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

Reason for moving to Shibecha

I have loved nature since I was a child and worked as a dog trainer when I was in my 20s. Gradually, however, I began to think that I wanted to be involved not only with dogs but also with the greater nature, and I wanted to convey more about the wonder and preciousness of nature by making photographs and videos. Recently, I have come to want to work to protect nature and the environment through photography and video, and in 2018 I went to Alaska to photograph wild polar bears to see the reality of global warming.

After that, I decided to move to Hokkaido because I thought that in Japan, Hokkaido is the only place to photograph nature.
I made a connection with a person who had 20 wolves in the town of Shibecha, and was allowed to use his facility, so I moved there with my 4 dogs.

My main job is to promote Shibecha through photos and videos, focusing on the town's rich nature, animals, and people. I hope to share with you some of the charms of Shibecha Town that I can see because I just moved here in May 2021.

Attractiveness of Shibecha Town

The first thing that impressed me when I came to Shibecha is that I can see many wild animals on a daily basis.

I feel that being able to experience the presence of non-human creatures living together in our sphere of life gives a certain richness to those of us who live in the modernized and urbanized world of today. By being in the midst of nature, I feel that we can face nature in a very humble and straightforward manner, which is something that is not always possible.

Dairy farming is the main industry in Shibecha. Cows and horses can be seen everywhere in the town. The town's large area and plains make for a very open and comfortable living environment. I was also impressed after moving here to see the sunset on the horizon. I have seen the sunset over the ocean many times, but I think it is very rare to see the sunset on the horizon. I realized that this is because Shibecha Town has many plains.

The richness of the people

As a single person moving to Shibecha Town, I had always worried about whether I would be able to blend in with my friends and the people of the town here before I moved here. However, I soon found out that my fears were unfounded. After moving here, I was invited to local gatherings and treated to dinner at their homes.

Living in the countryside is a series of hardships. In particular, having lived only in the Kanto area, I had no knowledge or experience of living in nature. Because of this, my car got stuck in the mud, and I had to do everything by myself, from how to operate the mower to how to cut wood, and the neighbors have been very kind and helpful.
The people who live here take each day as it comes and affirm it as they go along. I love the way of living within the great cycle of nature, accepting what cannot be helped, and moving forward with humility and always looking forward. I think it is very important for us to know that we are no match for nature, and to live in a world where abnormal weather conditions continue to occur.

Future Activities

As for the future, what I am considering now is to live a year with the four seasons - not to accomplish anything, but to live a solid life while feeling the harshness and richness of nature with all of my body. I am sure that what I feel and experience in this process will be reflected in my photographs and videos.

As a member of the Regional Development Cooperation Volunteers, I believe that by living in the town for a year, we will be able to see not only the good aspects of the town, but also the areas that need to be improved. I would be very happy if I could be of some help in the future development of Shibecha after having a firm grasp of the current situation.

I am currently working mainly on my Youtube channel. I am currently working on a Youtube channel called "Shibecha Town Regional Development Channel" and I aim to make one video a week.


The number of subscribers is gradually increasing, and I hope to play a role as a bulletin board for the town in the future. We hope that this channel will serve as a bulletin board for the town. I hope to bring it to the point where people can learn about the current situation in Shibecha Town by watching this channel.

As for my personal activities, I would like to create photos and videos and publish them on SNS and other media. I would like to convey the charm of Hokkaido and the importance and preciousness of nature through photos and videos, and I would like to connect with people who are involved with various living creatures and express myself with 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 to report on poaching, environmental destruction, global warming, shelters, animal testing, and various other animal issues that I hope to raise with people in Japan.
I am still a novice, but I would like to continue to write this "Shibecha Biyori" on a monthly basis. We look forward to your continued support.