We are pleased to announce that Mizu to Takumi (Toyama Western Tourism Association) has been awarded the Grand Prize at the 3rd Sustainable Travel Awards by the Japan Tourism Agency.

The award ceremony was held this week in Tokyo, where Sari Hayashiguchi, Producer of Mizu to Takumi, attended on behalf of the organization to received the award.

The project recognized with this honor is the “Kainyo Care Tour — Passing On the Dispersed Settlement Landscape to the Next Generation through Conservation and a Circular Society.”

This initiative goes beyond a single experiential tour focused on caring for kainyo (traditional homestead forests). It has been highly evaluated as a community-wide, circular, and sustainable tourism model, encompassing:

– Experiential tours where participants engage directly in kainyo tree maintenance

– Rakudo-An guesthouse as a base for sankyoson dispersed settlement walking tours and conservation activities

– Development and sale of aroma oils made from pruned branches of kainyo and local woodlands

– A system in which a portion of accommodation fees is donated to landscape preservation efforts

– The expansion of these activities into the establishment of the Tonami Plain Dispersed Village Sustainable Promotion Council

Receiving such a prestigious award and having our efforts recognized from an independent perspective is a great source of hope—for us, and for the future of the region.

Our goal is to allow our guests to become not merely travelers, but active contributors to regional revitalization and community members. Through sustainable tourism, we aim to foster lasting relationships in which visitors engage with this land and help carry its values into the future.

We would like to extend our heartfelt gratitude to the many guests who stayed at Rakudo-An over the past year and made these initiatives possible. We sincerely look forward to welcoming you again in 2026 to the sankyoson area!

Mizu to Takumi
Toyama Western Region Tourism Association
Mizu to Takumi Co., Ltd.

Grand Prize — 3rd Sustainable Travel Awards
Kainyo Care Tour: Passing On the Dispersed Settlement Landscape to the Next Generation through Conservation and a Circular Society

Check the full coverage and list of recipients