Interview with Mizukami Shinichi, manager of Koigakubo Roadside Station
What inspired the creation of Koigakubo Roadside Station, and what kind of community does it hope to build in the future?
We spoke with Mizukami Shinichi, representative director of Active Tessei Co., Ltd., which operates the roadside station, and its manager.
A roadside station for the community, born from a resident survey
How did you become the station manager?
Mizukami (honorific omitted)
I was originally involved in activities such as the local youth association, working on initiatives to improve the community. Then I was asked, “Would you like to try managing the roadside station?” That was how it began.
I currently serve as the representative of Active Tessei Co., Ltd., which operates Koigakubo Roadside Station.
Your community-focused initiatives are distinctive, including being selected as a “Model Roadside Station for Resident Services.”
Mizukami
This roadside station opened in 1996.
It all began with a “resident survey” to find out what the community truly needed.
When we asked, “What does this community need?” people responded, “There’s nowhere to shop locally” and “We want a place where everyone can gather.”
Roadside stations may be strongly associated with facilities for tourists from outside the area, but their starting point is “a place for the community.” Local people use it in their everyday lives, and visitors from elsewhere stop by too. Koigakubo Roadside Station is distinctive in serving both roles.
“Rice flour” and a cycle of local production and consumption, reached through trial and error
How did your work with rice flour begin?
About 20 years ago, before terms like “sixth-sector industrialization” and “rice-flour bread” became commonplace, we received information from the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries that “apparently, you can make bread with rice”.
Tessei is blessed with abundant water. Rich water flowing through broadleaf forests nourishes fertile soil. That soil and water produce delicious rice. It is an exceptionally blessed rice-growing area.
However, simply harvesting rice and selling it as is does little to increase its added value. So we thought about creating new products using the rice grown in this area.
First, we heard that Niigata Prefecture was a leader in rice flour, so we went there to learn.
That’s how we got started: we sent Tessei rice all the way to Niigata to be milled, then had the flour sent back to us.
But that took both time and money. So we decided to “make it ourselves” and installed a milling facility on the premises.
At first, we actually tried making rice-flour udon.
However, with the technology available at the time, it was difficult to make a product suitable for distribution, and the effort stalled. After much trial and error, we arrived at the rice-flour bread and pizza we make today.
Today, we use the flour not only in our own products, but local people also use it in baked goods, creating a cycle involving local farmers and food-processing groups.
Creating a place where local people take the lead and can thrive
The Tessei Mirai-kai, which runs the pizza-making experience, and the local staff also play a major role.
Mizukami
That’s absolutely right.
The roadside station is also a place where local people can find purpose and opportunities to thrive.
For example, it takes time and money for young people from the area to travel to places like Okayama City, and even the train fare is a significant burden. I hope they can work hard here at the roadside station and earn enough to cover expenses like their own smartphone bills.
The members of Tessei Mirai-kai, who support the rice-flour pizza-making experience, are also indispensable. Through the experience, they interact with customers and make them happy.
I hear it has become a source of daily enjoyment and purpose for them.
Passing on Tessei’s “power of the land” and the value of food to the next generation
What do you feel are Tessei’s charms?
Mizukami
The Chugoku Mountains have a rich history and many stories to tell.
Tatara ironmaking flourished here from ancient times. Seafood was brought from the Seto Inland Sea, and iron was carried back on the return journey. A system of movement and exchange for people and goods, centered on the Takahashi River, has existed here since long ago.
I believe this region, which has produced excellent iron used in Japanese swords, has a history and culture it can share with the world.
And the soil and water of this land have supported its history and industries.
I feel that crops which take deep root in the earth and grow by drawing energy from the sun and soil have a special power.
Rice, the staple food of the Japanese people, is valuable even by global standards. It is a food that has fundamentally sustained our lives and bodies.
When promoting a town’s appeal, I believe it is important not to force the creation of something new, but to take another look at the originality already here. Tessei has abundant water and soil, and rice grown there. We turn it into rice flour, make bread and pizza, and let visitors enjoy it.
I’d also like to share the importance of food and the value of the land through food education and other educational activities.
We hope to share Tessei’s appeal with people around the world who are interested in this region’s history and food culture.
From the Writer
What stayed with me from the interview was that the effort to share Tessei’s appeal is not about trying to create something new.
It is about taking another look at the value of what is already here—the abundant water and soil, the rice grown there, and the food and history passed down through the community—and sharing it with visitors.
Koigakubo Roadside Station is not only a place to enjoy Tessei’s delicious food; it also gives visitors a chance to discover the appeal of this land.
Koigakubo Roadside Station details
| Name | Koigakubo Roadside Station |
|---|---|
| Address | 3585-1 Yata, Tessei-cho, Niimi City, Okayama Prefecture |
| Contact | 0867-94-9017 |
| Website | Koigakubo Roadside Station Official Website |
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