Sun, Sea, and Skyremain open all winter. Palm trees would be cultivated in soil heated naturally by steam energy; the center-piece, Nakamura insisted, was to be a hula dance show. Rather than hiring professional dancers, he founded the Joban Music and Dance Institute, where local women could be trained to do the job. The town had just eight months to get ready before the facility’s slated grand opening. The dancers under-went rigorous training and were stage-ready when the time came, despite real concerns about whether such an attraction in a rural setting would even draw customers. Worry was put to rest when the center was packed on the first day. Its first year saw 1.2 million vis-itors. Hawaii had come to Tohoku.Today the hula shows are as vibrant—and the dancers as passionate—as ever. After the 2011 disasters they trav-eled throughout the region to perform for those affected. The original dome, now fortified with seismic retrofitting, still stands. The indoor pool beneath it is filled with con-ditioned thermal water from Yumoto Onsen. In fact, Spa Resort Hawaiians uses 70 percent of the water generat-ed by the source springs there. The industrial heritage of the Joban coal fields can still be found at sites here and there in Iwaki. As mines were dug, discarded rocks, called zuri, were set aside and eventually piled high into conical mounds of earth. Such zuriyama landforms became archetypal symbols of coal towns. “Folks used to say that it would take forever and a day for trees to grow anywhere near a zuriyama, because they were filled with acidic rock. But now, some five decades later, those old mounds are cov-ered with trees,” says Akio Kanno, a guide with the Iwaki Heritage Tourism Association. An abandoned coal-dressing plant, a brick build-ing that housed exhaust fans used for ventilating the mines, and the Mirokuzawa valley where mining fam-ilies lived out their lives are among the many historic spots to see. Along with the hula legacy that brought new life to Iwaki, they make for a moving experience.Spa Resort HawaiiansWith its enormous pools and numerous restaurants, spas, and shows, this resort destination is known as the Hawaii of Tohoku. For overnight stays, there are hotels and a glamping site. The 283-meter-long Big Aloha water slide, which rises to a height of 40.5 meters, is Japan’s largest.Joban Industrial Heritage SitesTraces of the glory days of the coal industry can still be found in the areas surrounding Yumoto Onsen, and interest is growing in main-taining these sites as valuable reminders of community heritage. The Iwaki Heritage Tourism Association offers guided tours.Mirokuzawa Coal Mine Museum Vintage photos and equipment are among the exhibits at this private museum documenting the mining history of Mirokuzawa.25
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