[Report] The first “Kusatsu Onsen Migrant Night” was successfully held

On the night of the full moon, September 19, 2024, Kusatsu Onsen Coworking held its first social event, “Migrant Night.”

Although it is a tourist destination, Kusatsu Town is actually home to many resort condominiums and has a good living environment.

Attracted by the quality of the hot springs and the rich nature, many people have moved here from outside the prefecture.

We decided to hold an event aimed at “migrants.”

18 immigrants gathered. Some have been here for only a month, while others have been here for 22 years.

The social gathering started at 5:30 p.m.

Eighteen people participated.

The moderator of the gathering was Midori-san, a coworking staff member who moved to Kusatsu Town this year from Atami in Kanagawa Prefecture.

Everyone moved here at different times.
There were three couples who moved here this year,
and some people had been here for over 20 years.

There was a time set aside for self-introductions, during which each person shared their story, such as “Where did they move from?” and “Why did they decide to move to Kusatsu?”

Their reasons for moving were all different. They were all unique, with some saying “Hot water was good for my body,” “I married someone from Kusatsu and decided to live here,” “I came to Kusatsu to work as a chef,” and “I ended up in Kusatsu after traveling around the country on Dragon Quest Walk.”

Cafe Aspen pizza is here!

There was a snack break in the middle of the event.

Everyone got to know each other well while enjoying some delicious pizza from the local shop, Cafe Aspen.

Aspen’s pizza was excellent.

One immigrant was such a big fan of Aspen that when asked “What is your favorite place in Kusatsu Onsen?” he answered “Aspen.” It seems that such a person was pleased.

When you have horizontal connections, life in the town becomes more enjoyable

Speaking to them, one thing they all had in common was that they always spent time in the same community and didn’t have much interaction.

They felt that whether or not they could make acquaintances would affect the enjoyment of their new life as an immigrant, such as participating in local events like festivals, and they were hoping that this event would provide an opportunity to do so.

On the day, people who don’t usually have much opportunity to interact with each other, such as the innkeeper, people working in the town’s infrastructure, and people working remotely from home, were able to interact with each other.

There were many encounters that seemed likely to develop into future events, such as “Let’s go for a drink sometime” or “Let’s take a walk in the forest together sometime.”

The conversation didn’t just revolve around each other’s experiences of moving.

There was also a serious exchange of opinions, such as, “Have you had any difficulties since moving?” and “What can we do to make our town more welcoming to people?”

People from the town hall and people from Kusatsu Town also joined in, and there was time for them to express their honest feelings.

Regularly held. Let’s gather at coworking on the night of the full moon.

The event was a huge success, and participants have kindly requested that it become a regular event.

As there was a full moon on the day, the idea that “it would be easier to gather on a full moon day” led to discussion.

We plan to hold Migrant Nights on a regular basis in the future.

If you weren’t able to participate this time, please join us next time.