The Day the Guilt of 'Living in the City' Disappeared: Finding My Role Beyond the Conflict

Finding My Role After Overcoming the Conflict of 'Living in the City'

'My hometown has various issues like depopulation and decline, so I feel guilty about living in the city (like Tokyo).'
I sometimes hear such voices from acquaintances around me.
In fact, I was one of those people who once held the same thoughts and struggled intensely.

Past Resolution: Never Returning to Tokyo

After graduating from high school, when I left the metropolitan area for Hokkaido to attend university, I had a strong resolution that 'I will never return to Tokyo as a place to live.'
After that, I lived in Hokkaido, Cambodia, and the Kansai region for a total of about 12 years. In fact, it was in Kansai that I started a business with the theme of forests and satoyama (traditional rural landscapes).

However, four years ago, a turning point arrived.
My husband had always wanted to return to his hometown (Tokyo) and pursue the career he desired there. After struggling for many years, I decided to 'bend my own principles' and made the decision to return to Tokyo with him.

A Word from a Forestry Colleague to My Troubled Self

When I was agonizing almost every day over whether to stay in Kansai or return to Tokyo, what saved me were the words from a colleague in the forestry industry.

These words startled me.
When working to contribute to the local natural environment, living in a rural area while doing business/work is not the only path. Perhaps there is a mission that can only be fulfilled because I am in the city. The moment I was able to think that way, my perspective opened up significantly.

Current Stance: As a 'Sales Representative' Connecting Cities with Forests and Satoyama

Currently, as the representative of Phnom Toi Co., Ltd., I am developing businesses such as operating the lifestyle brand Phnom Toi, which utilizes forests and satoyama, as well as environmental management support for corporations and forest-experience corporate training. As I face the customers who receive our services every day, I have come to strongly realize the strengths of being located in Tokyo.

• It is overwhelmingly easier to collaborate with local governments, major companies, and universities in urban areas.

• I can translate and convey the rich nature and challenges of rural areas to companies, local governments, universities, and the general public in urban areas.

Now, I live based in Tokyo with a sense of conviction, flying around to various places, feeling like a 'sales representative delivering the value of forests and satoyama across the country.'
Thankfully, I receive daily consultations from forestry operators nationwide who want to know how to collaborate with companies for forest conservation or want to create such partnerships together, and conversely, from urban companies, local governments, and universities who want to create forest projects in collaboration with regions.

Finally: To You Who Harbor Conflict or Guilt

There is no need to feel guilty about being in the city.
Because you are there, there must surely be a form of 'nature and city' or 'region and city' connection that only you can create.
It doesn't necessarily have to be work or business; it could be an extension of your life's work or a hobby.

While living in the city, how would you like to create 'involvement' with your hometown or a region you love?

At Phnom Toi, we hold fieldwork programs where you can practice satoyama conservation and biodiversity activities while living in an urban area!

6/20 (Sat) Satoyama Nature Positive Practical Course | Satoyama Conservation Activity Experience Edition

7/18 (Sat) Satoyama Nature Positive Practical Course | Scent and Food Commercialization Experience Edition