Awaji City Mayor Atsuhiro Toda Challenges Incense Making on YouTube Program "Mayors Try It Out" to Promote Local Attractions
Ichini Inc.'s YouTube program "Mayors Try It Out" features Awaji City Mayor Atsuhiro Toda, who challenges incense making and "Jigoku no Piyahara" to promote the city's charms and convey the importance of local government PR.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: May 2, 2026 at 19:30
- 🔍 Collected: May 2, 2026 at 11:01
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: May 2, 2026 at 11:13 (11 min after Collected)
Ichini Inc. (Headquarters: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director and President: Taku Takahata), which operates "Senkyo.com," Japan's largest political and election portal site, distributes the YouTube program "Mayors Try It Out," where mayors nationwide challenge various projects to promote their own municipalities.
■ The 42nd installment features Atsuhiro Toda, Mayor of Awaji City, Hyogo Prefecture!
Released on May 2nd, the 42nd episode of "Mayors Try It Out" features Atsuhiro Toda, Mayor of Awaji City, Hyogo Prefecture. He will challenge "Jigoku no Piyahara" while overlooking the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge to promote the charms of Awaji City.
Awaji City, Hyogo Prefecture, is located in the northern part of Awaji Island and is highly accessible, connected to Honshu by the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge.
Known as the "island of creation" appearing in the Kojiki and Nihon Shoki, it breathes ancient history and culture. Blessed with a warm climate and rich nature, agriculture and fisheries are thriving, and food such as onions and seafood are also attractive. In recent years, in addition to promoting tourism, immigration and settlement, and regional revitalization, the city has also been working on promoting DX to create a city where everyone can play an active role.
In this installment of "Mayors Try It Out," the mayor challenges incense making in a city where the oldest record of incense in Japan remains in the Nihon Shoki. The mayor and MC each choose their favorite color and scent for a fun experience. Also, Awaji is a land of soil, and at the Soil Museum, there's a surprising experience to be had!?
We also asked about the three pillars of city development: "community development in co-creation with citizens," "strengthening city promotion," and "initiatives for DX."
How far can you blow the "Jigoku no Piyahara"!? Awaji City manufactures about 80% of the nation's blow-back toys. At the museum made from Awaji Island soil, the land of soil, you can even eat soil!?
■ Background of "Mayors Try It Out"
Today, the need for local government PR is higher than ever. There are two main reasons for this.
One is the need to convey the charm of the region to people outside the region, tourists, and media personnel. In April 2024, a private expert group, the "Population Strategy Council," announced an analysis result that 744 municipalities, accounting for 40% of the total, could see their female population in their 20s and 30s halve by 2050, potentially leading to their "extinction." To protect their precious hometowns from "extinction," attracting people from outside the region, such as through hometown tax donations, tourists, immigrants, and businesses, has become an urgent issue.
The other is the need for local government public relations for local residents. A survey conducted by the "Association for the Promotion of Bright Elections" after the 2023 unified local elections showed that the percentage of voters who answered "I have trouble deciding who to vote for because I don't know much about the candidates' personalities or policies" was a record low of 54.1%. Mayors of local governments are the closest and most important politicians in the lives of local residents, yet there are too few opportunities to learn about their work and personalities.
In response to this growing demand, the YouTube program "Mayors Try It Out" was launched in May 2024 to allow people outside the region to learn about the region's charms, and to increase opportunities for local residents to learn about their mayors and local government initiatives.
We will continue to disseminate the charms of regions nationwide together with mayors across the country!
■ Biography: Atsuhiro Toda, Mayor of Awaji City, Hyogo Prefecture
Mayor Atsuhiro Toda
Date of Birth: June 24, 1985
Biography
Graduated from Hyogo Prefectural Akashi High School and Konan University, Faculty of Business Administration
April 2008: Joined a stationery manufacturer
April 2010: Joined an oil sales company
August 2021 - March 2025: Awaji City Council Member
May 2025 - : Mayor of Awaji City (currently in his first term)
・Hobbies: Aikido, running, reading
・Favorite saying: "A moment's rest returning from the path of defilement to the path of purity; let it rain if it rains, let it blow if it blows."
■ Previous Mayors Featured
You can watch previous episodes of "Mayors Try It Out" from the link below.
🔽 "Mayors Try It Out" Main Playlist
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLHAYaGZq5IzXj8vUvJuj99xsuCM6VVHh1
1st installment: Koga City, Fukuoka Prefecture, Mayor Kazuki Tanabe https://youtu.be/o8Ei65NuV-A
2nd installment: Higashimurayama City, Tokyo, Mayor Hisashi Watabe https://youtu.be/OHq-04P2f1Q
3rd installment: Nara City, Nara Prefecture, Mayor Gen Nakagawa https://youtu.be/fpEczbgJSn4
4th installment: Satsuma Town, Kagoshima Prefecture, Mayor Shunichi Ueno https://youtu.be/Cwb6SjYthoo
5th installment: Kyogoku Town, Hokkaido, Mayor Hidenori Sakooka https://youtu.be/ULFvaY8SGRs
6th installment: Hakuba Village, Nagano Prefecture, Mayor Toshiro Maruyama https://youtu.be/pW8gJJ4NQoY
7th installment: Obu City, Aichi Prefecture, Mayor Hideto Okamura https://y
■ The 42nd installment features Atsuhiro Toda, Mayor of Awaji City, Hyogo Prefecture!
Released on May 2nd, the 42nd episode of "Mayors Try It Out" features Atsuhiro Toda, Mayor of Awaji City, Hyogo Prefecture. He will challenge "Jigoku no Piyahara" while overlooking the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge to promote the charms of Awaji City.
Awaji City, Hyogo Prefecture, is located in the northern part of Awaji Island and is highly accessible, connected to Honshu by the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge.
Known as the "island of creation" appearing in the Kojiki and Nihon Shoki, it breathes ancient history and culture. Blessed with a warm climate and rich nature, agriculture and fisheries are thriving, and food such as onions and seafood are also attractive. In recent years, in addition to promoting tourism, immigration and settlement, and regional revitalization, the city has also been working on promoting DX to create a city where everyone can play an active role.
In this installment of "Mayors Try It Out," the mayor challenges incense making in a city where the oldest record of incense in Japan remains in the Nihon Shoki. The mayor and MC each choose their favorite color and scent for a fun experience. Also, Awaji is a land of soil, and at the Soil Museum, there's a surprising experience to be had!?
We also asked about the three pillars of city development: "community development in co-creation with citizens," "strengthening city promotion," and "initiatives for DX."
How far can you blow the "Jigoku no Piyahara"!? Awaji City manufactures about 80% of the nation's blow-back toys. At the museum made from Awaji Island soil, the land of soil, you can even eat soil!?
■ Background of "Mayors Try It Out"
Today, the need for local government PR is higher than ever. There are two main reasons for this.
One is the need to convey the charm of the region to people outside the region, tourists, and media personnel. In April 2024, a private expert group, the "Population Strategy Council," announced an analysis result that 744 municipalities, accounting for 40% of the total, could see their female population in their 20s and 30s halve by 2050, potentially leading to their "extinction." To protect their precious hometowns from "extinction," attracting people from outside the region, such as through hometown tax donations, tourists, immigrants, and businesses, has become an urgent issue.
The other is the need for local government public relations for local residents. A survey conducted by the "Association for the Promotion of Bright Elections" after the 2023 unified local elections showed that the percentage of voters who answered "I have trouble deciding who to vote for because I don't know much about the candidates' personalities or policies" was a record low of 54.1%. Mayors of local governments are the closest and most important politicians in the lives of local residents, yet there are too few opportunities to learn about their work and personalities.
In response to this growing demand, the YouTube program "Mayors Try It Out" was launched in May 2024 to allow people outside the region to learn about the region's charms, and to increase opportunities for local residents to learn about their mayors and local government initiatives.
We will continue to disseminate the charms of regions nationwide together with mayors across the country!
■ Biography: Atsuhiro Toda, Mayor of Awaji City, Hyogo Prefecture
Mayor Atsuhiro Toda
Date of Birth: June 24, 1985
Biography
Graduated from Hyogo Prefectural Akashi High School and Konan University, Faculty of Business Administration
April 2008: Joined a stationery manufacturer
April 2010: Joined an oil sales company
August 2021 - March 2025: Awaji City Council Member
May 2025 - : Mayor of Awaji City (currently in his first term)
・Hobbies: Aikido, running, reading
・Favorite saying: "A moment's rest returning from the path of defilement to the path of purity; let it rain if it rains, let it blow if it blows."
■ Previous Mayors Featured
You can watch previous episodes of "Mayors Try It Out" from the link below.
🔽 "Mayors Try It Out" Main Playlist
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLHAYaGZq5IzXj8vUvJuj99xsuCM6VVHh1
1st installment: Koga City, Fukuoka Prefecture, Mayor Kazuki Tanabe https://youtu.be/o8Ei65NuV-A
2nd installment: Higashimurayama City, Tokyo, Mayor Hisashi Watabe https://youtu.be/OHq-04P2f1Q
3rd installment: Nara City, Nara Prefecture, Mayor Gen Nakagawa https://youtu.be/fpEczbgJSn4
4th installment: Satsuma Town, Kagoshima Prefecture, Mayor Shunichi Ueno https://youtu.be/Cwb6SjYthoo
5th installment: Kyogoku Town, Hokkaido, Mayor Hidenori Sakooka https://youtu.be/ULFvaY8SGRs
6th installment: Hakuba Village, Nagano Prefecture, Mayor Toshiro Maruyama https://youtu.be/pW8gJJ4NQoY
7th installment: Obu City, Aichi Prefecture, Mayor Hideto Okamura https://y