(Added and revised on March 16, 2021)

Urahoro Town, a town with rich nature and a future of heart-to-heart communication, is sharing its charms with you this time.
Urahoro, where fishing and agriculture thrive, has a food self-sufficiency rate of 2,900%.
About 20% of the population is employed in primary industries, and agriculture, forestry, and fisheries are thriving in this town.

However, the town's population has been declining year by year and is now about half of what it was 30 years ago.
In order to ensure the continued existence of the town, various activities are being carried out with the goal of "creating a town where children can have hope.

What kind of town is Urahoro?

Urahoro is a town with a population of approximately 4,500 located in the Tokachi region of Hokkaido.
Many producers are proudly engaged in agriculture, forestry, and fisheries in a harsh environment facing nature.
The town produces hairy crabs, octopus, autumn salmon, salmon roe, etc. as blessings from the sea, and wheat, azuki beans, etc. as blessings from the fields.
With a food self-sufficiency rate of 2,900%, the area is a major production center that supports the nation's food supply from the ground up.

In addition, the coastline that stretches to the south of the town is filled with the blooming of the "town flower," the hamanasu (Japanese rosebay), which heals the people of the town.

On the other hand, the town has not been able to resist the wave of population decline, and the population, which was about 9,000 30 years ago, is now about half of what it was 30 years ago.
The town's only high school has closed, and many farmers and fishermen have no successors.

"If things continue as they are, Urahoro will not be able to survive."

To create a town where the treasures of the town's future, its children, can have dreams and hopes."
"To support the children who will be responsible for the future of our society, which is said to be difficult and unpredictable, by helping them acquire the strength to survive and thrive."
The entire town is united in the belief that it is indispensable to "create a town where children, the treasures of the future, can have dreams and hopes.

Aiming to Create a Sustainable Community

In 2007, the "Uraboro Style" activity was launched with the aim of sustaining the community through the collaboration of schools, government, NPOs, local residents, and even city workers in order to realize a community where children can continue to hold out hope.

The "Urahoro Style" has achieved great results through these projects, and the number of young people who want to work in the region is steadily increasing.

Based on this foundation, the "General Incorporated Association Tokachi Urahorororakusha" was established to aim for "sustainable regional development.
Working in collaboration with the organizations that have led the region up to now, they are solving problems and creating new businesses.

We interviewed Mr. Kanta Omi, who received training in "Urahoro-style" and works at Tokachi Urahoro-Rakusha!

What kind of work do you do?

Mikita Omi, General Incorporated Association Tokachi-Urahororakusha

The "General Incorporated Association Tokachi-Urahoro Raku-sha" is an organization that works as a new form of local collaboration, collaborating with local government and businesses to address local problems and issues that need to be solved.
We also work with companies in the Tokyo metropolitan area to connect them with Urahoro through Rakurakusha.

We are also involved in online implementation of lectures at community centers that were unable to be held as usual due to the new strain of coronavirus, and we are also engaged in a hometown tax payment project partially outsourced by the government. I am in charge of the "Mail Magazine," which provides information on Urahoro Town's activities and tax returns from the perspective of a town resident who has been educated in the "Urahoro style" since elementary school.

What do you think makes Urahoro Town unique, Mr. Omi?

Mikita Om i

The only high school in town closed in 2010. When I became a high school student, there was no high school in Urahoro, so I went to a high school outside the town. I had been born and raised in Urahoro until then, so this was the first time I had the opportunity to interact with people from other towns.
At that time, I thought, "Many people in Urahoro like Urahoro.
While people in other towns are always saying, "There is nothing to do in my town," I felt that people in Urahoro are less likely to say that, perhaps because they know what is good about Urahoro.

What was the most impressive thing about "Urahoro Style"?

Mikita Omi

As part of "Uraboro Style," third-year junior high school students have an opportunity to think about what they can do to revitalize the town and present their ideas to the town.
Not only people from the town office but also local residents come to listen to the presentation. The adults asked us sharp questions that are not the kind of questions you would ask a third grader, and they did so with scary eyes.
I was able to see that there were adults who took our opinions so seriously, and it made me want to return to Urahoro and work there.

What spots do you recommend in Urahoro?

Mikita Omi

This is the Kelp Cutting Stone Observatory!
That place is always so beautiful. It is especially great at sunset or in the dark at night to look at the stars.

Kombukariishi Observatory (photo by Mr. Mikita Omi)

Starry sky viewed from the Kombukariishi Observatory (photo courtesy of Tokachi-Urahororakusha)

Urahoro Town Today

Urahoro Town is currently conducting a hometown tax payment type crowdfunding campaign.
We want to create a new industry that makes use of the town's rare products and makes children want to work in their hometown!

Urahoro Town will use the donations from the crowdfunding to create industries that will make children want to "continue living and working in Urahoro! Urahoro Town will use the donations from the crowdfunding to create industries that will make children want to continue living and working in Urahoro.

What kind of tax returns does Urahoro-cho offer?

Here are 4 products of Urahoro Town's hometown tax returns! (Added and modified on March 16, 2021)

Conclusion

What did you think of Urahoro Town's efforts to create the future?
Living in the town and interacting with the adults become the children's original experiences, and they become attached to the community.
The adults who have made Urahoro what it is today and the children who will make Urahoro what it will be in the future create a synergistic effect that has a positive impact on the town, which is a very wonderful trend.