A bookstore and cafe space, along with a general store and a craft beer brewery. This multi-purpose complex, "Torinome Shoten," will open on Saturday, October 28, 2023, in Urahoro, Tokachi, Hokkaido.

The manager moved to Urahoro with a dream: "I want to create a place to encounter books in Eastern Hokkaido!" At this place, you can read books in the cafe space, take a break, have a drink or a light meal, or simply do nothing. Soon, you'll also be able to enjoy freshly brewed beer... This time, we'll share the story behind the creation of this "place with books."

A General Store Project Born from Connections Built in Urahoro Town

Urahoro Town, with a population of about 4,200, is located right between Obihiro and Kushiro. It's a town with a thriving primary industry, boasting agriculture, dairy farming, forestry, and fishing. The town center, near Urahoro Station, is lined with restaurants, supermarkets, home centers, and electronics stores that support daily life.

A key characteristic of the town is its long-standing efforts to connect the community to the future. A prime example is the "Urahoro Style," a town development initiative centered around the children growing up in the area. Recently, it has also gained attention as the number of young people in their 20s and 30s moving into the town, including those returning or relocating from urban areas, has surpassed the number leaving.

The townscape of Urahoro as seen from the Peace Tower in Urahoro Forest Park. The city center is laid out like a grid.

The "General Store Project" began from the connections forged in Urahoro. It was launched by Reperience Inc., the company that operates the guesthouse "Hahaha Hostel" and the employment promotion portal site "Tsutsu-Ura-Ura." While they have been providing and managing opportunities for people to enjoy life by connecting local people and jobs, the desire to create more casual places to stay in Urahoro grew, and the project started to take shape.

From left: Komatsu, Kudo (that's me), Fujimaki, and Takeda of Reperience.

Mizuki Fujimaki, who joined the company in April 2023, is the manager of the new general store. Fujimaki, 23, is from Tokyo and had two dreams: "I want to live in Hokkaido" and "I want to open a bookstore." When she first visited Urahoro, she had an intuition: "Ah, it would be great if this town had a bookstore."

Store manager Mizuki Fujimaki

Urahoro is a town where many people support your ambitions, naturally welcome you into their circle, and create an environment where you can take on challenges by collaborating with others. While the number of shops with closed shutters is gradually increasing, it is also a town where new challenges are growing just as much.

Fujimaki, who participated in the opening event for Hahaha Hostel in 2021, visited this town, where she had no prior connections, many times over the next two years. As she got to know the town, she gradually began to think, "Maybe I can make my dreams come true here."

The event "Honya Tsumujikaze" (Bookstore Whirlwind) held at Hahaha Hostel in March 2022.

After holding the event, Fujimaki thought, "Maybe I can take the first step in this town!"