Personal story CASE4
Grew up in Samani, and protects and passes down the history and culture of Samani
Youichi Mizuno (65 years old)
Born in Erimo, and moved to Samani during junior high.
After graduating from college, he joined Samani Board of Education,
mainly working in the field of social education.
Currently, he is a member of Samani congress, Mount Apoi Fan Club,
Mount Apoi Regeneration Committee, Samani Historical Research Club,
and Hokkaido Alpine Plant Protection Network.
4-1Declaration as UNESCO Global Geopark in 2015
A college professor living in a tent
The value of Mount Apoi, unrecognized by the local area
A park declared as an area to learn and enjoy the treasures of earth including geological layers, rocks, landform, volcanoes,
and faults are called geopark,
and currently there are 39 of them in Japan.
8 of them have been designated as UNESCO Global Geopark.
Receiving its designation last September, Mount Apoi, including the town of Samani,
is the 8th UNESCO Global Geopark in Japan
Within Hokkaido, it is the second designation after Toya Caldera and Usu Volcano Global Geopark.
Mount Apoi’s greatest geological feature is the “peridotite,”
rocks which normally exist deep in the ground are found on the surface here.
Due to the poor nutrient condition and the presence of elements (nickel and magnesium)
that prevent growth of plants, standard plants are driven away,
and unique alpine plants thrive albeit at low altitude of 810m.
About 80 kinds of alpine plants are said to exist there.
Himechamadaraseseri, a butterfly deemed national natural treasure,
can be found here.
Mount Apoi has attracted attention of scholars and some researchers for a long time,
and many of them were seen living in tents at the base of the mountain,
making observations for days.
4-2Building of a library and encountering the geopark
Seeds of alpine plants for junior high school students
Locals gradually increase awareness to protect the environment
After graduating from college, I hoped to become a teacher in my hometown,
but, I got a job in a government office and was assigned to work on the board of education.
Subsequently, I never switched positions, and remained on the board of education.
In particular, I was in mainly working in the field of “social education.”
From this, I got involved in the construction of the town library.
Considering the size of the town, it seemed too large, but it would enlighten the locals,
and make a great contribution in presenting the valuable natural environment of Samani.
It would be used to hold forums,
and scholars and professors visiting Mount Apoi would gather
to present their works and have discussions.
Of course, we increased the frequency of opening the facility to the locals.
Eventually, these activities lead to hosting forums
in other areas, such as Sapporo.
Ultimately, the most important thing, also for tourism, is for the locals
to first garner interest in their environment and phenomenon.
Increase awareness in younger generation and their opportunities to get involved.
A project to distribute seeds of alpine plants to junior high school students,
and have them grow the seedlings at home has begun.
4-3Activities as guides, organized by the town
Guided tours managed by the entire town
Raising young guides for the future
Upon designation as a UNESCO Global Geopark, I believe that there is an increased awareness of Samani
and Mount Apoi, both within and outside of Hokkaido.
Being able to see alpine plants with a relatively easy mountain hike, at the altitude of 800m,
is a great asset and a tourist attraction for the town.
Town’s commerce and tourism department and organizations like Mount Apoi Fan Club are working together
to manage “Mount Apoi Geopark Guide Service” system.
It aims to provide meaningful guide,
that meets visitors’ interests, awareness, and purpose,
from alpine plants guide with mountain hiking
to footpath tour guides through historic landmarks and cultural heritage sites.
Currently, we mainly have veteran retiree guides,
but it is also our job to train ambitious young guides.
4-4For the changes in outlook toward nature and environment
Take it back to your hometown
To look at nature and cultural heritage with a new perspective
Beyond being a superficial “attraction,”
we hope it will be utilized as a place to gain knowledge,
to think about, “how did these distinctive landform/ environment come about?”,
and to learn about the changes in the vegetation, and how earth and space was created.
To this end, we hope people learn basic information at the “Visitor Center” prior to the tours.
We hope people ask any questions they have. That is our hope.
People who ask for a guide have desire to “learn.”
That is what we believe,
and we work to convey all the information we have.
Of course, the degree of interest varies within a group,
so we try to feel it out through communication.
One more thing I would like people to know is to
“reevaluate your hometown when you go home.”
There must be many more unique and valuable natural environment left in Japan,
like Samani.
I hope a visit here would create an opportunity to reevaluate that.
Inquiries for Mount Apoi Geopark Guide Services
Mount Apoi Geopark Promotion Council (Secretariat: Commerce, Industry and Tourism Department, Samani Town)
Phone: +81-146-36-2120 E-mail: apoi.geopark@festa.ocn.ne.jp
