Sustaining a Culture Against the Tide of Time
By Hui Tse Gan, Design Researcher at Heist.
When we speak of Hokkaido and her indigenous culture, Ainu quickly comes to mind. The Ainu, which were only formally recognised by Japan as its indigenous people in April this year, no longer practise their culture in its purest form and few Japanese we meet today are pure Ainu descendants.
In an introductory note to her transcript of the Ainu yukar (oral Ainu tales that were handed down for generations), a young Ainu girl Yukie Chiri wrote: “In the past this spacious Hokkaido was our ancestors’ world of freedom. Living with ease and pleasure in the manner of innocent babes in the embrace of beautiful, vast nature, they were truly the beloved children of nature. Oh what happy people they must have been!”
An understanding of the history and relationship of Ainu culture to modern day Japan will require an entirely different study, but I will draw your attention to the fact that while an ancient culture is at risk of extinction on this land, another is thriving at Momoiwaso (桃岩荘), seemingly protected against the tides of time.
A distinct culture
Momoiwaso is the only youth hostel on Rebun Island, situated at the northernmost corner of Hokkaido before the sea that flows from Japan becomes part of Russia. It is named after Momo Iwa (Peach Rock) beneath whose shadows the hostel is located. Rebun Island now depends on tourism and a small kelp industry after the island’s herring industry collapsed in the 1950s, forcing islanders to seek a living elsewhere.
I have stayed in countless hostels but Momoiwaso is truly one-of-a-kind. The hostel is only open 4 months a year in summer and operates on its own time zone, which is 30 minutes ahead of Japan Standard Time (JST). It runs by its own rules, which it makes sure to share at the point of booking — compulsory wake-up time of 6:00 JST and nightly gatherings of song and dance before lights out at 22:00 JST. Oh, have I mentioned the elaborate rituals for welcoming new guests and sending off departing ones? They openly encourage guests who cannot accept these rules to consider other options.
To get to the hostel, one must cross a tunnel beneath the rocky ranges where Momo Iwa sits at the secluded southwestern part of the island. Emerging on the other side, it would seem that we have time-traveled to a different world governed by the laws of nature and rules that only the players have all freely chosen to agree upon. Perhaps, Momoiwaso is “our ancestors’ world of freedom” that Chiri spoke of.
The secret ingredients
I was amazed at how a remotely located hostel that was closed for most of the year could have such a huge following. Many of the people whom I met there were recurring guests from all over Japan for many years. Even the staff members traveled from other provinces to come work here during those few summer months. Here are some observations that I feel could be “secret ingredients” of building a strong Momoiwaso culture, which perhaps we can deliberate on when designing “stickiness” for our products, services or team.
1 — A gathering of like-minded people
As mentioned earlier, guests are informed of the hostels “ridiculous” rules prior to booking. This weeds out naysayers and keeps only guests who can immerse in Momoiwaso’s unique culture.
The hostel also houses a few spacious communal areas, such as the activity area where the nightly activities take place and the dining room. In these spaces, guests are free to roam about, cook, eat, rest, chat and build rapport. Before long, people are mingling like we have known each other forever.
2 — Rituals that bond
Japan is a country filled with rituals and greetings. The most common ones when we stay at private ryokans and guesthouses would be the greetings of “itterashai” (goodbye, be safe) and “ittekimasu” (I’m leaving) or “okaeri” (welcome home) and “tadaima”(I’m home).
At Momoiwaso, they take it to the next level. Guests are no longer just “guests” but part of a household and are therefore, welcome to join the staff to welcome other household members to this shared home. People coming to the house for the first time or returning for the umpteenth time are greeted with a roaring “okaeri” and those who are leaving are sent off with prolonged “itterashai” until they disappear from the sight of Momoiwaso. These are said to be common traditional practices to show appreciation for fishermen who are going on perilous journeys at sea.
3 — Engagement within and beyond these walls
As members of the household, guests are encouraged to participate in the morning chores, alongside staff members, to clean the dining area after breakfast or mop the activity area so that it is smooth and sparkly for everyone to dance on at night.
While some of the songs written on large sheets of paper hanging from the second floor are old fisherman tunes that have been handed down for generations, many of the songs and skits have been the staff’s own creation with the help of a few guests, too.
Music doesn’t just heal the soul, it also binds. Beyond the 4 summer months when the hostel is open, there are gatherings in different cities across Japan where the staff and guests rehash their nights of songs and dance. Only the venue is different, at someplace warmer than the deep winters of Hokkaido.
