Perfect place to live. Inconvenient place to live?
The truth about life on Suo-Oshima ~ interview with Kazuki Nishimura (Suo-Oshima Town Hall) ~

The Suo-Oshima satellite office is Monosus' fifth base. Nishimura Kazuki was deeply involved in the opening of the office and Nagai's relocation , and is working hard to develop the town of Suo-Oshima as the town office's relocation and settlement officer.
In the first part , we looked into the driving force behind Nishimura's work, who is also happy to see an increase in people visiting not only Suo-Oshima but also Yamaguchi Prefecture.
In the second part, we get a glimpse into the reality of relocating and settling on the island, as only those who have been invited and those who invite others can talk about, including life on the island from the perspective of Nagai, a migrant, and Nishimura's vision for the future of Suo-Oshima.
(Interviewer: Kensaku Saguchi)

Is it true that there are no jobs in rural areas?
Mismatches revealed only after moving

Nagai: Can I ask you a question that has been bothering me since I started living on Suo-Oshima?

Nishimura: Please, please.

Nagai : I find it really strange that people say there are no jobs in rural areas. To give an easy-to-understand example, the 7-Eleven in Suo-Oshima is always looking for part-time workers, and a pharmacy I know says, "Suo-Oshima really doesn't get any applicants, so even though we raise the hourly wage more than other areas, no one still comes."
From the perspective of migrants, there are jobs available, but some say that local young people are leaving because "there are no jobs." When Monosus' satellite office opened, some people expressed their expectations, saying, "There will be jobs for the island's young people..."
I feel like there's some kind of mismatch.

Nishimura: The town's wish is to increase the number of options. However, the current situation is that there is a shortage of workers, and everyone is fighting over jobs. It's the same in Tokyo and the countryside, and it's a lie to say that there are no jobs in the countryside. The current situation is that there are not enough workers.
There is an overwhelming shortage of workers, especially in civil engineering, nursing, medical, and food service. I've heard that food service providers at nursing homes and other facilities are increasingly outsourcing because there are no people who can prepare food.
But when you compare this with working in an urban area where there are more options for young people who have just graduated from high school, and you ask which one they find more attractive...I think they would end up choosing a job like that at Nagai's company.

Nagai: The actual IT workplace is pretty tough. I've stayed at the office late into the night and wondered "what am I doing?" many times, and I think a job where you have clear hours from 9am to 5pm and you can work in the fields on weekends is more "humane."

Nishimura: Maybe we're both just asking for what we don't have.

Nagai: If you think about it that way, it might be better to get people who feel that something is missing in Tokyo and Osaka to know about Suo-Oshima, rather than getting local young people straight out of school to work.

Nishimura: To achieve that, I think the information you send out needs to be appealing. Something that really stands out. Something that will make people in the city notice something that really stands out and think, "That place on Suo-Oshima looks great, so maybe I should go there." In fact, some of the local governments that have been successful in attracting people to relocate, settle, and set up satellite offices have developed a style of showcasing what really stands out.
In that respect, Suo-Oshima still has nothing established, but I think that this is what makes it interesting.

Nagai : I don't think it's inferior to any other place. Suo-Oshima.

Nishimura
Then, can I ask you the opposite question?

Nagai : Yes.

Why did you come back here, Mr. Nagai Nishimura?

Living in Tokyo and Living in Suo-Oshima: What is important is what you want from each place

Nagai: To be honest, I think I've reached my limit with the city, and I don't find it as interesting as I did in my 20s and 30s.

Nishimura: Is there a limit to how convenient it is?

Nagai: Convenience isn't that different in the city or on Suo-Oshima.

Nishimura : Well, if we run out of soy sauce at home, it's a 20-minute drive to the nearest store.

Nagai: Why not just stock up on it? (laughs)
There may be differences for people who frequently go to museums, events, or downtown areas such as Shinjuku and Shibuya, but for me, if I had to say one thing, it would be that if Amazon was fast enough, it would arrive on the same day, but it definitely won't arrive on the same day. But there are very few things I really need on the day, and I only order foods unique to the Kanto region that aren't sold in Suo-Oshima on Amazon, so that's not a difference in convenience between the city and the countryside, but a matter of dietary preferences. In the end, as long as you have the Internet and a car, the convenience you feel is the same whether you're in Tokyo or Suo-Oshima.

Nishimura: Is that so?

I guess it's because I'm Nagai . I wanted to try something a little different. I felt like I had done to some extent what I wanted to do in the city. So I wanted to do something different. For example, how to fillet a fish you catch? I didn't know, so I searched on Google and tried doing it while watching YouTube, or I tried growing vegetables in a field... That kind of thing is interesting.

Fields near the satellite office
Seafood and mountain produce from Suo-Oshima. Filleting fish is an everyday occurrence.

Nishimura : Next time, please come and play on the rocks. If you dig through the rocks at low tide, you'll find all kinds of creatures.

Nagai : You saw Nishi with Nishimura-san and the others the other day, right?

After having a few drinks at the Nishimura Satellite Office, we decided to go for a walk and looked out at the sea, where we saw a plethora of snail shells called Nishi.

Nagai : It's really good. I really enjoy that kind of thing. They often say that it takes two or three years for immigrants to decide whether they can settle here or not, and although I've only been here a little over a year, I can't say I'm arrogant, but I feel like I can fit in without any problems.

Nishimura
In the near future, I would like to have Mr. Nagai as a guest speaker when I hold an information session on immigration and settlement in Tokyo. Please talk about Suo-Oshima.

Nagai: That's fine, but I think my story doesn't capture the good and bad aspects of Suo-Oshima. People who talk about the good things about moving here often say, "The countryside has good human connections." But there are kind people and nagging people in the countryside, and it's the same in the city.
When I lived in an apartment, I would go out and hang out with people of all ages, and I had that kind of relationship, so even after coming to Suo-Oshima, I don't really feel any difference. Not even in terms of convenience or inconvenience. There's no particular difference.

Nishimura : I want you to speak from your own perspective. We can only speak from an islander's perspective. But Mr. Nagai, who knows both the city and the countryside, might have a different perspective. That's what the customers who come to the information session are looking for.

Nagai
One thing I think is that it's best to stop thinking like, "I can't get along with people in the city, so I'm going to the countryside..." Because I don't think people like that will have any luck here either. But I also feel like it's okay to come here without being too nervous.

Nishimura : That's right. I think people who have a set plan for their relocation and have a set path will panic when something unexpected happens. If they come to me without feeling pressured, there's a lot I can tell them.
Also, I think that if a community consisting only of immigrants were to be formed, the work we are doing would be meaningless. Personally, I am against setting up satellite offices or housing complexes in other areas.
Rather than that, I think it would be interesting if we could propose that there is a property like this in each village, and that we could secure 10 office rooms, which would deepen our ties with the local community.

Making Suo-Oshima an oasis for city folk By increasing opportunities for interaction, the next step becomes clear

Nagai: What do you think will happen to Suo-Oshima in the future, or what do you want to do with it?

Nishimura
That's a difficult question.
I would like to become an oasis for city people in a broad sense. Of course, it would be good for people to move and settle here, but also to come and rest and relax.

Nagai: An oasis for city dwellers. Does that have benefits for local residents as well?

Nishimura: I think it's a positive thing just to have more opportunities to talk about simple things. With people outside. It's fine if you just stand there and chat, but if you're there for a long time, you might even ask "Shall we go for a drink?" and you can talk about all kinds of things.
This is also the case with the " Island and Peninsula Tour " which is a two-day, one-night tour to get to know Suo-Oshima. If it was during the day, people would just stand and chat, and talk about this and that, and then it would end there, but if they sit down and start drinking at a drinking party, they start to reveal their true feelings. If they think, "This person is trustworthy," the people on the island will start asking more and more questions. I've seen this happen many times, so I'd like to create more opportunities for such encounters.

Nagai: I see.

Nishimura: As the person in charge of permanent residence, I have had the opportunity to meet Mr. Nagai and others like this, and some people have actually decided to move here, while others have told me, "I'm not moving here, but I'm still a fan of Suo-Oshima."
I still have connections with those people, and I want to treasure them. Also, when I ask them a question, they respond. When I'm stuck and I don't know what to do, they say, "Maybe you should do it this way." It's not like they're a bank of wisdom.

Nagai: What about the employment issue we talked about at the beginning?

Nishimura : We continue to try to help young locals discover the island's charms. Suo-Oshima High School, the island's only high school, has a department called Regional Revitalization, where students who plan to get a job after graduation focus on what they can do for the community.
I would like to collaborate with these students and companies that have set up satellite offices, including Monosus, to create jobs and places to work. So, when it comes to recruiting workers, if not only young people stay but also people from outside come, the outflow of population will decrease. A new industry will be created, the number of workers will increase, they will get married, and have children. This is the cycle I want to aim for.

Nagai : By the way, as a resident, what do you say to people in the city about the good things about Suo-Oshima?

Nishimura is a great place to live. It's inconvenient to live in.
It's very good for the environment. However, it's not convenient, just like the shopping issue I mentioned earlier. That's why I say it as a catchphrase to convey the good and bad sides. For example, if I want to go buy fashionable clothes from Okikamuro where I live, I have to go to Hiroshima.
It's inconvenient, but if you think of it as just another shopping event, it becomes fun and I think that kind of lifestyle is possible.

Nagai : What about those who think it's the perfect place to live?

Nishimura : Well, it's only 10 seconds from home to the sea, there are no cars, and it's fine to cool off in just your underwear, so it's very relaxing.
I think the slow flow of time is attractive. What I like to do is lie down on the breakwater and just stare blankly. When it's hot, I go there to cool off, and at night the stars are beautiful. It's a different world compared to the city.

Nagai : Born and raised in the city. I hope that this will become an option for city dwellers who don't have a rural hometown.

Nishimura
If they like it and make Suo-Oshima their second home, it would be great if they would buy a house or rent one to live in, but even if they don't, it would be nice if they came to visit once a year and spent some money on accommodation.
How should I put it? I want to make good use of the good things about Suo-Oshima in a broad sense. Since I'm in charge of migration, I don't want to just connect everything to migration, but I want people to become fans of Suo-Oshima.

Nagai: Finally, what kind of company does Monosus appear to you, Mr. Nishimura?

Nishimura Monosus is... I can't see it. I've heard about the company's business, but it's a mysterious company. I can't see it, so I wonder if it's attractive. There are clients, and there are probably many jobs that have to be done, and it must be difficult to secure human resources. But despite that, I'm very grateful that they came to Suo-Oshima. I think this will allow Suo-Oshima to take the next step, and I have high expectations, not in a heavy sense.

To Mr. Nishimura

Nishimura is usually my drinking buddy, and we get drunk together and talk about silly things.

However, after hearing about his thoughts on moving and Suo-Oshima, I was reminded that without Mr. Nishimura, my move and Monosus' satellite office would not have been what they are today.
I felt very lucky to have been able to move to Suo-Oshima at a time when Nishimura-san was part of the settlement promotion team.

When I couldn't find a suitable house in the vacant house bank, they put me in touch with the local neighborhood association president, who then helped me find a house to live in.
In this place where it's difficult to find people of the same age in the first place, they introduced me to friends of the same age.
I don't know where the line is between whether he does it as part of his job or as a friend, but in any case, many of the things that have allowed me to enjoy my life on Suo-Oshima now were started by Mr. Nishimura.

For new immigrants, the most important conditions for settling down are probably not how many minutes it takes to get to a store or how many people there are, but rather that the area is easy to live in, they can get along with the people around them, and they can enjoy life.
I think Nishimura-san is probably supporting other immigrants and settlers in the area in this way, both publicly and behind the scenes, not only before they moved but also after they have moved.

It has been a little over a year since I started living on Suo-Oshima.
From now on, will I be able to go from being an "immigrant" to being a "permanent resident" and become "just one of the townspeople" without anyone thinking of me as such?
First of all, as a permanent resident and as one of the townspeople, I want to make sure that I can continue to live here in Suo-Oshima in a comfortable and enjoyable way. I would also like to be able to increase the small opportunities for people around me to have a little fun, get help, or be inspired by things they didn't have on Oshima.

Nishimura-san, we look forward to working with you in the future!

Oops, maybe this letter turned out to be too serious?

Nishimura-san, it's getting hotter now, so let's have a barbecue this year!

Tomoko Nagai