The power of nature 2：The water of life

The waters of Nasu tell a story of harmony between nature’s gifts and human ingenuity. This precious resource has shaped the region’s rich food culture and industries, with its influence reaching as far as the Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Japan. Visitors can discover how Nasu’s natural environment, particularly its vital water resources, plays a multifaceted role in sustaining local industries, cultural traditions, and diverse ecosystems.

The water sources that begin in the Nasu area flow widely from the southeastern Tohoku to the northern Kanto region, reaching both the Pacific ocean and the Japan sea.

The rain and snow that fall on the Nasu mountain range creates many streams, becoming a vital source of water that supports the diverse life. Complex landscapes were formed and the Naka river (Tochigi and Ibaraki), Abukuma river (Fukushima and Miyagi), and Aga / Agano river (Fukushima and Niigata) were made. They are the watershed between the Pacific ocean and the Japan sea and the Tohoku and Kanto regions now.
Gradually growing into larger rivers, they nurtures the diverse biomes of the forests, villages, rivers, and seas along their way. The long journey from majestic mountains to the sea begins in the Nasu area.

The high-quality local rice and sake.

A climate with extreme temperature fluctuations and clear water make high-quality products. Otawara city in the Nasu area is known for its long history of rice farming. The name originates from “Otawara” (大俵), which means “large rice bale.”
The brand of rice known as “Nasu Hikari”, has won first place in national contests.
There are many irrigation associations that have been carefully preserving and using mineral-rich water directly from the mountains for farming rice for generations.
Also the agriculture and dairy farming complient each other. The rice husks and straw are used as feed for dairy farming and cow manure is used as compost for the fields. This recycling agriculture is deeply rooted to the high-quality products.
Tochigi is known for having the most summer thunderstorms in Japan. The warm air heated on the Kanto plain hits the Nikkō and Nasu mountain ranges where the air is rapidly cooled. This creates thunderclouds. The thunderstorms bring heavy rain when rice requires a lot of water. The nitrogen in the air is converted into nitrogen compounds and enriches the soil.
The kanji for “thunder” (雷) is composed of “rain” (雨) and “rice field” (田), and the kanji for “lightning” (稲妻) is written as “rice” (稲) and “wife” (妻), symbolizing a connection to rice cultivation. The sense of the ancient people was quite accurate.
The subterranean water of the Naka river and the snowmelt from the Nasu mountain range also made a region thriving with sake brewing for over 100 years. Otawara city is still home to six sake breweries.
Also, the grape cultivation leveraging the high-quality volcanic soil started after Meiji era and it’s famous as a wine-producing region. In 2017, it was designated as a “Doburoku (unfiltered sake) and wine special area”.