Fascinated by "travel" that shows us a new world.

Born and raised in Toyama Prefecture, Umemura's hobby is traveling. Since entering university in Kyoto, he has been traveling whenever he could find the time, whether in Japan or abroad.

He says, "I took on many challenges while I was a student, such as going to Thailand by myself and staying in Italy for two weeks on my graduation trip. The best part of traveling is seeing new things, talking with people you meet for the first time, and learning about a world you didn't know existed.

With Singaporeans I made friends with during breakfast in Thailand. We are still connected on Facebook.

Traveling alone in Italy. In Orvieto, a city with beautiful medieval streets.

After graduation, my love of travel led me to work for a travel agency, but I left after six months because I was extremely busy and could no longer go on the trips that were my original hobby. After that, she continued to combine her hobby and practicality by working part-time at resorts all over Japan.

Karuizawa, Yufuin, Kumejima, Aizu Wakamatsu, Hachijojima, Marugame, Niseko.... In the tourist areas, I worked mainly in hotels, restaurants, and theme parks, all of which involved working with tourists."

In Niseko, he worked at a yakiniku restaurant. A photo taken with a customer.

Rishiri Island was the only place where he worked part-time as a sea urchin peeler. I had a part-time job as a sea urchin peeler, which was a rare experience for me, working with the locals.

After the season ended, I left Rishiri Island and started working part-time in another town, but the Corona disaster made it difficult to move around, so I returned home to Toyama. When he began to think about settling down in some other town, he naturally thought, "I want to go back to Rishiri Island.

Compared to other areas, I spent more time interacting with the locals, and that gave me the image of living on Rishiri Island. I became friends with the people I worked with and the fishermen who worked there, and they took me out to eat, invited me to go offshore fishing, and helped me cook local dishes from the fish they gave me.

The sea urchins on Rishiri Island, which grow on delicious Rishiri kelp, are naturally delicious.

In the summer of 2020, he visited Rishiri again to work part-time as a sea urchin peeler, and officially moved to the island in the fall. In the fall, I will officially move to Rishiri Island. I have decided to join the Japan Regional Development Cooperation Volunteers, which will allow me to work steadily throughout the year and learn more about the local community.

I became an immigration coordinator to bring the perspective of an immigrant to life.

I am currently working as an emigration coordinator, planning and managing the emigration portal site "Rishiri Fujigurashi Life. My main duties are to respond to inquiries about job openings and housing, and to accept work-study and immigration experiences.

He also gives real-life talks about Rishiri Island as a place to live, not as a tourist spot, and is active in his work because he is an immigrant himself. In addition, there is an original experience menu that includes actually making hokke fish cakes, which Mr. Umemura says he tasted for the first time after coming to Rishiri Island.

There are surprisingly few places to buy fish on the island. The islanders often receive the fish they eat, and most of it is shipped off the island. So I started by buying hokke from the fishermen and preparing the fish, and then I came up with the idea of making and eating hokke kamaboko together with the participants. I thought it would be interesting to have the experience of making something delicious that the locals eat with your own hands.

Hokke fish cake is a local dish made by adding carrots and onions to ground fish paste, seasoning it, and deep frying it. The freshly made fish paste tastes best, and since it is not easy to buy as a souvenir to take home, the cooking experience is very much appreciated.

It is comfortable to live as one's true self and not fight against nature.

It has been less than two years since he moved here. What is the charm of Rishiri Island that you feel again after living here?

I don't have to take crowded trains," he says. "Of course, it is comfortable to live a stress-free life, but after actually living here, I realized that human beings cannot resist nature. On the island, if a ship or plane is cancelled due to strong winds, you have no choice but to change your schedule, and you may even lose your job for the day. Also, on snowy mornings, the task of shoveling snow awaits us before we can start our normal work. When you experience this kind of thing, you realize once again that we humans are allowed to live in the midst of nature.

When he lived in the city, he often reflected on his life, saying, "I wanted to do this and that, but I couldn't do them today," but now that he lives on the island, he is more likely to forgive himself, saying, "This is fine," or "It's OK if I can't do it today. While feeling the harshness of nature, island life is a slow and peaceful time. She says she feels more at ease now that she can spend her time in this sense of time without rushing or hurrying.

Of course, the rich natural environment is also a great attraction.

Everyone who lives on the island is concerned about Mt. On days when Mt. Rishiri looks beautiful, people always talk about how beautiful the mountain is today. It is because it is surprisingly rare to see the entire view of the mountain, for example, when only the top is covered with clouds or on a cloudy day you cannot see the mountain at all. I think this is proof that the mountains are loved.

Mr. Umemura wants to realize what he thinks would be nice to have on the island.

While stationed at the town hall, Umemura enjoys island life by holding down several part-time jobs on the island. He says that being involved with the people of the island in various places reveals a new side to the island.

I work part-time at a bar at night, and I find it very meaningful to have regulars remember my face and hear information about the town that I didn't know. It is a valuable opportunity for me to let many people know what I want to do in the future.

There is only a little over a year left until his term as a cooperative worker expires. After graduation, he plans to continue working in the field of immigration and settlement.

In addition, I would like to create tours that allow people to see more of the island, rather than just sightseeing. For example, I am sometimes invited by islanders to go fishing, but there are no fishing equipment rental stores in town. From my point of view, I would like to make things happen that I think would be fun to have.

Rishiri kelp is as famous as sea urchins.

Since many people say that there are no places for children to play alone on Rishiri Island, he would like to create a hands-on learning program for children to participate in.

We have fishing, mountain climbing, and other activities with adults, but there are no places on Rishiri Island where children can enjoy themselves alone. There are few means of transportation, so even if there is a playground, an adult has to drive the children there. For example, if we could create a flow of activities for children to experience and learn while their parents are on vacation during the summer vacation, it would make it easier for them to stay on the island for a longer period of time. I would like to create a plan that accepts children from families visiting the island, and through activities such as SUP and camping, give them experiences that can only be had on an island."

The fun part is picking up on the island's problems and leading it to solutions.

After hearing about or experiencing Rishiri Island through Mr. Umemura, people who are interested in the island always say, "It was interesting to see things that you can't see just by sightseeing, and to hear about things that I didn't understand. At the same time, more and more people tell me, "Rishiri Island is a nice place," "I would like to live there," and so on. When I feel the joy of these words, I think that I have finally become a member of the island," Umemura says with a laugh.

When I was working as a sea urchin peeler at a resort, I was given a ride on a boat to celebrate the construction of the fisherman's new boat.

Because there are so many things that don't exist, it is easy to find things that would be nice to have on the island. Because we can see the problems, we can come up with ideas to solve them. This is another interesting aspect of the island, according to Mr. Umemura. There are various obstacles in the way, but with the help of people around him, he has finally established the foundation to take on the challenge.

The island has been very good to me, and I want to return the favor," Umemura says. Rishiri Island is a dream destination for people not only in Honshu but also in Hokkaido, and the day is sure to come soon when young immigrants will make the island even more attractive.