What Richness Means

10/21 (Wed) Today I distributed a press release via PRtimes. I posted because I wanted people outside Kesennuma City and across Japan to learn about Marain BOOKS and our activities. I would be happy if not only those who currently live in Kesennuma but also people who are connected to Kesennuma could get involved from afar and keep Kesennuma in their thoughts. We have a corner in our shop called "Kesennuma: 100 People’s Bookshelves." Through books, I want to show what kinds of books people in Kesennuma read, what they feel, and how they live now. Kesennuma City is famous for sanma (Pacific saury) and katsuo (bonito), but this project started to focus on the people of Kesennuma so that people can feel the city more personally. Compared with big cities, rural areas are often thought to have nothing, but richness doesn’t come simply from goods and services in a visible economy — it comes from feeling connections with people. I moved back as a U-turn migrant two years ago, and I feel connections I couldn’t feel in Nagoya, where I lived for seven years. When the Kesennuma 100 books are gathered, we’re planning to create a first issue. A magazine filled with 100 active people from Kesennuma would be compelling. This also connects to last year’s My Plan at Numa University, RoundAbout "Creating a magazine that delivers Kesennuma’s cool," and I’m able to do what I want to do. I’m grateful for an environment where I can take small challenges, for the people and systems that support those challenges, and for the chance to express myself locally in Kesennuma. Now that I’m 30, I strongly want not only to take in information but to put things out and help liven up Kesennuma.