We want to revitalize the town through the power of tourism!
Mihama Town is the second smallest town in Wakayama, but it is an attractive town with beautiful nature, including Enjugahama Beach, which was selected as one of the"100 Best Sunrises and Sunsets in Wakayama," and a deep history of Canadian immigrants. However, the town is also facing the challenge of population decline, with a declining birthrate and aging population, with over 60% of the town's population now over 65 years old.
Is there anything we can do to change this situation through tourism?
We want to create excitement in the region!
They came up with the idea of developing a local ramen using spiny lobster, a specialty of Mihama Town. The project began in August 2022 as part of the local contribution program of the Department of Global Tourism. In 2023, the 2023 members took over the plane of their predecessors from the previous year and began working in earnest to realize the spiny lobster ramen business.
With the cooperation of the local government officials residents in the two distant locations of Kyoto and Wakayama, we held regular remote meetings and went through a process of trial and error, and in about six months we were able to establish an operational structure, including the ramen concept, recipe, price, store name, bowl and spoon design, public relations, and crowdfunding.
Finally, in August 2023, we completed our "Mio Ramen", with all the charms of Mio, and held a limited opening on September 2nd and 3rd at the restaurant"Stebuston" in Mio. As a result, customers lined up before the opening, and sold out the planned number of bowls shortly after opening. Including the pre-opening, we were able to sell a total of 150 bowls of Mio Ramen to customers over the three-day limited sale. Thanks in part to local newspapers covering our activities, we were able to achieve the greatest success the region has ever seen.
The name of our store is "Mento Mukatte Mio"
Meaning behind the store name
▶︎ Face to Face
▶︎Facing the three tails through ramen
▶︎We hope you can know the charm of Mio through ramen
LOGO
▶︎Three white lines(representing the beautiful beach of Mihama)on the top left and one on the shrimp's tail→「三尾」"Mio"
▶︎The shrimp shape represents 「美浜」 Mihama Town's「美」
▶︎There are many different types of "mi".（Mihama, Mio, Miso, Miryoku（charm）
▶︎KUFS pattern inside the shrimp body →KUFS is Kyoto University of Foreign Studies
▶︎The round shape is intended to bring many connections and ties to the Mio area of Mihama Town.
Relationship with Canada through immigration history
Mio has a history of producing many young people who crossed the Pacific Ocean during the Meiji era and emigrated to Canada to work. In October 2023, approximately 70 people with roots in Mio came to Japan from Canada for the Wakayama Prefecture Association World Convention. Mio Ramen was served at the dinner party, and the number of supporters from across the ocean, including Canada, has increased. The food was also enjoyed by Lisa Domae, President of North Island University in Canada, a partner school of Kyoto University of Foreign Studies, who gave it positive reviews.
Thanks to Professor Lisa, we were able to serve Mio Ramen at North Island University on Vancouver Island, Canada, in August 2024! We students helped out by creating English posters and flyers and posting on social media. As time goes by, the number of immigrants and relatives increases, but the connection between Canada and Mio is gradually weakening now. However, we hope that Our Mio Ramen will become a catalyst for strengthening those connections.
DIY workshop
From August 2024, we started renovating old vacant houses to open our store. There are many vacant houses, so we did three DIY projects with a construction company in Mio.
We held a workshop, hoping to make it a store full of memories, and were helped by many people, young and old, from the area to far away.
Our store opened in April 2025!
Finally, "Mennto mukatte to Mio" store has been completed." It is made of wood that was supposed to be used as waste wood and has a very unique and stylish interior, such as a sandy beach counter with the image of a three-tailed beach. We feel that the desire to increase the population of Mio and revitalize the region through Mio Ramen has been steadily realized little by little. We are currently open on weekends. We also open Ramen stalls once a month in Wakayama City.
The NPO Hinosaki Americamura
The NPO Hinosaki Americamura is an organization that was established as a result of a regional revitalization project carried out by Mihama Town Hall. The organization is engaged in projects related to regional revitalization and local education in the Mio district of Mihama Town. This time, we are working together to revitalize the town as a tourist destination.
