Green tourism can be a business of 3 way satisfaction

I took part in a Satoyama cycling tour in our town with my son yesterday.

We started cycling at Hino tourist office on Omi-Hino-merchant street.

We cycled through beautiful little villages.

This kind of hut with mud walls is very common in Japanese countryside.

We had lunch at a farmer’s inn.

They served us some edible wild plants like mugworts and wild rocamboles. They were so delicious. Pickled radish and miso soup were excellent, too.

What is great about this tour is that you can enjoy everyday scenery of a rural village in Japan. When you go to Kyoto or other touristic towns, you are always surrounded by many tourists and you feel rushed, but here, you can take time and immerse yourself in a timeless moment.

Three reasons why Hino is more enjoyable than Kyoto

Omi-merchants have a philosophy of Sanpo-yoshi which means 3 way satisfaction. The business you conduct should be beneficial to the seller, the buyer, and the society in general. When I look at this Satoyama cycling tour, it is beneficial to the seller, in this case our town, because tourism brings in new revenues. It is beneficial to the buyer because it provides wonderful experiences to the tourists. It is beneficial to the society in general because by helping the local economy of country towns, it will help increase the population of depopulated areas.