Toba Nakamachi" is a place where migrants and local residents interact to create new values.
We enjoyed a two-day and one-night work vacation based in this somewhat familiar, yet freshly surprising and fun region.
Recommendations
・The entire town is supporting them. I can come into contact with such a system and people.
・While preserving good old-fashioned things, the company is also promoting new initiatives, which is stimulating from various angles.
・The area around the station is also home to famous tourist attractions, making for a pleasant change of pace.
Manmaru Onigiri store opened by an immigrant from Tokyo
Usagi no Shippo is an onigiri (rice ball) café located a five-minute walk from Nakanogo Station in Toba City.
Since we have time to check in at the hotel, we will have lunch here first.
Ordered the "mini lunch set."
It features kawaii rice balls that are round and cute like rabbit tails, available in several varieties.
I was very satisfied with all of the food, including the pumpkin rice balls and the salad with persimmons.
Usagi no Shippo" is a restaurant opened by Hajime Sato, who came to Toba as a member of the Regional Development Cooperation Volunteers after his term as a member of the Regional Development Cooperation Volunteers ended.
Mr. Sato originally worked as a video production worker in Tokyo, but came to Toba as a member of the Regional Development Cooperation Volunteers and was touched by the warmth of the local people, and decided to open a business here.
"Usagi no Shippo" is also the office of the video production company "Tower of Ience," where you can listen to their stories about video production while eating a delicious onigiri lunch.
Co-working space "KUBOKURI" and Mr. Hamachi
After filling my stomach with an onigiri lunch, I went to work at KUBOKURI, a cafe and coworking space just a two-minute walk away. This will be the base for this workcation in Toba.
Power and Wi-Fi are available, making it ideal for remote work. The fee is reasonable at 500 yen per day.
While working at KUBOKURI, I met Yuichiro Hamachi, one of the key people of "Toba Nakamachi.
Mr. Hamachi is involved in various community development projects, including web writing, in order to promote the good qualities of the region within and outside the prefecture.
Mr. Hamachi was stopping by various stores in the area that day, so after a short discussion about community development, we moved together to "Waraiya," a two-minute walk from the restaurant.
I bought "Hormone Miso Yakisoba" instead of a snack at Waraiya. It comes with a side of miso. It was lighter than it looks and very tasty.
After that, I returned to KUBOKURI once again to exchange views with Mr. Hamachi about town planning.
Senboukaku, an accommodation facility overlooking Toba Bay
We then took a cab to Senpokaku, where we stayed a night.
Senpokaku is located overlooking Toba Bay, selected as one of the Toba Ten Sceneries, and offers abundant seafood dishes and natural hot springs.
Also, walking up a gentle slope from the hotel, you will find "Medaka no Gakko (School for Medaka)," a park full of nature created in the hope of "preserving a clean natural environment where medaka can live," where you can enjoy a footbath and other activities.
After arriving at Senpokaku, we first started our scheduled online meeting. The spacious room and Wi-Fi environment made it possible for us to participate in the meeting without stress.
I can see Toba Bay from my room, so it is great to be able to work while looking out over the beautiful scenery.
Work ended at 10:00 p.m., and I took a relaxing moment to reflect on the day's events over a hot spring bath and a drink I had bought at a convenience store.
It is nice to know that you can enter the observatory bathhouse overlooking the city of Toba until 24:00, and the garden open-air bath where you can soak in nature until 23:00.
Since we returned to the inn late that day, we were not able to have dinner at the hotel, but we hope everyone will enjoy the fresh and delicious seafood when staying at Senpokaku.
Bicycle sightseeing by renting a bicycle
On the second day, check out of the hotel a little early and board a bus from the hotel to "JR Toba Station.
Buses run every 20 minutes from 8:00 to 10:20.
After arriving at JR Toba Station, head for Toba Ichibangai, located right in front of the station.
On the first floor is the Toba Ichiban Tabi Concierge, where visitors can store their baggage and rent bicycles. Regular bicycles can be rented until 16:30 (until 16:00 from December to February) for 600 yen per day. Electric bicycles are available for 1,000 yen per day.
We were able to keep our luggage and borrow a regular bicycle.
Since there was no urgent work to be done that morning, I rented a bicycle and wandered around town.
While seeing the ocean and stopping by the Toba Aquarium, we continued on to KUBOKURI, our base of operations for the afternoon.
Toba Oshoya Kadoya, where you can see valuable materials dating back to the Edo period.
From Toba Ichibangai, it takes about 5 to 6 minutes by bicycle to reach KUBOKURI. Before starting your afternoon work, visit "Toba Oshoya Kadoya" near KUBOKURI to touch precious items that have been preserved since the Edo period to refine your senses.
Kadoya" is the residence of the Hirono family, the most wealthy family in Toba and headman of the Edo period.
In 2004, the Hirono family donated the house to Toba City. In 2006, the main building, gutters, and storehouse were registered as a Tangible Cultural Property of Japan. Subsequently, repair work was conducted from 2010 to 2012, and the house was restored to its appearance in old photographs from the Meiji period.
As the sixth generation of the family founded a drug store in the late Edo period, many tools and other items related to medicine can be seen.
Valuable stained glass, tableware, and materials from the Meiji era.
Visitors can see a number of truly valuable items, including an old organ and the parts used in it, as well as a Meiji-era toilet.
On this day, Katsuko Hirono (right photo) gave us a detailed tour for almost an hour.
I enjoyed listening to the stories so much that I wanted to hear more, and I learned a lot about the stylistic and functional beauty unique to that era.
Exquisite! Champon, coffee and Mr. Hamaguchi
Leaving Kadoya, we moved to KUBOKURI, our base of operations.
At KUBOKURI, a seasonal chanpon and seared mackerel sushi restaurant called "Hanashimizu" is open from Wednesday to Saturday, where you can have lunch.
I ordered the Toba Champon.
Toba is all about oysters. Oysters, shrimp, meat and vegetables.
It is no exaggeration to say that this was the best chanpon I have ever tasted.
Hanashimizu is run by a couple. They originally ran a kappo restaurant in Osaka, but moved to Toba as a second life to spend time fishing and looking at the sea.
Work at your own pace and without strain. In Toba, such a style of immigration is being proposed, and we met Kazumi Hamaguchi of NAKAMACHI LLC, a leader in this field, at KUBOKURI to hear a little about it.
After retiring from an IT-related company, Hamaguchi attended the Toba Nakamachi Conference, which was triggered by the "Kadoya" mentioned earlier. After that, he invested in a joint venture "NAKAMACHI" with five other volunteers in order to revitalize the town as a whole.
In cooperation with the section in charge at Toba City Hall, which focuses on immigration, we support a wide variety of people and systems, including those who want to immigrate, those who are worried about immigration, those who accept immigration and settlement tours, and those who want to create jobs in the community.
The "Hanashimizu" mentioned above also consulted with Hamaguchi and came to its current business style.
When I am at KUBOKURI, I can meet key people of "Toba Nakamachi" and I am really inspired.
After being inspired by Ms. Hamaguchi's talk, we will work over coffee at KUBOKURI, which becomes a cafe as "N3Coffee" only on Wednesdays and Thursdays.
The master of the cafe is Ms. Naomi Tamada. She loves "Nakamura Coffee," a home-roasted coffee bean store in Ise City, and brews coffee using their special beans. When she is not working at the cafe, she runs an esthetic salon.
Do what you want to do. Work in a way that suits your life. This is exactly how "Toba Nakamachi" works.
At KUBOKURI, where a diverse range of people come and go, people meet each other in a way they would not in a regular cafe or coffee shop.
Souvenirs. Oysters in olive oil and oyster soy sauce
After working for about two hours, I stopped by "Kaido Kobo Uotora" to buy some souvenirs.
The shop sells smoked oysters and fish sauce made from "Uramura Oysters" produced in Uramura, Toba City. In particular, "oysters marinated in olive oil" is a popular product, and you may not be able to buy it even if you visit the store.
The owner, Mr. Sugita, is currently taking on the challenge of making a new fish soy sauce. The second floor of the store has been converted into a co-working space, with a projector and screen in addition to tables and chairs.
"Toba Nakamachi" was worked on so that work could be done everywhere in the city.
After purchasing souvenirs, we returned to Ichibancho, returned our bicycles, and headed home.
We enjoyed "Toba Nakamachi" as a city exploration type workcation. It was a very brain-stimulating one night and two days, as we got hints for immigration and came in contact with the interesting way the whole community is working on revitalization.
An example of how to spend your time
Day 1
12:00 Arrive at Nakanogo Station, Toba City
12:30 Lunch at Usagi no Shippo
13:30 Work at co-working space "KUBOKURI
15:00 Check in at "Senboukaku". Online meetings and paperwork
18:30 Go out for business meeting
22:00 Return to hotel. Take a bath
23:30 Go to bed
Day 2
8:00 Breakfast
9:30 Check out. Travel by bus
10:00 Rent bicycles at "Toba Ichibangai
10:30 Touch the good old things at "Kadoya"
12:00 Lunch at "Hanashimizu"
13:00 Work on paperwork over coffee at N3Coffee
15:00 Purchase souvenirs at Uotora
15:30 End of workday
Facilities
Usagi no Shippo
4-4-4 Toba, Toba, Mie 517-0011, Japan
KUBOKURI
3-30-27, Toba 3-chome, Toba, Mie 517-0011, Japan
Waraiya
4-4-7, Toba 4-chome, Toba, Mie 517-0011, Japan
Senpokaku
2-12-24 Toba, Toba City, Mie Prefecture 517-0011
Toba Ichibangai
1-2383-13 Toba, Toba, Mie 517-0011, Japan
Toba Daishoya "Kadoya"
3-24, Toba 4-chome, Toba, Mie 517-0011, Japan
Hanashimizu
3-30-27 Toba, Toba City, Mie Prefecture 517-0011
N3Coffee
3-30-27 Toba, Toba, Mie 517-0011, Japan
Kaito Kobo "Uotora"
4-5-1 Toba, Toba City, Mie Prefecture 517-0011