Nyagao Research Note: "Digital Disaster Prevention" Vol. 7

"Another Kind of Village Building" Connected by Region and Digital Technology
— An Interview with Haruka Takeuchi, Representative of the Yamakoshi Residents' Council —

Through my interviews so far, this is what I, Nyagao, have felt.
It is that "Disaster Prevention = Community," meow🐾
To build relationships where we can help each other during a disaster, connections from normal times are essential.
In other words, the power of disaster prevention is also the "power of human connection," meow🐾

This time, with that "connection" as our keyword,
"How do regions and digital technology create mutual aid?"I will explore this, meow🐾
I spoke withHaruka Takeuchi, Representative of the Yamakoshi Residents' Council.
She is someone who is fostering new"Digital Villager"connections through NFTs and Discord,
and is advancing "another kind of village building" that moves back and forth between the real and online worlds, meow🐾

Characters

• Interviewer/Narrator: Haruka Takeuchi (Representative, Yamakoshi Residents' Council)

• Interviewer: Nyagao (Deji-Labo NAGAOKA Assistant)

"Nishikigoi NFT" and Digital Villagers

Nyagao:
First, please tell me about community building in Yamakoshi, meow🐾
What was the trigger for issuing the Nishikigoi NFT, meow?

Takeuchi:
While we were supported by many people during the recovery from the Chuetsu Earthquake, the phase of restoration and reconstruction from the disaster changed, and we faced a new challenge: "the survival of the region."

Amidst that, what became our hope was the existence of people who, since the earthquake, had cared about Yamakoshi and had been taking on constant challenges with us.
So, I thought,"If there were something like a 'proof of friendship' that could connect us even when we are apart," and decided to issue an NFT.
That was December 14, 2021.
We issued the
"Nishikigoi NFT," which uses the Nishikigoi, a symbol of Yamakoshi's identity, as its motif.

Those who hold the NFT can become friends of Yamakoshi as"Digital Villagers."And wanting to create a place where we could talk both in the real world and digitally, we launched the community by borrowing a channel on a certain server often used in the Web3 world, such as for NFTs.

Nyagao:
I'm curious about what kind of people were in the community when it first started, meow🐾Were there already "connections" before the NFT, meow?

Takeuchi:
Yes. Even before the NFT, there was a mailing list in Yamakoshi for people who had been involved in reconstruction support.
About 1,800 people, including students from Toyo University who supported us as volunteers and those who donated.
We sent a newsletter to those people four times a year.
After we ran out of funds, we switched to digital distribution, but
"people who care about Yamakoshi" have always been connected to the residents and the village.
The NFT initiative felt like inheriting those connections in the "form of the next era."

"Another Village" that started on Discord

Nyagao:
Discord has an impression of being a bit difficult, but what was it like at the beginning, meow?

Takeuchi:
It was really tough at first.
People who were interested in the Web3 context joined the community, but
crypto jargon like "Where is the white paper?" was flying around,
and there was a lot of English...
Japanese beginners couldn't easily speak up, and at one point, it became quite deserted.

But, after consulting with a few digital villagers who gave us advice when the community was first launched and with the founding members,we decided to create a "Yamakoshi community-only server."We thought about an environment where we could communicate easily with our fellow digital villagers. We created the necessary channels, and from there, posts increased, and it gradually became more active.

Building a mechanism to protect the community

Nyagao:
For a community, "safety" is also important, meow🐾
Were there any troubles, meow?

Takeuchi:
Speaking of a major incident, a server takeover of our Discord community occurred! We had to relaunch the community itself and have everyone move over, which caused a lot of trouble for everyone.

However, that prompted us to review our management structure and limit administrative privileges to a small number of people.
We also restricted link postings and other features to ensure safe operations.

Now, if there are any suspicious, spam-like posts, our security personnel promptly handle them, such as by banning the users.
We are able to operate as "another village" where people can engage with peace of mind!

“New Connections” Spreading Through LINE OpenChat

Nyagao:
I heard you recently launched a LINE OpenChat as well?

Mr. Takeuchi:
Yes. Discord is convenient, but many people didn't know it and said, "I don't know how to join."
So, at the beginning of this year (2025), to make it easier for more people to participate,a LINE OpenChatwas proposed by fellow digital villagers, and it was opened in September under the name"Yamacha (Yamakoshi Chaya)".

Click here for the LINE OpenChat "Yamacha"

Since many people use LINE in their daily lives, I think it's easier for people who "don't know about NFTs but are interested in Yamakoshi topics" to join.
Even if it's not for deep interactions like on Discord, I hope it can be a place where people can engage with a sense of distance like "taking a quick peek" or "casually leaving a comment."
I really want people to engage with it as if it werea Yamakoshi living room.Also, to ensure you can always catch up on Yamakoshi-related movements, we publish the"Yamacha Newsletter"every week.
I want to make it a bridge that connects "digital villagers" and "real-life villagers"!

A Place Where Digital Villagers and Real-Life Residents Mingle

Nyagao:
What kind of relationship do the online members, the so-called "digital villagers," have with the real-life people of Yamakoshi?

Mr. Takeuchi:
At first, they had different cultures, but through interaction and dialogue online and in person, they got to know each other. Now, they even participate in Yamakoshi Elementary and Junior High School sports festivals and events, creating a sense of connection between the real and the digital.

“When you do something together, you become ‘friends’.”
People who have been involved with Yamakoshi through work, people from Yamakoshi, and digital villagers. Even though their positions are different, I am truly happy that new connections are being born with "Yamakoshi" as the common ground!

The "Next 50 Years" Envisioned by the Yamakoshi Residents' Council

Nyagao:
That is exactly a form of "mutual aid" 🐾
Is the"Yamakoshi Residents' Council"that you represent also an extension of that flow?

Mr. Takeuchi:
That's right.
The Yamakoshi Residents' Council was established in July 2007 as a "regional table (a place for consensus building)" after the 2004 Chuetsu Earthquake.
"We will draw the future of the region ourselves"was our motto, and we formulated the regional grand plan,"Yamakoshi Dream Plan."We finished formulating the basic concept, action plan, and welfare plan around 2010.
More than 15 years have passed since then.

Now, the issues have changed, such as the maintenance of schools and facilities and population decline.
That is why I want to set up the table again and draw up a regional plan that looks ahead to the next 20 or 50 years.
I want to aim for a "village where people continue to live," not a "village that only exists in name."

The Roots of Digital Disaster Prevention are "Human Connections"

Nyagao:
I see 🐾
You were also involved in volunteer activities at the time of the earthquake, right?
Does that experience connect to your current use of digital tools?

Mr. Takeuchi:
Back then, it was truly an era of "manpower and paper."
We went around to every temporary housing unit and community center, distributing flyers and calling out to people to understand their needs and announce projects.
Nowadays, it's efficient because we can use digital tools like LINE to understand needs and announce events.
However, that experience became the catalyst for thinking about"how to connect people with people."
"I started to act by considering not just the immediate issues, but the entire region, the relationships of each resident, and the background of the region."That change in consciousness is what leads to today.

To the Future of Yamakoshi

Nyagao:
Lastly, I would like you to tell me about the "future of Yamakoshi" that you envision.

Mr. Takeuchi:
I believe digital technology has “the power to attract friends of the future.” By utilizing the power of digital technology,
I want to create a unique autonomous sphere that transcends geographical and blood ties, and connect Yamakoshi's identity to the future.

🐾 Summary (A word from Nagao)

What has become clear through the interviews so far is that
“disaster prevention is, in itself, human connection.”

Mr. Takeuchi is a symbol of that, and he is the one running at the forefront, meow.🐾
As a representative of an NFT community gaining attention in the Web3 world,
and as a leader of the residents' council supporting the real Yamakoshi, he is building a new bridge between “digital” and “community.”
meow.🐾

Starting from Discord and expanding to LINE OpenChat, this is “another form of village building.”
It is also a practice of joining the hands of people far away and drawing the future of the region together, meow.🐾

A “new form of community” that supports each other in both real and digital fields.
That is exactly what will be the key to future disaster prevention and mutual aid, meow.🐾