Hokkaido Farm Village NPO Working for a Sustainable Society

The Oshamambe Dream Club, a Japanese non-profit organization in Oshamambe, Hokkaido, has established "Bochi Bochi Village" with the aim of realizing a sustainable society through small-scale sustainable agriculture. The organization is looking for new villagers including transplants from urban areas. "Bochi Bochi Village" is not the name of a village or a place, but the name of a group of the like-minded.

Some members of the club started activities in 2002 to encourage the city to produce safe food, and as an NPO, the club has worked toward the goal of realizing a sustainable society since 2003. It has organized a support group to encourage people to move here from cities, and this support group assists new arrivals with life-related issues, for example, teaching farming skills, life counseling, specific interests such as cooking or fishing, and providing people to talk to.

"Bochi bochi" means slowly or not in haste in Japanese and the name "Bochi Bochi Village" was chosen with the hope that the residents there will have a slow and steady lifestyle, not preoccupied with economic efficiency. The image they use is a meandering river that flows slowly, rather than a fast-flowing river that runs headlong into the sea.

As of June 2005, the group had 120 supporting group members and 4 new arrivals from cities. Now that they have completed the preparation phase, they are anticipating a growth in population.


Posted: 2005/09/05 02:02:19 PM
Japanese version