Washuzan Hill have you ever visited?
Even for those living in Okayama Prefecture or Kurashiki City, many have not been to the Washuzan and Shimotsui area.
From the Washuzan Observatory, you can see the vast Seto Inland Sea and the Seto-Ohashi Bridge connecting Shikoku and Honshu.
The person who is active in wanting more people to know about the charm of Shimotsui is Nakatomi Sakura.
I was curious about why she chose Shimotsui as her place of relocation and what kind of activities she is engaged in.
I went to hear about her activities.
Attracted by the experience of interacting with people, she chose the food and beverage industry
Nakatomi Sakura spent 22 years in her hometown of Osaka Prefecture until she graduated from university.
When deciding on a job, she thought, I want to live in the capital at least once, and got a job at a restaurant chain in Tokyo that mainly serves alcohol.
"I didn't realize it at the time, but I may have been attracted to interacting with people from that moment," says Nakatomi.
After starting her job, she moved between stores in the Tokyo metropolitan area every year to a year and a half, and was also involved in the opening of a new store in Sendai.
However, Nakatomi, who thought, "I probably won't be in Tokyo until I die," took a new challenge about five and a half years after starting her job when she became a store manager in Tokyo.
A new challenge in Shimotsui
Nakatomi's next dream was to open a restaurant near the sea.
She began searching for a relocation destination where she could take on challenges.
The deciding factor was the "people" of Shimotsui
While searching for a "region near the sea," she realized through her experience living in Eastern Japan that the warm climate of Western Japan suited her better, and she wanted to cherish the time spent with her parents living at home, which naturally narrowed her choices down to "Okayama Prefecture."
While considering relocation areas around Okayama Prefecture where the government provides relocation support, Nakatomi found that the deciding factor for choosing Shimotsui was meeting people.
The first person was Masada Junya from Nanba Architectural Workshop.
While listening to an online relocation briefing session, he was representing Kurashiki City and his passionate way of speaking left a strong impression on her.
The second person was Yoden Yoshie from Yoden Shoten, which sells Shimotsui wakame.
When she visited Shimotsui, she met Yoden and heard her strong feelings for Shimotsui.
At that time, when she mentioned Masada to Yoden, he called him on the spot, and Masada gave her a tour of the town.
From these events, Nakatomi felt, "The kindness and warmth of the people in Shimotsui made it a wonderful place," and she decided to relocate to Shimotsui.
As a regional revitalization cooperation隊
Feeling the charm of the people of Shimotsui, Nakatomi decided to relocate to Shimotsui.
However, she did not originally decide to relocate as a "regional revitalization cooperation隊."
The first visit to Washuzan Hill. The feeling of "wastefulness"
When considering relocation, she used a guidance service as relocation support.
The first place Nakatomi visited was the Washuzan and Higashiya Observatory. It is a spot where you can see the Seto-Ohashi Bridge floating in the Seto Inland Sea directly in front of you.
At that time, while being moved by the beauty of the scenery, she also felt that there were hardly any people watching and thought it was "wasteful."
While thinking, "Is there something I can do for Shimotsui?" she fortuitously found the recruitment for the regional revitalization cooperation隊 in Shimotsui and applied.
She started her position in April 2022.
The first cooperation隊 acceptance in Shimotsui. Jobs born from connections
As a regional revitalization cooperation隊, Nakatomi is engaged in the following activities.
- Attendance at regular meetings
- Hosting monthly workshops at the Washuzan Visitor Center and assisting with the use of social media
- Participation in local festivals and events
- Providing coffee at the Washuzan Visitor Center
- Hosting Shimotsui Sakaba
- FM Kurashiki "Ganbaryourude Kojima" personality
- Relocation support
The activities of the regional revitalization cooperation隊 vary by municipality.
Some municipalities have specific activities determined by the local government, while others allow the regional revitalization cooperation隊 to think and decide what to do from scratch.
Shimotsui is in the latter category. Since Nakatomi was the first acceptance, deciding what to do became the first activity after her appointment to the regional revitalization cooperation隊.
Here, Nakatomi's activities were centered around two thoughts.
- I want to open a restaurant near the sea
- It is wasteful that the scenery of Washuzan is not known
Therefore, she decided to start an activity to provide coffee irregularly at the Washuzan Visitor Center.
Although Nakatomi has experience working in restaurants, at that time (2022) she was inexperienced in brewing coffee.
As she progressed with the activity of providing coffee, sourcing coffee beans from the master of the café "Toki no Kairo" in Shimotsui, connections were born that led to her next activities.
Creating a map to introduce shops in Kojima was one of them.
This began when the owner of Toki no Kairo, Kuroshita, introduced Nakatomi.
Nakatomi reached out to shops in Kojima and conducted interviews.
When she visited the shops and listened to their stories, she not only learned about the background of their establishment but also heard many voices saying, "I am also a newcomer."
At the time of her appointment, Nakatomi was worried, "What if there are no activities at all…" but as activities expanded through connections with people, her initial anxiety was blown away.
Connecting connections to the next
Nakatomi, who continues various activities based on connections with people, will enter her third year of her term (the last year) in April 2024.
Recent activities seem to be focused on "connecting to the next."
Connecting people and connecting delicious things from Shimotsui
The connections made through her activities have expanded not only Nakatomi's activities but also the activities of others supporting Shimotsui's industry.
While posting photos of Shimotsui wakame on Instagram, she received a DM asking if she would like to participate in the "Setouchi Farmers Market" held in Okayama City.
This event is mostly for agricultural products,
but from the desire to "let more people know about Shimotsui's seafood and promote local consumption," Nakatomi connected local fishermen so they could participate.
The fisherman who started participating was Okamoto from Buhomaru.
Okamoto, who mainly catches octopus and hijiki, was looking for sales outlets from scratch.
Nakatomi connected him to places to sell, such as farmers' markets, and from there Okamoto was able to sell seafood himself.
Nakatomi says, "I believe it is important that the connections I create can continue and evolve even if I am not there."
When trying to deliver something and create something new, connections with new people and places are essential.
On the other hand, if there is no one to mediate, it cannot be connected, and it cannot be said that a true connection has been made.
As a regional revitalization cooperation隊, Nakatomi's thoughts on connecting people and places to create self-sustaining connections even without her were conveyed.
Starting a restaurant from scratch through connections from the regional revitalization cooperation隊
The Regional Revitalization Cooperation Corps has a strong connection with alumni through the "Regional Revitalization Cooperation Corps Network".
Currently, Mr. Nakatomi is reportedly helping to establish a "sake drinking establishment" within a facility aimed at inbound tourism that is scheduled to open in Bikan Historical Area.
Although he had experience working in a restaurant that served alcohol, Mr. Nakatomi says, "it's completely different from that time."
In his previous job, everything about the restaurant, such as the interior and menu, was already decided, and the focus was on how to train employees.
However, the restaurant scheduled to open in Bikan Historical Area is truly starting from scratch.
He is discussing with the members how to create the menu and interior, how many people will operate the restaurant, and is visiting sake breweries, taking steps closer to his dream of "owning a restaurant".
A place where tourists and locals can connect - Towards the next goal
What are your future goals?
Nakatomi (honorific omitted)
I want to create a place in Shimotsui where people can communicate through alcohol with a physical store. I want to open a restaurant in a place with a good view and an open atmosphere, and I am currently looking for a property.
The " Shimotsui Sakaba" event, which is currently being held as a place to connect, is an irregular event.
There is no permanent place for tourists and locals to connect, so I want to create such a place.
Indeed, I feel that there are not many opportunities to connect with locals even when visiting Shimotsui for tourism.
Nakatomi
By creating such an environment, I hope to see an increase in young people, especially those in their 20s.
I believe that if more restaurants open, more people will move here.
There is no correct answer in town development, but I think it is important to enjoy the activities myself as a resident first.
Please visit the Washuzan and Shimotsui area
Finally, please share a message.
Nakatomi
I hope you will visit the Washuzan and Shimotsui area. Delicious restaurants are increasing.
Also, I would like you to visit the Kojima area, not just Washuzan and Shimotsui. There are many interesting places to visit, such as Betty Smith and the Kojima Student Uniform Museum.
New attractions in Shimotsui born from new connections
As a resident of Shimotsui, I have been feeling that more and more wonderful shops are increasing in the Shimotsui and Washuzan area, and their charm is being widely shared on social media.
It is not just about the increase in shops, but the presence of Mr. Nakatomi and the locals and newcomers who are trying to connect people and places and take on challenges that I strongly felt through the interview.
Why not visit and experience the transformation of the Shimotsui and Washuzan area, which retains its traditional charm while evolving?
Please check Instagram for information on Ms. Nakatomi Sakura's activities.