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| Introduction to Toyooka! |
| Welcome to Toyooka! With a population of approximately 50,000, Toyooka just barely qualifies to be officially designated a "city," thereby making it the only city in Tajima �A�n, the mountainous region of northern Hyogo Prefecture. The main part of the city is located in a river basin, surrounded on all sides by rice paddies and mountains, and Toyooka's jurisdiction stretches out along the Maruyama River �~�R�� (Maruyamagawa), north to the Japan Sea. (see maps) |
| As you may or may not know already, every region, city and town in Japan is "famous" for one thing or another, and Toyooka's claim to fame is its bags. Yes, bags. Long ago, craftsmen in Toyooka made wicker baskets and bags from willows (yanagi), but now factories in Toyooka manufacture all types of bags, purses and luggage, which are sold throughout Japan. So when tourists are bused through Tajima, they stop in Toyooka to buy bags. The PR apparatus of Toyooka is heavily promoting its environmentally-friendly side, by letting the world know of its large Oriental White Stork preservation grounds. As the bird became extinct in Japan in the 1970's, efforts are being made right here in Toyooka to repopulate the country with storks imported from mainland Asia. As a result, the two most prominent mascots of Toyooka are bags and storks. Funny. |
| The coastal towns of Tajima are also famous for crab, and Toyooka is no exception. The Minato �` ("port" or "harbor") region of Toyooka -- in which Minato Junior High School and Koto Elementary School are located -- brings in large catches of crab. One of the many perks that come from working at these schools is that, during peak crab season, the school is donated crabs for school lunch! Every student and teacher gets a whole crab for lunch! (Sure, they're not huge or anything, and it's only one day a year, but hey!) Hopefully they'll do the same next time around, during your stay at Minato. (And hopefully you like crab!) |
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| �L�� |
| An archway, or torii, at Itsukushima Shrine, which is located in an inlet off of Maruyama River, between the apartment and school. (It's actually a small replica of the torii at Miyajima in Hiroshima) |
| Don't think too hard! Take it easy... |
| Meanwhile, the Tajima region is renowned for its beef. As people in Toyooka point out to me, the world-famous Kobe beef actually comes from Tajima beef cattle. Japanese people like their beef marbled (i.e., fatty), and apparently the cows up here in Tajima are fed beer and massaged regularly to work the fat into the muscle. What a life, eh? |
| Toyooka: Helping storks rise from the ashes of extinction. Oooh, this site is rich in symbolism! |
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| Back to Toyooka Guidebook (Table of Contents) |
| Moo, dammit! |