Yonezawa City Planning and Coordination Department Policy Planning Division Recruiting participants for the “Digital Detox Journey” in Yonezawa, Yozan Uesugi! Let go of your smartphone and connect with nature by visiting the plant tower and secret hot springs
Planned and operated by Yonezawa’s countryside experience professional “Zaigo Taro Juku”
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“Zaigo Taro Juku (operating company: TREE Co., Ltd.)”, which has a track record of participating in the Yonezawa SDGs Academy sponsored by the Yonezawa City Policy Planning Division, is an initiative that embodies the SDGs, which are in line with the philosophy of Lord Yozan Uesugi. We have decided to hold a “Digital Detox Journey” next year to connect with nature by visiting secret hot springs. This is a program that connects you with nature by visiting the Plant and Tree Pagoda, which shows gratitude for the blessings derived from plants, and enjoying the hidden hot springs at Ohira Onsen, where smartphones cannot be connected. We are looking for participants from all over Japan, including the Tokyo metropolitan area.
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▼Message from Zaigotaro Juku
Visit the plant tower to appreciate nature, and treat yourself to a hidden hot spring!
In today’s society where smartphones are the norm, young people even say, “I can’t live without a smartphone!” I want to make a difference in a world where it’s commonplace to rely on smartphones even for babysitting!
Would you like to relive the times when you lived without a
smartphone, and the time and space that was much more enjoyable even without a smartphone? Maybe some of you will experience time and space without looking at your smartphone for the first time!
Would you like to reaffirm the wisdom of our ancestors, which is really important for living, while learning naturally through experience?
Fortunately (lol), here in Yonezawa City, Yamagata Prefecture, there are still places where smartphones cannot be connected.
Let’s have fun with the locals!
You will definitely see a new world and yourself.
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▼Visit a plant tower that is rare in Japan
Yonezawa City in Yamagata Prefecture is known as the castle town of Uesugi. It is said that when Uesugi was reduced from 1.2 million koku in Aizu to 300,000 koku and moved to Yonezawa, about 30,000 of Uesugi’s heirs and their families moved to Yonezawa. It was around November, when the harsh winter would soon arrive.
At that time, firewood was an essential part of life. Especially in winter, large amounts of firewood were needed. Timber was also needed to build new houses. Under these circumstances, firewood was transported to the city center by cutting down many trees from the mountains, damming up the melting snow in cold rivers in early spring, and flushing the firewood all at once into the city. Kanetsugu Naoe opened Kiba at the request of the local Tazawa people. The “Kusaki Pagoda” or “Kusaki Memorial Pagoda” is mainly carved into natural stone, making it a rare stone pagoda in Japan. Since the Edo period, when forestry became popular, many of them have been scattered in the Okitama region centered on Yonezawa City, Yamagata Prefecture, and the Kusagi Memorial Tower in Shiojidaira, Tazawa District, Yonezawa City is the oldest existing Kusagi Tou. It is said.
There are still many mysteries about its origin, but each grass and tree has its own soul, and people are grateful for the blessings they receive from these plants. It is believed that the desire to offer a memorial service led to the construction of the “Plant Pagoda”. Since then, that spirit has spread throughout the country, and new plant towers are increasing in number. Recently, it has started to attract attention from overseas as it sends out a strong message that is relevant to nature conservation, global environmental issues, and SDGs.
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Currently, the oldest herbaceous pagoda found on the salt horizon (Reference) 17 designated tangible folk cultural properties by Yonezawa City Since the middle of the Edo period, many stone monuments with inscriptions such as Somokuto (Plant Pagoda) and Memorial Tower for Plants and Trees have been erected mainly in the Okitama region of Yamagata Prefecture.
Of the 35 confirmed shrines built during the Edo period, 17 are concentrated in Yonezawa City, and it can be said that this is a unique custom seen mainly in Yonezawa City.
The spirit of the people of the time, who held memorial services and expressed gratitude for the plants that supported their livelihood, can be seen, and each plant pagoda has been designated as a tangible folk cultural property by Yonezawa City.
▼Connect with nature at the secret hot spring “Ohira Onsen”
Completely digital detox at Ohira Onsen, a secret hot spring that you can walk across a suspension bridge! Smartphones are not connected here. The sound of the river flowing from the two large waterfalls at the source of the Mogami River will help you sleep deeply and wash away the stress of everyday life. The rustic open-air bath can be reserved for private use!
It’s a perfect location to re-evaluate yourself, wondering how you can spend so much time just by not looking at your smartphone.
In addition, handmade seasonal dishes made with local ingredients will satisfy your tired mind and stomach. Strangely enough, whenever I come here, I fall asleep by 9 o’clock. Taking a morning bath the next day feels so good!
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▼Program details
The “Digital Detox Journey” sponsored by Zaigo Taro Juku is scheduled to begin in June 2024, during the fresh green season.
◇Day 1
10:00 Depart from Yonezawa Station (Jumbo Taxi) ⇒ 10:30 Arrive at Tazawa Comisen: See historical background, materials on wood-nagashi, etc. ⇒ 11:00 Visit the Plants Tower (morning session) ⇒ 12:00 Roadside Station Nagomi Lunch in the village (handmade soba) ⇒ 13:00 Visit to the plant tower (afternoon) ⇒ 14:00 Depart for Ohira Onsen ⇒ Pass through the mountains and arrive at Ohira Onsen parking lot ⇒ 15:00 Walk to the inn ⇒ 15 :30 Cross the suspension bridge and arrive at the inn ⇒ 18:00 Dinner
◇2nd day
Wake up early in the morning ⇒ Morning bath ⇒ Take a nap ⇒ Breakfast ⇒ 9:30 Depart from the inn (on foot) ⇒ 10:00 Arrive at the inn parking lot (jumbo taxi) ⇒ Various activities (forest walk, plant observation session, Japanese drumming experience, sashiko experience, local cuisine) (courses, etc.) ⇒ Dengoku-Mori Museum disbanded
Activities on the second day can be customized according to member composition, time, and budget.
Please feel free to contact us about staying multiple nights.
▼Application
If you are interested in joining us on a digital detox journey, please contact us using the form below.
In 2024, we are planning to hold the event in June, the season of flowers and fresh greenery, so we will give you priority information once the date is decided.
Apply here: https://zaigotaro.club/contact/index.html
[Counter] Eriko Kaneda, Principal of Zaigo Taro Juku (Tree Co., Ltd.) [Travel Planning] Yonezawa Tourism and Convention Association Roadside Station Yonezawa
▼About digital detox and its efficacy
By distancing yourself from your smartphone and other digital devices for a certain period of time, you can relieve the fatigue and stress that has accumulated in your mind and body, and focus on your daily life.
This will allow you to reconsider your actual lifestyle and focus on communicating with people and interacting with nature.
Experience the four seasons in nature, and what you can see, hear, and notice by clearing your five senses. You can also refresh yourself by taking a deep breath of fresh air in the forest. Furthermore, digital detox provides relief from eye strain and neck and shoulder stiffness. [Image 6
▼About this press release
This press release focuses on the SDGs projects implemented by companies and organizations that participated in the Yonezawa SDGs Academy (SDGs training) sponsored by the Yonezawa City Policy Planning Division, and in order to widely disseminate their efforts. We are promoting this initiative. ▼Contact us
[Inquiries regarding digital detox journey]
Zaigo Taro Juku (tree Inc.) Principal Eriko Kaneda (Guide) TEL/FAX. 0238-21-6350 Email: fuben-ok@zaigotaro.club
WEB: https://zaigotaro.club
[Inquiries regarding press releases] Yonezawa City Planning and Coordination Department Policy Planning Division Email:
seisaku-ka@city.yonezawa.yamagata.jp
Phone: 0238-22-5111 (extension 2702) Fax: 0238-22-0498
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