Otaki Ward, Date City, Hokkaido, is home to Sankai Falls, which is popular for its beautiful autumn foliage and clear waters. We would like to introduce two new initiatives that are about to begin in this location rich in nature, taking advantage of the area's charms.

■Transforming Ezo deer from pests into a local resource

The main character of this article is Masafumi Amano, who moved to Otaki Ward in 2018 and worked as a local revitalization volunteer until March 2021. During my term as a member of the local revitalization volunteer team, I promoted the charms of Otaki through photos and videos, and planned events that would allow people to learn about the town while enjoying its outstanding location. One day, while I was searching for ways to be of further use to the Otaki ward, I met a local hunter. The damage caused by the overpopulation of Ezo deer on crops is serious in Otaki Ward, and many farmers have left farming due to the mounting costs of countermeasures. There are also few hunters, making it difficult to come up with a solution. However, when Amano tasted venison given to him by a hunter for the first time, he was impressed by how delicious it was. Amano was originally interested in hunting. He obtained a hunting license and began training as a hunter. In the first few months, he learned the basics of hunting and how to butcher animals under the guidance of senior hunters, and in the spring of 2019, he went out on his own and entered the mountains. He goes out hunting every day before work except on rainy days, honing his skills in the field, and has killed over 50 deer to date. When he goes into the mountains, he is wearing a GPS watch that was a gift from his concerned wife. Amano has improved his skills as a hunter, but his next challenge is how to process the Ezo deer he kills. Deer meat has an image of being "smelly animal" and "tough," but this is due to the way the meat is processed. His desire to let more people know about the deliciousness of venison that is processed quickly and correctly, and to develop it as a specialty product of the Otaki ward, led to the establishment of "Gibier Otaki."

■Renovating the former school lunch center into "Gibier Otaki"

Venison is becoming more and more well-known as a food with high protein, high iron and low calories due to the wild game meat boom, but it is still not widely available. One of the reasons for this is the lack of "processing facilities." Even if you go to the trouble of killing a Ezo deer, if it is not processed properly, its deliciousness will not be properly conveyed. Also, there is no facility nearby that has been approved by the health center, so it cannot be sold in general distribution, and so up until now, in the Otaki area, no matter how delicious the venison was, it was only for self-consumption. It was during this time that Amano came across a disused school lunch center, which he renovated into a meat processing facility, aiming to process and sell wild game, including Ezo deer, in one of the most hygienic environments in Hokkaido. Amano hopes that by utilizing Ezo deer, which have been shunned as pests, as a resource, it will ultimately reduce damage to agriculture and forestry and road kill (traffic accidents), and lead to coexistence between the deer and humans.

■ Community Cafe "Shikatomo"

Another challenge we are taking on together with Gibier Otaki is the establishment of Gibier & Community Cafe Shikatomo. In addition to being a place where he serves customers lunch made with delicious venison that he himself has hunted and processed himself, Amano also has another wish for Shikatomo. Amano has a 15-year-old son who was born with a unique developmental disorder. She has been by his side as he struggles with the difficulties of life caused by an invisible disability, and has overcome many challenges along the way. The son, who had once been on the brink of despair due to his interactions with others, was able to look forward again thanks to his encounters with other people. And the Amano couple, who had been struggling in the same way, were also supported by the warmth of the people around them who understood and supported them. "Will this child be able to live happily without his parents?" Is there someone I can talk to when I'm in trouble, or a place where I can feel safe? Using his own experience, Amano hopes to create a place where anyone can connect with others and society at any time. It is a place where everyone can become friends through the food of venison, and where people can feel safe without being ignored. In the future, we are also planning to hold recipe contests created by children, and to collaborate with a facility that supports disabled children so that children from various backgrounds can gain social experience with peace of mind. "Shikatomo" will have a pre-opening in time for Golden Week in 2021, and will then open for lunch on weekdays, Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays. Crowdfunding is currently being carried out to raise some of the opening funds. If you are interested, please take a look. https://camp-fire.jp/projects/view/401868