On September 22, 2023, the web media outlet Kurashiki Tocotoco celebrated its fifth anniversary since launch.
I launched it on my own in response to the July 2018 Heavy Rain in Western Japan, and it is now operated by an organization established afterward, “Haretoco General Incorporated Association.” But from the very beginning, our goal was to “run it as a team.”
In other words, the fact that we have continued for five years is thanks to everyone in the community we have connected with through our reporting, and everyone who has helped run the site as writers and in other roles.
We offer our heartfelt thanks.
In this article, I’d like to look back on Kurashiki Tocotoco’s five years and discuss what lies ahead, from the perspective of its founder and Toi, Representative Director of Haretoco General Incorporated Association.
The information presented was current when this article was published in September 2023. Please note that it may differ from current information.
Continuing for five years was one of our goals
On September 22, 2018, the day we launched Kurashiki Tocotoco, we published the following article.
In fact, even then, I saw “five years” as a milestone and decided that for those five years, we would stick to the concept we started with and do our best using our own resources.
One of the concepts we had in mind was that since this media outlet was launched for the community, we would avoid publishing anything that might upset local people.
One example was that we would not write comparison or ranking articles, such as roundups.
The formula for “content that gets clicks” has not changed much since 2018, and it remains much the same today (2023).
However, since we share information while living in Kurashiki, we are bound to run into people we have interviewed around town. We decided not to do anything that might make those encounters awkward.
Deliberately ignoring the formula for getting clicks may seem admirable at first glance, but it means giving up on running the site through advertising revenue.
Continuing for five years under those circumstances was a major challenge.
We faced many setbacks, but found “support for our work” along the way
A lot happened over those five years of running the site.
- Writers leaving one after another
- Growing deficits
These two things were especially tough.
When we launched in 2018, we ran the site by having blogger friends write articles. But around 2020, members began leaving one after another.
It was shortly after the COVID-19 pandemic began, a time when many people were struggling with changes in their circumstances.
Although I understood their reasons, hearing “I want to quit” was emotionally difficult, and I often thought, “Maybe I can’t do this anymore.”
On top of that, we were struggling to cover operating costs and were worried about our growing deficits, which made things even harder.
Was there really any value in continuing “Kurashiki Tocotoco”?
During that period, I had some realizations that became the foundation of our work today.
- The idea of a “community media outlet” that involves more people
- Sharing local information as a writer enriched our lives
The idea of a “community media outlet” that involves more people
I had always thought it was contradictory to base our work on personal, blog-style information sharing while calling ourselves a media outlet—a “public entity.”
For that reason, we had held back from outreach activities such as recruiting writers, but hearing from Okubo Kensaku of FM Kurashiki, a much more established media outlet in Kurashiki, changed our thinking.
In normal times, we create a lively town through broadcasting, and during disasters, we fulfill a public role through emergency alerts and disaster broadcasts.
These two things are the social responsibility of a community radio station.
When I considered residents’ involvement in the media to be one ideal, I felt that web media was the perfect medium.
“Then let’s get more people involved.”
From then on, Kurashiki Tocotoco began calling itself a “community-based web media outlet.”
Sharing local information as a writer enriched our lives
I also increasingly found myself experiencing what you might call “the benefits of sharing local information.”
The first thing I noticed when I went out to report was the joy of being able to visit places that are normally inaccessible and meet people I otherwise wouldn’t get to meet.
And above all, people often thanked us.
In a regular job, in a sense, doing your work well is simply expected, so you don’t get thanked as often as you might think.
I felt that this was an activity where I could experience something like a sense of purpose.
And before I knew it, I had made many acquaintances in Kurashiki, where I had hardly known anyone before.
Now, when I walk through the Bikan Historical Area, there’s a good chance I’ll run into someone I know and say hello.
It may seem like a small thing, but after living in Kurashiki for nearly 40 years, for the first time I felt, “I’m glad I live in Kurashiki. I want to stay here.”
There are difficult times, too.
Even so, I can now proudly say that I’m enjoying my life.
Bringing together more like-minded people and sharing more information
Involving more people and increasing the number of people who share information while enjoying the community.
We put this idea into practice through two seminars.
Most of the writers currently working with Kurashiki Tocotoco have attended one of these seminars.
Since we all share the same aspirations, we’re able to enjoy working together.
We can continue without compromising the concept we started with.
At last, we’ve reached a point where we can truly feel that.
However, at the same time, problems have arisen.
Funding issues in media operations come to light
“You don’t charge for listings, and you pay your writers. How do you keep the operation going? Is running a media outlet really that profitable?”
This is a question I’ve been asked many times over the past five years.
Running a media outlet is not a profitable business.
We do other work, such as website production, and have managed to keep going by putting the profits toward operating the media outlet.
In other words, running the media outlet was a “side job.”
However, the number of reporting assignments, which was around five a month at first, has now grown to around 15–20. The editorial team’s workload has increased, and it can no longer be considered a side job.
We can’t make a living without doing other work, but we also don’t want to give up the enjoyable and rewarding work we do now.
So that we can continue Kurashiki Tocotoco into the future
I feel that over the past five years, we have built a solid framework for Kurashiki Tocotoco as a community-based web media outlet.
On the condition that we don’t push ourselves too hard, we aim to continue for another 10 or 20 years.
At the same time, as we mark our fifth anniversary, we’d like to make a request of our readers for the first time.
Would you be willing to support our work in whatever way you can?
We are always short of funds.
We would appreciate donations through our “Tocotoco Supporters” program, as well as advertising placements, but…
It also helps to tell others about a media outlet like ours, or to thank the writers who wrote the articles.
We want you to know that in our work as a community-based web media outlet, words of thanks give us a sense of purpose and the strength to carry on.
To everyone who has supported us over the past five years, thank you once again.
We will continue to uphold our approach, act responsibly, enjoy our community, and play our part in sharing local information. We hope you will continue to support us.
Information on how to support our work through the “Tocotoco Supporters” program is available on the page below.
The page also introduces our current activities, including social welfare initiatives, in addition to running the media outlet. Please take a look if you’re interested.
![[Takahashi River Shijuku] The venue](https://media.kuratoco.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/23041111/takahashigawa-sijuku-100pv2_01.jpg)
What would you like to know about Kurashiki?
Enter a word to search articles on this site
