So your career began with sales at Recruit Co.
Yes, I was completely capitalism-driven, and I was doing a lot of sales.
Was there a turning point from which your values changed?
The birth of my child was a big factor: I gave birth to my child in January 2011, and the March earthquake happened right after that. I was on maternity leave, but I received a message on my cell phone from the company saying, "How much more time do we have to reach our goal? But on the other hand, I was witnessing the birth of a life, and numbers had nothing to do with it.
Indeed, the site of childbirth is a place where one is confronted with the very essence of life, isn't it?
That's right. I didn't know what was going to happen, but the obstetricians and midwives really had their balls. When I saw that, I thought, "Oh, there is a different world out there. That's when I started to feel that I wanted to leave a good future behind, and I remembered my original experiences as a child - playing in the mud, catching insects, and that kind of "pure, unappreciated play. Harappa University Chiba Branch,“ which began as an attempt to create such a place, has now changed its name to ”Jibun Tabi,“ which means ”a journey of self-discovery.
Information and nature, which seem to be completely different, have something in common?
That's right. For example, in the mountains, you don't just say, "I took the first step because my mother told me to," but you check for safety yourself and take that step on your own. I think that is very important. It is the same with information: don't just believe what someone else tells you, but think for yourself. I have always wanted to nurture people who can do that.
What exactly does your current activity look like?
I am currently engaged in human resource development through "play" utilizing the old private house where I was born and raised and the waterfront area called Inba-numa. This activity includes an element of community development in cooperation with the local people.
What was the environment like in your family?
My family was the kind of house where people were always coming and going. My grandfather was a farmer and my father was a part-time farmer. When it was time for rice planting and harvesting, relatives and neighbors came to help us, and it was normal to have all kinds of people in the house.
So you lived in a place where there was always a presence of people.
That's right. My grandfather's friends would often come and have drinks with us after work. My family of seven consisted of my three siblings, my parents, and my grandfather and aunt, but I also had an aunt who helped me in the fields, and I spent time with a truly diverse group of people.
Do you think that kind of environment has influenced your current activities?
I think it has a great influence on me. Life is not chaos, but it is always chaos. That's why it's interesting, and I think it's very important to be involved not only with people who share your senses, but also with completely different types of people.
The ability to be exposed to such diverse values is important even as an adult.
When I was a child, I would do the same thing and one uncle would laugh at me, but another would be extremely angry with me (laughs). I think I naturally learned from such experiences that there is more than one answer.
You are conscious of "meeting various adults" in your current activities, aren't you?
Exactly. For example, recently, an old man who is good at making bows and arrows came and taught the children how to make them. They say, "Mr. Yoshida, you're amazing! and some of the children even became his apprentices (laughs). (Laughs.) Various adults are naturally involved, such as an uncle who makes paper airplanes and a neighbor lady who gives us vegetables. The children also learn firsthand that adults are not only their parents and teachers.
I think that adults are also beginning to feel the meaning and value of "interacting with children.
That's right. Contact with children is not only a healing experience, but also something that moves something inside of me. Therefore, I think it is most natural to have a mix of different generations, not just adults or children.
Could you tell us a little more about the "self-travel" that you are currently working on?
Although "self-travel" is still something I am exploring, the most important thing for me is to nurture people who can make decisions. Not the kind of decision that solves some big problem, but the "power to decide" to take a step forward or make a decision and take action on your own in your daily life.
What kind of experiences help develop this ability to "make decisions"?
I believe that this requires a variety of experiences, including both successes and failures. Parents may feel that they have to raise their children to be good or to excel, but I tell them to relax and take it easy.
So that leads you to talk about "updating the OS".
Yes. Among our staff, we call it "a place to update your OS. When people come to us with a problem, we don't necessarily dig deep to listen to what they have to say, but we aim to create a place where they can naturally relax and feel a little better, and as a result, "something might have changed".
What kind of children come there?
I get the impression that many of the children have a lot of energy. Many families, especially those living in Tokyo, feel that there are no places to go and play or that it is difficult to play outside, so they come here to run as fast as they can and get muddy.
If you have been doing this since the time of the original college, do the children who came grow up and come back?
Yes, there are. Some of the kids who have been coming since the early days of Hara Banda University are now staffing the summer camps, and some of the junior high school students have told me that they want to join the staff when they reach high school. I am very happy to see the relationships that have developed over time.
That's a very good cycle. Are there any issues that you can see now?
After all, it is "monetization. That is the most realistic issue. But even when talking about money, it is important to think from the perspective of "how to circulate this value" rather than "how to earn money. That doesn't necessarily mean money, and I'm thinking about that a lot right now.
What about a place that is not only "for the children"?
What we want to create is not a "place for children" but a "place for society. So, the ideal is to have a mix of people, including small children, elderly people, and people from all walks of life, regardless of their family relationships.
How to involve older people is certainly a major theme.
Now, participants are bringing their acquaintances and neighbors, and the "generation that can move" is becoming somewhat of a good fit. However, how to create a comfortable place for those who are a little less physically fit - for example, those in their 70s and older - is an issue that will have to be addressed in the future.
Is there a need for a place like a "porch" as well?
Most of our activities are outdoors now, so I think we need to value more spaces where we can sit down and have a conversation, such as a porch or a shed, which are spaces between inside and outside.──
What kind of future do you see when there are more people who can make decisions?
I think there will be more people who can move on their own. Nowadays, there are many people who are motivated by "because someone else said so" or "because the company says so. I don't blame them for that, but it would be more interesting if more people could act based on their own sense of "what I want to do.
I hear that the number of participants from overseas is increasing, but even if they don't speak the same language, they can still connect with each other through play.
It really is. Even if you don't speak the same language, if you laugh together and make something together, you can quickly become friends. I want children to have that kind of experience, and I think it is very important for them to feel that they know people from this country.
When it is not just a "foreign country" but a "place where someone you know exists," your sense of distance changes dramatically. So, I would like to make it a place to nurture that kind of feeling.
You mentioned that you want to create a place where people can live until the end, including the elderly.
Ultimately, I want to create a place like a "hospice. However, we do not want it to be a place for death, but rather a place where people can live their lives to the end in their own way. We want to create a place where people can live their lives as they wish, with roles and responsibilities.
Does it look a bit different from the service you have now?
We don't want to be a so-called "hospitality day care" or anything like that, we want to be a place where we do things together. For example, "I want to make dried plums. Can you watch the fire?" We want to do something while everyone is involved in it. It is very important to have a place where everyone has a role to play.
I heard that you are working in the Inwanuma area.
Yes, yes. Inba Marsh is actually said to be the second dirtiest swamp in Japan, but it is surprisingly clean. We are also working with the government to hold an event called the "Cardboard Raft Cup. We make rafts out of cardboard and race them, and both adults and children get together and have fun while also making mistakes.
It is very important to "try it out" first. I think that kind of experience is really necessary for today's children.
There are not many experiences of actually going into the water nowadays.
Yes, it is. Our generation was told "don't go in the swamp because it's dirty" or "the waterfront is dangerous," but when you actually go in, you find that there are fish, crawfish, and it's not that dirty. But when I actually went in, I found that there were fish, crayfish, and it wasn't that dirty. And that led some families to buy SUPs and play together again. I think it's great that the waterfront is becoming more familiar to people.
Nowadays, there is so much information out there that many people find it difficult to take the first step. However, by actually putting their feet in the water, they will be able to sense for themselves whether something is "safe" or "dangerous. I believe that nurturing these senses is one of the values of playing in nature.
Such realistic experiences are necessary for both children and adults.
That's right. Try it, get absorbed in it, and when you realize you are having fun, that's where you learn. I would like to continue to increase such opportunities.
We are currently working on a place where children can move around freely, and while it may look like a jump, it is actually a connection. Everything in life, from birth to death, is connected, and somewhere along the way, there is an "end. But I want to support people to see it, be involved in it, and live their lives with satisfaction.
Is it more like "working together" rather than providing a service?
Yes, that is very important. For example, instead of saying, "Dinner is ready," I want to say, "Let's cook together," or "Can you watch the fire for a minute? I want them to be involved in the process. A place where people have a role to play. I want a place where older people can feel that they are part of the space, not just a guest.
It is like "co-operative work.
That's exactly what it is. Making things together, making mistakes together, and rejoicing together. I hope that through such things, children, adults, and the elderly can experience "living one's own life to the end.
I feel that having a role is very respectful to human beings.
I believe that the feeling of being "useful" is what makes us feel alive. So don't just say, "Please stay," but ask, "Will you stay here and watch the fire with me?" It's important to ask them to do so. That is important.
I was thinking about what you just said, but the place you are trying to create is not a "finished product" from the beginning, is it?
Not at all. In fact, I don't even want to complete it. I want to do things a little bit at a time, leaving some blank space. The flow of the event will change depending on the atmosphere of the place and the relationships that the participants make at that time. I would like to work with people who can enjoy that.
It could be said that it is not reproducible, but that is why it is so meaningful.
That's right (laughs). It's not reproducible, but I think it's a very essential time for the people involved. All we provide is just "a reason to be here" and "room to get involved.
That's all I have to say, and I think the rest will be made up by the people there.
Nowadays, it is difficult to exist without a reason, isn't it?
So I would like to reevaluate the value of "just being together" more. And I want to convey that to my children. It doesn't have to be about "doing something" or "producing results," but about being thankful that you are there.
That sense is probably necessary in the place where life ends, isn't it?
Exactly. So, "a place to live until the end" is connected to a playground.
I want people to be able to experience "live and die properly" at any point in their lives.
It is my dream now to create that together.
However, nursing care and end-of-life care tend to be divided into "those who take care of you" and "those who are taken care of," don't they?
That's right. But I think people want to be on the "giving side" until the very end.
Even a single word or a small expression can be a support or a lesson to someone. That is why I would like to create a place where people can "be themselves to the end," "relate to others," and "feel alive.
It is connected to the playground and the ground, isn't it?
A place for children to play and a place for the elderly to spend their final days may seem completely different, but in fact, they are essentially the same. They are about "making your own decisions," "being involved," and "having a role to play.
A place where you can be there "as a person," not as an age or condition.
So you are not doing this as a "service" but rather as a "relationship.
It is only a matter of "living together".
We are still trying to figure out how to give shape to this idea. If such "places" are created in various places, I think the world will probably change a little.
A society where "working together" is the norm, rather than "paying" people to do things for you.
That would be ideal.
I want them to be "people who can choose" rather than "people who give the right answer.
I think life is much more about "keeping choosing" than the right answer.
In order to make a choice, you need to have a clear view of your "present self" and you need to have experience.
It's all of those things, including playing, making mistakes, and getting involved with other people.
What kind of world do you hope will unfold after you continue your current activities for 10 or 20 years?
I hope everyone can breathe a little easier than they do now.
I wish there were more people who have found what is "just right" for them, not someone else's "ideal way of life.
Also, it would be nice if "comparing myself to others" could be reduced, even if only a little.
When you play with bugs, swamps, and things like that, it doesn't really matter how you compare to others (laughs).
So, I hope to continue to provide a place where people can realize that "human beings are part of nature" in a relaxed manner.