Interview with the staff at float
We spoke with denim brother elder brother Yohei Yamawaki, younger brother Shunsuke Shimada, and Yoshiyuki Ikegami, a Community Revitalization Cooperator and float staff member.
This interview was conducted during our first visit in October 2019.
Why did you choose this location for your base?
Shimada (honorifics omitted)
Since 2017, we’ve traveled to all 47 prefectures, meeting people who make things and run businesses in production areas.
Actually, you stand out more by selling outside the production area than within it.
Local people are so familiar with it that they see it as, “Oh, Kojima jeans. I know those,” and sometimes that actually makes them less interested.
But the people we met on our travels were sharing what motivated them and what made them different from others, while creating places where local people could gather.
We thought that was really cool.
We also wanted to share the makers’ passion, so we began to feel that we wanted to establish a place in the production area.
That’s why we decided to set up a base in Kojima.
Ikegami (honorifics omitted)
There weren’t many places in Kojima where young people could gather, so while working as a Community Revitalization Cooperator, I wanted to create a place like that.
Shimada
We chose this spot in Kojima because of the view.
Even among all the places we visited around the country, it struck us as especially lovely.
It’s so peaceful, with a full view of the Seto-Ohashi Bridge, islands floating on the water, and people’s lives visible around us.
We wanted to make it a place people would go out of their way to visit.
I came to Okayama for university, and people my age used to tell me, “There’s nothing in Okayama.”
But I thought there were so many great things here.
I’d be happy if people in Okayama could discover the appeal of Okayama through places like this, with such a wonderful view.
Why did you open a cafe, hostel, and denim shop?
Yamawaki (honorifics omitted)
Whether it’s food, lodging, or selling denim, the motivation is the same.
At float, we offer things we know well—the people involved, their production backgrounds, and the products themselves.
We hope people will enjoy the experience of taking their time to savor products made with care—through food and lodging.
Also, on our travels, many people welcomed us and let us experience and savor what they had to offer.
We want others to have that experience too.
Tell us about the cafe menu. What is Iwagi Island lemonade like?
Shimada
Iwagi Island, in Ehime Prefecture in the Seto Inland Sea, is known as the “Island of Blue Lemons,” and is home to many lemon farmers.
But many people are involved before the lemons reach consumers, so the farmers and the lemons themselves don’t get directly introduced to consumers.
They’re often just lumped together as “domestic lemons.”
We met a man named Oka, who buys and sells lemons while being mindful of this problem.
We also strongly want to “share the makers’ passion directly,” so we felt we had a similar approach.
What makes the lemons you buy from Oka special?
Shimada
The lemons themselves are great, but what’s especially valuable is how much Oka teaches us about them.
The lemons in the lemonade we’re serving now are from last winter, after they had passed their peak ripeness.
We haven’t served them yet, but we’ve also bought early-harvest green lemons from this year (2019).
Don’t you usually imagine that the lemonade at a given shop is always made with the same lemons?
After starting the shop, I realized that you can’t serve the same thing all year round.
Taking the harvest season into account, we want to use different lemons in each season and serve lemonade suited to the time of year.
For example, with wine, we can’t just go out and meet every winemaker ourselves.
Instead, we buy from people we trust, who are committed to sharing their passion.
You’ve also carefully selected all the amenities, haven’t you?
Shimada
We visit each production site and use things that make us think, “We want to share what these people make.”
For example, the towels are made in Imabari, but we don’t want to simply call them “Imabari towels.”
Even though the region already has a good reputation, we want to offer products we know and believe in, right down to “these are towels by IKEUCHI ORGANIC, made in this particular way.”
You usually live in Tokyo, Mr. Yamawaki. Is there anything you notice when you come back to Kurashiki?
Yamawaki
It’s incredibly relaxing! The calm of the sea is truly wonderful. I feel it every time.
I hope people can spend time at float relaxing and letting their thoughts wander, and I experience that myself.
I usually live surrounded by so much information, but when I come here, I can calmly think things through.
I think visitors from urban areas can feel the same way.
Experience quality at DENIM HOSTEL float
I felt that float’s welcoming atmosphere comes from the sincere way the people involved approach both people and things.
It isn’t in an easily accessible location, but people from all over Japan who share their values keep coming to visit float.
People who make and share things with conviction, while considering the people involved and the natural environment, are cool.
And it feels wonderful to use things you genuinely think are good. That’s what I believe.
The author has visited float and its neighborhood many times, but never tires of the beautiful scenery.
Why not spend some time thinking things over at float, taking in the calm sea and experiencing quality?
DENIM HOSTEL float Information
| Name | DENIM HOSTEL float |
|---|---|
| Address | 1421-26 Kojima Karakoto-cho, Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture |
| Contact | 086-477-7620 |
| Parking | Available Free municipal parking for about 40 cars is available at the bottom of the hill |
| Hours | Restaurant: 11:30 a.m.–9:00 p.m. (last order 8:30 p.m.) Hostel: Check-in: 4:00–9:00 p.m. Check-out: 10:00 a.m. |
| Closed | None The restaurant is closed Wednesdays and Thursdays |
| Payment methods |
|
| Reservations | Accepted |
| Seating | 12 table seats |
| Smoking | Entirely non-smoking |
| Restroom | Western-style toilet |
| Childcare | There is no nursing room, but an available space can be used. Please ask a staff member. |
| Website | DENIM HOSTEL float Instagram |
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