Earth Friends Camp: Taking Action for the Entire Community

This "ANSHINDO Project" is being advanced by Earth Friends Camp (EFC) Inc., which was founded in 2021. EFC was co-founded by Yohei Shimizu, a former Hokkaido government employee who opened the "Sounkyo Hostel" in Kamikawa's Sounkyo Onsen in 2018, and myself, Ezo-maru Kinuhari of "KINUBARI COFFEE," who moved to Kamikawa in 2019 as a member of the Community-Revitalization Cooperator program with the aim of opening a roastery cafe.

Currently, along with members who have moved here in sympathy with EFC's vision and activities, we are engaged in community development projects based at our "Community & Coworking Space PORTO," a facility with the concept of being "a port in this town without a sea," designed to connect people with each other and the community to create a shared life.

Because I've Decided to Do It Here, I'll Believe in the Future and See It Through

In our third year of business, EFC has so far relied on government-commissioned projects as our main source of revenue. To put it bluntly, we were in a state of "not being able to earn on our own" and "being supported by taxes." For an EFC in this position, the ANSHINDO project was a venture far too large.

Therefore, we have sought the support of an expert with deep knowledge of local areas and experience in launching and managing multi-purpose facilities to guide us. They are helping us think through everything from the business plan to the financial projections so that we can operate this as our own self-sustaining business. However, what this process revealed was the naivety of our own thinking.

Even in a tourist town, creating a multi-purpose facility by renovating an old three-story building with a total floor area of 450 square meters in a town with a population of 3,000, attracting a tenant for the first floor, and directly managing a micro-hotel and shared office on the second and third floors is extremely difficult with our current capabilities (including knowledge, experience, and financial strength). It's far more challenging than we imagined, and we spend every day racking our brains. It's truly, incredibly tough.

Still, we've decided to do it here, so we will. There are two reasons for this.

"To Make Our Own Lives More Interesting"

The first reason is that we see potential in this town's future.

It might be a challenging town for making a lot of money in a short period, but when we think about "how to continue living happily in this town for the long run," we can see what needs to be done and what is possible. This challenge is one of those things.

And in Kamikawa Town, there's an atmosphere, or perhaps a culture, of supporting challenges. There are so many people who cheer us on, saying, "We're looking forward to the opening!" or who help us out, saying, "You guys are a handful!"

Of course, there are various difficult aspects of human relationships unique to the countryside, but you'll find that in any town. And in Kamikawa, we already have people who support and help us, so we want to make it work in this town. In fact, more and more people are moving to Kamikawa and starting businesses, drawn by this charm. And the reason many corporate partnerships are being formed is likely because they also see potential in Kamikawa.

The second reason is that it's more fun to create our own work and life, even with struggles and hardships, than to simply live within a given environment.

Rather than doing things we know we can do from the start, we want to take on challenges where we're not sure if we can succeed, but it would be incredibly exciting if we did. And not alone, but with people who share our vision and support us. Things that might seem impossible now, or impossible for one person, might become possible if we work together. Through all these challenges in this town, we want to make our own lives and work more interesting.

In other words, it's about making our own lives more interesting! Even in a small country town with a small population, we want to be able to create fun and fulfilling work and lives for ourselves.

We want this to be a town where you can voice what you want to try, even if you don't have a special skill or confidence.

And we want it to be a town where people can support each other, cooperate, and make those dreams a reality.

So that the people living in this town can continue to live with pride.

So that the children born and raised in this town can proudly say, "I'm from Kamikawa Town!"

The ANSHINDO Project is a project of commitment, born from these feelings, where we are giving everything we possibly can right now.

We're Also Running a Crowdfunding Campaign!

To cover even a small portion of the building renovation costs, we are also running a crowdfunding campaign! It runs until the end of November. We have already received over 1.5 million yen in support from more than 100 people. Thank you so much!

Our goal is 3 million yen! We have prepared various rewards so that both residents of Kamikawa Town and those who live elsewhere can support us. We would be grateful if you could read our project page. Please keep an eye on the future of the ANSHINDO Project.

Check these out too!

Domingo Local Topics

"Domingo Local Topics" brings you the charm of various regions through the "raw voices" of local people. The content varies by region, featuring unique local shops, student initiatives, community-built events, and more. We deliver topics from the regions that will make you feel closer to the local scene and want to visit.