On Sunday, November 2024, 11, Tsuru University (Tsuru City, Yamanashi Prefecture) and Amuse Inc., a company that produces artists, will be holding a collaborative project called "Discover the Charm of the Region! Lake Saiko Kayak Eco Tour" at Amuse Village (another name for Amuse's headquarters) in Fujikawaguchiko Town.
Tsuru University regards the natural environment of the area as a regional asset, and students conduct group work to learn about history and culture through communication with local people, so that they can improve their problem-solving skills and acquire the ability to build a sustainable society. Meanwhile, since relocating its headquarters to Lake Saiko in Yamanashi Prefecture in 2021, Amuse has been promoting its life culture business with the cooperation of local producers, businesses, and creators, utilizing various regional assets such as mountains, lakes, and food culture.
This time, Tsuru University and Amuse have teamed up to inherit Amuse's knowledge of Lake Saiko and the "power to communicate" that it has cultivated through its production business, and have started a joint project to contribute to the local area by providing a place where students can output what they have learned and pass it on to local residents. Through this project, Tsuru University students will learn about the charms and history of Lake Saiko in Yamanashi Prefecture, and have the experience of passing it on to local residents in their own words, creating value as a local asset.
Through the regular seminar course "Fieldwork," students involved in the project have learned the basics of ecotourism, tourism resources in the northern foothills of Mount Fuji, and interpretation techniques. In July 2024, students logically constructed and evaluated their own ecotourism plans based on themes such as the faith and history of climbing Mount Fuji (Kitaguchi Hongu Fuji Sengen Taisha Shrine) and the appeal of Mount Fuji's spring waters (Oshino Hakkai), deepening their practical learning.
On the day, local residents will board the foot-pedaling kayak "HOBIE" provided by Amuse, and students will promote the charms of Lake Saiko while acting as interpreters (guides). The students will use the skills they have acquired to guide the locals, such as visiting the Aokigahara Jukai forest and touching lava, and conveying the different perspectives when looking up at the same Mt. Fuji from the lake compared to when looking at it from land.
