[Traveling through a restored castle town] Tourism and urban development in Ozu City, Ehime Prefecture

• Table of Contents
• A reborn town: Ozu City, Ehime Prefecture
• Community development activities by local young people
• Vacant houses revived as shops and hotels
• Promoting the use of cultural assets
• Sustainable Tourism Destinations
• OZU STORIES: Following the story of Ozu

A reborn town: Ozu City, Ehime Prefecture

Ozu City is a small rural town located in the southern part of Ehime Prefecture with a population of just under 40,000. Until a few years ago, Ozu City was facing the risk of losing its townscape all at once due to depopulation, a declining birthrate and an aging population, and an increase in vacant houses. The problem of vacant houses is particularly serious, with many of the owners no longer living in Ozu, and many of the houses being vacant and turned into parking lots, which meant that the town's identity as a landscape was on the verge of being lost.

So Ozu City tried to solve this problem by adopting a concept of "tourism town development utilizing historical resources." The government, banks, and private businesses worked together to promote tourism town development utilizing historical resources such as old townhouses and private homes remaining in Ozu castle town, in an effort to preserve the historic townscape.

Community development activities by local young people

In the castle town of Ozu, there were rows of abandoned houses with no owners, and many of them were in ruins. In 2017, in parallel with the public-private partnership project, local young people who felt a sense of crisis about the condition of these houses began to carry out simple repairs, such as cleaning the houses, airing them out, and repapering the shoji screens, which helped to slow down the deterioration of the houses, even if only a little.

Additionally, as part of the utilization of old houses in the castle town, an event called "Castle Town MACHIBITO" was held. With the concept of "recreating the bustle of Ozu 100 years ago," a dress code was also set from 100 years ago, and Ozu castle town regained the vitality it had around 1900. This event also helped to convey the charms of Ozu to local residents and customers, and even resulted in the emergence of businesses that wanted to open stores in Ozu, making it a major turning point for Ozu.

Vacant houses revived as shops and hotels

Now, many shops have opened, gradually bringing more activity to the town of Ozu. A variety of shops have opened, including stores selling local products, cafes that make use of the atmosphere of old houses, and local crafts.

Furthermore, the largest decentralized hotel in Japan, "NIPPONIA HOTEL Ozu Castle Town," has opened. Renovated vacant houses are used as hotel rooms, and the front desk, restaurant, and lounge are in separate buildings, allowing guests to walk around the town of Ozu. The guest rooms make use of the characteristics of the original vacant houses, allowing you to experience the unique story of each building.

For more information about NIPPONIA HOTEL Ozu Castle Town, please see this article.

Promoting the use of cultural assets

Ozu is proactively utilizing cultural assets to preserve them for the future. A prime example of this is the "Ozu Ozu a reenactment of the scene in which the lord of the time would enter the castle and be greeted by his vassals (subordinates) dressed in armor, as well as a performance of Ozu 's traditional performing arts. This initiative not only increases the value of cultural assets, but also has a positive effect on promoting the town and increasing the value of the region.

If you are interested in staying at Ozu Castle, please click here.

Ozu Castle Stay

Sustainable Tourism Destinations

Ozu's efforts are now being recognized worldwide. In 2023, Ozu's efforts to restore old houses and preserve culture and traditions were recognized, and it won first place in the world in the Culture & Tradition category at the GREEN DESTINATIONS STORY AWARDS in ITB Ozu, which recognizes efforts in sustainable tourism destinations. In 2024, Ozu was also awarded the Silver Award at the GREEN DESTINATIONS World Sustainable Tourism Destinations Awards.

More about Green Destinations here

OZU STORIES: Following the story of Ozu

Ozu offers a trip called "OZU STORIES" where you can experience these stories of Ozu with a guide. You will be accompanied by a guide who is very familiar with Ozu and learn about the history of Ozu , town development efforts, and stories of revitalizing old houses. This tour is not just about the town, but also about deepening your understanding of Ozu through interactions with local people and enjoying the town of Ozu even more.

In addition, "OZU STORIES" donates 5% of its profits to organizations that preserve the town, so participating in this event is itself an activity that will help preserve Ozu for the future.

If you would like to know more about OZU STORIES, please click here.

■Supported languages: Japanese, English *Chinese, Spanish, French, and German available upon request

About OZU STORIES