A "bus tour around the world irrigation facility's heritage" will be held on November 3rd, around the "Doenzeki" irrigation facility spreading in the Tsugaru region.

Douchi Weir is a water system selected as "World Irrigation Facility Ruins" by the International Executive Committee for Irrigation and Drainage (ICID) in Mexico City in 2017 (Heisei 29). Currently, there are 73 certified sites in the world, which is the second in Aomori Prefecture, following the Inougawa in Towada.

The irrigation facility has an open canal extending for about 16 kilometers starting from the Iwakigawa Integrated Headworks (Nyorai Setama River, Hirosaki City), and supplies water to about 8,300 hectares of farmland. In 1644 (Kanei 21), Tsugaru feudal lord Nobuyoshi Sandai excavated it for the purpose of drawing water in the Tsugaru plain, and it is still used today.

Depart Hirosaki station on the day and follow the 16km open waterway by bus. Along the way, we will visit the water diversion facility “Nogi Teban” (Tsuruta-machi Nogi) at the end of the Tochifuchi weir and the “Miraku Odame pond” (Miraku Osawa) that was built for water supply, and also cross the Tsuru Maibashi bridge.

After lunch, experience straw craft at the Tsuruta-cho History and Culture Museum (Kayashishita Katsura), which is a renovated site of an elementary school.

Akitsutoshi Shimazu, the secretariat of the Aomori Rural Development Public Relations Committee, who sponsors the event, said, "This is the first bus tour planned for departure from Hirosaki station. The tour itself may be a maniac, but it will be an interesting content guided by management officials. I would like the locals to know about irrigation facilities that are of great historical and global value."

Holding time is from 9:00 to 15:30. Participation fee is 1,500 yen (including lunch). Applications can be received by fax, mail or email. The deadline is extended until October 28th.