I want to share the experience of "fulfilling yourself" through "making things yourself"
~ Interview: Masatoshi Watanabe (Self-Build Partner) / Interviewer: Haruka Baba

Nice to meet you. I am Emiko Tobita, a freelance writer who works under the name " Kotohogu ." I was invited by fellow writers Kyoko Sugimoto and Nozomi Nakajima to write for the Monosasu website for the first time.

This is a serial project called " Meguru Measuring Rulers " where people connected to Monosus talk about the measuring sticks that are important to them. This time, we will be talking to Masatoshi Watanabe of Engawa Shoten (Small Living Factory ), a self-build partner in Saku City, Nagano Prefecture.

Self-build partner is a term coined by Watanabe. Their job is to support people who want to build their own homes, shops, sheds, etc. with their own hands, rather than leaving it to professionals.

The person who raised her hand to hear Watanabe's story was Haruka Baba, who moved from a landscaping company to Monosus and is now working as a coder. Baba says that while continuing to work as a coder, she is also thinking of starting a career in the horticulture field like Watanabe...

First, I asked Watanabe and Baba about the background and thoughts behind their activities.

"If it's this fun, everyone should do it."

— First of all, please tell us what inspired you to start Engawa Shoten.

Watanabe : I used to work in sales for a house manufacturer, but I left the construction industry and worked in a hotel and a farm. During that time, I tried to make a woodshed in my garden with my own ideas. It was really interesting. I felt the potential of "making things myself" and thought, "If it's this interesting, everyone should do it."

Mr. Watanabe from Engawa Shoten

— What did you find interesting about it?

Watanabe : I often say that the essence of self-build is self-satisfaction, and I love the time I spend looking at the finished product in the evening after a day of immersed in work. Even when I explain to people that I put a lot of effort into it, they usually don't understand, and just end up saying, "Oh, really?" (laughs), but it makes me feel fulfilled and gives me a sense of satisfaction that I did a good job.

I felt that being able to feel happy and fulfill myself in that way, no matter what anyone says, was a very happy thing. So I wanted to do a job that could provide those kinds of opportunities and feelings.

— Did you use any references when building the woodshed?

Watanabe : No, I didn't use any reference material, I just thought about how I could make it using the materials in front of me. I think that's also a good thing about self-builds. Even if you're unsure if something is okay, you can think, "It's for my own use, so if I'm happy with it, then it's fine," and you can do it freely.

I sometimes hear stories from DIYers who say they've talked to carpenters about how they want to do this part themselves, but then they're told it's dangerous or that it has to be done this way, so they give up. But carpenters have no choice but to say the same thing. They have deadlines and responsibilities, so they have no choice but to say no to things with a lot of uncertainty.

I thought it would be good if there were people who were a little more tolerant of this, who accepted the desire to "try things on my own" and let me do it freely, and who would watch over me. So I created a job called "Self-Build Partner" to support people who want to build something on their own.

Working together on projects through online salons

— What exactly do you do as a designer?

After starting Watanabe Engawa Shoten, I also did contract work for a few years, but I quit last year. I started an online salon called "Engawa Lab" and we all work together on projects for salon members.

There are just under 50 members, and the projects are varied, including "building a shed in the garden for remote work," "building a wooden deck," and "renovating a used house ourselves." We do what we can ourselves, but we also hire craftsmen where necessary.

- So you don't do everything yourself?

Watanabe : That's right. Self-build tends to be stoic, but I think it's okay to leave things that are difficult for us to do by ourselves to the professionals. I think thinking, conveying your ideas to the craftsmen, and making arrangements are also part of self-build. However, architectural terminology is unique, so I act as an interpreter between the customer and the craftsmen.

— Why did you decide to make it an online salon?

Watanabe : Even before that, I had openly told people, "If you have any questions about self-build, feel free to ask," but the questions were the same. "What brand of screws should I use, and what size?" But the people asking questions seemed hesitant, thinking, "I don't know if it's okay to ask such a small thing..." and I also felt bad about answering such small questions and getting paid for it.

While thinking about how I could make people feel comfortable asking questions and answer them in a way that I felt comfortable doing, I came up with the idea of an online salon. If you think that your questions will be helpful to others, it will be easier to ask detailed questions.

--Hayashi (Monosus CEO) is also a member of the online salon.

Watanabe : We both live in Nagano, so I was invited to a drinking party at Hayashi's house and started hanging out. When I told him that I wanted to start an online salon, he joined me the moment I launched it.

Hayashi
I've always loved DIY, and at Monosus, I also value "supporting people's personal projects." I joined because I sympathized with Masa-chan's stance of "supporting what people want to do."

What I make and think "I like it" is different from what someone else makes and thinks "it's nice"

- Did you find out about Watanabe through Hayashi?

Baba
That's right. Mr. Hayashi introduced me to it when I was discussing with him how I wanted to live my life from now on.

Before joining Monosus, I worked at a landscaping company, and I really enjoyed talking to customers through flowers. I would be asked for advice on how to make a flower arrangement, and we would choose flowers together, and even though it took time, the arrangement would be pleasing to the customer... I wanted to do that kind of thing again.

Monosus Baba

I wanted to create a garden together with people who "want to do it but don't know how to do it," rather than just creating a garden completely based on a request from a customer. Then, Hayashi told me, "There's someone who has the same idea."

— What was the most enjoyable part about creating something together with your customers?

Baba
The plants I make tend to be plain, but in the store, they don't sell if they don't have brightly colored flowers in them. From that, I thought that "liking" something and "selling" something are different, and "liking" something and "buying" something are different. Something that you make and think "I like it" is different from something that someone else makes and thinks "It's nice, I want to buy it."

When you make something yourself, other people might think, "What is this?" but it's fun. You often make new discoveries, like, "When I turned the flower this way, it got in the way of other leaves and cast a shadow." I wanted to share that fun with more people.

I wanted to go back to the time when I was living among plants.

— If you made the potted plant yourself, even if it weakened you could imagine "Maybe I should change this," and you would learn something new as you worked on it. But if you had such an emotional attachment to gardening, why did you go into the world of web development?

Baba: I've always had two sides to me: one who likes plants and the other who wants to go into design. After some deliberation, I decided to go to a university where I could study design and architecture, learning how to use a computer to draw plans and the basics of design. I then entered a course that focused on architecture, but once a building is built, it's not easy to change or destroy the structure. I felt that I couldn't take on the responsibility of building something like that.

I realized that I was interested in "being able to change a space so that the people who live there can feel comfortable," and I thought that I could do that with gardens, so I joined a landscaping company. However, in reality, it was often the company that created the gardens, not the customer.

When I was thinking about doing something a little different, I saw a job posting for web production. At the time, I was working on updating the website of a landscaping company, but it was very difficult. I thought that there must be a lot of people who are struggling because they can't use the website, even though it is very important for companies and stores. I joined Monosus because I thought that if I could do it, I might be able to help those people.

-- Now, four years later, have you found your interest back in gardening?

Baba: I've become able to do more things as a coder , so I'd like to continue doing it as a job. However, as I was in charge of gardening and tinkering around in the courtyard at our headquarters, I felt like I wanted to go back to the time when I used to live among plants.

So I talked to Hayashi about it, and I'm currently helping him make a garden at his house. I also had the opportunity to visit Watanabe's work site, and I felt that his stance of "supporting what the customer wants to do" was exactly the same as what I want to do. But I'm curious about how he made it into a job, and how he keeps his customers motivated.

The courtyard of the Monosus Yoyogi office is currently being pruned, with Baba at the helm.

— I see, I understand the background very well now. Now, please feel free to ask Watanabe-san anything you want to ask him!

Watanabe : Anything I can answer!

(To be continued )