the words, “Right: Oda, Yakage; for the deceased ox; left: old road.”
Looking south from the signpost, the road forked into two paths.
The signpost had the words “old road” (the Totomichi) inscribed for the path on the left. Looking left, the path led toward a forest on a steep slope that was impossible to enter. Going down to the right led to a paved road that cars could use.
The paved road on the right was a new road, completed and opened in 1926. The road used until then was the old road—and the Totomichi.
The signpost was “irrefutable evidence,” and I remember being deeply moved. Beside the field at dusk, we all gave three cheers for this unexpected major discovery.
After that, we cleared the slope through the forest down toward Yakage, and identified the Totomichi in the Keno area.
Experiencing the “Totomichi” on foot: the Totomichi Walking Event
What prompted you to start the Totomichi Walking Event?
Kaneko
After we cleared the Totomichi, I felt, “I want people to walk this road.”
The first walking event was held on January 14, 2018. We received many applications when we opened registration, and that gave us a sense that it was going well.
The Totomichi can be hard to follow, and signposts sometimes get pulled out and disappear. By walking together as guides, we can ensure everyone’s safety.
By the end of December 2024, we had held the event 23 times, with 648 people taking part.
Have you faced any difficulties in holding the Totomichi Walking Event?
Kaneko
We aren’t licensed travel agents.
So first, we have participants become members. The council then books the bus.
However, while the council considers participants to be members, participants think of themselves as customers. There’s a mismatch between the two sides. On one occasion, participants who thought of themselves as customers failed to show up without notice, and the council had to cover the bus fare.
However, the Totomichi Walking Event is positioned as a public-relations activity. We’ve decided to keep it going for a while, even if the council has to cover the costs.
Ideally, everyone would be able to walk the route by finding their way with signposts and a map.
The future of the Totomichi
I heard you’re making IT signposts. What are they?
Kaneko
What we call IT signposts have a two-dimensional barcode attached. When you scan it, your current location appears on Google Maps, and you can see which way to go next.
A member who retired from an electronics manufacturer made them using information from the routes we’ve walked over the years.
Thanks to the IT signposts, scanning the two-dimensional barcode displays the route, so you can see where you are and which direction to go. It’s also made it less likely that people will get lost when walking on their own.
Totomichi guidebooks
When I think of the Totomichi, I picture a carefully put-together guidebook. Were there any particular things you focused on when making it? And is there anything about gathering materials that left an impression on you?
Kaneko
When we made the first guidebook in 2018, it was a truly handmade booklet, bound with bookbinding tape.
In January 2024, we published “Totomichi Field Notes,” which delves a little deeper into the history, culture, and nature along the Totomichi, and in June we released an expanded and revised edition of the guidebook.
Our aim was to make it possible to walk the Totomichi without a guide just by reading this, but it’s quite difficult. In any case, sales of these booklets have now become the group’s only source of operating funds.
When we were putting together “Totomichi Field Notes,” many local historians sent us manuscripts saying, “I want this included.” I was the editor-in-chief, so it was a lot of work.
I spent all day looking at a computer screen, and my eyes got tired, so it was physically demanding work, but mentally, it was very interesting.
When I was young, I loved mountain climbing above all else. I climbed 6,000-meter peaks in the Himalayas. When mountaineering, planning, climbing, and keeping a record are essential.
I think that experience gave me a strong feeling that the work wouldn’t be complete unless we properly documented the Totomichi.
The “Totomichi Guidebook” and “Totomichi Field Notes” are reports on six years of extensive mountaineering activity.
Dream Road Renaissance
What did you hope to achieve by applying for “Dream Road Renaissance” recognition?
Kaneko
At first, we wanted to “find the road ourselves,” but as we continued our research, that feeling changed to “preserve the Totomichi.”
But we’re all elderly and probably can’t keep working on this for much longer, so it would be difficult to maintain the Totomichi unless we could get it recognized by the public in some way.
Around that time, someone from the Chugoku Regional Development Bureau of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism told us about the Dream Road Renaissance program. I was very happy when I heard about it.
Being officially recognized in the winter of 2024 made me feel that we might be able to preserve the Totomichi going forward.
Dream Road Renaissance recognizes roads in the Chugoku region that pass on history and culture today as “Dream Road Renaissance Certified Areas.” It aims to revitalize communities by making use of the Chugoku region’s rich history, culture, and nature, and by promoting community-led, distinctive local development, collaboration, and exchange. Alongside community development, it also seeks to create a new “road culture” of “exploring for enjoyment,” rather than simply traveling toward a destination.
From the Dream Road Renaissance website
Japan National Commission for UNESCO, Project Future Heritage: “Let’s Leave It for Children 100 Years from Now”
How did you feel when you heard that the Totomichi had been registered as a 2023 Project Future Heritage by the Japan National Commission for UNESCO?
Kaneko
Now that it has been recognized by both the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism’s Dream Road Renaissance program and the Japan National Commission for UNESCO’s 2023 Project Future Heritage, I feel that the name “Totomichi” has gained at least some recognition in the wider world.
We’d like to continue promoting the Totomichi, drawing on the names of Dream Road Renaissance and the Japan National Commission for UNESCO’s Project Future Heritage.
The Japan National Commission for UNESCO gives each Future Heritage a catchphrase. For the Totomichi, it is “Let’s leave it for children 100 years from now.”
When we began our research in 2016, the members agreed that we would “keep this activity going for 10 years,” so hearing the Japan National Commission for UNESCO say “100 years” came as a shock.
But I was inspired by the idea that it’s more rewarding to think on such a grand timescale.
The Future Heritage Movement is based on the desire to pass on local “treasures” to the children of the future.
It shines a light on and supports the “people” and “activities” that continue their steady efforts to pass these treasures on to future generations.
From the Japan National Commission for UNESCO Project Future Heritage website
From the Writer
Through working at a library, the writer came to want to deepen their knowledge of local history. They learned that the local historians involved with the Bitchu Totomichi Trail Council are the very people who write and edit books used as references when researching local history.
After learning that well-known local historians were involved, the writer wondered, “Local historians from Kasaoka City in southern Bitchu and Takahashi City in northern Bitchu are doing something innovative. What was it that captivated these local historians?”
Through the interview, I feel I’ve found at least part of the answer.
Next, I’d like to walk the Totomichi many times myself, see it with my own eyes, and make further discoveries.
Bitchu Totomichi Trail Promotion Council Information
| Name | Bitchu Totomichi Trail Promotion Council |
|---|---|
| Address | 1208-1 Naka, Yakage Town, Oda District, Okayama Prefecture (home of the secretary-general) |
| Contact | 080-3390-6935 (secretary-general’s phone) |
| Website | Totomichi |
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