Tucked away in the mountains, in a hamlet 20km from Oboke station, Chiiori, "the cottage of the flute" is a thatched farmhouse dating from 1720, bought and restored by American writer Alex Kerr. He settled in the valley in the early 70s and his book Lost Japan (1993) explains how the country's modernisation significantly transformed its environment. The author founded a trust that is fighting to preserve the valley's ecological system.