MOTIVATION｜Reviewing the foundation of her life in the wake of the earthquake

The Great East Japan Earthquake occurred in 2011. At that time, Ms. Hatakeyama was working in Yokohama, but even in Yokohama, some necessities and water were difficult to obtain due to the earthquake. It was at this time that she realized that even if he had money, if there was no one to supply it, her livelihood would easily become unviable. She wondered if she could not create more of the "foundation of life" himself, such as food, money, and energy. Later, when her company relocated, she lived in Chiba for a year and joined a community that aimed for a self-sufficient lifestyle while living in the countryside. When I was thinking about creating such a community on my own next, my workplace was relocating to Fukuoka, and I decided to make Itoshima my base for creating a "foundation for living. The property of an old private house that she liked was very large, and she decided to create her own lifestyle in the form of an open share house instead of living with two people. Seven residents, some of whom had heard about the house through friends and others who had stopped by during their travels, gathered together and began living in the Itoshima Share House, a new type of share house where life itself is shared.

ツナガリ｜計画的波乗り人生

運命的な出会いに溢れている畠山さんの人生。畠山さんは人生を「波乗り」と表現し、自分はきた波に身を任せているだけと言うが、常にアンテナを張り、波を逃さないからこそ、運命的な出会いを引き寄せることができるのではないかと思う。これからの社会をつくる人たちを応援するNPO法人グリーンズとの出会いも、その一つだ。グリーンズが今までにないような切り口で社会問題を面白く、スタイリッシュに取り上げているところに衝撃を受け、すぐさま連絡をとり、学生インターンとしてチームに参加。ここで関心の近い人たちや自給自足の暮らしを目指す人たちと出会い、自身のロールモデルを見つけることができた。また現在シェアハウスを営んでいる古民家も、物件を探しながらドライブをしているときに出会い、惚れ込んだもの。最初は売家で手が出せなかったものの、賃貸に変わったという情報を逃さずに、この家でシェアハウスをすることを決意したという。そしてシェアハウスの大家さんは、地域の住人との付き合い方を教えてくれたり、家の修繕をサポートしてくれたりと様々な面からシェアハウスを支えてくれた。このように、アンテナを張り続けている畠山さんの元に運命的な出会いが舞い込み、活動を前に進めている。

ECOSYSTEM｜Planned Surfing Life

Ms. Hatakeyama's life is full of fateful encounters. Ms. Hatakeyama describes her life as "surfing the waves" and says that she just lets herself ride the waves as they come. One such encounter was with Greens, an NPO that supports people who will build the society of the future. Shocked by the interesting and stylish way in which Greens addresses social issues from an unprecedented angle, I immediately contacted them and joined their team as a student intern. Here, she met people with similar interests and people aiming for a self-sufficient lifestyle, and was able to find a role model for herself. She also fell in love with the old private house where she currently runs a share house after coming across it while driving around looking for a place to rent. At first, the house was for sale and he could not afford it, but he did not miss the information that it had been converted into a rental, and decided to run a share house in this house. The landlord of the share house then supported the share house in many ways, such as teaching her how to get along with local residents and helping her with repairs to the house. In this way, Hatakeyama, who keeps her antennae up, has had fateful encounters that have propelled her activities forward.

コツ｜日常を切り取ったイベントで仕事を作る

いとしまシェアハウスの特徴がよく現れているのが、住人たちが主催するイベントだ。初めてのイベントは古民家の掃除ワークショップだった。最初はなんでもない古民家の掃除なんて誰も参加してくれないのではと思ったが、予想以上に人が集まった。この経験から、「完成されたものよりも、その場が進化していく”プロセス”そのものが価値と感じてもらえているのでは」ということに気づき、それ以降もこの視点を取り入れてイベントを企画していったそうだ。シェアハウスの日常を楽しく切り取って届けることで、シェアハウスの外の人たちが、自分たちの手で暮らしを作ることを体験できる。例えば、竹の飯ごう炊飯イベント。山で竹を刈るところから始まり、竹を使ってご飯を炊く。竹で器や箸も作る。そのほかにも棚田での田植えや稲刈り、茶摘みなど様々なイベントを開催している。このイベントは、シェアハウスの収入源にもなる。畠山さんは、自分のやりたいことでお金をもらえるのはとてもありがたいと話す。それだけでなく、里山や棚田など地域の人たちが守り続けてきたものを保全することにつながり、地域の人たちも喜んでくれる。またイベントがきっかけで糸島に移住する人が現れたりと、地域と地域の外で暮らす人たちを繋げるためにも、イベント開催は重要な役割を担っている。

TIPS｜Creating jobs with events that cut out the everyday

One of the most distinctive features of Itoshima Share House is the events organized by the residents. The first event was a workshop on cleaning an old private house. At first, I thought that no one would participate in the cleaning of a nondescript old private house, but more people showed up than I had expected. From this experience, they realized that "the process of evolving a place is more valuable than the finished product," and they have continued to plan events from this perspective ever since. By presenting a fun slice of daily life in a share house, people outside the share house can experience creating a lifestyle with their own hands. Take, for example, the bamboo rice cooking event. Starting with harvesting bamboo in the mountains, the participants cook rice using bamboo. They also make bowls and chopsticks out of bamboo. Other events include rice planting in terraced rice paddies, rice harvesting, and tea picking. These events also serve as a source of income for the share house. Ms.Hatakeyama says she is very grateful to be paid for something she wants to do. Not only that, but it also leads to the preservation of the satoyama, terraced rice paddies, and other things that the local people have been protecting, and the local people are happy about it. The events also play an important role in connecting the local community with people living outside the community, as some people have moved to Itoshima as a result of the events.

コレカラ｜地域コミュニティがなければ自給自足は成り立たない。地域を守るための新たな挑戦

自給自足というと、何にも頼らず自分たちだけで生活しているというイメージを持つ人もいるかもしれないが、実は地域の大きな循環の中ではじめて自給自足をベースにした生活は成り立っているのだと、畠山さんは教えてくれた。たとえば、野菜やお米を作るための用水路は地域のコミュニティが管理しているし、隣の畑の農家がやめてしまうと畑が荒れて、獣害の被害が広まってしまう。棚田の美しい景色も、石を積んで草刈りをして、米作りを続けてきた人たちがいるからこそ、私たちも今自分たちの手で暮らしを作りながら生きていける。しかし、高齢化や過疎化の影響を受け、地域の暮らしを支えていく担い手は減り続けている。シェアハウスふくめ集落での暮らしが回らなくなる日は遠くない。この集落での暮らしを守っていきたいという思いが強くなったという畠山さんは、地域を守ろうとする意思のある人に住んでもらうこと、地域の関係人口を増やしていくことが大切だと考えるようになった。
そのためにシェアハウスの運営や棚田のオーナー制度、イベントの継続はもちろん、糸島に来れない人へ向けた自宅で自分で作る体験ができる「暮らしのDIYキットBe」の販売も始めた。さらに狩猟の経験を生かし年々ひどくなっている害獣被害を抑えるために地域内外を巻き込んだ取り組みも始めていくそうだ。地域というコミュニティがあり、その大きな循環の中で成り立っている自給自足というライフスタイル。いとしまシェアハウスが地域での暮らしや自給自足の生活への入り口となり、その循環を守ることで、畠山さん含め地域の人々の自分の手で暮らしをつくる生活が続いていくのだろう。

FOR THE FUTURE｜Self-sufficiency is not possible without local communities. New Challenges to Protect the Community

Although the word "self-sufficiency" may conjure up images of people living on their own without depending on anything, Ms. Hatakeyama told us that in fact, a life based on self-sufficiency is possible only within a larger regional cycle. For example, the irrigation canals used to grow vegetables and rice are managed by the local community, and if the farmers in the neighboring fields stop farming, their fields will be ruined and damage from animal damage will spread. The beautiful scenery of terraced rice paddies is also a result of the people who have continued to pile up stones, cut grass, and grow rice, so that we too can now live while making a living with our own hands. However, due to the aging of the population and depopulation, the number of people who continue to support local lifestyles is decreasing. The day is not far off when the village will no longer be able to support the local lifestyle, including the share house. Ms. Hatakeyama, who has a strong desire to protect the lifestyle of the community, has come to believe that it is important to increase the number of people involved in the community and to have people who are willing to protect the community live there.
To this end, she began to operate a share house, a terraced rice field ownership system, and to continue holding events, as well as selling a "DIY kit Be" that allows people who cannot come to Itoshima to experience making their own products at home. In addition, they are also planning to use their experience in hunting to start initiatives involving people inside and outside the community to curb the damage caused by vermin, which is getting worse every year. The self-sufficient lifestyle is built within the larger cycle of the local community. The Itoshima Share House will serve as a gateway to a lifestyle of community living and self-sufficiency, and by preserving this cycle, Ms.Hatakeyama and others in the community will continue to create a lifestyle of self-sufficiency with their own hands.