The New Endeavors of Picchio: Living in Harmony with Wildlife
- Representative of Picchio
- Shinya Kusube
- Profile
- Born in Minato Ward, Tokyo. Lived in nature-rich Canada during elementary and middle school. After returning to Japan and graduating from university, worked in marketing at a manufacturer’s overseas sales department. Joined in November 2011 after visiting Picchio during many visits to Karuizawa, a favored place by his mother. The current representative of Picchio and seeks to expand its business overseas. Hobbies include tennis.
Picchio’s Mission on Iriomote Island
Crested serpent eagle that inhabits wetlands, paddy fields and mangrove forests
The beauty of Iriomote Island lies in its jungle, which fosters a unique ecosystem and biodiversity. With the ocean, mountains, and rivers, it is the perfect place for nature lovers to have fun to their heart’s content. In addition to the Iriomote wildcat, the endemic and rare species of amphibians, reptiles, and insects which live on the island make it a wonderful place.
Picchio’s mission is to make the entirety of Iriomote Island into a sustainable natural world heritage site. In Karuizawa, we have achieved one of the few successful bear conservation efforts in the world. In order to develop specific nature conservation know-how, our staff is permanently posted to Iriomote Island, where they are devoting themselves first and foremost to conducting research.
Receiving the First Ecotourism Grand Prize from the Ministry of the Environment
Representative tour by Picchio – “Private Bird Watching Tour”
Picchio’s predecessor was a wild bird research center established at Hoshino Resorts in Karuizawa, Nagano, in 1992. The Private Bird Watching Tour at the nearby Wild Bird Sanctuary Forest started in 1994, where value was created by leaving the forest untouched. In 1995 the name was changed to Picchio and our wildlife conservation efforts began in 1998. By 2000, we were given the responsibility of handling the Asiatic black bears in Karuizawa, which brings us to today.
Aiming for humans and bears to harmoniously coexist – “Asiatic black bear protection and management division”
At Picchio, we not only offer tours to increase people’s familiarity with nature and convey our ideals of conservation, but we have also actively conducted research and developed our conservation activities in order to create a society where humans can harmoniously coexist with bears, which are symbols of nature’s richness. In addition to receiving the first Ecotourism Grand Prize in 2005 and the Ministry of the Environment’s “Social Eco-business Award” in 2006, our work has been recognized in various fields. As bear-related incidents are increasing across Japan, Karuizawa has had zero injuries or deaths, and we have also been able to reduce the number of exterminations. By leveraging our experience and know-how on Iriomote Island, we hope to contribute to making it a sustainable natural world heritage site.
Becoming a World-renowned Ecotourism Resort
As a director of the Japan Ecotourism Society, I am searching for ways to conduct nature conservation efforts on natural world heritage sites such as Shiretoko, Yakushima, and Ogasawara, as well as what the future of ecotourism looks like. Unfortunately, in the past some natural world heritage sites have been used as temporary tools for sales promotion. The registration of Iriomote Island as a natural world heritage site of Japan, is the first in 10 years, since the registration of Ogasawara Islands in June 2011.
Ecotourism is popular in Europe and North America and accounts for 7% of tourism worldwide. The nature on Iriomote Island is wonderful, and by inviting guests from Japan and the rest of the world who are seeking such nature, to stay longer, our operations can remain stable. But first and foremost, nature conservation is essential. On top of that, we need tour content and skilled guides. Iriomote Island has many veteran naturalist guides.
I’ve learned from my time at Picchio that we must craft ecotours for our guests and take them out to the field. Therefore, we must have the communication skills to guide our guests. Our staff is knowledgeable about wildlife, and every day they devote themselves to achieving a balance between nature conservation and stay-type ecotourism. It is said that experiencing a tour in a natural setting can have a significant effect on how a person thinks and lives thereafter. Picchio’s new challenge has begun on Iriomote Island.
InterviewerTravel JournalistAkiko Nokata
Born in Fukushima Prefecture. 28 years of interview experience focusing on the towns, people, hot springs, and accommodations of Japan. Introduced as a travel expert on a Japanese TV show, "The Solomon Style." Certified as an onsen (hot spring) sommelier ambassador, sleep & health advisor, listening specialist, sauna & spa professional, Japanese tea advisor. First encounter with Hoshino Resorts in the '90s, through the participation of a tour by Picchio.
Japan’s First Ecotourism Association Established on Iriomote Island 25 Years Ago
- Chairman of Ecotourism Association
- Shoken Taira
The Road to the Registration of Iriomote Island, Almost Entirely a National Park, as a Natural World Heritage Site
- Park Ranger at the Iriomote Island Nature Conservation Bureau of the Ministry of the Environment
- Yasunori Takenaka
Shoken Taira
Yasunori Takenaka
Masataka Hosokawa
Takahiro Yamashita
Shinya Kusube
