Miyota, a place where creators gather.
Your home in Miyota.
Muramatsu:I didn't want to give up the idea of having a base of operations in Tokyo, so I decided to move my family to a place with easy access to Tokyo, and I spent about a year researching Nagano, Yamanashi, and Kanagawa, but I couldn't find the right place or community. I was unable to find a place or a community that really fit the bill. Then I happened to find Miyota, a town next to Karuizawa. It has a population of about 15,000, but it is close to Karuizawa and has two Shinkansen stations within a 20-30 minute drive. It is easy to get to Tokyo and is rich in nature with Mount Asama nearby. It was also a place where creators from the city center began to move to a few years ago.
I have read that creators are flocking to Miyota.
Muramatsu:One of the reasons for this is the establishment of a new school called "Kazakoshi Gakuen" in Karuizawa and a very advanced school called "Ohinata Elementary School" in Sakuho Town, which follows the Dutch educational policy called Jenaplan education. There was originally a "Morino no Yoenen" in Karuizawa as well, and children have a wide range of choices in education. I think the number of educational immigrants has increased, partly because Shinshu itself focuses on education.
Muramatsu:We decided that it would be good for us to live here because it would be easy to commute to Tokyo, but the house we built in Inadani was a waste of money even though it was built without a plan, and we felt a sense of regret about Inadani, so we decided to keep the house in Inadani as long as we were strong enough and also to have a base in Miyota, and on the other hand, to eliminate the Tokyo apartment. I wanted to get rid of the apartment in Tokyo. But I have my own company in Tokyo, so when I come here to work and stay, I stay at a cheap business hotel. So, originally I had two locations, but it turned out to be three.
Ger built in the garden of his house in Miyota.
How do you divide your time between the three locations?
Muramatsu:Inadani is a place where people face nature, including the harsh parts. Miyota, in terms of location and lifestyle, is an area between Tokyo and Inadani, and is a town in moderation. So I feel as if I am migrating to Tokyo to work. I live in Miyota, work in Tokyo about 3 times a week, and commute to Inadani about every other week. I take the Shinkansen between Tokyo and Miyota. It takes only a little over an hour to Tokyo from Sakuhira station, which I use now.
Muramatsu:While traveling on the bullet train, I can work and sleep if I want to. On the other hand, the car is more expensive for transportation, but in a way, it is the only time I can be completely offline. I don't have to touch my phone and can listen to podcasts or music. Sometimes I drive back and forth, which takes 6-7 hours, but that time is more of a luxury.
