Hello, this is Takeda from the Production Department.
I first visited Kamiyama Town in Tokushima Prefecture in March 2015.
I grew up near Tokyo and knew nothing about the countryside, especially Kamiyama Town, but I have since visited the area many times for work and have met many people there.
Before I knew it, I had fallen in love with Kamiyama and wanted to spread its charms to my colleagues and friends, and now I have even become a member of the "Kamiyama Satellite Office Committee" within my company.
How did I, someone who had never even given much thought to the existence of "local areas," change like this? I would like to share my thoughts by looking back on my relationship with Kamiyama to date.
Learn through work.
People involved with Kamiyama in various styles
I've been involved in web production for 10 years. Originally, my work was a kind of hobby, and I used to think about work even on my days off, but in March of last year, I started to get a little bored of being so busy with work every day. I decided to go to Kamiyama Town for the first time to discuss some projects.
The only information I had heard in advance was that, although Kamiyama Town is a depopulated area, it has become famous nationwide as a corporate satellite office. However, as I have never lived in the countryside, I was interested in the image of people living and working in the countryside, something I had only seen online.
During my stay, I inspected the satellite office and held meetings with the NPO Green Valley regarding the introduction of a cloud system. During my first visit, I vaguely thought, "I'd like to come back to this town," but I couldn't imagine myself working there, and had no idea how I would be involved.
Looking back, I realize that at the time I only saw a small part of Kamiyama town from the surface, and I wasn't able to fully grasp its charm and appeal.
Shortly afterwards, I had the opportunity to visit Kamiyama again and had dinner with Mr. Kidoin Hirotomo from Relation . He was just as I had heard from Mr. Hayashi, the company's representative: "He's a friendly guy, so I think we'll get along well." I remember that as I listened to Mr. Kidoin talk about Kamiyama and other areas, I became interested in "regional areas" for the first time. I had worried that I would be seen as an outsider if I went to Kamiyama because I didn't know much about regional areas, but Mr. Kidoin's presence helped to dispel my worries.
Mr. Kedoin (orange T-shirt) at the Shikoku NABE Summit
In addition, I was given the job of renewing the Kamiyama Town Hall website, which gave me the opportunity to meet many different people, including the town hall staff, Nishimura Yoshiaki (work style researcher), Kondo Nao (Kurara Photo Studio), Hirooka Sakiko (Tokushima Prefectural Citizens' Activity Plaza), Minami Shinichi (stage director), and many others.
There were locals, people who had moved here, people who had returned to their hometown, and people from outside the town. By meeting people who are connected to Kamiyama in all these different ways, I was able to learn about Kamiyama from many different angles.
It spreads through the "place".
A new world, an exciting way of working
As I received a number of jobs, I began spending more time in Kamiyama. However, during my initial days on day trips and staying at the trial house , I still didn't really get a sense of what life and work in Kamiyama was like.
The thing that changed that was the existence of " WEEK Kamiyama ."
It was completed just as I began visiting Kamiyama frequently, and I began staying there for a week when I was on business trips.
During dinner at WEEK, guests from all over the country and locals eat together at one table, and to be honest, it was a difficult space for me, who considers myself shy. However, with the help of alcohol, I was able to interact with locals and people from all over the country who came to inspect the area, and learn about other industries and what is happening in other regions. For me, who has lived in Tokyo and worked only in the web industry, WEEK became an important space for me to broaden my ideas.
Dinner at WEEK is a valuable opportunity to interact with people from various industries, age groups, and regions.
There are many inter-industry networking events held in Tokyo, but they are places where highly conscious people gather, and I feel like I'm not quite there, so I don't really feel like going. However, at WEEK, interactions occur in a natural way, so I think I was able to join in without feeling intimidated.
I also started using the complex (co-working space) across from WEEK while I was working. Being in a spacious environment with a river right in front of me and surrounded by mountains gave me peace of mind and allowed me to concentrate on my work.
It was here that I met programmers Motohashi and Yamashita , and 3DCG creator Terada . They were doing things they loved that connected them to the local community, such as coming up with ways to control pests using drones, running an electronic crafting club for local elementary school students, and using a 3D printer to make foot molds that could be used at a local custom shoe store.
Mr. Terada teaching 3D modeling of Frisbees to local elementary school students
I was constantly surprised, as I had never even considered the idea of such a job. Both locals and recent immigrants are trying to do new things here in their own way... Local areas are interesting. The term "regional revitalization," which had previously seemed like something that didn't concern me, began to feel real, and I began to think about how I could get involved.
Recently, I have started participating in seminars and events on regional revitalization, and I am building connections with people not only from Kamiyama, but also from other regions. Because we can share our current situations with each other through social media, I feel like we are all connected somewhere close by, even though we live far apart.
I want to spread the word about Kamiyama, which I love.
Becoming a hub and connecting people
Having discovered the fascinating aspects of the countryside through my work and experiences in Kamiyama, I began to take action to let my colleagues and friends know about the charms of Kamiyama as well.
Last October, I was in charge of attending the company's Kamiyama inspection tour. I was in charge of everything from arranging transportation from Tokyo to Kamiyama, to booking accommodation for the week, and arranging the inspection appointment. The inspection of the satellite office was added to the originally planned Jinryou area, so that the tour could see more different styles of work. (You can read more about the inspection in this article .)
A local woman (center left) serving her home-cooked meal at the inspection dinner , and me (center right) explaining the purpose of the event.
I think it was a productive time, with the members showing an interest in working in rural areas and holding a workshop to think about what Monosus could do if it came to Kamiyama.
After the visit, a committee was formed to realize the ideas that came out of the workshop and to launch the Monosus Kamiyama satellite office. I am a member of the committee and I work every day hoping to create a satellite office where people can experience the interesting aspects and working style of Kamiyama that I felt.
Workshop based on what was learned during the tour (at the complex)
I also introduced an acquaintance to Engawa Office , hoping that it would be an opportunity for not only the people in my company, but also the people around me (BBOYs, drinking buddies, etc.) to learn about Kamiyama. He used to be good at breakdancing, and now he works at Engawa Office while also giving dance lessons in Kamiyama. I'm very happy that he's becoming more well-known in the town.
Even in Kamiyama, I'm only involved in a small community called "Jinryou," but as my acquaintances join and expand the community, my place in it expands. At the same time, as the number of people connecting the Tokyo community and Kamiyama increases beyond just me, new people are beginning to get to know Kamiyama.
By becoming a hub for the Kamiyama area and connecting people, I hope to expand my community. At the root of this is my desire to make my place more interesting. I hope to find my own way of being involved with the region while spreading the knowledge of the fun, working and living in the region that has emerged from my involvement with Kamiyama.
People who are interested in Kamiyama Town but are hesitant because they don't have the opportunity.
Let's go to Kamiyama together!!
モノサスアーカイブ