Travel through Japan’s Heritage
Text：Chihiro Naito
Photos：Teppei Sasaki
- A journey to trace the tales of Japan’s heritage for smooth, velvety skin
Miwa Ishihara, a freelance news presenter active in the San-in area, traveled to Iwami no Kuni. While following the tales of Japanese heritage sites, she discovered new attractions of Iwami through “tools to connect with the gods” such as Iwami Kagura and Japanese sake.
“Shrines, Kagura, festivals, sake brewing... I feel the breath of the gods everywhere in Iwami, and every time I visit, I am filled with a mysterious energy.”
On a journey to visit the cultural assets that make up the tales of Japan’s heritage, “A mythical world where gods and demons come alive - Kagura, passed down through the generations in Iwami -,” Miwa had precious encounters with the traditions that have been handed down in the Iwami region, the people who protect them and pass them on, and the people who are taking on the challenge of bringing a new style to Iwami.
Movie
Video：Koichiro Toda
Miwa Ishihara
Born in Shimane Prefecture. Formerly a news presenter for San-in Chuo Television Broadcasting. Currently renowned as a freelance reporter and as a presenter, narrator, seminar lecturer, and writer. Miwa has deep knowledge of Japanese sake and is a certified SSI Kikisake-shi (a specialist in the service and sales of sake who can entertain customers appropriately). Having visited many breweries in the San-in region as an evangelist for local sake, in 2013 she published two books, “Shimane Shuraku Tanbou” and “Tottori Shuraku Tanbou,” to promote the appeal of the region’s local sake. A member of San-in Good Things Expedition.
