Will this plan to revitalize a Japanese tea town work?
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- Опубліковано 17 тра 2024
- The more I visit the inaka "countryside" of Japan, the more I wonder about how these areas will weather the ageing and depopulation trends. Fortuitously, this project - which is sponsored by the Japanese government and d:matcha - fell in my lap. I had free rein to talk about a topic related to Wazuka and tea, so I chose to investigate the effort being made to revitalize the area and how it's longtime residents feel about newcomers.
If you're interested in tea products from d:matcha, you can use the coupon code "LifeWhereImFromDM" at dmatcha.com/ to get 10% off your order of over $150. I don't receive anything additional if you use the code, it simply gives you 10% off a single order.
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If you're interested in tea products from d:matcha, you can use the coupon code "LifeWhereImFromDM" at dmatcha.com/ to get 10% off your order of over $150. I don't receive anything additional if you use the code, it simply gives you 10% off a single order.
A video I made about how Japanese green tea is made ua-cam.com/video/S04_KBC8mIA/v-deo.html
The more I visit the inaka "countryside" of Japan, the more I wonder about how these areas will weather the ageing and depopulation trends. Fortuitously this project - which is sponsored by the Japanese government and d:matcha - fell in my lap. I had free rein to talk about a topic related to Wazuka and tea, so I chose to investigate the effort being made to revitalize the area and how it's longtime residents feel about newcomers.
Top notch video! Thank you kindly.
Excellent video.
A very “human” and relatable way of looking at and investigating this extremely beautiful location.
I wish everyone in this town only the best for today and for their future.
Thanks for sharing this video essay with me Greg, I genuinely appreciate all of your efforts and hard work.
I’d really love to visit this place. The Japanese country side looks so beautiful.
I’ll be there in about a year, legit. Save a seat for me.
Wowww awesome. I will be switching exclusively to Japanese green tea from now on .... since my trip to EU, Australia etc has been CANCELLED for the past 2 years (due to the pandemic) I would be really keen to spend some time in this tea-growing place in Japan ....
i am so sad I need to find a place on earth with a community that will hug my so dearly, that I want to give so much warmth back. Can you give me a glimpse of this dream considering an area in Japan, where something like this might come true? Or will it just be partying and connecting with Japanese women/men?
After watching the video we ordered some teas and tea biscuits from them. They sent the products immediately (arrived in just a few days). The products were carefully packaged and the box was well packed. You can tell they care about their products. Included a newsletter about what is going on with the business and the town. Over all a great experience. Looking forward to enjoying the teas and biscuits this week. Thanks for sharing this inspiring story!
That's just Japan in general
@@onion_____ True, every time I’ve bought something from Japan it was always carefully packaged with a handwritten thank-you note and a little gift like some candies
I wanted to head to a less touristy part of Kyoto and I found Wazuka. Started looking up videos and found this one. Thanks for uploading!
I love that you have brought their efforts to attention. It’s understandable the elders would initially be hesitant to welcome new people, but the work ethic of this group was sure to win them over! Maybe the grandchildren of these folks would be interested in returning.
Maybe. But I doubt many would give up office jobs for manual labor
These young people are hugely admirable for their passion for tea, a forward-looking mindset and especially their determination to break away from the older, seemingly out-of-date mentality premeating the town they are bringing changes to!
I mean look it’s a company coming in and completely redesigning the town - it’s not something you’d want to see on a macro scale, and for a lot of these residents this is their entire life. I agree it’s great but I totally understand the reticence of existing life long residents. It’s actually a slightly uncomfortable premise when you think about the power you’re affording to a single company here (but I do think the ends justify the means)
@@Whiteeyy1 We can see how important it is for both sides to have finally come to terms with each other for the sake of the town's existence.
@@Whiteeyy1 I mean that is the only way to keep these towns alive because quite frankly no one wants to farm because it's a boring peasant job.
@Maria Szymanis It doesn't matter what is taken when you die....what matters is what you've left behind. Did you leave behind joy or misery?
@@KRYMauL Surely these young people have some real audacity to do something most others do not care to anymore.
Ah I actually had booked a tea tour with d.matcha as they were one of the few to offer English translations, the plan was to stay overnight at Nara but sadly it was just before shutdown so I never got to go :(
Ah, that's too bad. Hopefully thing will open up soon.
@@LifeWhereImFrom Thanks for this inspiring video. This world needs more rural revitalisation projects.
@@LifeWhereImFrom Business visas have been available for awhile now so Tourists visas should be opening up soon hopefully.
If only you had made it there right before the lockdown. The adventure and sheer enrichment of being stuck in such a place would have been astounding
@@LifeWhereImFrom I’m thinking about protesting in front of the Japanese embassy and chanting “Let us in - Let us in”
Greg, this is your BEST work yet. Beautiful storytelling with obvious research and care. 本当にありがとうございます!
Nothing will beat "What Owning a Japanese Public Bath is Like" 😅
I can relate. After living in U.S. for 40 years I moved to a little village of Seto, Otsuki, Yamanashi-ken. My house is located deep in the mountains. Most of my neighbors have died or moved out and the houses are empty. My house is the only "occupied" house out of the 5 houses near me
..Can I be one to live there..I'm from Philippine..please do help me..and I can do planting or farming too...
Good for you, I wish there were more people like you.
I have heard so much about small towns just disappearing in Japan this was wonderful to watch. I don't drink green tea, but if I did I would support this. It is great to see young people wanting to farm and cut out the middle man.
Middle man needs to eat and provided a service previously. I'm not sure how I feel, but wish them lots of success. I saw their branding in Japan but never knew the backstop.
This is so cool!
@@Kwijiboi Cut out the middleman. Use online advertising. Market is now global. All profit goes to the hard working farmers.
@@MrMannyhw yes, the concept isn't hard to grasp. See if you can figure out what I was trying to say
Middle man usually has the most connections though. In my country they're usually in cahoots with politics.
Tanaka-san deserves the Japanese citizen of the decade award for his work and dedication in saving not only this town.. but setting an example that others can follow. His vision, what he has accomplished so far and how he has gone about it is so inspirational and amazing. Thank you Life Where I'm From for bringing his, and the town of Wazuka's story to the world. Now, if only i could get my hands on some of those Matcha-Yuzu chocolate bars!!
Yoo white Fella, you know what you need, you needa Boorger
7:25 you can tell that he had a really tough time by his expression and his gesture. He endured so much there.
It valid for Greg to get these sponsorships from the Govt. itself as his content over the years has been humble , entertaining and help in getting the true grasp of the situation. Thanks for posting such videos ,love your content bro.
This is so beautiful it brought me to tears. Community, beauty, tradition and care are sorely missing in western cities.
@ Martin, me too. Well said ✌️
This is fantastic! I really hope they succeed and server as an example for other shrinking communities in Japan.
This is such a great thing for these young people to work very hard at keeping this small town from declining by planting rice and working the tea fields. Great job by everyone involved 👍👍👍
About a year ago John Daub and Dean Newcombe were at this same tea plantation and had a cursory overview of the process, but you, Greg, really made this into a wonderful story! The integration of vertical product lines (tea, confections, subscriptions, sponsorships) with destination tourism with integrated solar power and lodgings, plus integrating into the rhythm of the local traditions, is a really good lesson that we all can learn from. Well done, as always!
The genuine care, respect and conscious intentional care of the community is evident from those at D:Matcha. Highlighting the need for investment by the outsiders and the acceptance from the villagers was well shown in the this documentary. I greatly appreciate you bringing this to light. Gladly adopted a tree and will share this with other tea lovers I know.
and I gotta comment. The fashion game of even 80+ year old ladies and men is on point here. Insane videography and an amazing story being told. Thank you.
I've been buying their matcha products since your first video about them, and I love it! I even thought about doing their tea internship
I love the switch of the elders: from being not open to newcomers (frightened even?) to gladly embracing their reality, I find it very heartwarming. Especially after 20:00.
These two worlds not only cohabit, they also learn from each other. Could that be the future?
OMG this gave me the feels at the end, with the elderly folk praising the newcomers. Thanks for the video!
This is the kind of sponsored content I can get behind! I wish Tanaka and his team nothing but success in their future endeavours and I do hope that the efforts will bear fruit. Or tea in this case~ Definitely gonna check out their shop at some point.
That's what happens, when you are looking for a challenge and adventure in life, not a merely happiness without hardship and responsibility. It was awe inspiring to watch. Please, make more videos about revitalized villages and agriculture.
You always have to go with the time to not get lost behind, even with farming. Use new technology, explore other ways of distribution and marketing and you might have a chance to succeed. And that is possible with preserving the tradition and culture from all these generations before.
It is great to see younger people having the drive to preserve this beautiful area and this quality product. Being able to learn from the people there and to help each other. They have something special, something unique there, that people worldwide clearly want, so it is great to see the elderly people to open up to those new young and enthusiastic ones not just to make it a more viable business, but also to make the countryside more attractive.
My partner and I were reminiscing on our month in Japan by watching random japanese UA-cam videos (a rabbit hole), and we stumbled upon this. Turns out this is the tour that we took in february of this year! It was just us two and the owner, Daiki. It was absolutely in my top 3 things we did that month. Incredible establishment, incredible people, and DELICIOUS TEA!! Ordering again now
I'd like to retire to Japan and make a togarshi business. In California, I grow my own peppers and other ingredients to made togarashi which is shared with friends and coworkers. This is a fun hobby. Thanks for sharing another inspirational video.
I think that with aging population and the rifts in the older rural generation and their children, there's an opportunity for young people outside of Japan who revere these traditions to leti them alive if they're allowed to come to Japan and do so. That's a big if though, not impossible, but still a big if. It would be awesome though.
there's issues with being allowed to buy farmland as a non-farmer. last i heard you'll need 3 years farming in Japan experience to be allowed to buy farmland.
It makes me so happy to see these people working to revitalise these beautiful Japanese rural towns while respecting and celebrating the local tradition and the elders who transmit that tradition as well as the precious natural environment too. Wazuka is a lovely place and deserves a vibrant and flourishing future.
I hope the obsession with increased urbanisation starts to slow down the world over. People and projects like the one featured here serve as wonderful examples to other places both in Japan and around the world. Galicia in Spain where my family are from also has a problem with rural depopulation and the decline and abandonment of villages and the rich culture and tradition they sustain. I hope examples like the one on this video will occur in greater frequency there too.
At the start doing the interviews, up to 2:32, every single one of those people just radiated a kind of calm happiness and/or contentment. Even when talking about things that might be considered sad. Japan has a precious culture that fosters that kind of peaceful happiness - the rest of the world could do with learning it!
Hey Greg! I think that after these young people came in and did what it took to earn the elders trust, the townspeople see that their legacy will be carried on! Thanks for making this video👍
Those little rice planting tractors are still so interesting to me every time i see one
I'm from Brazil but my mother lives in Japan...I always said that if i have to move to Japan one day, i'd want to move to a small city like this. We from cities can learn much more in places like that.
My wife and I toured the tea plantations of Wazuka 6 years ago and we were just entranced, walking around and viewing the very extensive orchards, processing plants and the lifestyle of the people.
I bought a pair of clippers for pruning tea at a local hardware store and will use them forever!
This video made me tear up. Thank you for the skillful insight into this community of wonderful people. Would love to visit one day ❤
You have brilliantly captured a wonderful effort to modernize a traditional industry that maintains the heritage and character of the location. Great work from all these folks and beautifully captured and narrated!
I can appreciate respecting & preserving history of the existing environment. Moving it to a functional future is something I hope to do in my field of interest.
Thanks for amplifying their story & projected plans to stay viable
Wow - I found this channel again!
A small Japanese town is something I would love to visit in the next few years. Someone I use to work with married in a small town and it was beautiful.
The people in these towns are such an inspiration. I've been to Japan many times.
Please keep providing quality product and love the influence in these rural communities and keeping them whole!!!
Thanks!
This is exactly the kind of life I want: working on a farm, in harmony with nature. In the US, farming also seems to be on the decline. So helping to preserve it is my goal.
It’s great that the previous generation can teach new generations, it will alleviate their worries by reassuring them that their hard work will continue, their village will survive. Now I want to drink some green tea!
Hey Greg! What a beautifully told & filmed video! Since Wazuka's own young people have left, I'm happy to see that the elders have embraced & "adopted" the good-hearted, hard-working d.matcha young people. d.matcha has opened Wazuka up to the world - their work ethic & innovative thought will serve Wazuka well!
As a tea lover I'm happy to see these other young people working in tea, and happy to see you making this content on the subject. Japan youtubers under represent the tea culture.
This made me miss living in Japan so much ❤️
Beautifully portrayed! Concise, compelling story telling. Loved every second of this film.
im in love with this kind of videos! Am from Colombia, this is in South America, i have been watching this Chanel a long long time ago dreaming about going to Japan and meet their extraordinary culture, cant go there, not yet, but until that day comes along, i will keep watching these videos to keep me dreaming whit going there.
The people are wonderful and the food is cheap and incredible 👍
ofc we all know where Colombia is! It's where Shakira is from :D
Farming is a noble job, we have to thank our farmers who do the work to make sure we have food on the table.
That was fantastic, Greg. Really interesting content-wise, and visually gorgeous as well. Actually, I’m watching this video now from a town in the mountains of Mie Prefecture that looks quite a bit like Wazuka. And this region shares a similar situation as well, dealing with an aging population and trying to reinvent themselves for economic survival. (Well, here it’s the forest industry and small-scale farming at the center of this transformation instead of tea.) And the deer and boar situation, too! I think that Wazuka should definitely look into hunting and serving wild game at a local restaurant. It’s actually become a regional tourism draw here. And… I think they probably will need a brewery as well. 😆 As it’s a long-term dream of mine, it’s actually temping to head down there and try opening one myself…it certainly looks like a beautiful area to live!🍻
@@missplainjane3905 Internet speeds are basically fast anywhere in Japan, unless you’re somewhere REALLY isolated. The only time I’ve had issues was when I was camping in the mountains.
I agree about the wild game and the brewery, if there’s space to build one without disturbing the character of the village. It sounds like it would be wonderful.
@@JHaven-lg7lj Yeah, making it fit with the local character would be really important. Doing something like that has actually been one of my dreams for the last few years. I’ve been honing my home-brew skills, trying to make connections with brewers, etc, but it does involve a sizable financial investment, so I’m taking it slow and carefully. Current plan: 1. build up a UA-cam channel/community of beer + Japan interested people. 2. Start a crowdfunding campaign… wish me luck! 😆
@@Jordan-inJapan Good luck, I’m sure you’ll do well. Make sure to look after everyone and yourself. I wish everyone well
@@Jordan-inJapaneven Mt Fuji has wifi for climbers 🤣
Definitely interested in the tea products from d:matcha! I admire how the rural people passing on the traditions to and having patience with the younger newcomers and likewise admire the sense of responsibility and understanding expressed by both the newcomers and by yourself in the narration. This kind of change is so hard: I have seen it in Ireland where I am from and in the US where I live. Ireland and Japan seem to be handling this shift better. Thank you for a wonderful video.
Great video, I did the D:Matcha Tour back in 2019 and it was an amazing experience. I hope to go back one day in the future to see the progress they make on their plans.
Greg, thank you for your video! It’s wonderful to see the great work that these young people are doing, & how the older town folk have taken to them & can see the mutual benefits of having these new, young people in town. I’ve fallen down a but if a Japanese rabbit hole over the last few months … I think the first Japanese UA-cam channel I followed was ‘Takashi from Japan’. Then I found a Canadian couple Mika & Jesse who had been working in Japan, & managed to find an old abandoned house to rent & restore in a rural village .. & how they connected with the locals by planing & growing their veg in a plot across the road & their neighbour would come to help & give them tips, & they’d share produce. Good old UA-cam algorithms always throws up new video’s to watch, & now I subscribe … I so love your outlook & views in life. So wonderful to see the work being dine by this group, & their sustainability ethics. There’s some horrible things happening in the world right now, seeing video’s like this gives us hope, & the realisation that not everything in the world is bad .. probably more hope than doom, if we tune out from the noise. Thank you ❤️
I’m from Australia, & a senior so my travels these days tend to be online, I prefer backpacking, & experiencing different cultures .. people, arts, music, food, religions & history. I’m not as mobile as I’d like … so these channels help satisfy my need to explore what’s happening out there in the world. So refreshing to see your wide range of video content Greg!👍
My dream country Japan! How I wish to visit this country soon! I love the people and their tradition.😊
It's inspiring to see so many people getting together and working hard to improve a place. When I visit many places in the US I think about how they could be helped, but also how much work it would take.
I love the way how you told this story. It''s unbelievable that you're able to consistently put out such high quality content.
I bought their tea a year ago! It's so delicious and came with a cute little (non-plastic) key chain.
JAPÓN 🇯🇵
Tremenda labor,
un trabajo real sin prisa
pero, sin pausa
ideal / con tecnología incluída
sin olvidar las tradiciones.
UN VERDADERO SENTIDO
DE TRABAJO EN
COMUNIDAD / 👋
Fabuloso cultivo y arduo esfuerzo.
The woman at the beginning working in the field, she was 83 years old when the video was recorded? Amazing.
I can't get enough of your channel- I just found it. It's so educational and wholesome! It's hard learning Kanji as a westerner so any time I get to "see them in the wild" it's a bonus.
Edit: 19:55 Tanaka-kun!
I appreciate the will of the people to preserve that which they love. We all benefit because of it. 💯💯💯💯
This made me want to drink some of the d:matcha tea I have! I ordered some about a year ago and it's great! But I now realize I've been saving it for special occasions too much. Better finish it before it goes stale in spite of the vacuum packaging 😅.
What a heartwarming story 😊 I wish all the best for Daiki-san, d:matcha and the town of Wazuka!
I really enjoyed this, Tanaka-Kun is honestly a visionary! This goes to show how important it is to inject fresh new ideas and minds in any given community, there's so much potential for Japan if it embraces outsiders. Thanks for yet another great production!
wow tanaka-san's work ethic and business creativity is incredible! it's so impressive that he had so many ideas and managed to go through with them. his passion for this tea town has really transformed it in a way, and i can tell the local residents' hearts have grown thanks to him as well. thank you for such a lovely video! i will definitely see if i can someday make my way over to wazuka to experience and support this all in person!
Very well made documentary, beautiful video & scenery, good narration, nice charts, and lastly beautiful people. Some of the problem in the video also arise in my country, like young people not interested in farming & the decline of farming land due to housing. This is very inspirational, thank you.
He is a just and good man. Bless him.
😮Man that town is heaven. Not just looks way better than Grindelwald, it feels so naturally... Good, I can smell the rice field in the morning.
Really impressive future business plan. It’s been very insightful. I love your sensitivity to the traditions, patience, but so hard working. I really hope you get a lot of support and this grand plan becomes …eventually a great success.
'You need to Trust that your neighbors got your back' this statement means something so much better that from where i'm from😅
Watching young people work hard is really inspiring. Great job. I love to drink the tea they produced.
There is a lot more to life than money. Nature. Family. Love. Exercise. Friends. God. Sharing. Caring. Helping. Giving. LIVING ‼️Thank you so very much for sharing the beautiful scenery in this village and especially the glorious people ❤️
It's such a shame that I don't like Green Tea or else I would have bought their tea lots often to support them ;(((
Cela fait plaisir de voir les anciens du village accueillir des jeunes remplis de bonne volonté, qui font revivre le village...
it hurts me to see this kind of high effort video get low views, while so many low effort videos gets many more views than this...
Absolutely fantastic as always Greg! Thank you so much for your hard work and bringing these beautiful pieces of art and humanity to the world.
Thank you I really appreciate of what you all doing. God bless us all
Thank you for this wonderful video--it combines 2 of my biggest interests, Japan and farming. D-matcha is going about this brilliantly: diversifying, selling directly to customers, utilizing every resource they can, and savin' the world (and declining Japanese villages) while they're at it. I could not be more impressed with them, and I hope all their endeavors are wildly successful.
Good to see that the old people eventually are happy that the young ones are here.
Greg, outstanding work here, a wonderful story of young people returning the regions with modern ideas, and giving the not so young something to feel hopeful about. Thank you for this.
:) :) All of their ventures are very inspiring! and I hope they and other communities succeed!
We love Japanese Matcha green tea 🍵 when my daughter came home from vacation she always bring us green tea🥰😍❤️ from Japan 🇯🇵
This is amazing, to see these young ppl bring back the life into an old community and way of life is truly beautiful. I wish I could see something like this in my own country, here we used to have many independent farms and farming villages, now like in Japan our rural communities are un decline and all of the small farms are being bought up by a small few wealthy farmers
💚Japanese green tea. Especially
whole leaf gyokuro.
Best of luck to these hearty young people.
This is interesting. The rurals consider people from other parts of Japan immigrants.
It's great these young people seeing value in tea farming the land and bringing in added value to the industry. Interested in seeing how they balance this moving forward into the future.
very cool that young people are coming back with new ideas to revitalize that industry and area.
I just came on your channel .. I spent a few months decades ago in Japan and was feeling nostalgia ...
Love this video, so good to know the government is taking measures to promote and enable the production of organic tea and other produce. I always enjoy your videos.
It's so heartwarming to see all those people -- young and old, caring for their land. I'm definitely visiting them one day! Thank you, Greg, for such a great showcase
I hope they succeed so that beautiful town continues to thrive.
i've watched quite a few videos on wazuka from this channel and rachel and jun but i dont get bored of them. the people of d-matcha and local residents are all incredible.
Just visited Daiki and the d:matcha farm today! If you’re in Kyoto, I recommend you to come to Wazuka even for a couple of hours - it’s so worth it! You learn and then eat a lot of tea-based food, drinks, and desserts! You’ll leave full of knowledge and satisfaction!
Most likely, we would like to drop by on our next visit to Japan.
Welcome back to Wazuka Greg! It looks like you have made another video. You stayed at our bed & breakfast several years ago here in Wazuka when you made your previous video for D-matcha. Nice job. Yes, the population of our town continues to go down, but there are many local farmers and also local people and new residents doing a lot of activities that have made Wazuka a popular place for both visitors from Japan and abroad. The town is vibrant and the future is bright. :) A great place to come for a visit. Thanks for highlighting our town.
I would go work there so fast. It would be amazing work life. Outdoors, physical, living in a beautiful old Japanese village, and working and living in that scenery every day. Who wouldn't work in that environment? Better than an office job that's for sure.
A great effort which deserves to succeed. Too many rural areas around the world are depopulated and dying. Very sad. Very best of luck for them.
Always a great moment when this channels pops up in my feed. Cheers for the content.
Wow, there is hope for this world! Thank you
Such a beautiful place youth must support the elderly.
d.matcha looks like they're on the right track! Im rooting for them!
Beautiful. You have in one documentary captured and display the essence of nature, culture, youth and old generation in the changing times.
I have this weird dream of buying up a whole town and completely transforming it so I appreciate the enthusiasm and ambition of these people to revitalize this town.
Happy to see d:matcha is still going strong. We were lucky enough to take a tour with them back in 2018. I think they were just testing out the concept back then, and we ended up having a nice private hike with Daiki. It looks like the tour is much more in-depth now, so I'd definitely suggest it for anyone visiting. Wazuka is a pretty easy trip from Kyoto.
Tokyo Llama recently visited Alex Kerr in Shikoku and posted on his channel. My comments perfectly match this presentation -
"An observation from someone whose wife grew up in a kominka on Shikoku and is militantly against living in one again is not so much the house itself....but land use. Opening up agricultural/animal use is what puts the final nail in the coffin for my entreaties to retire in rural japan. However, if I were able to say raise goats, ducks, even ostrich, have an orchard, honeybees, etc that could sustain a living or supplement a retirement income.....then, I can see a better case to be made to pull people into the countryside. There are only so many coffeeshops or Air-BNBs that can feasibly make money in the middle of nowhere.
Combining access to land (even if not outright owned) can make a difference. The US has the Bureau of Land Management that sells/leases land, so Japan can do the same. An observation from someone who plans to retire in Japan and would feel better to have self-sustaining land to make life in the middle of nowhere more reasonable."
Living in the countryside is more attractive is allowed to say be the only goat cheese provider for 300km or mead or some other profitable meat, fruit, vegetable....something. Japan needs to allow productive young people a shot to revitalize the countryside or else stop complaining.
Not gonna lie, I keep on having Makoto Shinkai's film vibe while watching this. It just felt so heartwarming
They all have lovely accent! It's nice to hear them talking.