I moved from Noda City, Chiba Prefecture to Shibecha Town, Hokkaido in May 2021. The reason for moving here was to take nature photographs.

The reason for moving

I've loved nature since I was a child, and in my 20s I worked as a dog trainer. However, I gradually began to want to be involved with more than just dogs, and I wanted to create photos and videos to better convey the wonder and preciousness of nature. Recently, I've wanted to work to protect nature and the environment through photos and videos, and in 2018 I went to Alaska to photograph wild polar bears to see the reality of global warming. After that, I realized that Hokkaido was the only place in Japan where I could photograph nature, so I decided to move there. We made a connection with a person in Shibecha Town who was raising 20 wolves, and were able to use their facilities, so we moved there with our four dogs. My main job now is as a local revitalization volunteer, focusing on the rich nature and animals of Shibecha Town, and the people who live here, and promoting the town through photos and videos using the skills I have acquired so far. I just moved here in May 2021, so today I would like to share with you a little bit of the charm of Shibecha Town that I can see as a person who has never been here before.

The Charm of Shibecha Town

The first thing that impressed me when I came to Shibecha Town was the fact that I could encounter so many wild animals on a daily basis. I think that being able to realize that other creatures besides humans live together in our living space gives us a certain richness in the modern, urbanized world we live in these days. By being in nature, I feel like I can face nature in a very humble and straightforward way, something that would never happen in real life. Shibecha's main industry is dairy farming. You can see cows and horses all over town. The town is also very large with vast plains, so you can live here with a very open mind. Being able to watch the sun sink into the horizon is something that has impressed me since moving here. I've seen sunsets over the ocean many times, but I think it's rare to see a sun sink into the horizon. I realized that this is the charm of Shibecha, which has many plains.

People's wealth

Having moved to Shibecha town on my own, I was worried about whether I would be able to fit in with my friends and the locals. However, I soon found that this was an unfounded worry. After moving, I was invited to local meetings and treated to meals at their homes. Living in the countryside is full of hardships. I had never lived in the Kanto region before, so I had no knowledge or experience of living in nature. Because of this, my car would get stuck in the mud and I would have to do a lot of things myself, from how to operate a lawnmower to how to cut wood, and my neighbors have been very kind to help me. The people who live here accept each day as it comes, and move forward while affirming it. I love the way they live within the great cycle of nature, accepting things that they can't do anything about, being humble, and always looking forward. I think it's very important to know from personal experience that everyone is no match for nature when living on a planet where abnormal weather continues.

Future Activities

As for the future, what I'm thinking now is to live a year feeling the four seasons - not to accomplish anything, but to live a good life, feeling the harshness and richness of nature with my whole body. I'm sure that the feelings and experiences I have during that time will be reflected in my photographs and videos. Also, as a local revitalization volunteer, I think that by living here for a year, I will be able to see not only the good points of the town, but also the areas that need improvement. I would be very happy if I can help Shibecha town's future development, even if only a little, after getting a firm grasp of the current situation. Specifically, I am currently mainly active on my YouTube channel, which I call the "Shibecha Town Regional Revitalization Channel," and I aim to create one video per week. The number of subscribers is gradually increasing, and I hope that in the future it will play a role as a bulletin board for the town. I would like to get to the point where people can understand the current state of Shibecha town by watching this channel. As a personal activity, I create photos and videos and post them on social media. Through photos and videos, I would like to convey the charm of Hokkaido and the importance and preciousness of nature, connect with people who are involved with various creatures, and express myself on the theme of "the relationship between people and animals." Depending on the situation with the coronavirus, I would like to go overseas once a year for reporting and raise awareness of various animal issues such as poaching, environmental destruction, global warming, conservation facilities, and animal testing to people in Japan. I am still a novice, but I would like to serialize this "Shibecha Weather" once a month. I look forward to your continued support.