This is a work plan in Matsusaka City where you can create new business ideas inspired by mountains, forests, and history, and also enjoy delicious meals. The plan originally calls for three nights and four days, but this time we condensed the experience into one night and two days.
A sustainable society based on trees
First, we arrive at Mokuichi Margo at 10:00. This is where we will be working until the evening. Mokuichi Marugo is a lumber mill located in Iitaka-cho, Matsusaka City. In addition to lumbering for temples, shrines, and temples, the company is involved in a variety of forest and mountain-related businesses, including the sale of single-plywood boards, the design and sale of small household items, and forest tourism.
There is a rental space in the store (gallery) that you can rent to work in.
Reservations are required for rental spaces.
The second floor is equipped with a projector for meetings and study sessions.
On both the first and second floors, you can work at stately desks surrounded by the good smell of wood in a quiet environment, which is sure to bring out ideas different from those in your usual office.
This workcation was not about enjoying sightseeing while working remotely, but rather a training-type workcation to learn and see how the content of the workcation could be connected to our daily work. First, Hitoshi Maekawa, sales manager of Mokuichi Marugo, gave us a tour of the sawmill.
The lineup includes carefully selected quality wood, both domestic and foreign, centered on hinoki cypress and cedar from Iitaka Town. Since I do not have the opportunity to set foot in a sawmill in my daily life, everything I saw was new to me. Here, Mr. Maekawa gave us a lecture on the environment surrounding mountains, forests, and forestry.
Afterwards, Mr. Maekawa guided us on a historical walk around the "Ise and Yamato Kokubun Legend Tour". The walking course is designed for a little over one hour of walking.
It was interesting to be able to study history while exercising, and more than that, to feel close to Mother Nature, combined with Maekawa's story that I heard at the sawmill, stimulated my brain and heart vigorously and gave me a lot of adrenaline.
Hitoshi Maekawa, sales manager of Mokuichi Marugo. He has a passion for mountains and forests. In order to revitalize the industry using trees and make the region sustainable, he is working not only with foresters and sawmills, but also with local people in the sea and rivers to set up new initiatives while respecting the essential nature of the forests.
One of these efforts is a workcation with forest tourism as its starting point.
Participants will actually go into the forest, learn about the current state of the mountains and forests, and think about what they can do in the forest. We would like to invite companies that deal with woodworking products, etc. to participate in this program.
Listening to Mr. Maekawa and other forestry professionals, we can get hints on what we can do at our own companies and how we can build partnerships with "Mokuichi Margo" to create products that are better for the society.
Refresh your mind and body with a canoeing experience
We will return to the "Mokuichi Margo" gallery at 12:00 pm and have lunch at "Road Station Iitaka-eki", a 3-minute drive away. After that, we will have a canoeing experience at 1:00 pm.
I will learn about canoeing from Mr. Satoru Ota, president of the "NPO i sierra". I am excited because it is my first time canoeing.
This canoeing experience is an outdoor program within the "Mokuichi Marugo" forest tourism program.
Although we did not experience it this time, there is also a program to eat gibier and other local foods on the river.
Mr. Satoru Ota is the representative of NPO i sierra. He started cycling when he was in high school, and during his college years, he belonged to a cycling club and traveled all over Japan by bicycle, including Shinshu, Hokkaido, Kyushu, Shikoku, and Tohoku.
After graduation, he went to the U.S. and cycled more than 20,000 km for over a year from Mexico to the southernmost tip of South America via Central America. After returning to Japan, he worked as a cram school teacher before becoming an employee of Mie Prefecture, from which he took early retirement and established an NPO. He also provides local children with opportunities to experience canoeing.
He also produces miso at Tottoki Miso LLC.
The only things we brought for the canoeing experience were boots and a raincoat. Canoes, paddles, and life jackets are available for rent. After being taught how to paddle, I managed to go in the direction I wanted to go after about 30 minutes of practice.
The weather was fine and there was no wind, so we were able to think about many things while relaxing on the canoe and looking at the sky in the space surrounded by nature. It was a special time that I could not experience in my daily life.
This time, I visited during the cold season, so I only experienced canoeing, but in summer, you can jump into the river and swim. You will wear a life jacket, so you do not need to worry.
We will return to "Mokuichi Margo" around 2:30 p.m. and after checking e-mails, etc., we will organize the information and ideas we have so far. From a moderately exercised body, a refreshed brain, and a lot of learning, this time of discussion is meaningful when two or more people come to workcation.
Sukiyaki workshop and city walk
Departing from "Mokuichi Margo" at 16:00, a 45-minute drive will take you to "Utsukushiya Higashimura Gofuku-ten," where you will be staying today. Utsukushiya Higashimura Gofuku-ten is a storehouse located in a kimono store that has been in business for about 100 years, and is open only to one guest per day.
The bedrooms are renovated from an old warehouse and can accommodate up to two people in basic accommodation. The stately Japanese modern style unique to the storehouse is wonderful.
There is also a room on the second floor, which can accommodate up to 4 people by laying out futons there. Please inquire for details.
We have a little time before the next experience, so we do some simple office work at the workspace inside Utsukushiya Higashimura Gofuku-ten. At that time, the owner, Ms. Higashimura, brewed me a cup of tea. It warms me up.
This workspace has a kitchen attached, so it is also rented out as a rental space with a kitchen, and is sometimes opened as a cafe.
Ms. Yoshiko Higashimura. She is a member of the Matsusaka City Council. She is also a member of "Miz Network Matsusaka," a community development organization, and struggles daily to increase the number of people who love Matsusaka. In 2018, she opened a store at the Japan Fest in New York to promote Japanese culture through kimonos.
He is well versed in Matsusaka's history and culture and has a broad face. If you want to learn about history and culture, the most effective way is to stay at "Utsukushiya" first and listen to what Mr. Higashimura has to say.
After a break from work, Higashimura-san and I decided to have a "sukiyaki workshop" for dinner today, so we went to Marunaka Honten, a 3-minute walk away, to buy meat.
Since Matsusaka beef is recommended, we purchase the meat recommended by Mr. Higashimura. Even on the short walk from our lodging to the meat shop, Mr. Higashimura taught us many things about street names and buildings.
It's time for the long-awaited Sukiyaki workshop. All ingredients except for the meat are provided by "Utsukushiya.
First, there is the example of Mr. Higashimura.
Place the meat directly on the pan specially designed for sukiyaki without oil. The fat of Matsusaka beef has a low melting point, so it melts out quickly.
Pour the beet sugar and soy sauce directly on the meat and turn it over when it starts to make a fizzling sound. Pour the beet sugar and soy sauce over the back side in the same way, and when it changes color, dip it in beaten raw egg and eat.
The rich, tender, melt-in-your-mouth meat flavor will soak into your tired body.
After eating one piece of meat, we cook the second piece ourselves. Remembering the seasoning from earlier, we cook the meat, adjusting the amount of sugar and soy sauce to our liking.
After the meat is finished, kombu dashi (kelp stock) and vegetables are thrown into the pot and simmered. The "sukiyaki workshop" is concluded by enjoying the vegetables and tofu that have absorbed the meat broth.
After dinner, we decided to go for a short walk as we were full, and headed for the ruins of Matsusaka Castle at night. The cherry blossoms were not in bloom yet, but I heard that they are beautifully illuminated during the cherry blossom season. This walk was also a luxurious time when Ms. Higashimura taught us about the history of the people and the town.
Learn to enjoy delicious food at Matsusaka Gourmet Tour
On the second day, after breakfast, I worked for about two hours in the workspace.
Afterwards, Ms. Higashimura took us on a "town walking gourmet tour.
While walking through the town and listening to Ms. Higashimura's explanation, we had sweets at "Tatsumido-Tsurunotama Honpo," a Japanese sweets shop that has been in business for over 100 years, listened to a story at "Yanagiya Bokuzen," a 450-year-old Japanese sweets shop, bought croquettes at "Marunaka Honten," a store where we bought beef, went into "Aiya Candy shop" a candy store that sells handmade candies, and ate fluffy Mitarashi dango at "Genpo Confectionary.
At the end of the tour, we had the famous "yakisoba" for lunch at Matsusaka's famous "Fujiya" restaurant. The fried noodles were topped with a Chinese noodle soup-based sauce, which was very light and easy to eat.
During this workcation, I was able to learn about mountains and forests, experience nature, and get to know the city, people, and culture. By stimulating all of our senses, we were able to learn deeply while having fun, and we were inspired with new ideas and motivation.
I decided on a 2-day/1-night plan, but I was hoping that companies trying to build a sustainable society would use it as a training-type workcation that would lead to in-depth learning and new business over a 4-day/4-night or 5-day/3-night period.
An example of how to spend your time
Day 1
10:00 Arrive at Mokuichi Margo
Hear a story and take a historical walk
12:00 Lunch at Road Station Iitaka-eki
13:00 Canoeing at "i sierra
14:30 Simple office work, etc.
16:00 Move on
16:45 Check in at "Utsukushiya Higashimura Gofuku-ten
Check e-mails and other work
17:30 Sukiyaki workshop
20:00 Night walk
21:00 Return to hotel
22:00 Go to bed
Day 2
7:00 Wake up
8:00 Breakfast
9:00 Check e-mails, prepare documents, etc.
11:00 Check out
Gourmet tour of the town
12:00 Lunch
13:00 Workday ends
Mokuichi Margo
107-1 Sakutaki, Iitaka-cho, Matsusaka-shi, Mie 515-1504
NPO i sierra
The meeting place for canoeing is
107-1 Sakutaki, Iitaka-cho, Matsusaka-shi, Mie 515-1504
Utsukushiya
1940 Nakamachi, Matsusaka-shi, Mie 515-0083
Marunaka Honten
1843-6 Nakamachi, Matsusaka-shi, Mie 515-0083
Tatsumido-Tsurunotama Honpo
2172 Honmachi, Matsusaka-shi, Mie 515-0081
Yanagiya Bokuzen
1877 Nakamachi, Matsusaka-shi, Mie 515-0083
Aiya Candy shop
1869-8 Nakamachi, Matsusaka-shi, Mie 515-0083
Genpo Confectionery
193 Minato-cho, Matsusaka-shi, Mie 515-0085
Fujiya Co.
1900 Nakamachi, Matsusaka-shi, Mie 515-0083, Japan