Reflections on 2023 and looking ahead
Hello everyone. It's been a while since my last update. It's been about a year since we started this event activity. Through these activities, I've been able to reaffirm just how wonderful Kyushu is and have made new connections. I feel very fortunate to have started this initiative. I've decided to write this article to organize our past activities and future vision.
・Reflecting on 2023
In 2023, we held a total of four events in various places across Kyushu. Here is a retrospective video of our activities for the year.
High Five Outside: An international community that serves as a bridge between Kyushu and the world. Together with like-minded friends, we enjoy experiences centered around Kyushu's nature, food, and culture through our event activities. Our aim is to explore the charms of Kyushu through these experiences and contribute to the region's development by sharing these with the world.
Each event was a lot of fun. Truly wonderful people gathered.
Kumamoto Prefecture, Aso City:
・ Fukuoka Prefecture, Kitakyushu City:
・ Oita Prefecture, Bungo-ono City:
・Hitoyoshi City: "Kuma River" Collaboration with Land Earth Inc.
We were able to hold these events thanks to the support of various companies, including travel agencies, and all the participants. I am filled with gratitude. Thank you very much.
・Vision for future
In 2023, we focused on nature and adventure, planning events that would simply be enjoyable for our community members. Thanks to everyone's support, the number of people who repeatedly participate in our events and those who wish to join our community has been gradually increasing. (We have not been broadly recruiting, so the community is slowly growing through word of mouth.)
In 2024, we plan to continue these activities and also include experiences related to Kyushu's food and culture. Furthermore, we want to give our community activities a more significant social role. Recently, with the end of the pandemic and the impact of a weaker yen, various industries seem to be looking towards foreign markets for inbound tourism and business expansion. On the other hand, looking at the domestic situation in Japan, with the aging population and the lack of successors in rural areas leading to the closure of long-established stores and farms, the discontinuation of traditional folk songs, and the issue of vacant houses, we face various problems that are expected to become even more serious. There is no cure-all for these social problems, but when people attend community meetings, conversations tend to drift into criticism of the government. In areas where decline is prevalent, relying solely on government for fair treatment can result in only half-measures being implemented. Instead of expecting the government to solve these problems, we believe that private and individual initiatives can lead to solutions, with the government supporting these activities. While this background may seem lengthy, our community aims to assist with the challenges Japan faces going forward. First, we considered what our community could do.
・Our four missions
We've set two types of missions: those directed outward (external missions) and those directed inward (internal missions), with two missions each. While these may change in the future, these are the four missions we've established as of now.
１.External Mission 1: "To explore and convey the attractions of various regions and businesses in Kyushu both within Japan and globally, contributing to the economic effects from a broad market including overseas."
Our community is rich in international diversity, gathering various people. Many enterprises and regions wish to tap into inbound and foreign markets but may not know where to start. By partnering with us for events, we believe we can help lay the groundwork for capturing inbound and foreign markets and contribute to spreading information. While it's challenging to measure the impact of information dissemination quantitatively and immediate results may not be evident, the potential to reach people interested in Japan abroad and encourage them to visit Kyushu exists. Through continuous efforts, we aim to contribute to attracting inbound tourists and significantly impact Kyushu's economy from overseas.
2.External Mission 2: "To contemplate and aid in addressing various challenges faced by regions, such as environmental conservation and population decline."
There are many issues associated with population decline, but for example, organizing events for harvesting experiences at farms struggling with labor shortages during harvest season. By doing so, we can provide labor to farmers, who in turn offer us harvesting experiences. In addition, we will conduct global information dissemination. The creation of opportunities for groups, including young people, to hear directly from farmers and producers and have hands-on experiences is valuable in itself. Going forward, as we plan experiences related to Kyushu's nature, food, and culture, we believe there are many businesses in Kyushu compatible with our initiatives. We aim to work with regions and businesses we connect with to tackle social issues.
3.Internal Mission 3: "Through multinational and multicultural exchanges, to broaden each member's perspective on life and the world, discover what they love or wish to do, and increase the number of people who live joyfully."
Our community offers numerous first-time experiences. Even for those accustomed to mountain climbing or outdoor activities, climbing with foreigners can turn into a new experience. There are people who have never had natural encounters with foreigners despite having studied or worked abroad in a multicultural environment. Some join to seek new connections beyond their colleagues and close friends. Encountering new views, being moved by the beauty of Kyushu, and inspiring foreigners are just a few of the diverse experiences our community facilitates. A child who spoke to a foreigner for the first time and then started attending English conversation classes is one example. Experiences can move people's hearts, and when hearts are moved, actions follow. These actions enrich lives. Whether it's thinking, "Maybe I like the outdoors more than I thought," "Maybe I should try learning English," or "There are so many different people out there, I should try meeting someone new every week," any small change in mindset that motivates someone to take action is something we are happy to provide.
4.Internal Mission 4: "To offer each individual opportunities for challenges and growth, aiming for the creation of new value within the community and its economic development."
As repetitive as it may sound, our community consists of various people with diverse backgrounds. For example, Kazuki, our representative, transitioned from being a firefighter to a video creator and has a wide network, including overseas. Others include former firefighters who have become entrepreneurs in the fishing industry or construction, individuals who have changed careers to mountain guides while working in real estate, and young Japanese who are embracing challenges in life. There are those among us who can teach yoga, are skilled in information dissemination, are considerate towards others, own a lot of outdoor equipment, love cooking, can make alcohol, and more. Everyone has their strengths and can offer something to the community. We hope to build small confidences by having members contribute what they can to the community. By taking on work within the community and showcasing what each can do, we can create opportunities for small challenges and, as a whole, contribute to society. This is the ideal form of community we envision, creating a cycle that works in this manner.
・To continue as a business
To achieve this vision, we cannot be satisfied with merely being an enjoyable community; we must strive towards business development. There are various plans in this regard, but I will write more about them once they take a more concrete shape. Continuation is, of course, essential, but we aim to plan and manage events that are enjoyable for participants and valuable to society.
・In Conclusion
By writing about the reflection on 2023 and the future, I've been able to further organize my thoughts and goals for this community. Anyone can talk about their intentions, but by writing them down here, I remind myself and move towards action. Going forward in this Note, I hope to update about moving towards the commercialization of the community, covering daily movements and thoughts. It might be interesting to share the relentless efforts of someone young and striving, as we navigate our journey. I hope Kyushu becomes even better, and that we can create a movement that everyone can be part of. If you resonate with the vision and activities of our community, please consider joining us. And to businesses, we look forward to potentially working together.
https://www.instagram.com/highfiveoutside/
Thank you for your continued support.
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