What Lies Beyond the Kintai Bridge

When people think of Iwakuni, they likely envision two scenes: the Kintai Bridge, with its five arches reflecting on the river surface, and the thunderous roar of fighter jets taking off from the runway. Tourism and the military base—this town has long been caught between these two forces.

However, a small change is now occurring in this dynamic. Local high school students have proposed a cycling tour using e-bikes, and approximately 10,000 people attended the Kintai Bridge Festival, while the Field Carrier Landing Practice (FCLP) has moved to Iwo Jima. Each of these events may seem like separate news stories, but when viewed together, a certain outline emerges: the people of this town are beginning to weave together “another economic sphere” that does not rely on the base economy.

Transforming “Transit” into “Stay”

One of the long-standing challenges for tourism in Iwakuni has been its so-called “transit-type” structure. Visitors cross the Kintai Bridge, gaze up at Iwakuni Castle, take photos, and leave. The average stay is estimated to be only 2 to 3 hours, and the proportion of travelers who stay overnight is low. As a result, tourism spending does not sufficiently benefit local restaurants and accommodations, and people simply flow through.

The high school students focused precisely on this “short stay time.” Their proposal involves designing a cycling route that not only encompasses the area around the Kintai Bridge but also includes local sake breweries, the White Snake Museum, back alleys of the castle town, and villages along the Nishiki River. These small landscapes, which might be overlooked by car, can be discovered at the speed of a bicycle. The hilly terrain is less burdensome with electric assistance.

The cost of introducing e-bikes is about 100,000 to 150,000 yen per unit. If 30 bikes are procured, the initial investment would range from 3 to 4.5 million yen. While this is not a small amount, assuming a rental fee of 3,000 to 4,000 yen per ride, recovering the investment within 2 to 3 years is realistic depending on annual utilization rates. The key point is that this system functions as a “device to extend the stay of each tourist by even one hour.” If the stay is extended, it creates opportunities for lunch, stops at cafes, and time to pick up souvenirs. The economic ripple effect on the surrounding area is far greater than the revenue from the e-bikes themselves.

What makes this proposal noteworthy is that the high school students did not simply say, “Let’s provide e-bikes,” but instead translated the shift from “transit-type to stay-type” tourism into a concrete design for a means of transportation. They lowered the abstraction of the problem and shaped it into a feasible form—this thought process itself is an asset for the community.

A Day When 10,000 Gathered—What the Kintai Bridge Festival Reflects

The fact that approximately 10,000 people attended the Kintai Bridge Festival in 2023 holds significance beyond the numbers.

The Kintai Bridge Festival is a traditional event centered around the reenactment of a daimyo procession and religious ceremonies. It is neither a flashy festival nor an event aimed at social media appeal. Yet, the gathering of 10,000 people indicates that the “reason to come to this town” lies not only in the Kintai Bridge as a structure but also in the human activities and seasonal atmosphere that overlap with it.

It is noteworthy that the high school students’ e-bike proposal and this festival are, in fact, different angles of the same question. The e-bikes create a mechanism for “spatial circulation,” while the festival generates a mechanism for “temporal concentration.” Both are devices aimed at broadening the points of contact between tourists and the local community—essentially, attempts to increase “reasons to stay.” Although the angles differ, the destination is the same. I find this alignment to be beautifully systematic.

Additionally, the festival’s operation is supported by local shopping districts, community associations, and volunteers. Behind the scenes of the prominent daimyo procession, there are people managing traffic, setting up tents, and sorting waste. The tourism economy is also a collective of these behind-the-scenes arrangements that exist behind the glamorous attraction.

What the Relocation of FCLP Signifies—Between “Voicing Concerns” and “System Functioning”

FCLP (Field Carrier Landing Practice) involves pilots of carrier-based aircraft conducting repeated landing training on land runways. It generates intense noise and severely impacts the living environment of nearby residents. The residents have long sought the relocation of this practice, given that Iwakuni Base was designated as a backup facility.

Here, it is important to clarify the facts. The primary training site for FCLP has originally been Iwo Jima, and Iwakuni Base is positioned merely as a “backup facility in case of bad weather.” It is more accurate to say that, due to residents’ opposition, the practice has been avoided in Iwakuni rather than stating it has “relocated” to Iwo Jima. Furthermore, the Ministry of Defense is constructing a permanent facility for FCLP on Mageshima (in Nishinoomote City, Kagoshima Prefecture), and once completed, the framework for training may change.

In other words, this issue is not a simple narrative of “the training disappeared because residents voiced their concerns.” The current situation is the result of multiple dynamics intertwining—residents’ voices, political adjustments between Japan and the U.S., and plans for alternative facilities. However, it is certain that the residents’ continuous voicing has functioned as a weight in political decision-making. Between “voicing concerns” and “system functioning,” there is an accumulation of invisible time and arrangements.

Base Economy and Tourism Economy—Not a Binary Opposition, but Overlapping

It is a fact that base-related subsidies and employment occupy a significant portion of Iwakuni City’s economy. According to materials from the Ministry of Defense, base subsidies and adjustment subsidies amount to tens of billions of yen annually, and there are thousands of jobs both inside and outside the base. Ignoring this economic reality while discussing “breaking free from base dependence” would be somewhat reckless.

Rather, what should be observed is the structure in which the base economy and the tourism economy coexist, overlapping rather than being one or the other. There are international exchange events that arise precisely because of the base, while the noise from the base can detract from the brand of the tourist destination. The high school students’ e-bike proposal and the success of the Kintai Bridge Festival do not deny the base economy; instead, they represent a movement to establish another pillar of the economy alongside it.

“Who does this make easier?”—when viewed through this question, the answer becomes a bit more concrete. The e-bike tour routes would disperse the flow of tourists, which has concentrated around the Kintai Bridge, delivering people to local stores and facilities that have previously struggled to benefit. The continuation of the festival provides local shops and restaurants with a guaranteed demand once a year. Avoiding FCLP protects the tranquility of residential areas and prevents declines in property values. Each of these functions as a mechanism that gradually makes life easier for people in different positions.

Where Small Gears Interlock

The high school students’ proposal, the festival’s operation, and the response to noise issues—these are events that differ vastly in scale and nature. However, beneath the surface, there is a common movement: a modest, ongoing, and concrete effort to “improve the lives in this town with our own hands.”

It is still uncertain how the e-bike concept in Iwakuni will be implemented in the future. There are challenges related to funding and operational structures. There is no guarantee that the number of attendees at the Kintai Bridge Festival will be maintained next year. The role of Iwakuni Base after the completion of the Mageshima facility also requires close attention.

What can be said for certain is that there are “people who think about systems” in this town. High school students are designing tourism routes while calculating costs, residents have documented the impacts of training for decades, and the behind-the-scenes team for the festival diligently executes the same arrangements each year. There is no flashiness. However, when each of these small gears interlocks, the town’s economy becomes something that is not given to someone else but is instead something they manage themselves.