Welcome to Rural Free LongStay | Japanese rural migrants run their own "loose relocation" experience program.

239 according to the statistics of Japan's Cabinet Office in 2014, more than 40% of Tokyo residents in Japan want to move out of Tokyo, rather than those born in the Kanto circle, and nearly 50% of them want to move out of Tokyo. On the other hand, many Japanese villages are facing the problem of "over-thinning", including aging, labor shortage, and so on, so Japan, from the central government to the local government, has tried every means to attract urban residents to emigrate to the countryside.

However, moving means drastic changes in the working and living environment, which is not an easy task after all, so apart from the promotion of relocation, it has recently shifted to the goal of creating a "relationship population" [Note 2]. That is, through a variety of understanding of local small trips, trial stay experience, first attract people to become "fans" of a certain place. And, instead of putting great emphasis on moving, we should instead promote "two-stronghold life". In short, we should first let people know the place, enter the place, and become "people who have something to do with the place."

Mackerel City, Fukui Prefecture, save the tedious conditions, come to Fukui "loosely move"! In 2015, mackerel City, Fukui Prefecture, launched the "experience relocation cause-loose relocation" program, and the municipal government provided rent-free space for two 3LDK families (three bedrooms and two living rooms) to recruit people who want to move and experience rural life. The reason why it is called "loose relocation" is that, unlike previous relocation promotion programs, it does not require participants to work in local enterprises, engage in local agricultural work, or start a business within the time limit. what's more, there are no workshops for members to brainstorm constantly, move loosely and keep all kinds of barriers to a minimum, so that program participants only need to come to the local area to experience life first. It doesn't matter if you don't have any purpose.

Unfortunately, this loose relocation program ended after only one session, but interestingly, this session did not become an absolute success, because one of the six members who later moved to the mackerel River, Mori Yigui, began in 2018. A folk version of "loose relocation" has been co-organized with rural migrants from all over Japan.

The loose relocation run by mackerel City, Fukui Prefecture in 2015 (source: Fukui "loose relocation") after Fukui's "loose relocation", there was a big turn in his life after graduating from the University of Tokyo, the number one university in Japan, once worked in a consulting firm, and had a beautiful resume. During the six months of the transfer, he came to Fukui to participate in the loose relocation program. Originally, the internal definition of the next job has been decided; originally, I just wanted to take a break during the window of the job change; originally, after the loose relocation plan, I had to return to the usual track in Tokyo, but once I came to mackerel River, the plan couldn't catch up with the change.

At that time, there were 17 loosely planned migrants, all of whom had a wonderful history, including former baseball players, freelancers who used to be dessert chefs, and migrant workers who took daily jobs and saved money to travel abroad, and so on. Mori Yigui was deeply affected by the diversity of job definition and practice. In the process of eating, drinking and chatting together every day, Mori Yigui realized that "working under a certain 'belonging' may not be the right solution."if there is something you want to do, it is OK to start it yourself."

Later, Mori Ichigui quit his job in Tokyo and actually moved to mackerel. Here, he worked with TSUGI, a local designer firm, to plan a large-scale process experience event "RENEW", and also tried to assist the local industry with design work, and became a member of the local regional revitalization team in 2018.

Mori Yigui. In the past two years, as a member of the Regional Revitalization Cooperation team, he served as the co-ordinator of the mackerel River large-scale craft experience activity "RENEW". If the municipal government stops the "loose relocation", then plan it yourself! In 2018, Mori Ichigui came up with the idea of "wanting to create a society where people can choose to live more freely" on social software. Through the Internet and introducing friends, he met several friends who shared the same feelings and wanted to join the program together. So everyone provided their own accommodation, so "without authorization" started the first folk version of the loose relocation program with locations all over Japan.

"isn't it common in the countryside that your house is too big and there are rooms available?" so this plan can also be said to connect these empty rooms, some of which are the homes of individual members of the Regional Revitalization Cooperation team. some are vacant houses provided by relocation promotion groups that manage abandoned vacant houses in sparse areas.

From October to the end of March, from October to the end of March, the shortest day to the longest half a year, there is no date, no time limit, no critical KPI, so there is no compulsory workshop or exchange conditions, but the same organizers only prepare space and furniture. In short, it is a free, but at the same time loose can no longer be loose, can no longer be random to move to the experience program.

Asked about Mori Yigui's desire to host a relaxed emigration, he said that "moving" has become very popular in recent years, but the characteristics of each place are always constant. "Ah, we have rich nature, delicious cuisine, and warm human feelings here." It is said everywhere that for a person who chooses to move to a place, it is meaningless and difficult to choose, "but if there is a place to live at a lower cost, try it, and then make friends with local friends, maybe you can also find possible job opportunities." in this way, the moving image may not be clearer and more realistic.

Loose relocation plan in 2019