OUIK and Hakui City will hold the 4th “Noto Satoumi” lecture series themed “Blue Tourism of Hakui’s Satoumi” on Saturday, July 9, in Hakui City, Ishikawa Prefecture.
Chirihama Beach, known as the only beach in Japan—and one of the rare beaches in the world—where vehicles can drive on the sand, features a fine sandy beach that stretches 8 kilometers from Hakui City to Hodatsu Shimizu Town. However, the beach faces serious environmental issues due to ongoing erosion. Shibagaki Beach, which has the protruding landmass known as “Nagate Island,” offers stunning views and often experiences calm waves. During the summer swimming season, these beaches are bustling with tourists and are popular for marine sports. Visitors can also enjoy local seafood from Noto, such as white clams and Shibagaki natural oysters. Through this new blue tourism initiative, which focuses on enjoying the sea while learning about the conservation of marine environments, we aim to raise awareness about the importance of preserving Hakui’s Satoumi environment and to protect the livelihoods connected to it.
In this lecture, we will invite Hideki Uejima, an expert on ecotourism in the Setouchi and Okinawa regions and the chairman of the Setouchi Ecotourism Promotion Council, along with Team Shibagaki, a local Satoumi support group in Hakui City, as speakers. Together with local stakeholders active in Hakui City, they will share insights on the appeal and future potential of Hakui’s blue tourism, drawing on their experiences to discuss how to leverage the blessings of Satoumi and promote local livelihoods while advocating for the beauty of the Satoumi that is being preserved through these livelihoods.
This lecture is part of the “Noto Satoumi Movement” awareness initiative implemented by UNU-IAS OUIK. The “Noto Satoumi Movement” aims to deepen understanding among people inside and outside the prefecture regarding the concept of Satoumi, the appeal of “Noto Satoumi,” and the associated livelihoods. The initiative also seeks to establish the Noto region as a hub for research and conservation activities related to Satoumi in the Japan Sea, ultimately enhancing recognition of “Noto Satoumi” domestically and internationally, which is expected to contribute to the promotion of livelihoods associated with Satoumi.
Program
13:00 – 13:05 Opening Remarks by Mikiko Nagai (UNU-IAS OUIK Secretary-General)
13:05 – 13:50 Lecture 1: “Ecotourism Activities in the Seto Inland Sea”
Hideki Uejima (Chairman of the Setouchi Ecotourism Promotion Council)
13:50 – 14:20 Lecture 2: “Delivering Through Song: The Activities of the Hakui Satoumi Support Team ‘Team Shibagaki’”
Nishikuko (Manager of Team Shibagaki, Chief of Shibagaki Branch, Ishikawa Prefecture Fisheries Cooperative)
14:20 – 14:30 “The ‘Noto Satoumi’ Movement”
Evonne Yiu (Researcher at UNU-IAS OUIK)
14:30 – 14:45 Break
14:45 – 15:25 Panel Discussion
Moderator: Evonne Yiu
Panelists: Masahiro Nakata (Director of the Cosmo Isle Hakui, Space Science Museum), Hideki Uejima, Nishikuko
15:25 – 15:30 Closing Remarks by Hakui City
Bluetourism_Hakui 
