In collaboration with craftsmen from Tsubame-Sanjo, Japan's first domestically produced alembic for essential oil distillation (pure copper hammered alembic) is created. Neba Village, 90% of which is forest, launches "Village of Distillation" concept and welcomes a distillation expert as a regional revitalization entrepreneur.

Neba Village, Nagano Prefecture (Village Mayor: Kenichi Okubo) is launching the "Village of Distillation" concept to produce essential oils and aromatic hydrosols from the village's forest resources. As the first step of this concept, in collaboration with Kazuya Watanabe of Tankosha, a Tsuchi-oki copperware craftsman from Tsubame-Sanjo, Niigata Prefecture, Japan's first pure copper domestic alembic for essential oils will be produced. Concurrently, Junko Yoshimizu, a distiller with a proven track record of establishing Japan's first 100% wood-fired alembic essential oil distillery in Miyazaki Prefecture (Kusuyama Distillery / QUSUYAMA LLC.), will be welcomed as a regional revitalization entrepreneur, and a demonstration project for essential oil production based in Neba Village will be fully launched.

Background: A Village Where "Forest Blessings" Lie Dormant

Neba Village is a village of approximately 800 residents located at the headwaters of the Yahagi River, with over 90% of its area covered by forests. As a village at the source of the river, it is engaged in the "nebane" project to create a watershed economic zone connecting the upper and lower reaches. This concept is part of that initiative, challenging to transform forest resources into new value through distillation and deliver it to the entire watershed.

While forestry has long been the core industry of the village, the environment surrounding forestry has become increasingly severe due to factors such as low timber prices and an aging workforce.

On the other hand, a large amount of branches and leaves generated during forestry operations have been left on site. However, it is now well-known that these branches and leaves are rich in aromatic components, which are raw materials for essential oils. The branches and leaves of cypress and cedar, which Neba Village boasts, are generated in large quantities every year but have not been utilized, making them high-quality unused resources. This concept aims to become a "Village of Distillation" that supports efforts to cultivate healthy and abundant forests by utilizing these branches and leaves as assets.

This concept is an initiative to transform these unused forest resources into value through distillation, creating new industries and a workforce in the village.

Three Pillars of the "Village of Distillation" Concept

1. Production of Japan's First Domestic Alembic in Collaboration with Tsubame-Sanjo Craftsmen

The symbol of this concept is the first essential oil alembic (pure copper distiller) to be manufactured domestically in Japan. An alembic is a traditional distiller used since ancient times in Europe for the production of distilled spirits and fragrances, and this one has been uniquely modified for essential oil production. Almost all distillers used in Japan are imported from overseas.

This time, a pure copper alembic has been created using Japanese craftsmanship by Kazuya Watanabe of Tankosha, a Tsuchi-oki copperware craftsman from Tsubame-Sanjo, Niigata Prefecture. The hammering and metalworking techniques of Tsubame-Sanjo, with its 200-year history, and the forest resources of Neba Village. Two traditions of Japanese manufacturing converge at the point of distillation.

2. Welcoming Distillation Expert Junko Yoshimizu as a Regional Revitalization Entrepreneur

The technical core of this concept is led by distiller Junko Yoshimizu, head of Kusuyama Distillery (QUSUYAMA LLC.). In 2011, she established a company for essential oil manufacturing and sales in the Himalayas with mountain ethnic groups for employment support. In 2019, she learned distillation through a unique route from a master distiller who belonged to a major sake brewery with Japan's proud distillation technology, and subsequently studied under an Italian distillation specialist. Later, she established "Kusuyama Distillery," Japan's first 100% wood-fired alembic essential oil distillery in Mimata Town, Miyazaki Prefecture, and has been verifying the business model of micro-distilleries for Japanese tree essential oils such as cedar and cypress.

Neba Village will welcome Ms. Yoshimizu as a regional revitalization entrepreneur. An expert with proven distillation technology and achievements will establish a base in Neba Village and work on commercializing essential oil production utilizing the village's forest resources.

3. Aiming for a "Village of Distillation that Coexists with the Forest," Not Just a "Distillery"

This concept does not aim to create a single distillery.

First, a successful case as a for-profit business will be created during a demonstration period of approximately three years, after which the environment will be gradually expanded so that all villagers can be involved in distillation. The core of this concept is to create a cycle throughout the village where unused village resources are transformed into value, generating new income sources and a workforce, centered around distillation.

What This Concept Aims For - Distillation is a Means, the Goal is to Restore the Forest to its Original State

Distillation is merely a means. This concept aims to enhance the value of the forest itself and restore the forest ecosystem to its original healthy state with high resilience.

1. Enhancing the Economic Value of Forests

Timber that can be sold as logs is not the only value of a forest. By giving new economic value to branches, leaves, and thinned wood, which have been discarded until now, through distillation, a structure will be created where working in the forest itself generates revenue. As the value of the forest increases, people who protect and nurture the forest will also emerge.

2. Restoring the Balance of Forests Overly Reliant on Conifers

Due to post-war afforestation, Japanese mountains have come to be dominated by conifers such as cedar and cypress. Originally, forests are diverse ecosystems where conifers and broad-leaved trees coexist. Through forest management advanced by the distillation business, and with economic backing for thinning and species conversion, the aim is to gradually restore the balance of conifer-dominated forests to a diverse environment in the long term.

3. Contributing to Nature Positive

This concept is based on the idea of Nature Positive, which not only "protects" the natural environment but also actively "restores" it. By distilling byproducts generated from forest management and using the revenue to re-engage in forest management. As this cycle continues, forest biodiversity will recover, and the public functions of forests such as water source conservation and prevention of sediment disasters will be enhanced. From Neba, a village at the source, the goal is to enrich the natural capital of the entire watershed.

100% Wood-Fired Distillation Enables "Monozukuri" (Manufacturing) that Coexists with the Forest

The distillation in this project aims for 100% wood-fired. Since it uses thinned wood from the forest as a heat source without fossil fuels, there is almost no CO2 emission from fossil fuels. Burning thinned wood from forest management as firewood and distilling with that heat - this complete cycle is exactly the decarbonization and sustainable forest utilization that Neba Village is pursuing.

Cutting down trees is not the goal itself. By simultaneously carrying out forest management and harvesting, cost-effectiveness can be improved, and labor shortages due to population decline can be compensated for.

"Distillation" Connecting the Watershed

The raw materials for distillation are not limited to forest branches and leaves. Along the Yahagi River watershed, starting from Neba Village, there are many unused agricultural byproducts such as the peels of out-of-spec fruits, flowers, and herbs. By distilling these and developing them as "watershed products," this project will expand from a forest village project to a project connecting the entire watershed.

This is precisely the initiative of the "Watershed Economic Zone nebane Project," where the upper and lower reaches are connected by resources and value, starting from Neba Village.

Comments from Stakeholders

Junko Yoshimizu (Representative, Kusuyama Distillery / QUSUYAMA LLC.)

The main characters of this project are, after all, the rich forests and rivers of Neba Village, and the people who live here. As a supporter, I will walk alongside the villagers and present the comfort of a life that runs parallel to the forest from this land to society.

Creating a place for Neba Village to play a wider role through the watershed, directly linked to the quality of life. That is, to create a place where one can live in a state close to nature while finding one's standing as a human being in harmony with the natural cycle. This is to create a safe and warm place that is intuitively pleasant and feels comfortable from the heart. I will always keep this in mind and strive for its realization.

Kazuya Watanabe (Tankosha)

Encountering this wonderful initiative has given me the opportunity to reconsider what crafts can do for the modern era.

The keyword that came to mind was "implementation." Using the distiller I created this time as an entry point, we will create a circular economy while coexisting with nature on the grand stage of the forest. - I feel that this concreteness and implementability is one of the new translations that crafts are required to provide in the modern era.

I am looking forward to seeing what message these two cultures, distillation and crafts, which have met in Neba after a long journey, can convey to the world.

Kenichi Okubo (Neba Village Mayor)

In Neba Village, where over 90% of the area is covered by forests, we protect and nurture "pure water sources" and "abundant water" through forest creation.

I believe this concept is not only regional industrial promotion but also an initiative to conserve the natural capital of the entire watershed as a village at the source.

I believe that by creating a cycle where branches left in the mountains become essential oils, and hydrosols born from wood fires reach the watershed, we can paint a prosperous future.

Inquiries and Interviews

We are accepting the following interviews and consultations regarding this concept.

• On-site interviews: Distillery tours, photography of the domestic alembic, interviews with Ms. Yoshimizu and Mr. Watanabe

• Consultations on product development: Collaboration on product development utilizing domestic natural essential oils and aromatic hydrosols

• Acceptance of distillation tours: Distillation experience programs for companies and organizations

Project Overview

Concept Name

Neba Village "Village of Distillation" Concept

Implementing Body

Neba Village

Project Promotion

General Incorporated Association Neba no Mori / Watershed Economic Zone nebane Project

Manufacturing and Technology

Kusuyama Distillery / Junko Yoshimizu (accepted as a regional revitalization entrepreneur)

Distiller Production

Tankosha / Kazuya Watanabe (Tsubame-Sanjo, Niigata Prefecture)

Location

Neba Village, Shimoina District, Nagano Prefecture

Main Products

Tree essential oils such as cypress and cedar, aromatic hydrosols, etc.

Demonstration Period

Approximately 3 years (starting 2026)

Contact Information Regarding This Matter

For interviews and public relations

Contact: Totani, General Affairs Division, Neba Village Office Phone: 0265-49-2111 URL: https://www.nebamura.jp

For business content

Contact: Sugiyama, General Incorporated Association Neba no Mori URL: https://nebane.jp