Japanese Scenic Highways Shionomichi
3.Regional Resources of “Shionomichi - the Road of Lifelong Learning”
The Itoigawa/Shizuoka Tectonic Line Fossa Magna: east longitude: 138°
The picturesque terrain of the rift valley extends between the Takayama Mountain Range and the river basin of the Northern, Central and Southern Alps. Japan’s longest, oldest highway cuts the central, thickest part of the Japanese archipelago right down through the middle from North to South (350km). Typical natural phenomena of the Japanese archipelago: tall mountains, faults, volcanoes, hot springs, tidal marshes, rivers, terraces, gorges and mountain passes.

An ancient route of traffic, distribution and archaeological sitesThe Hisui (“jade”) Road (jade was produced in Itoigawa) and the Kokuyouseki (“obsidian”) (star droppings) Road
This most dynamic route, which was used for exchanging produce from the sea and mountains, crossed the Tokaido (Eastern Sea Road), Nakasendo (Central Mountain Road) and Hokurikudo (Northern Land Road). Designated national historical sites: Chojagahara Iseki (Itoigawa), Mt. Kobo Kofun (Matsumoto), Hiraide Iseki (Shiojiri), Nashikubo Iseki (Okaya), Tanabatake Iseki, Togariishi Iseki), Uenodan Iseki (Chino), Wadaoka Kofun Gun (Kakegawa)

Pilgrim road, ancient mythological road, the route for folk art performances & festivals
  The Suwa faith (Water) and Akiba faith (God of Fire)/ Doozojin Signpost Culture

Designated Important Intangible Cultural Assets: Amatsu Jinja Bugaku music and dances & Nechi-yamadera ennen dances (Itoigawa), Shimotsuki Matsuri (Kamimura and Minami Shinano Village), Nishinoura dengaku music and dances, (Misakubo Village), Morimachi music and dances (Morimachi)
Designated Important Cultural Assets: Nishina Shinmeigu Honden, Nyakuichi-oji Jinja (Omachi), Shinmei-ja and Suwa-ja (Hakuba Village), Suwa Taisha (330 shrines that lie along Suwa and lower Suwa Village), Hakusan-ja and Kaizenji Sanmon (Iida), Onshoji Tahoutou (Takatoo Town), Matsuodera Honden (Hotaka Town), Other


The road where the Sengoku warlords rose and fell and the route to their castles
The road of Kenshin Uesugi and his teaching "Give salt (and thereby show mercy) to your enemies,” Shingen Takeda, Narimasa Sassa, Ieyasu Tokugawa
Matsumoto Shiro, Suwa Shiro, Takato Shiro, Kasuga Shiro, Iida Shiro, Futamata Shiro, Kakegawa Shiro, Sagara Shiro, Osuga Shiro

The route of daily life and folklore
Designated Important Cultural Assets that are Private Houses: 9 residences including the Onoke Juutaku (Shiojiri) and Soneharake Juutaku (Hotaka)
All kinds of lifestyle museums: reference materials on sake, silk yarn, traditional toys, traditional crafts, onsen, ceramics, fishing methods, ship transportation, highways etc.

The route of the arts and sciences
Memorial Hall Route: Gyofu Soba, Taiko Hirabayashi, Hatoju Muku, Roguzan Ogiwara, Rokuro Asahara, Naoe Kinoshita, Akahiko Shimaki etc.
Science & Nature Museums: Fossa Magna, Median Tectonic Line, hydroelectric power generation, irrigation, mountains, fossils, nuclear energy

The sports route
Skiing, mountain climbing, paragliding, nature tours, trekking and hiking, forest bird-watching walks etc.

The route of dietary culture & country resorts
Green resorts: guesthouse villages, camping grounds, villages where one can experience nature
Gourmet: "soba,” Shinshu beef, apples, pears, wine, bee larvae, matsutake mushrooms, wasabi, marine produce, etc.

Japan Rail (JR) rail system, expressways and roadside stations
Railroads: Oito-sen, Chuo Honsen, Iida-sen, Tokaido Shinkansen, Maglev Shinkansen, Tenryu Hamanako Tetsudou
Roads: Chuo Jidousha-do, Nagano Jidousha-so, Hokuriku Jidousha-do, Tomei Kousoku-do, Sanen Nanshin-do

10 East meets West: regions where different cultures merge and cultural exchange occurs
   The massive core of collaborative between North-Eastern and South-Western Japan
Agriculture: hydroelectric power regions, wild silkworms, textile industries, high-tech industries, electronic & optical industries, nuclear power generation (Hamaoka Town), fruit industries, Tenryu industries of forestry and forest produce, Himekawa Port (Sea of Japan), Omaezaki and Sagara Port (Pacific Ocean)

【 Return to the "Road of Lifelong Learning" Page】

2007 shionomichi.jp  Alps Shionomichi Kouryuu Kaigi