LOCAL BUSINESS INCUBATOR

  • Industrial Development Local development
    design project : Kosuge
    Village, Yamanashi

  • Regional Management Forest Healing Project :
    Shinano Town, Nagano

  • Industrial Development "Ensen Marugoto
    Hotel" JR East Project

  • Theme development Returning the balance of
    river ecosystems:
    Southern Shikoku
    Revitalization Project

  • Theme development World Agricultural
    Heritage "Shiiba's
    Swidden" Project

  • Partnership Development 100DIVE:Cross-border
    x Practical Start-up
    Project

  • Industrial Development Regional trading com-
    pany "Kahokurashi Co."
    Project:Kahoku Town,
    Yamagata

MISSION Giving shape to the dreams of country towns

SATOYUME's corporate philosophy is to
“Give shape to the dreams of country towns”.
This philosophy is based on our desire to continue
to
support the dreams of local residents,
not only to the point
where they are translated
into reality,
(via plans, policy proposals, etc.)
but continue to the point to where the client’s
vision
consolidates into forms such as;
products, services,
businesses, profits, and
employment.

SATOYUME’s approach towards providing services.

When providing support, our basic policy is to be involved as much as possible from the initial stage, through until the dream takes shape. We believe that by doing so, we can create products, services, and businesses that have strong foundations and deliver the wishes of the local community. We call this approach to our work “Accompanied consulting”. We are committed to exploring a new type of consulting service that continues to provide support to the people of the community to the best of our ability.

Accompanied consulting company

Realizing the Vision,Marketing, Product and Service Development,Test Marketing,Sales Channel Development and Promotion,Business Launch

A community focused company that  supports local entrepeneurs LOCAL BUSINESS INCUBATOR

We have positioned 2021 as our second founding year, and have formulated a new corporate identity to define our organization.
While maintaining an attitude that has been fundamentally important for us since our founding, "Accompanied Consulting",
we will update all of the company's structures to become a people-driven company that provides support where needed most for
local businesses and entrepreneurs.

SERVICES

  1. 01 Local

    Regional
    Management

    Support for Development
    of Regional goals

    We provide comprehensive support to create an organization of people from within the local community to achieve desired aspects for their business visions, such as; Talent development, Program creation, Marketing promotion, etc.
    We ensure that all ideas are heard and discussed to best suit the overall outcome for the region.

  2. 02 Industry

    Industrial
    Development

    Development Promotion
    for major local industry

    We provide support for the creation and development of industries that support the region, including the formulation of marketing strategies, product and service development, as well as management improvement of organizations.

  3. 03 Theme

    Theme
    Development

    Problem-solving support for Local
    and broader-ranging Topics

    We will provide support for event management, promotion, etc, in cooperation with a variety of stakeholders to help alleviate and solve issues faced by many communities and companies. Some examples of issues that these groups face, are things such as, "environmental conservation" and "health promotion".

  4. 04 Human

    Partnership
    Development

    Discovering talent and Development

    We provide support to local people looking to network and develop partnerships in their local area, develop local businesses and attract people from other areas to move to a more local, and centralized location to assist these businesses where needed. This then provides a solid foundation for the businesses, and maintain momentum towards continuing to be a sustainable, people-driven business.

  5. 05 Oversea

    Overseas
    Projects

    Support for International Sales and Inbound Business

    We provided PR support to expand sales channels of Japanese products to overseas markets, and create products for inbound markets.

COMPANY

Greeting from a representative

Our goal is "To create a society where all people can be proud of their hometowns and help their hometowns".
People need a "hometown".
In today's society, where relationships with the land and the community are becoming increasingly tenuous, we believe that people's interests in the community is growing because they are fundamentally seeking a "hometown." When people find their "hometown" and begin to feel pride in it, a source of enthusiasm to transform the region is born. We would like to provide people with that passion and the means and opportunities to make these dreams a reality. We do not know how many years, or even decades, it will take. However, we promise you that we have been, and will continue to accompany the community, we will continue to create businesses in the community with people as the starting point, and one day, we will realize "a society where all people take pride in their hometowns and can be a force for their hometowns". Shumpei Shimada,
President and Representative Director

Company Name:

SATOYUME CO., LTD

Date of
establishment:

April 17, 2012

Head office:

801 Villa.Apex, 3-4-5 Kudan-Minami,
Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 102-0074, Japan

google map
Nagano Branch:

Afan Center, 2742-2041 Ooaza-Ooi,
Shinano Town, Kamiminochi-gun,
Nagano Prefecture 389-1316, Japan

google map
Capital:

196.1 million yen
(including capital reserve)

Employees:

30 (including part-time)

Board
Members:

President and CEO: Shumpei Shimada,

Director and COO Nagano Branch
Manager: Takeshi Asahara,

Director CFO: Goro Suzuki,

Businessd
scription:

Consulting for regional revitalization,

Produce business related to local
revitalization,

Development of regional bases

NIPPONIA KOSUGE VILLAGE

Kosuge-village Yamanashi

A village of 700 people One hotel. And.., to "Ensen Marugoto Hotel"

A village of 700 people One hotel. And.., to "Ensen Marugoto Hotel"

Located at the headwaters of the Tama River, Kosuge village in Yamanashi Prefecture is a small village with a population of approximately 700 residents. Encompassed by nature with 95% of its area being coniferous forests, the village is facing serious depopulation and aging issues, with the population having declined from a peak of approximately 2,200 to about 700, one-third of its original population. SATOYUME has been involved in the overall coordination of people, goods, and services, throughout the creation of a sustainable hotel village in Kosuge Village. We were also involved in the comprehensive production of “Michi no Eki Kosuge” (Roadside Station), which opened in March 2015.

Further examples include:
  • - Support for creating strategies to go towards regional revitalization and developing population issue solutions for Kosuge Village,
  • - Support for the establishment of a company to manage the roadside station and hot spring facilities,
  • - Development of products such as preserved fish madefrom locally caught Yamame (landlocked salmon),
  • - Planning and operation of local community events such as, “Zombie Village Kosuge”,
  • - Production of a local village information PR website “Ko Kosuge”, as well as the design of a point card system to engage the relevant population within the community.

The results of the previously mentioned projects, combined with the efforts of village residents, the village office, and other various social tailwinds, Kosuge Village saw a 2.2-fold increase in the number of tourists from 80,000 to 180,000 in the five years from 2014 to 2018. This is the largest increase in tourism in Yamanashi Prefecture’s history. Additionally, the number of children in the local elementary school increased from 23 to 36, as 75 people from 22 families moved to the area to raise their children from other locations. Furthermore, five new venture companies were also established during this period. The village is now attracting nationwide attention as a successful model for regional revitalization.
On the other hand, the pre-existing inns and guest houses within the village were closing one after another due to the aging of their owners. The lack of accommodation was a significantly limiting factor when it came to securing tourism related income and boosting the industry within the area.

Therefore, SATOYUME established a new company, ”EDGE Corporation”, in July 2018. EDGE Corporation was then utilized to establish a new lodging facility in conjunction with the Kosuge Village Office and NOTE Corporation, a specialist in the restoration of old private homes. The first project, " NIPPONIA KOSUGE VILLAGE ", a decentralized hotel that treats the entire region as a single inn, opened on August 17, 2019 under the concept of creating, "A Village of 700 people Into A Hotel". All of the staff who manage “NIPPONIA KOSUGE VILLAGE” are local residents, and most of the food is grown by farmers in the area. The facility will provide an experience not only as a hotel, but also include the surrounding area of the hotel, by giving the customers opportunities to be able to explore natural environments with the local staff by foot and by bicycle, providing tours of the entire village, and interacting with the local villagers along the way. Staying at this hotel will further provide help to preserve the rich history, culture, and lifestyle of the area and its inhabitants.
Furthermore, from 2020, a joint project with East Japan Railway Company (JR East) has begun to expand its stay-and-go tourism business to other locations along the local railroad line. It is called the "Ensen (along the railway line) Marugoto Hotel" project. This project is aimed towards revitalizing the Ome Line of JR East. The project involves numerous local governments/councils (Ome City, Okutama Town, Kosuge Village, and Tambayama Village), local residents and businesses. The main hurdle involved with this project will be renovating the vacant houses scattered along the line into hotel rooms, converting the entire line into a hotel. This “Demonstration experiment” was conducted from February to April of 2021, and received favorable results and evaluations. In December 2021, a joint venture company, “Ensen Marugoto Corporation”, was established to promote full-scale commercialization.

Local management

Healing Forest - In the Forest with Doctors

Shinano-town Nagano

A town where the power of the forest makes urban people and businesses healthier.

A town where the power of the forest makes urban people and businesses healthier.

Shinano Town, in Nagano Prefecture, is surrounded by the Hokushin five mountains, and is located in a scenic highland basin in the Myoko- Togakushi Renzan National Park. The shores of Lake Nojiri are said to be one of Japan's three most popular recreational areas for foreigners, and are particularly popular in summer. In the 2000s, Shinano Town was subjected to awave of mergers, but in a survey of its residents, the majority chose to follow the path of independence declining to merge with the other municipalities. This led to eight volunteer residents, who felt the need for a project that would be the centerpiece of the town's self- reliance, to come up with the idea of creating a recreational tourist resort based around forest therapy, which had been previously advocated. by C.W. Nicol, an incredibly revered The town administration at the time, recognized the concept and named the project the “Healing Forest Project”. Expansion of its efforts and through the cooperation of the public and private sectors, providing training for forest medical trainers on the model of Germany's Kneipp therapy, fostering specialized lodging facilities called “Healing Forest Inns,” and developing barrier-free roads were all made a reality. As a result, the area was certified as the first forest therapy base in 2006, and in 2020, it will become the first forest therapy base in Japan to be promoted to a two-star rating. Shinano town's unique know-how, including research on the “healing effects” of forests, forest therapy methods, and a curriculum for training trainers, has become the model standard for the Forest Therapy Society within Japan. Not only has it become the national standard, but, it is also attracting attention from overseas as an advanced example of such a system.

SATOYUME has been involved in the Healing Forest project since its inception and has provided integrated support for the project, including the creation of business plans, progress management of the entire project, and the creation of a roadmap for local branding. In particular, we have used marketing techniques to revitalize the entire town by making effective use of its limited resources. Specifically, we have prepared programs that address the mental health needs of companies primarily in urban areas, and have established partnerships with 35 companies (as of February 2020) through promotion using marketing techniques. The introduction of corporate training programs that incorporate forest therapy have had as ignificantly positive impact on the partner companies involved, with results such as, significant reductions in turnover rates over the course of three years, and the number of people interacting with the town have also increased. In addition, a system has been established so that employees of affiliated companies can a ctively purchase fresh highland vegetables and other local products from the town, contributing to industries other than just tourism. In April 2016, SATOYUME's Nagano branch was established in Shinano Town to further expand its support for the project. In cooperation with the “Shinano Town Forest Therapy Study Group - Hitotoki no Kai” organized by forest medical trainers, other associated bodies, and the “C.W. Nicol Afan Woods Foundation”, the originator of the “Healing Forest” project, we established the “Shinano Town Woods-Life Community”. The town and the “Shinano Town Woods-Life Community” are collaborating to further develop the “Healing Forest” business, and are progressing towards the acceptance of customers.

Development of regional bases

Joint project with JR East for revitalization of railway lines “Ensen Marugoto Hotel”

Okutama-Town and Ome-City, Tokyo

The station and the surrounding villages were “edited” from scattered local resources to create a “one hotel”

The station and the surrounding villages were “edited” from scattered local resources to create a “one hotel”

The “Ensen Marugoto Hotel” project aims to create a “hotel-like” service that allows visitors to enjoy the “entire” railway line by utilizing unmanned station buildings as hotel reception areas and lobbies, renovating vacant houses in villages along the railway line into hotel rooms, and managing the hotel together with local residents. This project began when Satoyume applied for the “JR East Startup Program 2020” held by JR East Startup Corporation and was selected from among 242 proposals as one of 18 companies for the co-creation project. The first demonstration test for the general public was conducted from February to April 2021 and received favorable results and evaluations. In December 2021, a joint venture company, “Ensen Marugoto Co.,Ltd ”.

In June 2022, we renovated the Hatonosu Station building (unmanned station) on the JR Ome Line and opened the “Ensen Marugoto Laboratory” to serve as a base for innovation in the region. In addition to fulfilling the office function of “Ensen Marugoto Co.,Ltd ”, we will work with local residents and local businesses to discover and edit attractive local resources that have not yet been converted into content (tours, local contribution activities, development of local specialty products, etc.), and to “connect” with the local community and “create” in the local community. The three main functions of this organization are to “connect” with the region, “create” in the region, and“activate” the region, and it was established to function as a research institute (laboratory) to create regional innovations. The hotel business will renovate old private homes (vacant houses) along the JR Ome Line in fiscal 2023, and the brand name for the core accommodation facility was decided to be “Satologue”. On May 16, 2024, a restaurant and sauna were opened at a location between Hatonosu and Kori Stations on the JR Ome Line, prior to the accommodation building. A lodging building is scheduled to open on the same site in the spring of 2025, followed by sequential renovation and opening along the JR Ome Line, with a total of five to eight lodging buildings scheduled to be in operation by 2028.

Theme development

Southern Shikoku Revitalization Project to Create a River Where Ayu Fish Can Come Back

Toyo-town Kochi / Kaiyo-town Tokushima

Watershed Cooperation Project to Restore ayu fish runs upstream to the uppermost reaches of the river

Watershed Cooperation Project to Restore ayu fish runs upstream to the uppermost reaches of the river

The “Southern Shikoku Revitalization Project,” a watershed collaboration spanning two prefectures The None River flows along the border between Tokushima and Kochi prefectures. It is a beautiful river that retains its original landscape of satoyama and clear water, and was once a famous ayu (sweetfish) river that was home to about one million ayu fish and was once ranked number one in Japan at a fish show. However, the number has plummeted to about 100,000 in recent years due to deterioration of the spawning environment caused by a lack of upstream forest maintenance and changes in the fishway over time. Therefore, in 2016, the NPO Waters Revitalization Project (hereinafter referred to as “WRP”) and Satoyume approached the government and started to revitalize the river into a river where ayu fish can come back. This “Southern Shikoku Revitalization Project” is a collaboration between Kaiyo Town in Tokushima Prefecture and Toyo Town in Kochi Prefecture, two towns that straddle the two prefectures that make up the watershed of the Nonegawa River.

Successful restoration of the None River,
where ayu fish migrate upstream
Ayu, a migratory fish, spawns near the mouth of the river in the fall, and the hatched fry are washed out to the sea. In the winter of 2016, the weir and fishway that had been an obstacle to the run-up were repaired, and in the spring of 2017, a whopping 1.5 million ayu came back to the river, In 2018 and 2019, ayu fish came back smoothly, numbering about 800,000. The size of the fish has increased, and the river is returning to its former state. Satoyume was in charge of developing a vision for the restoration project, assisting with fundraising, and surveying the changes in fish and aquatic insect species and populations before and after the weir and fish passage were repaired.

Also initiated the promotion of new hands-on, stay-and-go type tourism. The Nonegawa River is approximately 28.5 km long. Surrounded by rich forests, the watershed has many attractions such as huge rocks, suspension bridges, and abysses. The “8 Views of Nonegawa” have been developed for people to enjoy the river, and the “Nonegawa River Walk” is a guided tour along the river, Not only to revitalize the river, but also to revitalize the community, We have begun various trials to promote new types of hands-on, stay-and-go tourism.

Theme development

World Agricultural Heritage “Yakihata of Shiiba” Succession Support Project

Shiiba-village, Miyazaki

Supporting the continuation of the environmentally symbiotic agricultural method, Shiiba's Yakihata farming, which has been practiced since the Jomon Era, into the future.

Supporting the continuation of the environmentally symbiotic agricultural method, Shiiba's Yakihata farming, which has been practiced since the Jomon Era, into the future.

Supporting the development of the “Yakihata of Shiiba,” an element recognized as a World Agricultural Heritage site. In December 2015, Shiiba Village in Miyazaki Prefecture was recognized by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) as a “World Agro-Heritage Site” (GIHAS) for its traditional mountain agriculture, forestry, and traditional culture in the Takachiho Township and Mount Shiiba area, including Shiiba Village, as a “mountain agriculture and forestry complex system”.

The company is working on the inheritance and development of“Yakihata” farming, an important element of the mountainous agroforestry complex system. Commissioned by Shiiba Village, Satoyume was in charge of managing the “Shiiba Yakihata Study Group,” which conducts research on the History of Yakihata, formulation of work procedures, biodiversity assessment, etc., as well as producing an educational booklet “Shiiba's Yakihata” to increase the number of inheritors and supporters of Yakihata in Shiiba Village, and a manual “Shiiba's Yakihata Procedure Manual” that verbalizes and systemizes the unique method of Yakihata in Shiiba Village. Satoyume was in charge of creating the “Shiiba YakihataManual. ”

Human Resource Development

100DIVE

Japan

Cross-border teams of diverse personalities to create local business.

Cross-border teams of diverse personalities to create local business.

100DIVE, a project to create businesses with “people” as the starting point, was launched in 2021 as a joint venture with ALIVE, a general incorporated association that offers one of Japan's largest cross-industrial leadership development programs. The sense of challenge behind the project is the serious shortage of local leaders. “The plan may look great, but who is going to do it?” We had witnessed cases in various communities where plans did not progress because there was no one to put them into practice just before commercialization, even though surveys and planning had already been carefully conducted. Therefore, 100DIVE will form a team that brings together human resources who are highly interested in local issues and the local governments that are working to solve them. Through a total of five sessions, plus alpha, 100DIVE aims to build a local business planning and promotion system.

This project is characterized by the fact that the participants take the initiative towards actually launching their own businesses, rather than just planning and completing the project as is often the case in workshops.

Many of the past participants continue to be involved in the community and became a team that creates businesses. In the past, participants have established organizations to commercialize their projects, worked hard to obtain government grants, and develop prototypes regarding their services. We are expanding a new type of related population that does not consume the community, but co-creates with it together.

Development of regional bases

Kahokurashi-sha

Kahoku-town Yamagata

Support for the establishment and operation of a regional trading company, “Kahokurashi-sha”, which will be responsible for the future of the region.

Support for the establishment and operation of a regional trading company, “Kahokurashi-sha”, which will be responsible for the future of the region.

A regional trading company, established in 2021, with the aim of rebuilding the industries of Kahoku Town from a market-in perspective was established and is operated by five companies from within and outside of the town. Kahokurashi-sha is engaged in the development of products that meet the needs of the market and the cultivation of sales channels. In the future, the company will address issues related to local human resource development and the lack of successors to the business, and once those issues are resolved, create a place for tertiary (wholesale) industry in the town.

This project aims to create an environment where attractive products, content, and its creators can gather in Kahoku town,they can interact with the customers, which will then allow the town to develop in a sustainable manner. SATOYUME supports the company’s activities from various aspects, including market research, concept design, brand logo development, business plan drafting, and organization chart review, as well as business operation support and financial analysis support once the company is up and running.