Trial “Work-in-Residence” Report #03 – Possibilities of a Workcation

ROKKONOMAD on Mt. Rokko, is a facility that can also be used as a base for a work vacation or workcation. Ahead of its opening, here is a trial of the facility and the “work-in-residence” program.

Our guest this time was Lucas B.B., editor-in-chief of the travel and lifestyle magazine “PAPERSKY.”
The magazine continues to create and disseminate media from the perspective of “A DIFFERENT WAY TO TRAVEL,” seamlessly connecting movement, nature and culture.

When we told Lucas that there we were creating a new base for nomadic workers on Mt. Rokko, and that we hoped to create an environment where one could concentrate in nature, not far from the city, he was very interested and immediately offered to visit and stay.

The Stay Schedule
12/21 (Mon.) Depart from Tokyo office – Arrive in Kobe in the afternoon. Walk around the city. After dinner, go to Mt. Rokko. Overnight stay at ROKKONOMAD.
12/22 (Tue.) Working at ROKKONOMAD for the day, staying at ROKKONOMAD.
12/23 (Wed.) Morning bicycle tour on Mt. Rokko. After lunch, bicycle down the Urarokko (back side) driveway to a farmhouse in Kita-ku Dinner and overnight at the farmhouse.
12/24 (Thu.) After breakfast, head back to ROKKONOMAD to work, listened to the impressions of the stay, and descended the mountain. Buy some souvenirs in the city and head back to Tokyo.

Enjoy bicycling in between work.

On the first day in Kobe, we enjoyed walking around the city and tasting the local food, then headed to ROKKONOMAD, the base on Mt Rokko. Rested comfortably in the cottage heated by a wood stove.
The next day, Lucas had a lot of work to do, so he spent the morning answering emails, working on a manuscript, and holding several remote meetings using a web conference tool.

On the third day, we went cycling in the morning.
Lucas is a bicycle enthusiast. He told me that he wanted to enjoy cycling on Mt. Rokko in between his work, so we arranged some courses.

We started near the Kobe Golf Club, the oldest golf club in Japan. We headed off on a one-way 30-minute bicycle ride on the Rokko-sanjo walking route to “Futatabi Park.”

Although it was the latter half of December, it was a perfect day for cycling, with no clouds, clear skies, and it was not too cold (it is relatively warm this year, although there is a bit of snow on the mountain when the temperature is low). You have to work a bit to get up to the top of the mountain by bicycle, but once you are up there, the road is relatively gentle and you can enjoy cycling quite easily.

If one is going to relocate, do so in to a comfortable place.

On the way, we stopped at the Kobe City Forest Botanical Garden, and then arrived at the Futatabi Park! The reflection of the surrounding nature in the bluish pond is very beautiful. It is also a place for that many Kobe citizens come up to from the city to have a picnic.

–How comfortable has your stay been?

It’s really nice. I like my regular office because it’s very comfortable. But this place is great, too. If one is thinking of relocating somewhere, it is a nice comfortable place to move to.

–I heard you got a lot of work done.

It was better than I expected. Being surrounded by nature, my mind is clearer, and some ideas came to me because I am here.
And for writing the manuscript, in a good way, being here positively influenced my writing.

–Lucas, have you ever been to Kobe before?

I must have visited at least ten times, but I didn’t know that there were forests and mountains this rich. If I wasn’t from Kansai, I probably wouldn’t have gone this far even if I came to Kobe.

Go on a short trip from the mountains.

After lunch, we decided to go down the Ura (Back) Rokko Driveway to the other side of the mountain. In Kita-ku, Kobe, the farming village landscape really spreads out.

After about 20 minutes of riding down the mountain, we soon came to a golden landscape of the farming village in Kita-ku. After about an hour of riding, we arrived at a farmhouse in Awakawa-cho, Kita-ku, which is closely connected to the EAT LOCAL FARMERS MARKET.

The first day was spent in the city of Kobe, the second day was spent all day on Mt. Rokko, and the afternoon of the third day was spent in a rural landscape, tasting another face of Kobe. Dinner was a full course meal using vegetables harvested from the fields. We then stayed at a farmhouse for the rest of the day.

The next morning, after having breakfast at a farmhouse, we returned to Mt. Rokko for some light work again on the mountain.　

“It felt like home” to me.

Lastly, we asked him to share his impressions of the stay.

“I think it’s a characteristic of this place, but usually when you go to nature, you tend to think that you can’t get out of it, that you have to stay there forever.
But here, I can separate myself from everyday life and still see the city below. This gives a strange sense of security. I feel like I can go to the city anytime if I need to, but at the same time I’m in a national park.”

“I could go to the city, I could go to the rural areas and feel the old Japanese atmosphere. I spent most of my time here, so it felt like home to me. I also got to ride my favorite bike while I was there. My stay here was only four days, but the experience was enough to last me a week.”

“A car can take you anywhere in about 30 minutes, and a bicycle can take you anywhere in about an hour. A car is great, but I think we can make better arrangements without using it. For example, we can take our bicycles on the cable car, and easily take them up to the top of the mountain, ride them from time to time while we’re up there, and then come down on our own whenever we want. It is very comfortable.”

“I’ve done a lot of online meetings, but when I’m having a meeting from the top of the mountain, people ask me, ‘Where are you?’ They may be from Japan or overseas, and I tell them, ‘I’m at a place called Mt. Rokko in Kobe.’ It’s a very natural way to spread the word.”

“I’m very conscious of biking and walking, but not everyone is exploring that same way. So it’s important to show available routes, spots, photos, maps, etc.”

He gave us these types of very valuable feedback and advice with a clear perspective.

“The workcation was so much more than I had expected!　I’m looking forward to trying it in different places,” said Lucas. We are sure he will continue to discover the fun of working and living like a nomad in different areas. We are looking forward to the day when he revisits ROKKONOMAD again as one of his stay destinations!

For more information about the Work-in-Residence program, please visit this page.
Programs｜Work-in-Residence

#work-in-residence

Column Writer: Youhei Yasuda Photo: Iku Fujita (except for items marked with *)
Video shooting by Kento Norinao and Youhei Yasuda, video editing by Haruhi Encho
Support by PAPERSKY, SPARK Scone & Bicycle