I am fascinated by travel, which opens up new worlds.

Umemura, who was born and raised in Toyama Prefecture, enjoys traveling. After entering university in Kyoto, he began traveling whenever he had the time, both at home and abroad. "I tried a lot of different things when I was a student, like going to Thailand by myself and spending two weeks in Italy on my graduation trip. The best part of traveling is seeing new things, talking to people I've never met before, and learning about a world I didn't know existed."

I met some Singaporean friends during breakfast in Thailand. We are still connected on Facebook.

Traveling alone in Italy. In a city called Orvieto with beautiful medieval streetscapes.

After graduating, he got a job at a travel agency because of his love of travel, but he quit after six months because he was so busy that he couldn't travel, which was his original hobby. After that, he moved around the country doing resort jobs, and continued to live a life that combined his hobby with practical income. "Karuizawa, Yufuin, Kumejima, Aizuwakamatsu, Hachijojima, Marugame, Niseko... In tourist areas, I mainly worked in hotels, restaurants, theme parks, and other jobs that involved dealing with tourists."

I work at a yakiniku restaurant in Niseko. This is a photo I took with a customer.

Among them, Rishiri Island was an exception. There, I had the rare experience of working with local people while working part-time peeling sea urchins. After the season ended, he left Rishiri Island and started a part-time job in another town, but the COVID-19 pandemic made it difficult to travel, so he returned to Toyama. When he started thinking about settling down in a town, he naturally thought, "I want to go back to Rishiri Island." "Compared to other areas, I spent more time interacting with local people, which gave me an idea of what it would be like to live on Rishiri Island. I became friends with my coworkers and fishermen, who took me out to dinner and invited me offshore fishing, and I would prepare local dishes using the fish I was given. It gave me an idea of what it would be like to live there."

The sea urchins of Rishiri Island, which grow up eating delicious Rishiri kelp, are naturally delicious.

In the summer of 2020, I returned to Rishiri Island to work part-time peeling sea urchins, and then officially moved there in the fall. I took up a position as a local revitalization volunteer, which gave me stable year-round work and allowed me to get to know the local area even more deeply.

Become a migration coordinator who understands the perspective of migrants.

"Currently, I work as a relocation coordinator, planning and running the relocation portal site 'Rishiri Fuji Gurashi.' My main duties are handling inquiries about jobs and housing, and hosting workcation and relocation experiences."

Those who wish to relocate to Rishiri Island can try peeling sea urchins, and he also talks about Rishiri Island as a place of residence, rather than a tourist destination, and is active in a job that only a relocatee can do. There is also an original experience menu where you can actually make Atka mackerel kamaboko, which Umemura says "was the first thing I ate after coming to Rishiri Island." "Surprisingly, there are very few places to buy fish on the island. The fish that the islanders eat are often given to them as gifts, and most of it is shipped off the island. So I came up with a menu where I would start by purchasing Atka mackerel from the fishermen and butchering it, and then make Atka mackerel kamaboko together with the participants. I thought it would be interesting to have the experience of making with your own hands the delicious food that the locals eat." Atka mackerel kamaboko is a local dish made by adding carrots and onions to minced fish paste, seasoning it, and deep frying it. It tastes best when it's freshly made, and it's hard to buy it as a souvenir, so the cooking experience seems to be very popular.

The comfort of living as your true self, without resisting nature.

It's been just under two years since you moved here. What do you think is the appeal of Rishiri Island now that you've lived here? "Of course it's comfortable to have a stress-free life, such as not having to ride crowded trains, but what I realized after actually living here is that humans cannot resist nature. On an island, if the wind is strong and boats or flights are canceled, you have to change your plans, and you might not have work for that day. Also, on snowy mornings, the job of shoveling snow awaits you before you can start your regular work. When you experience things like this, you really get the sense that humans are allowed to live within nature." When he lived in the city, he would often find himself regretting things like, "I wanted to do this and that, but today I couldn't do it," but living on an island has made him more forgiving of himself, saying, "It's fine like this," or, "It can't be helped if I can't do it today." While feeling the harshness of nature, life on an island is a place where time flows slowly and calmly. He says he has come to feel more comfortable, not rushing or hasty, and that it's okay to just go with the flow.

And of course, the rich natural environment is also a great attraction. "Mt. Rishiri is the symbol of the island, and everyone who lives here cares about it. On days when Mt. Rishiri is in full view, people always say, 'The mountain is so beautiful today,'" he says. "It's surprisingly rare to see the whole mountain, with only the top covered in clouds, or on cloudy days you can't see it at all, so even people who have lived here for decades say, 'The mountain is so beautiful today,'" he says. "I think this is proof that the mountain is loved."

I want to make the things that people think, "It would be nice to have on the island" a reality.

While Umemura is based at the town hall, he enjoys island life by working multiple part-time jobs on the island. He says that by interacting with the islanders in various places, he is able to see a new side of the island. "I work part-time at a bar in the evenings, and the regulars there have gotten to know me better. I get to hear about things about the town that I didn't know before, so I spend my time there very meaningfully. It's also a valuable opportunity for many people to learn about the things I want to do in the future." I have just over a year left until my term as a volunteer expires. After I graduate, I plan to continue working in the field of migration and settlement. "I would also like to create tours that go beyond sightseeing and allow people to see the deeper parts of the island. For example, I am sometimes invited by islanders to go fishing, but there are no fishing equipment rental shops in town. From my perspective, I would like to continue to create things that I think would be fun to have."

Almost as famous as sea urchin is Rishiri kelp.

We often hear that there are no places where children can play by themselves on Rishiri Island, so we would like to create an experiential learning plan that children can participate in. "There are activities that adults can do together, like fishing and mountain climbing, but there are no places on Rishiri Island where children can have fun by themselves. To begin with, there are few means of transportation, so even if there are playgrounds, adults still have to drive them there and back. For example, if there was a system in place where children could get hands-on learning while their parents were working remotely during the summer holidays, it would make it easier to stay for longer periods. I would like to create plans to welcome the children of families visiting the island, and allow them to have experiences that can only be had on an island through activities such as SUP and camping."

It's fun to pick up issues on the island and work to solve them.

After people who are interested in Rishiri Island listen to stories and experience things through Umemura, they always say, "I got to see things that I couldn't see just by sightseeing, and hear things I didn't understand, it was interesting." At the same time, there has been an increase in people saying things like, "Rishiri Island is a great place," and "I'd like to live there." "When I feel happy hearing those words, I think I've finally become a part of the island," Umemura says with a laugh.

This is a commemorative photo I took when I was working part-time at a resort peeling sea urchins, and was given a ride on a fisherman's boat to celebrate the construction of his new boat.

Because there are so many things that don't exist, it's easy to find things that you wish were on the island. Because you can see the problems, ideas to solve them come to you. That's also what's interesting about the island, says Umemura. There are many obstacles to overcome, but he has expanded his network through volunteer work and part-time jobs, and with the help of those around him, he has finally built a foundation to take on the challenge. "The island has been so kind to me, so I want to give back," says Umemura. Rishiri Island is a place that is admired not only by people in Honshu, but also by people in Hokkaido, and the day is sure to come when the island's appeal will increase even more thanks to the young immigrants.