"mingle" project

i want to build a shared house

Hello reader, thanks for being here! I’m Kana and this is the Sunday edition of Tending Gardens, which you can read about here.
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Shared dinners and small gatherings are commonplace since I’ve moved to Kamikatsu. At least once a week, and often spontaneously, we’ll bring ingredients we have at home and cook together.

The village has 55 settlements and homes are scattered and dotted on different mountains, coupled with a small population, it can be quite isolating or lonely without interacting with others. Coming together for meals provides so much comfort. It’s like in winter when the days are short and the warmth of the sun midday is so generously appreciated.

In these past months, I’ve been thinking a lot about the kind of home I want to live in. Right now I’m living with a host family. They generously provide me with a place to stay and I felt at home very quickly—both within the walls of the physical home and home in this community.

I take their dog for walks and play with their 5-year-old after he comes home from kindergarten. My host mother was born and raised in Kamikatsu and perhaps what I’m most grateful for is the way she and her family have helped me integrate into Kamikatsu. Had it not been for someone on the “inside”, I would have continually felt on the “outside”. This is probably the case for many rural places where the tight-knit community can be good but also challenging.

walks with Leo

Since thinking about the different ways of living and integrating into the community, I’ve come to realize that I want to live and create a shared house. A shared house can also add so much value to the community. I wasn’t the only one to think that such a place of dwelling could be personally meaningful. About a month ago with two friends, we decided to start conceptualizing a share house project. We decided to call this project: mingle.

“mingle”

mingle transitive verb

1: to bring or mix together　

2: to mix with; combine

3: to be with or among other people

The concept of the "mingle house" is to create a space where people, nature/satoyama, ideas, new and old, urban and rural, can interact and support each other. This would have the knock-on effect of potentially increasing residents in the village.

We believe that we need a place where we can learn about the community, meet and spend time with local people.

I was lucky enough to be given such a chance when I arrived in Kamikatsu and I want to be able to provide that for others who want to experience the town from a local’s perspective.

mingle concept visually and in Japanese: 地域のことを知る上で、地域の人と出会い、暮らすように過ごせる場所が私たちは必要だと考える。「mingle」とは、英語で交じり合うこと、人々が話し合うことを意味する。「mingle house」という空間が地域との関わりになり、人と人／里山／アイディア、そして新しいものと古いもの、都市と地方が、交わり、ともに支えあって暮らすことで、町の中に可能性が広がり、生活が続いていくことをコンセプトに掲げている。人が行ったり来たりする風通し手の良さがあり、ゆるやかな関係性が育まれる中で、結果的に地域の結びつきが生まれ、移住につながっていく。

The concept of our "mingle house" is a place where…

(1) people come together

As a third-place that connects the inside and outside of the community, the mingle house aims to be a place where visitors to Kamikatsu can feel like a part of the community by spending time with local people. We could have a "mingle day" where people staying in the house can exchange their wisdom and create opportunities for learning and discovery.

on a walk with friends

(2) people and satoyama live in harmony

The goal is to create a house that is connected to nature. Satoyama is a concept that translates literally as “village mountain” (里山). Satoyama is the place in-between cities and mountains. It’s a cultural and natural landscape where nature and humans meet—often it’s the place where activities like farming take place.

Being connected to nature could mean cooking with fresh ingredients from farming at the house or bought at the nearby farmer’s market. We would focus on environmental practices such as recycling and composting, collecting and using rainwater, and clean forms of energy such as solar.

(3) bridge of old and new

We want to renovate a traditional Japanese home or a kominka (古民家). Through the renovation of a 100-year-old thatched-roof house, we can create a house where old and new materials can mix and grow together with people.

The “mingle house” would be a place where half the people living are locals and the other half are those who are interested to live or experience Kamikatsu for a longer period of time. The house, physically, would have a shared "mingle space" where people can gather, a kitchen, and several rooms for mid-to-long-term stays. While several rooms will be kept for permanent residence.

a 100-year old kominka “traditional” house

easier said than done

All of our ideas for “mingle” and the shared house remain as ideas. It’s impossible to implement without money, time, and resources. We are looking at the possibilities of obtaining funding through grants or thinking about crowdfunding to move this project forward, but we’re aware that there are many barriers.

In spite of the mass migrations from rural to urban places, I think there is an increased appeal to rural places (especially since the pandemic). I see the countryside as somewhere I can live with much more freedom, access to nature, and a place to try something for yourself.

I’m not sure if “mingle house” will one day materialize, but I think that as a foundation I can live with “mingle” ideals and find meaningful and intentional ways to interact with people and nature.

INOW video

Several Sunday’s ago I shared about the INOW program and the video we were working on. If you haven’t checked out the video, I would love for you to watch it and tell me what you think!

We made this video because it’s sometimes hard to explain what INOW is in words. A visual story has helped us share our message, so I hope this resonates with you (and compels you to come visit!)

Lastly, this month marks many remembrances. One year ago, on March 11th, 2020, the World Health Organization declared the outbreak of COVID-19 a pandemic. The world had to come to grips with a new reality. It was confusing, disorienting, and challenging for so many. In the midst of it all, many also found ways to cope, cultivate resilience, and adaptive to the ever-evolving circumstances.

March 11 also marked the 10th anniversary of the earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear disaster that hit its northeastern region in Japan. On March 11, 2011, more than 18,000 people died and nearly half a million people were displaced.

These dates give us space to reflect on the pain and progress that elapsed. It’s hard to dwell on the loss and it’s important to remember that the pandemic has not ended and neither has the grief. I’m sending my thoughts to the world.

Take care,
Kana

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