Kamaishi locals put out welcome mat for Rugby World Cup tourists english.kyodonews.net

By Keita Nakamura, KYODO NEWS - 12 hours ago - 12:25 | Sports, Lifestyle, Rugby2019, All

As Kamaishi, one of this fall's Rugby World Cup venues, prepares for an influx of overseas fans, some of its residents are taking the initiative to both put out the welcome mat and help ensure the event creates a lasting tourism legacy for the city.

Among them is Sogo Nitta, 17. He grew up thinking his hometown, a city of some 30,000 inhabitants in the northeastern prefecture of Iwate, was "just ordinary with nothing to offer" but has changed his mind since looking at it through the eyes of potential visitors.

The small seaside city offers "awesome scenery" and great seafood while locals are "warmhearted, especially toward outsiders," he said.

Kamaishi was chosen as a venue partly because of its strong rugby tradition, with now-defunct local club Nippon Steel Kamaishi having won seven straight All-Japan Championship titles from 1979 to 1985.

(Sogo Nitta)

The city is also still recovering from the massive earthquake and tsunami that battered northeast Japan in March 2011 -- a calamity that claimed the lives of over 1,000 of Kamaishi's inhabitants.

Indeed, the newly built stadium due to host two group-stage matches during the World Cup -- Fiji vs Uruguay on Sept. 25 and Namibia vs Canada on Oct. 13 -- is called the Kamaishi Recovery Memorial Stadium and opened about a year ago on a site once inundated by the tsunami.

But located some 6 kilometers north of the city's central area, it is inconveniently located in terms of public transportation and vacant lots are still conspicuous around the stadium.

Kamaishi also has only 1,400 beds for visitors nightly, which means that World Cup organizers plan to charter buses to transport the bulk of fans to the 16,000-capacity venue from other cities like Hanamaki and Morioka, which have shinkansen bullet train stations.

The main concern, therefore, for Nitta and other like-minded inhabitants is that rugby fans coming for the games may simply bypass the city's center altogether.

Nitta, who attends an international boarding school in Karuizawa, central Japan, started his project to promote Kamaishi's attractions with a group of classmates after returning home for the summer break in mid-June.

He plans to conduct a one-day tour to take guests to about 20 spots, including restaurants, cafes, a spa and parks, on Oct. 14, the day after the final rugby match in Kamaishi.

Tour participants will also receive recommendations for activities on "task cards." Suggestions may include "Taking photos of a beautiful seaside view from the windows of a local train" or "Getting a bite to eat at a local ramen shop," said Nitta, who is also trying to get local high schools in Kamaishi involved in guiding the tour.

Growing up in Kamaishi and starting to play rugby at the age of 8, Nitta had planned to go to a local high school with a strong rugby team, but decided to enroll at the United World Colleges' ISAK, the only full-boarding international high school in Japan, as it is supportive of students' community service and project-based learning.

"I grew to think that my life isn't all about rugby, and that I want to acquire other experiences to repay people all over the world in the future for the kindness shown us since the 2011 disaster."

Nitta said the students, who aim to gather around 40 tour participants, plan to use social media to spread the word ahead of the tournament, though further details are still to be worked out.

"The World Cup will be a chance to gain new Kamaishi fans and also give thanks to the whole world for their support till now. I really want to offer them hospitality in return," said Nitta.

Nebama Mind, a local incorporated body supporting the student-led project, focuses on regional promotion and is represented by Akiko Iwasaki. She is also the proprietress of Japanese-style inn Horaikan, which is a 10-minute walk from the stadium.

(Akiko Iwasaki)

Iwasaki plans to serve white wine to tourists made from grapes that the hotel workers have been cultivating for five years. She is also considering offering guests food and drinks buffet-style outdoors "so that they can leisurely drink from morning till night" instead having to eat meals inside the inn's dining area.

"It would be a pity if guests ended up staying here only a few days before and after the matches, so our major challenges are whether we can persuade them to lodge for more nights," said Iwasaki, who is still working on other ideas to entice guests to stay longer.

Along with hotels, private households are sprucing up rooms after the city decided to allow them to offer accommodation during the event due to the hotel-bed shortage.

"I'm looking forward to interacting with various people at (my home)," said Shusei Yamada, 61, a photojournalist who moved to Kamaishi from Tokyo in summer 2011 after becoming drawn to the city while supporting its reconstruction efforts.

Yamada's two-story home, located in a mountainous area about 20 minutes from the stadium by car, features a detached room and can accommodate as many as 20 guests per night.

(Shusei Yamada)

In affiliation with U.S. home-rental service giant Airbnb Inc., the city aims to arrange 50 private lodgings for a limited time of four nights before and after the matches.

Even so, as the city is unaccustomed to welcoming tourists, especially foreign guests, more than a few hurdles remain.

Aisling Barry, 23, from Ireland, a coordinator of international relations for the Rugby World Cup, says more English descriptions around the city such as guide signs and restaurant menus are necessary. She hopes locals also familiarize themselves with different manners and customs.

Barry, who was appointed to the position in Kamaishi in July 2017, wrote a graduation thesis on Japan's 2011 disaster at Dublin City University. Since coming to the city though, she has learned much more about both Kamaishi and rugby.

"Most important, just enjoy the experience and try to make Kamaishi more appealing for foreigners who come here," she said, voicing her advice for locals. "I want them to visit again and again."

(Aisling Barry)