40 minutes from Nagoya, you can experience the countryside in Okazaki City. The program "Mochitsuki Tour" will be held on January 13! on January 13, 2012!

Okazaki Business Support Center (Director: Mai Takashima, Okazaki City, Aichi Prefecture, a.k.a. Okabiz) is supporting Sayo Matsuda (Okazaki City), who is working as a member of the Regional Development Cooperation Team, to start a rural experience program called "Nuka Trip". As the first step of the program, a "Mochi Pounding Tour" will be held on January 13. The first of these tours will be a "Mochi Pounding Tour" on January 13.

Nukatrip "Mochi Pounding Tour

Nukatrip" is a project to increase the number of people who make "Nukata" their second home, as Matsuda has uncovered many charms of Nukata in response to the needs of people in Okazaki, Nagoya, and other urban areas who want to experience the countryside. The event is scheduled to be held four times a year. We will explore the possibilities of business in Nukata after the next fiscal year, when the term of office of the Regional Development Cooperation Volunteers will end.

■Background of Project Development

Three years ago, I was interested in the region and attended an online seminar on regional issues. Okazaki happened to be featured in the fieldwork for that seminar. I was very struck by the fact that the local people I met there could talk a lot about the region, and I wanted to hear more about the people in this area. As I met more people from the region and met people who were working on forestry and other local initiatives, I was shocked to see how many people were thinking about the region, and I began to feel that it would be interesting if I could do various things here as well. It was during this time that I came across an application for the "Regional Development Cooperation Corps.

I have been working as a member of the Regional Development Cooperation Volunteers for two years.

At first, I had a hard time adjusting to the community. Even though it was difficult to meet people due to the Corona Disaster itself, I participated in local events, cleanup activities, and other gatherings whenever there was one, and as I accumulated local activities, I was able to encounter many things I had never known before, rare experiences that only local people could participate in, and customs that I had heard used to exist. And above all, I have met people who really care a lot about the community. There is no other region that is so interesting and so attractive. That is how I felt.

The main work of the Regional Development Cooperation Volunteers is to send out information on SNS.

I have been trying to communicate what I have seen in my daily life, such as the beautiful scenery of the countryside, food, and events, so that people can understand what kind of place Nukata is, and feel the charm of the area as much as possible.

Now transmitting the charms of Nukata

Two years of activities have passed, and now we are entering our third year. My desire to have people encounter, touch, and feel more of the charms that are so plentiful in my mind is growing stronger every day. Where should I start, and who should be the first to experience them? In thinking about this, I have decided to start a program that will be held four times a year, as a first step to let people know about it, to make it interesting, and to feel what is interesting to them.

Program Outline

＜Mochi Tsuki Tour. > Mochi-tsuki (rice cake pounding) tour

In the old days, every household made rice cakes. Today, there is an increasing number of generations who have never seen or made rice cakes.

However, the custom still remains in Nukata.

Pounding with a pestle and mortar, and eating freshly made rice cakes. Making soybean flour from soybeans by yourself. Experience countryside life one by one.

Date: Saturday, January 13, 2024

Number of participants: Maximum 20 people (Minimum 6 people)

Location: Nakagane-cho, Okazaki City, Aichi Prefecture, Japan

　　　　　　　　　 40 minutes from Nagoya (nearest Shin Meishin "Okazaki Higashi IC")

　　　　　　　　　 Nearest bus: Meitetsu Bus "Futasebashi" stop

Participation fee: 5,500 yen (tax included)

Application/Inquiry: https://shattori611.wixsite.com/nuka-trip

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nukata.okoshi/

<Nuka Trip

Seasonal Satoyama living experience program.

This is a program for families to participate in as if they are going home to their grandmothers' house in the countryside.

Through the countryside experience, we will increase the number of memories that can be shared with the whole family by getting to know each member of the family.

▼ Cost

5,500 yen per person (tax included), annual package 19,800 yen (tax included)

Program Contents

Spring: Collecting mountain materials (gathering wild vegetables and interior materials)

Summer: Summer vacation in the mountains (playing in the river, catching trout, star gazing)

Autumn: Thanksgiving in the mountains (rice harvesting, making satoyama meals)

Winter: New Year in the mountains (making rice cakes)

Through experiencing the nature and people of Nukata, people from urban areas can learn about the richness of nature and the wisdom of daily life, and feel relaxed.

This is not a transient tourism, but a way to build a "comfortable community and relationship" through the daily lives of the local people without growing taller. We aim to "connect" with the community as a place to visit often, a place to return to, and a place to "increase memories".

Profile: Sayo Matsuda

Born in Inazawa City, she became Okazaki City's first "Regional Development Cooperation Team" in October 2009. Based in the Nukata area (former Kunda Town), she is discovering the charms of the region and is focusing on disseminating information through social networking sites (SNS) and other media.

Support from Okazaki Business Support Center

When the term of office of the Regional Development Cooperation Volunteers, who are responsible for the revitalization of the Nukuta area, was scheduled to end in the fall of 2024, Mr. Matsuda consulted with us about starting a business in Nukuta after his term of office ended. Mr. Matsuda was looking for a way to develop a business that would take advantage of the charms he had discovered in Nukata. We helped him take stock of the attractions and organize the added value of his business based on examples of "koto consumption. We also proposed targets and concepts and assisted in their design. We then suggested that they do some test marketing before the end of their term. We helped design and launch the pre-implementation of the program.

We would like to continue to help entrepreneurs start their businesses in Okazaki's "Okuoka," a backwater area of Okazaki City that the city is also putting a lot of effort into marketing.

Okabiz consultation 1

Okabiz consultation 2

■Okazaki Business Support Center

Established in 2013 by the City of Okazaki, this business consultation center for small and medium-sized businesses specializing in increasing sales has provided consultation services to approximately 3,800 companies and 24,500 cases over the past 10 years. The center is always full of appointments, which has earned it the reputation of being a "consultation center with a long line of clients.

URL: https://www.oka-biz.net/