Motivation｜Turning the vanishing nostalgic scenery of an island into value

Many subsistence farmers live on Koshiki Island. Even so, as more and more people stop farming each year, he has noticed that the scenery of rice planting and harvesting that I experienced in my childhood, the traditional performing arts related to farming, mutual assistance in the community, and conversations and daily life with family and friends are gradually disappearing.
Farming not only produces food, but also creates opportunities for family and community communication. The process of rice cultivation is the essential value of the community. This realization led to the launch of the "Shimagome Project," a project to sell rice while blogging about the rice-growing process and the island life that surrounds it.

ツナガリ｜悔しさを原動力に

山下さんが高校生の時に、島の港が公共工事によって大きく姿を変えた。そこでは漁師さんが網を修理したり、奥さんたちが魚を干したり、夕涼みをしながらばあちゃんたちが話をしていたり、島の暮らしが凝縮された場所だった。工事によって経済的には豊かになるかもしれない。しかし、そのために自分が大好きだった島の風景を失った悔しさを山下さんは忘れることはなかった。
　その後、経済性や合理性とは違う角度からまちづくりを学ぶために京都の大学に進学し、就職。いつか1人前になったら島に帰ろうと思っていた。しかし、甑島に帰省した時に、顔なじみのおばあちゃんに「向こうで頑張っているけんちゃんも好きだけど、ここにいるけんちゃんが好きだよ」と言われた。「何者でもない自分にも島に居場所があるんだ」と気づき、島に帰ることを決意。その後、自給的な農家だった祖父に農業を教わりながら、島米プロジェクトをスタートした。

Ecosystem｜Motivated by frustration

When Mr. Yamashita was in high school, the island's harbor was drastically transformed by public works. It was a place where fishermen repairing nets, wives dried fish, and grandmothers talked in the cool of the evening, a condensed version of island life. The construction work might make them economically rich. However, Mr. Yamashita never forgot the frustration of losing the island scenery he loved for that reason.
　He later entered a university in Kyoto to study urban development from a different angle than economics and rationality, and found a job. He thought he would return to the island someday when he became a full-fledged worker. However, when he returned to Koshiki Jima, a familiar old lady told him, "I like Ken-chan who is working hard over there, but I like Ken-chan who is here. “ He realized that he, a nobody, had a place on the island, and decided to return. He then started the Island Rice Project while learning farming from his grandfather, who was a subsistence farmer.

コツ｜受け入れながら前に進む

「まずは、現状を受け入れる。そこからすべてが始まる。」と山下さんは言う。こんな町にしたい、こういうチャレンジがしたいという理想も大切だけど、そうではない部分を受け入れる。そうすると、今の足りないものが見えてくるのだ。島米プロジェクトでも、まずは甑島の農業の現状を受け止めるところからスタートした。農地に限りがあり、大量生産ができない、魚沼産コシヒカリのようにブランドがあるわけでもない。でも、そこには守りたい日常、風景がある。そこから、島でお米を作ると言うストーリー自体をブランド化するというアイディアが生まれたのだ。「目指したい姿と現在のギャップを受け入れるというのは、苦しい作業だ。しかし、それを乗り越えることで、自分の持ち味になる。」と山下さんは教えてくれた。

Tips｜Moving Forward with Acceptance

“First, accept the status quo. That's where it all starts." Mr. Yamashita said. It is important to have ideals of what you want the town to be like and what challenges you want to take on, but it is also important to accept the parts of the town that are not like that. Then, you can see what is lacking. The Shimagome project also started with accepting the current state of agriculture on Koshiki Island. Farmland is limited, mass production is not possible, and there is no brand name like Koshihikari produced in Uonuma. However, there is a daily life and scenery that we want to preserve. From there, the idea of branding the story of growing rice on the island itself was born. Accepting the gap between what we want to be and what we are today is a difficult task. But overcoming it is what makes you who you are." Mr. Yamashita told us.

コレカラ｜甑島の外にも広がる

2021年、山下商店やホステル、イベントの開催などだけでなく、島の空き家の保守管理や運用をする「島守株式会社」を新たに立ち上げた山下さん。さらに奄美大島や種子島、沖永良部島にもサテライトを構えて、古民家をリノベーションした拠点を創り、その活動を甑島の外にも広げている。様々な事業を手がける山下さんに、やらないことは決めていますか？と尋ねると「経営者である前に、人だから、会社のお客さまじゃなくとも困っている人がいれば、無視はできない。一人では解決できないことはいっぱいあるけど、諦めない世の中の方がいいと思う。頼れる先を作りながら、全部やるって決めた方が、面白い世の中になるんじゃないか。」という言葉が返ってきた。大好きだった島の風景を失った経験から、経済性や効率性だけでなく、根本的な豊かさを求めて事業を進めていく山下さん。山下さんの事業とともに、日本の島々にどんな風景が生まれていくのか楽しみだ。

For the Future｜Spreading outside of Koshiki Island

In 2021, Mr. Yamashita launched a new company, "Shimamori Corporation" which maintains and operates vacant houses on the island. He has also set up satellites on Amami Oshima, Tanegashima, and Okinoerabu Island, creating bases in renovated old private homes and expanding his activities outside of Koshiki Island. Mr. Yamashita is involved in a variety of businesses. When I asked him if he has decided what he will not do, He replied, "Before being a manager, I am a human being, so if there is someone in need, even if it is not a customer of the company, I cannot ignore it. There are many things that one person cannot solve alone, but I think it is better for the world not to give up. It would be a more interesting world if we decided to do it all while building a network of people we can rely on." These words came back to me. Having experienced the loss of his beloved island landscape, Mr. Yamashita is now moving forward with his business, seeking not only economic efficiency and effectiveness, but also a fundamental sense of affluence. We look forward to seeing what kind of landscapes will be created on Japan's islands in conjunction with Mr. Yamashita's business.