Abstract

There was a one-of-a-kind town that challenged regional revitalization with "medicinal herbs"!

● The first in a series of non-fiction books, "Creating the Ultimate Town," depicting towns that are taking on the challenge of "one-of-a-kind" regional revitalization.
● The second book in the series is a story of public and private sectors utilizing "medicinal herbs" for health and town development.
● It is rich in color photographs and introduces the lives of citizens who use medicinal herbs, professional medicinal herb dishes, a medicinal herb dictionary, and how to eat and use them.

Hida City in Gifu Prefecture is a town of 20,000 people nestled between Takayama City and Shirakawa Village. In this town, where 245 types of medicinal herbs grow naturally according to expert surveys of medicinal plants, what kind of medicinal herbs do people eat, use, and incorporate into their lives? Medicinal herbs not only play a role in promoting the health of citizens, but also lead to increased exchange, tourism, and product development, bringing economic benefits as well. This book is a non-fiction work depicting "town development with medicinal herbs" undertaken in collaboration with the public and private sectors. This book is a valuable resource for anyone who loves wild plants and herbs, featuring a comprehensive guide to medicinal plants used by locals, practical recipes, stories of immigrants living with medicinal plants, and chefs preparing herbal cuisine, all illustrated with numerous color photographs.

Author’s Information

Born in Gifu Prefecture in 1965. Graduated from Hitotsubashi University, Faculty of Social Sciences. Joined Kyodo News in 1990. After working at the Gifu and Nagoya bureaus, he joined the Social Affairs Department at the head office in 1997, where he was in charge of covering prosecutors and investigative reporting. He has covered regional revitalization in the Special Reporting Room and other departments, and currently serves as the head of the Research Department. His books include "Revive, Northern Sake Breweries!" (Sekaibunkasha). His co-authored works include "Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office Special Investigation Department" (Kodansha). He has contributed articles on population decline and the issue of foreign talent to "Bungei Shunju" and assisted in the editing of "The Complete Work Techniques of Astronaut Soichi Noguchi" (Sekaibunkasha).