Yuki Miyazawa, 44, has spent half of her life abroad, but in 2020 she finally decided to settle down in Tsukuba, Ibaraki Prefecture. Craving an international atmosphere, it wasn’t long before she started the Village Market Tsukuba with two business partners she met by chance.
1. When did you first start the Village Market Tsukuba? We started it in October of 2021.
2. You run the market with George Katakai and Emika Kato. How did the three of you meet? When I lived in the U.S., I owned two dogs: a Greater Swiss and a Bernese mix. I would post pictures of them on Instagram with a hashtag in katakana. I clicked on the hashtag to see if anyone else was using it. One profile said “from Vancouver to Tsukuba.” I knew I was moving to Japan soon, so I was so surprised to see they were in a similar situation with the same type of dog, so I messaged them. George and Emika responded, and we met up in August 2020 when I moved to Japan. Without our dogs, the market wouldn’t exist, so we put them on the Village Market logo.
3. Was it difficult to set up the market? It was surprisingly easy. On a rainy day, George and I were talking about how there are no markets here, and he said, “Why don’t we make one?”
We called the ward office. The person who picked up was young and new to the role, and seemed interested in the idea. The next day we went to the ward office and booked Oct. 17 for the market. Then it hit us that we had two months to go, so we started running around preparing. We made a logo and messaged potential vendors — that was the hardest part, getting everyone to join. After that, thanks to the helpful ward office staff, things went relatively smoothly, and we opened with a total of 50 vendors.
4. What’s the main purpose or concept of the market? Being kind to the environment, reducing plastic and being low waste. We also collect food for food banks. We wanted to create a space where it’s easy to do that. Even just one small act from one person can make a difference.
5. What was your first experience at a farmer’s market? I used to live in America and in my town there was a market every Wednesday. I would go every week. There were a lot of markets in neighboring towns, too. It was really fun going to different places and meeting different people.
6. What got you into the sustainability scene? I used to go backpacking when I was 19. Already at that time, now 20-odd years ago, countries in Europe were barely using plastic. At first I thought that just one person wouldn’t make a difference, but then I realized that if that one person becomes a hundred — then it could mean something amazing. I thought, “Even if it’s something small, I should do what I can.”
7. You have a hummus stand at the Village Market. Why hummus? I love hummus! In America and Australia, there were so many different types, and I don’t cook much so I like that I can use it to throw a quick meal together with fresh vegetables or bread. I even went to Lebanon to learn the recipe!
8. How long did you spend in America? I was there from the age of 3 to 8, then again from 18 to 26. During that time, I spent two years in Australia and half a year in Indonesia. Then I was there again from age 32 until just recently in 2020 for just over 10 years.
9. What made you come back to Japan? My dad owned a skate and snowboard distribution company in Japan that I was working for, and he was getting to retirement age. I came back to take over the company and be close to him again. As I get older, Japan feels easier to live in — especially regarding medical fees and such. I figured I could live here and just occasionally travel abroad.
10. What’s your favorite stall at the market? I’ve tried something from every stall but I don’t eat meat, so I tend to go to the vegetarian ones. In America, I used to eat a lot of African and Mexican food. There’s not as much of that in Japan, so I think Sidamo is the one I frequent the most.
11. What are the requirements to set up a stall? Our motto is “Earth Day Every Day.” So, if you’re a farmer, it would be not using pesticides and agrichemicals. For others, maybe being additive-free or using less plastic.
12. What’s the main challenge in running the market? The weather, if it’s rainy then it’s OK. If it’s too windy we have to cancel. We’re looking for an indoor location as well.
13. Do you have any time to relax and, if so, what do you do? The market is sort of my relaxation time, but I also like to surf. I haven’t been able to surf much recently, but when summer comes around it gets light at 3:30am, so I’ll probably start going in the morning before work.
14. Do you ever think about leaving Japan again? I’m hoping not this time! I lived in the U.S. from age 3 to 8, so in my head I’m American. When I came back to Japan I was a bit different, and I’d get told off a lot. I grew up not liking Japan, so after high school I kept leaving and then coming back to see if anything had changed, but it hadn’t.
But this time I’ve calmed down, partly because of my age. Now I just try to bring little elements of what I liked abroad into my life, like the Village Market.
15. How does the sustainability scene in Japan compare to the U.S.? Japan is way behind. I surf a lot, so the beaches are a big issue for me. They’re so dirty here. It’s partly because of rubbish floating in from other countries, but fly-tipping is a big problem. People come and burn car tires on the beach, or dump other large trash items. More information is out there now, so people are starting to change.
16. What do you think about Sustainable Development Goals? SDGs just feel like something you need to say that you’re doing, even if you don’t really understand it. It feels like a trend, and Japan likes trends, but it’s not a bad trend. So if even one person changes their attitude because of it, maybe things will start to change.
17. Is there anyone you look up to? My dad! I want to be able to surf and snowboard like him when I’m 79 (laughs). We share a lifestyle to “work hard, play harder,” so I want to be like that when I’m older.
18. Have you visited any other markets around Japan? The first thing I did when I moved back was to search for them. There are so many. I’ve been to a lot that aren’t very interesting, though. I wondered why there weren’t more good ones, which is partly why we started one.
19. What’s your favorite one, other than the Village Market? The Artisan Farmer’s Market in Kawaguchi, Saitama Prefecture. I used to go a lot as a customer, but now I have my hummus stand (Dippy Dip) there, too. It’s such a great market.
20. Do you have any advice for anyone who wants to be more environmentally friendly? Don’t overthink it — just do what you can. Bring your own bag instead of receiving a plastic one, or bring your own cup. Once you start, you’ll probably start noticing there are other small things you can do. You can also start by coming to the Tsukuba Village Market or other Earth-friendly markets near you — they can give you fun little ideas to get you started.
Fore more on the Village Market Tsukuba, visit campsite.bio/villagemarket.
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