story tellerS
HATAKEYAMA Shigeatsu
Founder and Chairman of the NPO Mori-wa-Umi-no-Koibito
HATAKEYAMA Shigeatsu was born in 1940 in Shanghai, China. After the Second World War, he returned to his father’s birthplace, the Moune district of Karakuwa Town in coastal Miyagi Prefecture. Shigeatsu went on to take over the family oyster farming business, also becoming the first fisherman in Miyagi to successfully cultivate scallops by importing spat from hatcheries in Hokkaido. Since the 1960s, the marine environment of Kesennuma Bay suffered bouts of contamination by a red algae, which threatened the local aquaculture industry. Recognising the health of the waters is linked to the health of the forests in the upper reaches of the Okawa River (which flows into the Bay), Shigeatsu joined forces with fellow local fishermen to establish the ‘Mori-wa-Umi-no-Koibito’ movement to prevent forest deterioration. The following year, the group began to offer hands-on experiences with a focus on environmental education. These activities have spread nationwide and continue to bring hundreds of young students to the Moune area every year, with many returning as adults to participate with their own children. He has also shared his knowledge as a professor at Kyoto University’s Field Science Education Centre.
HATAKEYAMA Makoto
Oyster fisherman and Vice Chairman of the NPO Mori-wa-Umi-no-Koibito
HATAKEYAMA Makoto was born in 1978 in the Moune district of Kesennuma, Miyagi Prefecture. After graduating from high school, he studied under the late C.W. Nicol, a Welsh environmental activist and author, and learnt the importance of fieldwork in environmental conservation. After working on a biological survey and environmental education project on Yakushima Island, Kagoshima, he returned to his native Moune to work as a fisherman producing oysters and scallops. He is currently the vice president of the NPO Mori-wa-Umi-no-Koibito, which organises and hosts hands-on learning experiences with a focus on environmental education.
KUDO Masanori
COO and CMO of In-Outbound Tohoku Inc.
After graduating from university, KUDO Masanori started his career at a television production company in Tokyo. He then went on to study at graduate schools in Japan, the US, and the UK, gaining Master‘s degrees in International Relations and Sociology. He moved to Tohoku in April 2011 to work on the recovery from the Great East Japan Earthquake. In his current position since April 2018, he has been responsible for DMO business development and marketing strategy planning. He is also a holder of the GSTC Professional Certificate in Sustainable Tourism.
CHEN Pohan
CEO of Island Squared llc.
CHEN Pohan is from Taiwan, and came to Japan in 2010. After obtaining a Master’s degree in Urban Renewal and an MBA, he obtained the “National Government Licensed Guide Interpreter” in 2014 in order to confirm his understanding of Japan. He moved to Miyagi Prefecture in 2016 in order to assist in the tourism recovery from the Great East Japan Earthquake, helping to set up the first DMO in Miyagi Prefecture, which was in charge of the strategic design of tourist destinations, market analysis, and marketing. He became independent to assist in the design of tourist destinations in a wider range of areas in 2020. He was appointed by the Japan Tourism Agency as an expert in “Promoting Wide-area Tourism” from 2022. Completed and passed the GSTC Sustainable Tourism Training Program.
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