Official Visit by Mayor Tadaaki Kuriyama of Kawakami Village, Yoshino County, Nara Prefecture

Minister Koizumi awarded Mayor Kuriyama of Kawakami village a certificate for the overall concept for sustainable approach towards ecotourism. The village is situated at the source of both the Yoshino and Kinokawa rivers, and known for having one of Japan's three great forests (along with Owase, Mie and Tenryu, Shizuoka), the home of 400-year old Yoshino cedar trees.