Born and raised in Tokyo for about 50 years, running a shop for 22 yearsBefore I knew it, I’ve reached the final stretch of life.
In 2019, with the spread of coronavirus, I found myself thinking deeply about life in many ways.
To put it simply“Do what you want to do while you’re alive!”That’s the idea.
Nowadays, I think anyone can understand that Earth’s weather is different from before.
Work and the economy won’t proceed smoothly and stably for long like they used to. . . . . .
As for what I want to do“I want to play and work freely in my own factory?”
Starting from searching for land, after several years, we finally found a new place.
While doing this work, searching and having meetings
it was quite tedious, but since it’s what I want to do, let’s call it OK.
The factory construction took over a year to finally work out, so completion is scheduled for July 2025
Construction starts at the end of January next year – I wonder if we’ll make it. . . . .
The countryside and garage blog “RURAL GARAGE”
*There’s actually a hidden blog above↑
I roughly thought about which part of Japan to target.
I initially did a rough survey within a 100-kilometer radius of Tokyo.
・About an hour from Tokyo
・Able to casually enjoy riding my bike in a spacious area
・An environment where I don’t have to worry about work noise or smells
・Preferably affordable land
・Less affected by natural disasters like the Nankai Trough earthquake/Mount Fuji eruption?
I investigated the Kanagawa area as well, but the population density was intense and it didn’t feel much different from Tokyo.
I considered Gunma and Tochigi, but somehow they didn’t feel right.
Though I say that
Initially, firstwhether to build or buy a housewas what I investigated.
It’s hard to find good conditions.
Whether to build or buy both a home and a factoryso,it’s hard to find good conditions.
No matter how long I waited
“What kind of location is good, what kind of house is good?”
I couldn’t decide.
Every day I researched houses online, and on days off I’d visit home builders to hear about their options
and it felt like a hazy, unclear daily routine.
In the end“Land and location”already have limits, so it’s harder than I thought
and furthermoresince I want to build a factory, my options are even narrower.
Basically
“Public infrastructure is in place = people live there to some extent”that’s how it is.
Converselya remote house without developed infrastructure costs a lot.
Finally found it! Used log house property – super cool dream home
Every day, every day I’d patrol the internet. . . . In the midst of that
I found a used log house property in a certain part of Chiba Prefecture – super cool, almost like a remote house.
First I had an interior viewing and investigated access, the surrounding area, and traffic conditions
and after much deliberation, I ended up purchasing the home.
Please consider the images as illustrative.
The home’s yard is all lawn, with a land area of 240 tsubowhich is unimaginable in the city center.
The homealso comes equipped with a wood stoveand it was trulythe ultimate ideal homethat I found.
Initially, since the property was spaciousI planned to build a factory on the property.
However, when I checked the blueprintsthe underground drainage and excavation would cost quite a bitso I put it on hold temporarily.
It became clear that buying land elsewhere and building there would be faster and lower risk.
Can’t find factory land = moving plans aren’t progressing
In the end,it’s been like a dual-residence situation for 2 years now.
Since it’s not that far, it hasn’t been as difficult as I thoughtbut there’s definitely wasteful costs piling up.
Even when searching for land in this somewhat rural areathe information doesn’t get updated.
If possible, being closer to home would be more reassuring in many ways.
Since I can’t find land, I thought maybe I should move first and think about work later?
But I’d need to store all this massive amount of stuff somewhere temporarily.
That would be a hassle in itself, so I ended up searching while continuing to work.
At this point, I thought there was no choice but tonegotiate directly.
Next to our home there’sabout 90 tsubo of vacant landso
I decided to try making an appointment about this place.
After all, a letter! It still works! (*´ω｀*)
You can identify the owner from real estate registration information.
However, you can’t be sure if the owner actually lives at that address.
Even if they did
“In this day and age, a direct letter seems too suspicious”I think.
If I were them, I definitely wouldn’t meet – I’m very grateful to the land owner.
A few weeks after sending the letter, my phone rang.
It was the land owner ○○. Apparently they actually wanted to dispose of it. . . .
Through that process, I finally got to acquire the land.
But before purchasing, there was still a lot to do. . . . .
The land’s classification was“agricultural land”so“land classification change”had to be done.
“Agricultural land”canonly be transferred to “farmers” – there’s such a rule apparently.
I hired a “house surveyor”to change the classification to residential land and complete the sale
and finally I was able to acquire the factory land.
The location is Chiba Prefecture. About 10 minutes from the Kensetsudo Expressway“Mobara Chonan Interchange“
Nearby there’sMobara Twin Circuit, about 10 minutes awayso I can easily go for a light ride at that distance.
Sometimes I can hear the roaring sound of 4-wheel driving events.
Sodegaura Forest Raceway is about 40 minutes away on local roads.
To Tokyo by bike is just over an hour.
Depending on the time, the Aqua Line might be congested, but otherwisebasically super empty.
*Watch out for speeding
I think you can go much more casually than heading toward the Hakone area.
The downside is that the expressway toll is somewhat expensive?
The station is about 6.5 kilometers away, so it’s impossible to walk there
so I have to drive people, but JR Mobara Station is the nearest.
July 2025planned reopening in the new location?
According to planJuly 2025 is planned for reopening in the new location.
I have a feeling it won’t go that smoothly though. . . . .
I honestly have no idea what will happen, so I’d appreciate it if we could discuss things as the situation develops.
I was honestly amazed at how much freedom I have to ride my bike just by moving a little away from Tokyo.
Since I was born and raised in Tokyo, I honestly don’t appreciate Tokyo’s benefits anymore.
Conversely, the stress from the crowds is very significant
“I can’t even test ride casually, I can’t make loud noises while working”
it’s not an environment where I can continue working.
The advantage of having a bike shop in Tokyo is on the customer side
“When dropping off and picking upthey can use public transportation”that’s about the only thing, isn’t it?
Of course, because this convenience is good, it’s easier to attract customers? I’ve started thinking that way recently.
Somehow“Doesn’t business not work in the countryside?”
I’d be happy if this could be a reference for bike shop owners and other industrieswho think that way.
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