I participated in an hourcation, a journey to explore the possibilities of local business.

Huh, are you still exhausted in Minami?

I apologize for the radical introduction.

My name is Goto and I live in Minami, Osaka and work for the Web Service Division.

 

that's right. As I mentioned at the beginning, I also live in the Minami area.

To be clear, I love cities.

If I live in a city, I want to go to 〇〇 (some famous chain store, etc.)! If you come up with this idea, if you search on Google Maps, in most cases the store will be within a 10-minute to 30-minute walk at most

As a former rural resident, this is almost a miracle . common for me to drive 30 minutes or 1 to 2 hours to go to the store I wanted to go to . (However, I quite like the travel time.)

 

In other words, I have experienced both urban and rural life to some extent, and I have a relatively neutral perspective on the differences between urban and rural areas.

Although I still have a rural complex to the point where I still get a little angry when I think, ``City boys who were born in the city probably spent their youth in Umeda or Minami.''

 

I grew up in the countryside and now live in the city, but suddenly I received a call saying that I would be able to participate in a program called ``A Hourcation''.

 

This time, I went on an "hourcation" in Miyoshi City, Tokushima Prefecture, so I would like to tell you about its charms, the possibilities of local business that I learned during the hourcation , and the appeal of rural life from my own perspective. Masu!

Please take a look if you are interested in local business and rural life.

Tokushima x workation! What is Hourcation?

▲This is the scenery near the Beyond Shikoku office in Miyoshi City, Tokushima Prefecture.

First of all, what is an hourcation? However, this program is planned and operated by the Tokushima branch of ANA Akindo Co., Ltd.

A summary is provided below with quotations.

What is an hourcation?

Nowadays, attention is being paid to "lifestyles" that are oriented towards "SDGs", "spiritual richness", and "well-being (living well)", and with the concept of "people attracting people", which is what attracted Tokushima, we are working on a workcation. Through this, we aim to ``disseminate the appeal of Tokushima Prefecture'' and create ``new connections with people'' and ``new flows of people.''

We have prepared programs based on the following themes so that you can experience Tokushima's charms of "nature," "food," "history," "culture," and "SDGs"

Source: Tokushima Prefecture Hourcation Program

To summarize briefly, Hourcation is a project that allows you to experience the charms of Tokushima Prefecture, but the program includes many opportunities to learn not only the good points of Tokushima, but also the charm of the people living in Tokushima. That was an impression.

Details will be explained later.

Also, in this article, I would like to share the knowledge and realizations I gained during the hourcation, rather than reporting on the events of the hourcation in detail.

If you would like to take a closer look at the atmosphere of Hourcation! For those of you who say that, a Vlog of Beyond members participating in the hourcation has been uploaded on the official Youtube channel

Additionally, Beyond also has a workation system that

You can read more about the system and testimonials in the article below.

I went to Mt. Koya for my first solo workday [Seijoshin-in & Muryoko-in]

Hourcation flow

The hourcation is for three days in total, and each day has a well-planned schedule.

When you think of a workcation, you get the image of going on a trip and completing your tasks more gracefully than usual.

I had the impression that the hourcation was more like attending a luxurious seminar where I could have fun and learn all day long, rather than completing my own work.

Below is an example of an hourly schedule.

---

9:00 Water sports experience

12:30 Enjoy a game burger for lunch and interact with local business owners

14:30 Sightseeing at Iya Kazura Bridge and Oboke Gorge sightseeing boat

19:00 Exchange meeting with locals while eating Awa Odori course meal

---

As mentioned above, most of your time will be spent sightseeing and interacting with the locals.

No more traveling! It was a lot of fun, but it wasn't just a trip; it was stimulating to have the opportunity to talk with local business owners who I wouldn't have had the chance to interact with on my own.

I'm very introverted, so I thought I'd be a little nervous about interacting with people, but the locals welcomed us very warmly, and what's more, Tokushima's local sake was extremely delicious and the drinks were just as good as usual. two or three times faster, and before I knew it, we were having fun talking.

[With photos] Learn about the charms of Miyoshi City, Tokushima Prefecture through our hourcation

Now, from here on, I will introduce the charms of Tokushima Prefecture that I learned about during the above schedule through photos.

Former Masami Ryokan (Beyond Shikoku Office)

(*I personally visited the Shikoku office during my free time. It is not included in the hourly program.)

It may seem like I'm suddenly introducing an office, but there is a Beyond Shikoku office in Tokushima.

I personally came to the Shikoku office for the first time, and this is the office! ? I was quite surprised. When I entered the building, it was a very soothing space with an atmosphere where time passed quietly and slowly.

That should be it. This place was originally an inn, but now it seems to be a satellite office. I would like to introduce more details about the Shikoku office in a separate blog.

 

Delicious Tokushima cuisine

Everything I ate in Tokushima was delicious.

I would like to introduce some of them.

At hesosalon

https://hesocamp.o-rai.co.jp/hesosalon.html

We mainly enjoyed game dishes.

 

Cafe & Gibier (Yokai House)

https://www.instagram.com/cafe.and.jibie/

I had a gibier burger at the Cafe & Gibier attached to the Yokai House at the roadside station Oboke.

By the way, what is gibier? I think some people may say,

Gibier refers to the meat of birds and animals obtained through hunting such as deer and wild boar, and is said to be a luxury food that originated in France.

Apparently, the reason for starting Gibier Burger here was to prevent damage caused by wild animals.

The SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals) clearly being realized.

It is said to have been processed to suppress the unique taste and odor of gibier, so it was easy to eat even for beginners of gibier and was very delicious.

(It seems that some people who become connoisseurs of gibier come to enjoy the taste and smell of gibier.)

 

Kazura Bridge

This is Kazurabashi Bridge, one of Tokushima's famous spots.

If you look at the photo, why is everyone clinging to the railing? You may be wondering.

That should be it. This bridge is very loose underfoot.

This is scary. I remembered the days when I worked on site while wearing a safety belt.

It was a thrilling and fun experience.

Pleasure boat experience

Unlike Kazurabashi, this is a sightseeing event where you can enjoy the scenery of the Yoshino River while riding a pleasantly rocking boat.

Inside the pleasure boat.

Here are the members participating in this hourcation. (3 people from development department, 1 person from technical sales department, 1 person from web service department)

I was able to learn about Tokushima's good points from various other aspects, but I'll stop here for now.

Because it's local, not local. Why do businesses do local business?

▲Mr. Yokokawa from Fobs Co., Ltd., who guided us through this hourcation.

Now let's talk about the serious part of Hourcation.

In Miyoshi City, Tokushima Prefecture, there are people working in Miyoshi City from a variety of backgrounds, including those who have always lived in Miyoshi City, those who made a U-turn to Miyoshi City, and those who moved to Miyoshi City from another area.

By the way, I myself have felt this, but why do business operators do local business? Have you ever thought about it?

However, through my hourcation, I realized that I had no idea about the appeal of local business.

In fact, many businesses were developing their businesses by taking full advantage of local characteristics. The business tip I heard from business owners was to "start with a small investment."

For example, many people try to open a cafe after investing a huge amount of money and preparing a building with a stylish exterior, but if they are unable to attract customers or make sales, this can result in significant losses. there is.

Therefore, even if the appearance is not what you want, it is better to open a cafe first in a vacant property, for example, and then think about what kind of investment to make next. It seems that it is.

I have a habit of trying to do things too big from the beginning, so I reflected on myself a little, thinking that's why I don't do very well. I also learned a great deal while reflecting on this experience.

Advantages of local business

▲Mr. Ohno, who I had the pleasure of interacting with as a local businessman (operates bars, guesthouses, etc.)

Miyoshi City, Tokushima Prefecture, seems to have many of the conditions introduced above for starting a business with minimal investment.

Some of them were as follows.

There is less competition than in cities and it is easier to differentiate.

As I mentioned at the beginning, anything is possible in the city.

However, this is precisely why competition tends to be fierce in cities, and it is often difficult to develop your business in this environment.

In this respect, local competition is not as intense as in urban areas, so it is relatively easy to get results by taking action.

Easy to create horizontal connections

In a local area where the population is not as large as in a big city, it's easy to make connections by going to a nearby bar and meeting someone you know.

As a result, you may be able to receive advice from senior business owners, and in some cases, you may even receive information that could lead to new business opportunities.

Reduces living and operating costs

In Miyoshi City, Tokushima Prefecture, there are a certain number of landlords with properties they want to sell, so there are opportunities to own properties at a low price.

Living in the city center is expensive, so this is a big advantage of living in the countryside.

I also feel that when living costs and operating costs are high, it is difficult to take on big challenges in order to maintain them.

Is it really necessary? Why do so many young people want to go to the city?

As mentioned above, I realized that living locally has many advantages that cities don't have.

However, in general, young people from local communities try to move to the city first, whether it's to fulfill their dreams or for other reasons! Don't you think there are many people who think that way?

After all, I am one of them. I moved from the countryside to the city and thought, ``The city is the best.'' (I like my hometown just as much)

In this way, many young people are often thinking of moving to the city just for the time being

When considering moving to a city to achieve your goals, do you really need to go there? It might be a good idea to reconsider.

I currently live in a city, but through this time off, I was wondering if there is really any benefit to continuing to live in a city? I felt that it might be a good idea to ask this question periodically.

I’m glad I went! Summary of the charm of Hourcation

▲This is the scenery near the Beyond Shikoku office in Miyoshi City, Tokushima Prefecture.

So far, we have introduced the charms of our hourcation and Miyoshi City, Tokushima Prefecture. What do you think?

I really fell in love with Miyoshi City, Tokushima Prefecture during this time away.

It was completely destroyed in just three days.

 

I felt that the appeal of Hourcation was as follows.

• Learn about local business
• Increased relationships with people
• You can experience rural life

I found the above to be attractive, but I think it's a program that can be appealing from various angles depending on the person who goes.

If you are interested, please see the details of our hours at the following site!

Tokushima Prefecture Hourcation Program

It’s okay to connect with people as the purpose of your trip.

I thought it was wonderful to be able to make connections with various people while traveling, like on an hourcation.

I wonder if this kind of experience can be done outside of hourcations? That's what I thought, but Ourai Co., Ltd., which operates Heso Camp, where I stayed, Heso Salon, where I had gibier food, etc., operates a service that makes the above possible come true.

What is “So-Gu”, a platform that connects people through travel?

So-Gu is a platform where you can meet people who are doing interesting things while traveling.

This is a perfect service for people who want to hear about local business or who want to make connections with people in their area.

Please check out the details on the official website!

Go to So-Gu's official website »

 

Thank you for watching until the end.