Tour de Nippon in Saitama
外秩父山地の裾野に広がる緑豊かな盆地、埼玉県小川町、ときがわ町。名のとおり清らかな川が流れ、広い田畑に単線のディーゼル電車が走っていく。町並みにはかつての商都の風情が残る。これほど風光明媚な原風景が都心からわずか１時間ほどのところにあるとは驚いた。近頃、そんな魅力に惹かれて、自然志向と都会的なセンスを持ち併せた人たちがこの地域に集っているという。人と土地が有機的につながって生まれる新たなカルチャーの萌芽を見つける旅へ。
The towns of Ogawa and Tokigawa sit in the lush green basin at the foot of the Outer Chichibu Mountains in Saitama Prefecture. As the name suggests, a crystal clear river flows through the towns, and a single-track diesel train runs through the expansive rice paddies. The townscape retains the ambience of a former commercial outpost. I was pleasantly surprised to find such a scenic wilderness only an hour or so from central Tokyo. Recently, folk with both a nature orientation and an urban sensibility have been gravitating to this area, attracted by its charms. We are off to discover the budding seeds of a new culture born from the organic connection between the people and the land.