[Earthquake recovery] Support those who make use of local resources “horses, flowers, and kiwifruit”! Activity report meeting held in Okuma Town, Fukushima Prefecture on January 13th
*View in browser* *Baton Co., Ltd.*
Press release: December 21, 2023
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[Earthquake recovery] Support those who make use of local resources “horses, flowers, and kiwifruit”! Activity report meeting held in Okuma Town, Fukushima Prefecture on January 13th
*Selected for Fukushima Innovative Project in 2023*
Baton Co., Ltd. (Fujisawa City, Kanagawa Prefecture) has continued to engage in activities aimed at expanding the population of Okuma Town, Fukushima Prefecture. The culmination of the event, the “Horse, Flower, and Kiwi Activity Report Session,” will be held on Saturday, January 13, 2024. In addition to holding a trial session using Okuma Town’s activity resources such as horses, flowers, and kiwi, a talk show will be held to conclude the activities to date. We will report on our activities so far and work towards further expanding the number of people involved.
*This project is based on the “Fukushima Innovation Coast Initiative” We have been selected and are implementing a project to promote interaction and increase the number of people involved in the Innovative Region, “Implementation of a brush-up project to improve the value of the region.”
Background of implementation
It has been five years since Okuma Town’s residential areas and evacuation order areas, which had been subject to evacuation until 2019, were partially lifted. Our company specializes in horses, the historical symbol of the Soso region (NPO Soma Relief Team, Minamisoma City), flowers created by the rich nature (Ichido Co., Ltd., Tomioka Town, Futaba District), and Okuma Town’s specialty products. Together with three organizations called “Kiwi” (Ookuma Kiwi Restoration Club, Okuma Town, Futaba District) that utilize local resources, we have been holding a trial session that is open to all ages.
We will hold a report meeting on January 13, 2024 regarding the activities (practical experience session) that we have been conducting in Okuma Town, Fukushima Prefecture since 2023. On the day of the event, there will be a “Flower Workshop,” “Horseback Riding Experience,” and “Kiwi Farm Maintenance Experience/Workshop,” as well as a talk show from 18:00 to report on the activities of the three organizations and talk about future prospects. There will also be a tasting session of alcoholic beverages collected from hydrangeas in Okuma Town, and a sample of sweets made using kiwifruit.
Event overview
Event: Horse, Flower, and Kiwi Activity Report
Held: January 13, 2024 (Sat) 10:00-20:00
Venue: KUMA・PRE (98-1 Ono, Shimonokami, Okuma-cho, Futaba-gun, Fukushima Prefecture), Link Ru Okuma, etc.
Contents:
10:00-12:00 KUMA/PRE Flower bed maintenance/signboard making/Ichido Co., Ltd. (Meeting: KUMA/PRE)
13:00-15:00 Horseback riding experience session/Soma Rescue Team (Meeting: Link Ru Okuma)
13:00-14:30 Kiwi field work session/Ookuma Kiwi Regeneration Club (Meeting: KUMA/PRE)
15:00-17:00 Fukushima Farmer & Fisherman’s Camp/East Food
Association/Ookuma Kiwi Regeneration Club (Meeting: link Okuma) 18:00-20:00 Activities talk show (tasting party, tasting session, gathering: link Okuma)
Participation: Free
Application: For the activity talk show, call (050-6861-7510, weekdays 10:00 – 16:00) or online.
For others, please come directly to each meeting location.
Sponsor: Baton Co., Ltd. / Co-sponsor: Okuma Kiwi Restoration Club, Ichido Co., Ltd., Soma Rescue Team
January 13th report meeting flyer (front)
January 13th report meeting flyer (back)
[image: download] d127655-5-fa4734bfc338a18df77c6c9050ef010b.pdf Activities so far
Click here for details of this year’s trial session
“Flowers, Kiwis, Horses, and Big Bears”
* https://note.com/okumakiwi/n/n6b4717f630dd*
“Okuma Town Diver Camp”
* https://magonotetravel.co.jp/travel/tour/13068*
*《Introduction of activity groups》*
– * Tono (34th head of the former Soma clan) is the representative of [NPO Soma Rescue Team] (Minamisoma City) *
Immediately after the Great East Japan Earthquake in March 2011, we began collecting and distributing relief supplies. Established as a corporation in July.
Yukitane Soma, the 34th head of the former Soma domain, serves as its representative, and its activities center on the entire territory of the former Soma domain (2 cities, 3 towns, and 2 villages). Initially, the organization’s activities were based in Soma City, providing livelihood support to people affected by the disaster, rescuing and protecting animals (mainly horses), and liaising and coordinating with the government, other support organizations, and individuals. Since 2018, this project has focused on horses, which are the historical and cultural symbol and greatest resource of the Soma Futaba region, and has been promoting an equestrian culture and community project that provides opportunities for experience and learning using horses. We are working on regional revitalization projects such as construction.
* Michitane Soma *
The 34th head of the former Soma domain.
He made his first appearance at the age of 14 in Soma Nomaoi, which has been going on for over 1,000 years, and served as the
commander-in-chief. It is nicknamed “Tono” by local residents. Immediately after the earthquake, he established the NPO Soma Rescue Squad, and has been working across administrative boundaries in the former Soma domain to provide support to those affected and to rescue and protect horses. Since 2018, he has been working on the theme of horses, which are the historical and cultural symbol and greatest resource of the Soma Futaba region.
* ■Future outlook*
My hometown, long known as a “disaster zone,” is full of resources and ideas to solve the world’s sustainability challenges. While inheriting the local equestrian culture represented by Soma Nomaoi, we will build new relationships between people and horses, pass it on to the next generation, and provide a model that contributes to solving the world’s problems by solving local issues. .
* Yoko Nakazawa *
Born in Morioka City, Iwate Prefecture. During his school days, he studied child education. Qualified as a career consultant and industrial counselor, he moved to Minamisoma City in 2019 after working as a career counselor for many years, providing employment and career support to young people. Together with her husband, she began working on a project to support retired racehorses. In addition to working as an administrator for this organization, he also works on building the local community.
* ■Future outlook*
We aim to coexist with horses, people, and nature. Specifically, through nature education that combines horses, creating a place to live and finding purpose in life, wellness tourism, and living with horses, we will propose a society where everyone can live comfortably and a lifestyle that is healthy and enriching both physically and mentally. This work is underway in collaboration with experts in the medical welfare and education fields.
– * Creating new value with yeast extracted from flowers [Ichido Co., Ltd.] (Tomioka Town, Futaba District) *
Established in June 2022. By making alcoholic beverages using “Hana Yeast,” a natural sake yeast isolated from flowers, we create opportunities and value for “giving flowers instead of bouquets.” The representative is Yuto Watanabe, who is also the 26th head of Okuwabara Tsujien Ltd.
https://ichi-do.co.jp/
* Yuto Watanabe *
Representative director of Ichido Co., Ltd./26th head of Okuwabara Azalea Garden, Ltd. Having grown up with flowers for 22 years, her goal is to make people smile with flowers.
-Past career-
2020-Disaster area reconstruction project “Tomioka Town Azalea Restoration Project”
2022-Received the Minister of the Environment Award for “FUKUSHIMA NEXT” 2022-Fukushima 12 Municipality Startup Idea Contest 1st Grand Prize 2022-Received the Fukushima Prefecture Governor’s Award at the Ministry of the Environment’s “Challenge Award 2022”
2023-Forbes Japan 100 ways of hope to save the world “NEXT100” selection * ■Future outlook*
We would like to make Okuma Town full of flowers and create new value in the form of alcohol by using the flowers (local resources) that have been blooming there for decades and centuries.
– * “That” kiwi that students and townspeople aim for [Ookuma Kiwi Revitalization Club] (Ookuma Town, Futaba District) *
The Okuma Kiwi Restoration Club is a voluntary organization
established by around 10 volunteers after the evacuation order for Ogawara, Okuma Town was lifted, with the aim of revitalizing and interacting with kiwis, which were a specialty of the town.
In 2020, they planted 18 saplings in fields in the town, and since none of the members have experience growing kiwifruit, they have been growing kiwifruit while learning from Mr. Sekimoto, a farmer who used to grow kiwifruit in Okuma Town. Although they struggled to cultivate the soil in soil that had become poor due to the effects of
decontamination, they harvested their first fruits in 2022. In the process of these activities, the people involved who felt the great potential of kiwi in Okuma Town and continued to participate are now the main focus of regular field work activities, event stalls, and efforts to attract the next generation of people involved. Planning and management.
* Shotaro Abe *
A third-year student at the Faculty of Law at Keio University, he has been working in Okuma Town since 2020, producing documentaries, conducting interviews, and working to revive the town’s specialty kiwifruit.
-Past career-
2020 Admission to Keio University
2022: Take a leave of absence from university, move to Hamadori, Fukushima Prefecture, and conduct reporting activities.
2023 Return to university
* ■Future outlook*
In Okuma Town, we participated in the establishment of a corporation to cultivate, process, and sell kiwifruit, with the aim of reviving kiwifruit, which was known as a specialty of the town before the earthquake.
* Takuya Haraguchi *
4th year student at the Faculty of Systems Engineering, Wakayama University. Interested in the primary industry, he took a year off from university to receive training in fruit cultivation in Wakayama Prefecture. From 2022, he will participate in the Okuma Kiwi Restoration Club, which aims to revive the specialty kiwi in Okuma Town, and from 2023, he will work towards commercializing kiwi in earnest.
-Past career-
2019 Wakayama University admission
In 2020, we will go to agricultural sites across the country and help with farm work.
In 2021, he started coming to Okuma Town regularly after the ideathon contest “Hummingbird Project” was held in Okuma Town.
2022: Receive agricultural training in fruit cultivation in Arita, Wakayama Prefecture
2023 Preparing to establish a corporation to commercialize kiwi cultivation * ■Future outlook*
In Okuma Town, we will begin full-scale cultivation of kiwifruit, a specialty product, and expand the production of kiwifruit and sales of processed products.
*This project has been selected and implemented as part of the Fukushima Innovation Coast Project, a project to promote interaction and expansion of related population in the innovation area,
“Implementation of brush-up projects to improve regional value.” [Inquiries regarding release]
Baton Co., Ltd.
TEL 050-6861-7510 (Weekdays 10am to 4pm)
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