Kamiyama is the "landing of a staircase." What will Monosasu Juku students find on the landing?
~News from the second batch of students from Kamiyama Monosasu Juku~

Hello. I'm Omura, a student of the second batch of Kamiyama Monosasu Juku. It's been about four months since I became a student. How do you want to live after the school? Each student is currently searching for their own answer. At the beginning of this year, I never dreamed that I would end up living in Tokushima.
In Kamiyama, the ginkgo leaves are slowly starting to change color, the temperature is dropping, and we are now in the season when we start to crave warm food.

I will look back on why I decided to apply to Kamiyama Monosasu Juku and tell you about my daily life as a student and what the students are up to now.

This time's Kamiyama Monosasu Juku reporter

Why I was attracted to Kamiyama Monosasu Juku

I was born, raised, and have lived in Hiroshima City. There are six rivers running through the city, and I often cross them to get to wherever I go. When the weather is nice, I walk along the river to work, and sometimes I just happen to stand on the riverbank and look at the sky.
I always felt like I was watching the river flow nearby.

Hiroshima is a city with many rivers.

In my previous job, I mainly went to events held in various areas of the prefecture and was involved in creating A3-sized "special reports" for events only. By the end of the event, I would issue a "special report" containing photos of the day's events and give them to visitors to take home.
I met many different people while working on my job. I learned that at the core of event management were many people who were deeply rooted in the local community and wanted to improve their town. I began to think that it would be nice if I could bring my work and life closer together.

At that time, I came across an ad for "Kamiyama Monosasu Juku Student Recruitment" that said, "Work with people you want to live with." I was surprised that such a mindset was possible even in "working," and my curiosity grew as to what kind of company would have such words exchanged. Studying the web for an analogue person like me might be reckless... But it might be a good opportunity to get away from the work and environment I was familiar with.
I took the plunge and decided to apply, and was given the chance to study at the school.

Life in Kamiyama: My days as a student

Although it is in western Japan, I had never been to Tokushima Prefecture, and this was my first visit to Kamiyama Town since becoming a student at the school.
The town is surrounded by steeply sloping mountains, and the clear Ayukui River flows through it. When it rains, the mountain is enveloped in mist, making it worthy of the name "God's Mountain."

The shared house in an old Japanese-style house where a team of five female students live is equipped with a veranda, something I have longed to enjoy.
The air conditioner broke down right after I moved in in August, so I started sleeping on my futon near the veranda to stay cool, but I naturally ended up sleeping while looking at the night sky. Every day I watched the moon wax and was amazed by the morning glow. Kamiyama was also the first time I saw a shooting star with a real tail.

When I woke up, the morning glow was spreading across the sky.

While living in such an environment close to nature, I learn coding and writing during the day.
Professionals from Tokyo and Thailand in coding, design, operations, photography, lighting, etc. come to Kamiyama as instructors, and not only do they generously share the experience and skills they have cultivated over many years of work, but they also sincerely discuss non-technical topics such as the mindset required to work in the web industry and "what is important to be free." It was very impressive that the photography and lighting instructors said that they "learn to love" the subject they are photographing and the work they are in charge of, respectively. The time I spend as a student is an opportunity to rethink what it means to "work," and I feel that it is a truly valuable time.

Also, each instructor is very unique. Some continue to answer students' questions late into the night, some go mountain climbing, some perform more energetically than anyone else at sports competitions... It's inspiring to see them enjoying their work and life to the fullest. As I worried at the beginning, there are times when I get overwhelmed by the amount of new knowledge and feel like I'm at a loss, but the students and instructors help me every day.

Coding lectures were strict but the instructor's strong desire for students to become proficient was apparent

Cooking meals every day

In the shared house, I am mainly in charge of cooking dinner. I create the daily menu using fresh vegetables (sometimes in large quantities) received from the students' parents and neighbors, and local Kamiyama ingredients purchased at roadside stations. At first, I found it hard to get used to cooking for five people, and it took a long time and I sometimes made mistakes, but I'm happy when everyone says that whatever I make is delicious, so I enjoy cooking every day.

Gifts mainly harvested in Kamiyama. Top: Garlic, sudachi citrus, chili peppers, pumpkin. Bottom left: Things we received in the summer. Pears, potatoes, shiso, eggplant, bitter melon, pumpkin. Bottom right: Sweet sweet potatoes and a mountain of blueberries.

Along with having a veranda, I also longed for a life with a garden. I thought it would be so enriching if I could quickly harvest and use vegetables and herbs from my garden when I needed them, and now I've been able to make it a reality! I planted rosemary, basil, broccoli, and Chinese cabbage seedlings in the garden, which can be seen from the kitchen window. It's become my daily routine to check on them every morning. One of my daily interests is enjoying the deliciousness of "sudachi," a citrus fruit that is a specialty of Kamiyama and is abundant in Kamiyama. I discovered that it's delicious when poured over pears and persimmons, and I've also tried mixing olive oil and chopped mint leaves from the garden with rice, and I'm quickly becoming addicted to the all-purpose sudachi fruit.

I don't use any special ingredients and just make simple meals every day, but between concentrated lectures, I take the time to think about what I should cook today while gazing at the Kamiyama mountains, and it's a great way to change my mood.

Kamiyama is like a landing on a staircase.

"Kamiyama is like the landing of a staircase," are the words of Aihara Kuniko, a curious mother who lives in Kamiyama and was a member of the first class of Kamiyama Juku.
Like taking a short rest on the landing halfway up a staircase, the time spent as a student at Kamiyama is like "a time to step away from your life so far, to refuel and find a new path."

Aihara herself is one of the students who, after a period of student life she describes as "luxurious," in which she left the hustle and bustle of work and housework behind and became involved in event management and forest creation, and started a new life by opening a small shop.

"It's tough to always go in a straight line, so I hope you'll take a break at the landing, start again, and live a good life," says Aibahara with a big smile.

The students who entered the school at the same time as me have a wide range of experiences and ages. Each of us has left our previous lifestyles behind and is now living our lives at a “breakthrough.”

One student, whose hobby is "hunting," which surprised me, often reports that he has dived into the rivers of Kamiyama and caught fish such as ame-go. While working for a major company, he has been "spearfishing" and hunting in the sea and mountains on weekends for nearly 10 years. In the future, he has a strong desire to "live in nature by his own efforts."

One female student, who learned judo as a child and was tomboyish, questioned the fact that she should be treated differently just because she is a girl. After entering society and working, she became more interested in the problems that arise only because she is a woman, and she wants to make "women working" her life's work.

The student, who has traveled around Asia for nearly a year, is often seen making new friends with new people and chatting away in lively conversations. After traveling, he said, "I've come to believe that even events that at first glance seem negative depend on how you look at them," and I'm always inspired by the way he proactively embraces the things he encounters in Kamiyama and the changes he experiences within himself. He seems to be thinking about "creating" something in the future.

Web skills and more. Each of them has their own unique antennae, and every day they explore what they can do because they are in Kamiyama, and they are starting to do what they can now. One of these challenges is a "joint event" that can be considered the culmination of the "regional coordination" class that is being held in parallel with the web lectures.

Preparations for the joint event

Currently, we, the students of Monosasu Juku, along with our sister school-like Kamiyama KATALOG course and the 8th class of Relation 's Kamiyama Juku, are making preparations for a joint event called " Aru de naide Kamiyama " to be held on October 29th at the old house called Guesthouse Yamauba .

For the event, participants were divided into four groups and each group worked on a plan they had come up with. One group planned to build a house out of bamboo, starting from cutting the bamboo, while another group planned to design a footbath so that visitors could relax in it. Each group shared their ideas and wisdom, working towards discovering new charms of Kamiyama.

Bamboo house building team

The team I belong to provides meals using ingredients from Kamiyama. By cooking ingredients found in Kamiyama in our own creative way, we hope to provide something that will be a rediscovery for the people who come to the event who live in Kamiyama, and a new discovery for those who are visiting for the first time in Kamiyama. We make prototypes and listen to the stories of various people in Kamiyama.

Freshly prepared "Shio Sudachi" sparkles like a green jewel.

The other day, I went to a neighbor's house to make "salted sudachi". It's a simple process of mixing sudachi, a specialty of Kamiyama, with salt and bottling it, but it can be used in a variety of ways, such as using it in fish or meat dishes like salted lemons, or as a sauce.

We also visited a farmer who grows "yuko," a fruit that is in season in late October and is somewhere between sudachi and yuzu. It looks similar to sudachi, but is a little larger, and the fruit turns orange like a mandarin orange and is apparently sweet. The skin already has a nice scent, and we're thinking about using it in some way for the event. Myoga flowers were blooming under the yuko tree, and we were given some freshly picked myoga. As we talked, we learned not only about ingredients, but also about childhood memories related to food.

We are also working on preserving sudachi and yuzu in syrup for the drinks to be served at the event. As we work, we are fascinated by the shiny beauty of the peeled sudachi and exclaim, "Sudachi Gold!"

Farmer Yuzuka showed us around the fields.

Sudachi Gold!

My changes after four months as a student

I'm not particularly skilled, and I don't have a lot of knowledge, but I love being in the kitchen, and that's what I realized when I came to Kamiyama. There are lots of fresh and delicious vegetables in Kamiyama, and I've been able to visit farms and have students cook for me. When I get a request to "eat that" or I unexpectedly receive a large amount of ingredients, I find myself wanting to do something in the kitchen. In the past, I was a little hesitant to have a lot of people eat my food, but before I knew it, it had become a daily occurrence.

Thinking back, I tend to overthink things and get stuck, and my sister once told me I was being too cautious. However, I have noticed a slight change recently. Perhaps it is because I am in the special situation of being a student at the school, or in the natural environment of Kamiyama, or perhaps it is because I am inspired by the instructors and the people I meet in Kamiyama who are living by their own efforts. I feel like the hurdle between thinking about something and actually trying it out has become lower (though it still takes a bit of courage).

I have two and a half months left as a student. I want to lower my mental hurdles as much as possible and take on the challenges that only a student like me can do, and that only I can do because I'm in Kamiyama.

Arudenaide Kamiyama Event Details

• Date and time October 29th (Sat) 11:00~18:00
• Location: Guesthouse Yamauba
• Address: 192-1 Kamiki, Ano, Kamiyama-cho, Myosai-gun, Tokushima Prefecture

On Saturday, October 29th, "Yamanba Village" will open for one day only!

Students from Kamiyama Juku and Kamiyama Monosasu Juku, who came to Kamiyama in search of new possibilities in the region, will create a village packed with the charm of Kamiyama in the old Japanese-style guesthouse called "Yamauba."

Each student discovered and realized that there are so many wonderful things in Kamiyama ("There are!").

I want more people to know about Kamiyama's true charm!
With this in mind, the students will express the "Great!" people, events, and things they discovered in Kamiyama under the four themes of "Home, Food, Baths, and Tea."

On October 29th, why not spend the day relaxing and feeling like a local villager of Yamanba Village?
Facebook page is here

bonus

How to make Oinokozushi, a dish that gives you a taste of autumn in Kamiyama

This is a Kamiyama home-cooked dish that has been prepared in every household on Boar Day in October, a day to give thanks for the autumn harvest.
The farmers told us that this day also meant that during the busy days of farm work, people could make Oinokozushi and relax at home.

This is bara-zushi, which is made by mixing boiled taro and daikon radish into sushi rice made with yuzu juice instead of vinegar. This time, I used sudachi, a specialty of Kamiyama, instead of yuzu, and topped it with shredded egg for color. In the photo, I also topped it with chopped myoga ginger.

<Vinegared rice>

• Rice...4 cups
• Sudachi juice (or yuzu juice)...120cc (5-6 pieces)
• Cane sugar...4 tablespoons
• Salt…2 teaspoons

<Sushi ingredients>

• Niboshi: Use 50 grams to make about 600 ml of stock.
• Soy sauce…4 tablespoons
• Mirin...2 tablespoons
• Cane sugar...3 tablespoons
• 1/2 carrot, cut into strips
• Taro...4 pieces, thickly sliced into ginkgo leaves
• Daikon radish...1/4 small piece, cut into strips
• Konnyaku...1/2 piece boiled quickly and cut into pieces
• 1 piece of fried tofu, cut into strips *Slightly sweet. Adjust seasoning to taste.
  

＜Thinly shredded egg＞

• Eggs…2
• Mirin...1 tablespoon

Preparation

• Cook rice.
• Reserve the stock using dried bonito.

1. In a pot of dried bonito stock, add carrots, taro, daikon, konnyaku, and fried tofu and simmer. Add soy sauce, cane sugar, and mirin to adjust the flavor.
2. While the ingredients are simmering, fry the shredded egg. Mix the eggs with mirin and fry thinly in a frying pan. Once cooked, roll it up and cut it into thin strips.
3. Squeeze the sudachi juice for the vinegared rice and mix with sugar and salt.
4. Once the rice is cooked, mix in step 3 and add the ingredients while the rice is still warm.
5. Finally, top with shredded egg and it's done!
   

The key is to make it with a rich bonito broth.
We recommend serving it with sliced sudachi citrus fruit and squeezing it to taste!