Back to All JITTI Journals January 2018 Cultural Article Provincial city - Niihama (Ehime prefecture, Shikoku) by Shinichi Yamada Niihama city, located on Shikoku Island, is surrounded by mountains on its east, west and north sides, and faces the Inland Sea on its north. The population of the city is about 120,000 and the city is the sixth largest city on Shikoku. This article will introduce Niihama and the traditional culture of Niihama. It takes about 6 hours to travel to Niihama from Tokyo, and it is not easy to travel there from overseas. However, I would be very glad if through this short article you gain interest in Niihama and its regional culture. History of Niihama (Sumitomo Group and Besshi copper mine) In Japan, Niihama is known as the town where Sumitomo Zaibatsu (the predecessor of the current Sumitomo Group) established their foundation after they discovered the Besshi copper mine at the end of the 17th century. At that time, the Besshi copper mine was said to turn out the world's largest output of copper. Therefore, despite the fact that Niihama is inconvenient to get to, Niihama developed as an industrial city, and there are many main factories of the Sumitomo Group located in Niihama even now. The mine itself is now closed, but there is a sightseeing spot built to commemorate it. We can learn about the mining history of the Besshi copper mine, and also enjoy the hot spring and local foods. Traditional Festival (Taiko-dai Carnival) The Taiko-dai Carnival, one of the three biggest festivals in Shikoku, is held every October and more than 100,000 tourists visit. "Taiko" means drum and "dai" means cart in English. The origin of Taiko-dai is unclear, but it is said that the cart that carries offerings in order to thank God for the blessings of nature. The carts are about 6600 lbs, 16 ft tall, and 40 ft in length. During the festival, 150 people carry it throughout the town while beating the drum placed inside of the taiko-dai structure, which is hollow. Each area of Niihama has its own Taiko-dai, and there are 53 Taiko-dai total in Niihama. (Taiko-dai) One of the highlights of the festival is called "Kaki-kurabe". Multiple Taiko-dai are gathered together and lifted with human power only. Each area competes for the strength and harmony of the bearers. Sweets originated in Niihama (Hatada Marron Taruto) Hatada Marron Taruto is like a roll cake covered in a citrus-flavored bean paste with chestnuts, wrapped in a sponge cake. It is said that the origin of this sweet is a torta (a roll cake wrapped in jam in Castella) which came from Portugal to Japan about 350 year ago. The jam was changed to bean paste, and current roll cake was developed. This roll cake is a Japanese-style confectionery and has an elegant and rich taste. It is slightly sweet because of citrus flavor in the paste. It has been awarded the High International Quality Trophy in the Food products Selection every year since 2006. Like various countries, each town in Japan has an individual history and culture. Niihama is not a famous city even in Japan, but I think my hometown is a wonderful city with its own culture. Did you get interested?

JITTI USA Staff Members Kazuya Fukuhara Senior Representative/ Director of Research Akito Okabe Research Fellow Mamiko Kim Director of Communications and Operations Shinichiro Tsuri Research Fellow Daisuke Komatsu Research Fellow Tomomi Dodd Office Manager Hirokazu Nishikawa Research Fellow Tetsuhiro Hagiwara Research Fellow Suzannah Schindler Administrative Assistant

Research Reports Topic Area Reset Surface Transportation March 2024 Survey of Smart City Trends in the West: Transit-oriented Development and Mobility-as-a-Service Part 7: Case Study – Paris, France(2) Final Report By Akito Okabe Maritime Transportation February 2024 Polar Command: The Evolution of Arctic Policy in the United States Coast Guard By Daisuke Komatsu Surface Transportation January 2024 Survey of Smart City Trends in the West: Transit-oriented Development and Mobility-as-a-Service Part 6: Case Study – Paris, France (1) By Akito Okabe Maritime Transportation December 2023 Event Report: THE REVENGE OF ENERGY SECURITY By Daisuke Komatsu Maritime Transportation November 2023 A Study on International Politics Surrounding the Arctic Sea Routes By Daisuke Komatsu Civil Aviation The Federal Aviation Administration and Industry's Work on Advanced Air Mobility By Shinichiro Tsuri Maritime Transportation The Impact and Challenges on the Maritime Industry in the Wake of Russia's Invasion of Ukraine By Daisuke Komatsu 1 2 3 4 5 1 ... 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 ... 11

< Back Civil Aviation The Aviation Industry's 2020 Full-year Forecast and 2021 Outlook -As Detailed in the IATA Annual Meeting Report- By Daisuke Takagi At their 76th Annual Meeting, the International Air Transport Association made predictions of a continued difficult 2020, but some upswing in 2021. With the Covid-19 pandemic still causing hardship on the aviation industry, read more on how they came to this conclusion, and what recommendations were made to combat recovery challenges. Downlod the Report

< Back Civil Aviation The Federal Aviation Administration and Industry's Work on Advanced Air Mobility By Shinichiro Tsuri The Advanced Aviation Advisory Committee comprised of leaders in airport communities, local governments, air traffic controllers, academia, traditional manned aviation operators, UAS manufacturers, operators, and those with a background in Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) was established to provide advice and recommendations to the U.S. DOT and FAA. Attending a recent meeting of the Committee, the author writes on the focus of the meeting and recommendations. Downlod the Report

< Back Tourism & More Introduction of “Travel in the New Normal - Industry Guidance for Promoting the Health and Safety of All Travelers” by the U.S. Travel Association By Daisuke Takagi The US. Travel Association has issued guidance for the travel industry in light of the novel coronavirus pandemic. JITTI staff member, Daisuke Takagi delves further into the guidelines in this report. Downlod the Report

< Back Surface Transportation Survey of Smart City Trends in the West: Transit-oriented Development and Mobility-as-a-Service Part 4: Case Study – Washington DC (1) By Akito Okabe The Greater Washington D.C. region has a history of Transit-Oriented Development, and there is continued interest in the region to expand walkability to areas around stations. Downlod the Report

< Back Surface Transportation Survey of Smart City Trends in the West: Transit-oriented Development and Mobility-as-a-Service Part 1: Background and Purpose of this Survey By Akito Okabe This report is the first in a series on emerging Smart City trends in the West, outlining the history and relationship between Transit-oriented Development (TOD) and Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS) and other emerging mobility services that are being applied in order to create sustainable cities based on public transportation. Downlod the Report

< Back Surface Transportation Overview of the CONNECT NEC (Northeast Corridor) 2035 Outline By Akito Okabe Read about the 2035 plan for the busy section of railroad between Washington D.C. and Boston known as The Northeast Corridor. By investing $117 billion, the plan aims to add transportation services to new regions, increase the number of transportation units, and shorten travel time by 2035 Downlod the Report

< Back Surface Transportation Financing Development of Public Transport-oriented Urban Growth and Subway Infrastructure at New York City’s Hudson Yard through Profit Gained from the Development Itself (Part 3) By Tomomi Tsuchiya & Daisuke Miyamoto The redevelopment project for Hudson Yard is the largest in New York City history, and consequently comes with unique financial challenges and ingenuity. Part 3 of this series investigates bonds, loans, and the current status of finances and financial relationships in the Hudson Yards Project. Downlod the Report

< Back Civil Aviation Concerning the NASEM’s Report on Flying Cars, Advancing Aerial Mobility: A National Blueprint (2020) By Yoshihiro Fujimaki While flying cars may seem like something from Science Fiction, Advanced Aerial Mobililty has emerged as an industry capable of making it a reality. However, furthering advances comes with new challenges of ensuring safety, swaying public opinion, and more. In this report, Mr. Fujimaki reviews Advancing Aerial Mobility: A National Blueprint (2020), a report published by NASEM and called for by NASA to discover the challenges and benefits of this up-and-coming means of travel. Downlod the Report

< Back Maritime Transportation December 2023 Event Report: THE REVENGE OF ENERGY SECURITY By Daisuke Komatsu The National Bureau of Asian Research hosted its annual Energy on the Hill event on November 8, 2023, to launch its 19th Energy Security Report on “The Revenge of Energy Security: Reconciling Economy Security with Climate Ambitions.” The focus was on the Indo-Pacific region's efforts to navigate the twin challenges of immediate energy security needs and long-term climate goals, and set to explore this complex interplay considering the regional geopolitical dynamics and the pressing global need for sustainable energy solutions. Downlod the Report