Session ⁄ Event

Event Report

All of the students of Shonai Comprehensive High School came to attend the event! The talk session featured a lineup of the town's active community members, and they reflected on what Shonai Town means to them.

The second regional forum of the "YAMAGATA Youth Summit 2024" was held in Shonai Town on October 24th. The theme of the forum was "Rice Culture Born from the Kitadate Weir Promoting Shonai Town, the Land of Delicious Rice." Shonai Town is recognized as the birthplace of the rice variety "Kamenoo", which is responsible for the "Tsuyahime" and "Yukiwakamaru" strains. Since the Meiji period, these strains have been considered among the best of Japan's many kind of rice. Shonai Town is also home to the Kitadate Great Weir, which is recognized as a World Irrigation Heritage Site. A diverse group of participants, including young farmers, high school students, members of the Community-Reactivating Cooperator Squad, and an American assistant English teacher, exchanged thoughts and ideas on how to promote the town's assets.

The session highlighted the untapped potential of agriculture and innovative ideas like turning Shonai Town into a unique rice theme park. This concept was shared alongside stories of winning the Furusato CM Grand Prix and of the enduring appeal of Shonai Town that captivated a cooperation worker originally from Okinawa. Discussions also touched on the spreading use of rice in light of the keyword "gluten-free" which is gaining increasing popularity in the West.
The session concluded by emphasizing that many of Shonai's attractions remain unknown even to local residents. It is crucial for the community to recognize these hidden values to help foster a domino effect that will help them get shared more widely.

Mr.Tamakoshi said he was surprised to learn the deep history and legends of Minamoto no Yoshitsune and Matsuo Basho when he first came to the town. Now, as a guide, he is "passing on the surprises" to visitors.

The three students from Shonai Comprehensive High School said that an easy-to-understand short video like the commercial they produced introducing their town is an effective way to promote the attractions of Shonai Town.

Mr.Sato said that he recommends farming as a career for those who want to have a sense of balance with their time. He mentioned the appeal of being able to go abroad during the off-season and managing one's own schedule.

Ms.Ikei is trying to maximize the town's appeal through product development. Her efforts are based on a strong desire to preserve agriculture and the town's beautiful rice paddies.

"In spring, when the rice paddies are filled with water and reflect the sky like a mirror, the scenery is truly spectacular,” said Ms.Heiny. With gluten-free as a keyword, she spoke about the attractiveness and possibilities of rice from a foreigner's perspective.

Regional Forum

Speakers

• 
  Panelist

  Shonai Town Community-Reactivating Cooperator Squad (Historia Curator)

  Hiroshi Tamakoshi

  Born in 1975 in Himeji City, Hyogo Prefecture, Hiroshi Tamakoshi began his career at a local travel agency after graduating from vocational school. He worked in various roles, including tour operator, tour planner, and group holiday sales, before transitioning to an agency specializing in international travel. Currently, he handles international airline ticketing, marketing, and website management.
  With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Tamakoshi shifted to working at the front desk of a business hotel in 2019. In December 2021, he joined the Shonai Town Community-Reactivating Cooperator Squad. As Historia Curator, he collaborates with local residents to revitalize the community through its history and cultural heritage. At Kiyokawa Historical Park, he is involved in planning and running events such as history lectures to promote the historical village. He also guided a walking tour of Shonai's Kitadate Weir in July.
  In addition to his various roles, Tamakoshi holds a beginner-level Gassan Meister certificate, demonstrating his knowledge of the local Mount Gassan, and is an active member of the Kiyokawa Tourist Guide Association.

• 
  Panelist

  Shonai Comprehensive High School 3rd Year Students

  Yui Yokose , Yuzuki Sato , Rino Suzuki

  Shonai Comprehensive High School has been challenging its students to submit original video works for the Yamagata Hometown CM Awards since 2022 in order to promote the town's local charm and attractions. Last year, the school focused on the story of the legendary Kappa and the origin of the town's delicious rice to promote the food of Shonai Town. As a result, they won the Grand Prix, marking the first time for Shonai Town to be awarded this prize. In order to deepen their connection with the local community, every year, students use time in class and after school to interact with the local people and are actively involved in activities to promote Shonai Town.

• 
  Panelist

  Representative of UMAIMON Co./Owner of MOKKEHOUSE

  Yuta Sato

  Born in 1993 in the former town of Amarume (now incorporated into Shonai Town), Yuta Sato became captivated by the charm of the Shonai region during his time as a prep student at a local cram school. This inspiration led him to dream of revitalizing the area through agriculture. After graduating from the Department of Agriculture at Yamagata University, he took over the family farm from his grandfather in 2019 and has been farming for six years.
  Drawing on his experiences from participating in the "Ship for World Youth" program and his backpacking adventures, he renovated an old house to open a guesthouse called "MOKKEHOUSE." In addition to managing approximately 30 hectares of diverse agricultural operations, including rice, soybeans, and various flowers and vegetables, he accommodates around 200 guests annually from both Japan and abroad.
  Currently, he is also working as an accomodation host for a nursery school study abroad program and hopes to contribute to increasing the number of people interacting with the town and revitalizing the local economy by utilizng his own experiences in child-rearing. He is also a registered Yamagata Prefecture Youth Supporter, a member of the local volunteer fire department, a member of the JA Youth Association, and participates in the Junior Chamber (JC).

• 
  Panelist

  Shonai Town New Industry Development Council
  Sixth Sector Industrialization Promotion Officer

  Maiko Ikei

  Maiko Ikei, born in Okinawa in 1987, moved to Shonai Town in 2018 as part of the Community-Reactivating Cooperator Squad, choosing to stay in Shonai even after her term ended. She currently manages two shared-use processing facilities in the town and supports product development aimed at achieving sixth-sector industrialization. Ikei also oversees PR for the "Yamagata Shonai Kame-Kome Project" which Shonai Town launched in 2022. In this role, she receives branding guidance from experts and collaborates with local businesses on product development, working to promote Shonai Town as the birthplace of the delicious Kame no O strain of rice.

• 
  Panelist

  Shonai Town Board of Education Assistant Language Teacher (ALT)

  Sara Michiko Heiny

  Sara Michiko Heiny is a Japanese-American born in the U.S. who first visited Japan around the age of 10 to meet relatives. As a 2017 graduate of Barnard College at Columbia University, she participated in the Mentor/Protégé Program for Japanese instruments in Tokyo. After returning to the U.S., she lived in New York City for four years, working for a global advertising firm while studying Japanese on her own. Since October 2021, she has been working for the Shonai Town Board of Education as an Assistant Language Teacher (ALT) through the JET Programme. Her hobbies include taiko drumming, hiking, and cooking.

Facilitator Ken Miura Branding Producer at Brand new day Inc.

Born in Yamagata in 1993, Ken Miura graduated from Nihon University Yamagata Senior High School before studying abroad at the University of Washington in the United States. After initially consulting for sole proprietors, he shifted to working in brand strategy development for corporations. Currently, he focuses on helping small and medium-sized enterprises craft their missions and visions to uncover and articulate their unique values. His services encompass a broad range of areas, including websites, advertisements, new business development, and recruitment, all aimed at delivering a comprehensive brand strategy that fosters a strong internal company philosophy and reflects the core values of the companies he works with.

Host Naoko Inoue

Born in Yonezawa City, Yamagata Prefecture, and raised in Kawanishi Town, Naoko Inoue is currently a proud resident of Nagai City. During her time as a student at Kunori Gakuen Girl's High School in Yonezawa, she transferred to Glendora High School in California, USA, in 1991 before going on to study at California's very own Citrus College. In 1998, she returned to Japan after working at a travel agency in LA and trying her hand at the media talent industry.
Naoko has worn many hats over the years: Radio DJ, commercial narrator, lounge DJ, bilingual English and Japanese event MC, a TV reporter for YBC Yamagata Broadcasting, TUY, and SAY Sakurambo TV, magazine model (Bi Story), interpreter, and to top it all off, she is currently active as a preschool English teacher as well as performing as one of the Yamagata Maiko. In addition, she is one of the instructors of the Yamagata Prefectural Board of Education's "Learn from Professionals" program.