It started with 'I have no business here, but I came.' A story about how a newcomer integrates into a local community

“If I move to the countryside, I’ll naturally end up talking to my neighbors.”

Before I moved, that was the image I had.

In the city, you don’t even know who lives next door.

So I thought that if I went to the countryside, I’d see my neighbors, chat about trivial things, and help each other out when in trouble.

I thought that would be my life.

But when I actually moved, it was different.

There were people I interacted with for work.

There were people I greeted.

But I still didn’t have anyone I could talk to about what happened today or just chat about nothing in particular.

“Isn’t this not much different from when I lived in the city?”

That’s what I thought about two or three months after moving.

Just waiting wasn’t enough to get into the community

From there, I started showing my face at places where local people gather.

The place I went to was the community development center.

It’s like a community hall.

Honestly, I was quite nervous at first.

I didn’t have any business there.

I wasn’t invited by anyone either.

I just...

'I'm here.'

That was the feeling.

In fact, in the beginning,

'I have no business here, but I came'

is what I would say.

I heard later that there was no precedent for someone like this, and people around me were a bit surprised.

But as I kept showing my face,

'Are you assigned here?'

people started asking me that.

I went from being a stranger to gradually becoming 'someone who belongs here.'

Small favors built relationships

I didn't do anything special.

Helping with lunch gatherings.

Cleaning.

Setting up events.

Carrying heavy luggage.

Exterminating bugs.

Looking at them one by one, they aren't big things.

I wasn't fired up to 'do something for the community' either.

I was just bored.

If there is anything I can do, I will do it.

That was the level of enthusiasm I had.

However, through these small, incremental steps,

I became someone people thought,

'I can rely on that person.'

Work didn't just appear out of nowhere.

It was the same later on, when I decided to start making menma myself.

'I want to make menma.'

I told people that in various places.

Then, one day,

'You're welcome to come and see my bamboo grove.'

Someone said to me.

I didn't intend to turn it into a job from the very beginning.

I was just talking about what I wanted to do.

The local people remembered it.

And from there, it led to new possibilities.

I don't think you need a huge network of contacts from the start when creating work in a rural area.

What you need first is,

to be someone people think,

'I know that person.'

Before talking about work, build a relationship where you can have casual conversations.

In rural areas, there are jobs that cannot be found through job postings or advertisements alone.

There are also jobs that emerge from relationships with people.

What I realized after moving is that integrating into the community was not a 'means to get a job,' but the foundation for living in a rural area.