RSSHEADLINES SKYSPORTS

2024年、初めての欧州3か月ツアー
その時考えたのが、フィンランドへの最後のお楽しみツアーである。
（http://tobimaru888.blog.fc2.com/blog-entry-617.html）
SWIFTの総代理店権獲得交渉やその講習、初の海外3連戦。
最後にお楽しみツアーを設けて、自分に人参をぶら下げる。
中々成功であった。

2025年、事情によりお楽しみツアーは最初に約20日間も設けてしまった。
スペイン、ポルトガル、そしてモロッコへの観光。完全腑抜け状態。
その後迎えた世界戦。なんと組み立てミスが原因の怪我。なんともはや。

人生は長い。いや、この約90日に亘る欧州ツアーも十分に長い。
自分をどうMotivateし、やるべき事を一つ一つ、タイミング良く進めていくか。
大事なことである。

さて、今回。当然ながら、この「お楽しみツアー」は最後に持って来た。
「目指せ、デンマーク」　人生75番目(?)の訪問国。（数え直します）

最初は空路を考えていたのだが、ツアー中に熊本での大地震が起きた。
大変な避難生活を送る方々。洪水も相次ぐ。
高三の時に経験した水害の記憶が頭をよぎる。
親父曰く、一週間でのべ500人の人が復旧作業に来てくれたという。
恩返しせねば。
災害の度に助け合い、復興してきた。それが日本人の原点だと思う。

そしてまた、トミハラがある我が故郷、静岡は、
予想される南海トラフ巨大地震のまさに真っただ中にある。
社員さんとは毎日の様にやり取りしているのだが、
皆さんから一様に不安の声を頂く。

その瞬間は運に任せるしかない。
考えるべきは、その後、である。
こういう時には、先ずは落ち着ける自分の居場所が必要だ。
これは行政に期待するレベルの話だが、自分に出来る事はないだろうか。
東日本大震災の時は、娘が大学を中退して現地にボランティアとして飛び込んだ。
陸前高田。娘が住む仮設住宅に、息子と共に泊まってみた。
そして今回も、被災地では仮設住宅の建設が急がれている。
もっと早い対応策として、キャンピング・カーはどうなのだろうか。
勿論、用意できる数には限りがある。
それでも、せめて自分の手の届く人たちだけでも。

よし、「お楽しみツアー」ではなく、将来の布石として一度試してみよう。
そう（言い訳を）考えて、陸路で2,300㎞のツアーを組むことにした。

39年通ったハングのエリア、足尾山近郊、八郷に住む。
5、6軒の家を建てて、気の合う仲間と住んで楽しく暮らす。
南海トラフ巨大地震や首都圏直下型地震の際の避難場所にもなる。
伊藤忠退社時に考えた「Project YASATO」だ。
土地探しから始めたのだが、中々見つからない。
契約寸前まで行った場所が二か所あったが、最後まで詰め切れなかった。
田舎での土地購入は難しい。
借地で行くならば、移動可能なトレーラー・ハウスはどうだろうか。
そう考えて幾つかトレーラー・ハウス・メーカーを回るが、これも一長一短。

更に次善の策として、キャンピング・カーを考える。
普段はレンタルしてビジネスとして持続させる。
災害時には一時的な避難・居住スペースとして使う。

大好きな筑波山近郊にキャンプ・サイトを構築し、地域の魅力を発信する。
「若者が集う、魅力ある田舎を目指す。」
これには行政の協力も求めるべきだ。そう考えて直ぐにアプローチを開始した。

初めてのキャンピング・カー生活。
比較的大型の車を借りたこともあり、生活は思いの外、快適だった。
ホテルに縛られないのも良い。欧州ツアーではホテルがかなりの負担になっていた。
事前の選択、予約、チェックインの時間、いやホテルの場所探しの時間まで考えて
一日の予定を組む。更に駐車場探しから荷物の移動。
冷蔵庫の有無、大きさを考えて、買い出しの量も調整する。
それらが一切ない自由さ。
すっかりお気に入りである。

よし、帰国後はこのビジネスを追求してみよう。

ーーーー

Saving the Best for Last – Part 2

In 2024, I set off on my first three-month tour of Europe.
At the time, I came up with the idea of saving the best for last: a fun trip to Finland at the very end of my European tour.
Negotiations to acquire the exclusive distributorship for SWIFT, SWIFT training, and my first three consecutive competitions overseas.
I deliberately saved something enjoyable for the end—dangling a carrot in front of myself.
It worked rather well.

In 2025, however, circumstances led me to do exactly the opposite. I put nearly 20 days of fun at the very beginning of the tour.
Sightseeing in Spain, Portugal, and Morocco.
I became completely relaxed—far too relaxed.
Then came the World Championships.
And what happened? I injured myself because of a rigging mistake.
Good grief.

Life is long.
Or rather, even a European tour lasting nearly 90 days is long enough.
How do I keep myself motivated?
How do I get the things that need to be done accomplished, one by one, at the right time?
It matters.

So this time, naturally, I went back to the original idea:
Save the best for last.
“Destination: Denmark!”
My 75th country—or so I think.
(I’ll have to count again.)

At first, I had planned to fly there. But during my tour, a major earthquake struck Kumamoto.
People were forced to endure extremely difficult conditions after being evacuated. Flooding followed in many places as well.

Memories of the flooding I experienced in my final year of high school came rushing back to me.
My father once told me that, over the course of just one week, a total of 500 people came to help us recover from the disaster.
Now it is my turn to give something back.
Each time disaster has struck, we have helped one another and rebuilt together.
I believe that is at the very heart of who we are as Japanese people.

And then there is Shizuoka, my hometown, where TOMIHARA Corporation is located
—right in the heart of the area expected to be severely affected by a future Nankai Trough mega-earthquake.
I communicate with our employees almost every day, and they all express the same sense of anxiety.
When the moment comes, there may be little we can do except leave it to fate.
What we need to think about is what comes afterward.
In such circumstances, the first thing people need is a place of their own where they can settle down and feel safe.
This is really something we should expect government authorities to address.
But I began to wonder:
What can I do myself?
After the Great East Japan Earthquake, my daughter left university and went straight to the disaster area as a volunteer.
Rikuzentakata.
Together with my son, I once stayed in the temporary housing where my daughter was living.
And once again, temporary housing is urgently being built in the disaster-stricken areas.
Could campervans offer a faster solution?
Of course, there would be a limit to how many I could provide.
But perhaps I could at least help those within my reach.

All right. Rather than treating this simply as my “fun trip,” why not use it as an opportunity to test the idea for the future?
That was how I justified it to myself—or perhaps simply made an excuse for myself—and decided to plan a 2,300-kilometer overland journey.

There is a hang-gliding area near Mt. Ashio that I have been visiting for 39 years: Yasato.
My idea is to live there.
Build five or six houses and enjoy life together with a group of good friends.
It could also serve as a place of refuge in the event of a Nankai Trough mega-earthquake or a major earthquake directly beneath the Tokyo metropolitan area.
This is “Project YASATO,” an idea I came up with when I left ITOCHU Corporation.

I began by searching for land, but finding the right place has proved surprisingly difficult.
There were two properties where I came very close to signing a contract, but neither deal could be brought across the finish line.
Buying land in the countryside is not easy.
If leasing land is the answer, what about movable trailer homes?
With that idea in mind, I visited several trailer-home manufacturers. But each option had its advantages and disadvantages.
So I began considering another alternative:
Campervans.

In normal times, they could be rented out, allowing the business to sustain itself.
In the event of a disaster, they could temporarily provide shelter and living space.
I could also develop a campsite near Mt. Tsukuba, a place I love, and use it to promote the attractions of the local area.

“Creating an attractive countryside where young people want to gather.”
This is something that should involve cooperation with the local authorities as well.
Once I reached that conclusion, I immediately began approaching them.

And so began my first experience of living in a campervan.
Perhaps because I had rented a relatively large vehicle, life inside was far more comfortable than I had expected.
Another great advantage was the freedom from hotels.
Hotels had actually become quite a burden during my European tour.
Choosing them in advance, making reservations, planning the day around check-in times—even allowing time simply to find the hotel.
Then there was finding somewhere to park and carrying all my luggage back and forth.
Even grocery shopping had to be adjusted depending on whether the hotel had a refrigerator and how large it was.
With a campervan, all of that disappears.
The freedom is wonderful.
I have completely fallen for it.

All right.
When I get back to Japan, I’m going to explore this business seriously.