A recently sealed agreement with Oita Prefecture marks a pivotal moment in our Community Project. The deal agreed is to revive and maintain prefectural government land in the neighbourhood of our Community Project. The plot is only two tan (approximately one-fifth of a hectare or about half an acre) but the significance of the deal is much larger in Japan, and especially rural Japan, where the bureaucracy has been at the core of society since the Edo Period (1603 - 1868). The significance is all the greater given that the Prefecture made the agreement with a non-Japanese person, myself.
It has been some while since we last made an entry in this blog over eight months ago. However, it was not for lack of things to write about, just a lack of time and a smidgen of procrastination on my part. The agreement mentioned above was only the latest development in our Project. Since our last post we have: made good progress in rebuilding a farmhouse as family accommodation;
Are developing a relationship with a local farming co-operative to pool our resources and assist each other in farming land that we both own; have been bringing more schools to Kunisaki to explore the peninsula and work on the Project; obtained another run-down house - one that featured in a past blog - for development as a secondary office and residential space;
In early discussions for the redevelopment of the site of a redundant local school as a facility combining small businesses, educational spaces and accommodation; brought in our first harvest of rice and planted winter wheat;
Have successfully brought our first group of Japanese, including top architects and designers, from Tokyo to visit Kunisaki and the Project; made a significant contribution to the labours of local farmers in coppicing Japanese oak trees and processing them for shiitake mushroom production;
Completed an extension to Koumori-tei and, in our office’s grounds, the final stone retaining wall is beginning to take shape.
We have also been receiving enquiries from individuals who wish to participate in the Project. If you would like to join in please contact us.
We will also try make posts on a more regular basis!
