Ecotourism is a leisure travel concept that originally developed in Europe. The idea is to travel to beautiful and relatively remote natural environments–forests, coasts, farming communities–to enjoy their natural surroundings, local culture, and local people. Put simply, it’s choosing to spend your holidays taking it easy in rural areas. Did you know that the islands of Shimanami make the perfect ecotourism destination?
Ecotourism requires that coordinators avoid engaging in large-scale development, maximize their use of local resources, respect each other through genuine interactions, and do no harm to the local natural environment or community–contributing instead to its growth and well-being.
Ecotourism is an activity that values personal communication with the local people who welcome urban travelers with open arms, while respecting the homegrown assets of the area.
The Shimanami Green Tourism Promotion Council launched this project in 2000 and now offers 52 different experiences (as of April 2021), including culinary activities. About 80,000 people participated in the activities each year prior to the pandemic.

Curious about some of the ecotourism activities in Shimanami? Read on for some great highlights!
There are four main types of ecotourism experiences in Shimanami: local food experiences, island adventures, experiences of daily life, and rural industry experiences (farming, forestry, and fishing). You can also stay in a farmhouse, fisherman’s house, or lodging house.
Local food experiences include making a homestyle dish known as moburi-gohan (rice mixed with a variety of ingredients) as well as making salted caramel using local Omishima honey and the renowned salt of Hakata. You can even pound mochi steamed with locally-grown mikan citrus!

On an island adventure, you might experience the area’s famous tidal currents, or take a boat tour around Noshima Island, a treasure trove of Murakami naval history. The area around the islands is known for its fierce tidal currents, which are fascinating to see in all their different moods.

 

There are also experiences including pottery wheels, picking mikan citrus, shore-based net fishing, and more!
There are tons of activities that most people never get to experience, so come on out and join the adventure!

http://shimanami.ciao.jp/