廃校 - Haiko Cafe

As I wrote this down from Indonesia, a country far away from Japan, I have no picture of the real cafe here. I only have this sketch of my imagination about Homei Haiko in the future, when people are coming again to this beautiful place hidden in the village of Yamaguchi Prefecture. I had took this photo approximately 2 months before the real event was finally done.

I had been living in Japan for around 3 months in between these places called Haiko, to be exact in an awesome prefecture named Yamaguchi. Just for your information, "Haiko" is a Japanese term of closed schools due to the phenomenon of declining birth rate in Japan.

This was one of the Haiko that I visited and have been working on during my internship in Japan, namely Homei Elementary School in Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan.

Last November 20th, 2016, there was a local village event, namely Homei Art Festival. Homei Haiko had the opportunity to become the first haiko in Yamaguchi to open the Haiko Cafe. This cafe will be a mobile cafe, will only sell simple products, and the most importantly, will only be open in the Haikos, in line with its name and concept to revitalize Haiko in Japan. The aim of this cafe is to invite people to come visit Haiko and see the true value behind this nation-wide issue. Hoping to make people realize, that revitalizing Haiko in villages can improve the basic necessity of life itself, the humane relationship again.

Apart from Haiko Cafe, they also collaborated with some local parties around Yamaguchi area, such as the bamboo-bike for village revitalization initiative, Spedagi Ato, which a branch of Spedagi Indonesia. And even local animation artist who showcased her works there, about beautiful things through her simple yet modern animation.

Isn't it amazing to see one abandoned place turns into a meeting point of many future posibilities?

For Haiko Cafe photos and more information, please contact: http://openhouse.co.jp/haiko-cafe/ . Do not worry, they do speak English too.


I know not all Japanese understand English, and not all Indonesian understand English.
Yet still, I wrote this not in Japanese, not in Indonesian, but in English. At least this is the only way I can help Haiko issues to reach more people, more perspectives and hopefully more idea for our sustainable future.

ID.29.11.2016
#laviniaelysia
#JapanLifeLesson

廃校 - Haiko Summit

"Haiko"  means "Closed Schools" in Japanese term.

Japan is now suffering from national low birth rate and high migration of the youth to the cities, leaving the schools in villages abandoned, and finally forced to closed.

There are around 8 Haikos in Yamaguchi Prefecture today, the buildings and infrastructure are still so good, the surroundings are still so natural and untouched. The best part is, the elderly people are still so young in mind and heart to share whatever possible to bring us, the young, back to these villages again.

They even created The Haiko Summit, in order to bring back life to these closed schools in the villages. They are gathering ideas from wherever and whoever possible to help waking the Haikos up again. I am beyond blessed to be trusted a chance to help them gather ideas on designing these Haikos into a new center where people will love to gather around villages again. If any of you would love to help them, just leave them a message of your young and fresh ideas, even if their site is in Japanese, they do understand English well.

Honestly, being a youth in this room had trully brought shame to myself and my generation. I know our generation are mostly born in the cities, not in villages. 

I know our generation are in love with convinient stores, not in ricefields and rivers. But we should also know, that our earth was basically born out of the nature, not out of the industries.

Therefore, let us respect and help those who knows this earth better, the elderly and eventually, the earth itself. We may be the young today, but we will be the old like them too, one day.

Thank you for reminding us to believe in life beyond the inconvinience. I am sorry for making you experience the convinience of my generation, we call it: your first-time-ever-selfie :D


Contact them at:
https://www.facebook.com/yamaguchiclosedschoolsummit/
http://openhouse.co.jp/


JP.09.10.2016
#laviniaelysia
#JapanLifeLesson

廃校 - Abandoned Treasures in an Abandoned Place

Every day is a story and every person is a story teller.

If you cannot record, just take photo.
If you cannot take photo, just write.
If you cannot write, just draw.
Whatever you do, keep a track of it.

Because you will never know,
That after 30 years,
Some random kids may find your story so inspiring.




Yasuhiko Tanaka, whoever you were, you're rock! Thank you for sketching the history in details. Your sketches have successfully taught my generation patience and proofed that pictures really do speak a thousand words.
@ Ato Bunko, Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan

JP.24.09.2016
#laviniaelysia
#JapanLifeLesson

Nobody's Child

Your children are not your children.

They are the children of Love, as you are to you parents'.

Your children are not your children.

They might come through you, but they are not from you.

Your children are not your children.

They might be with you now, but they might not be tomorrow.
Your children are not your children
They might be around you physically, but their souls are not yours to keep.
Your children are not your children.
They are souls of the upcoming, where you can never visit or dream of.
Your children are not your children.
They will learn from you, but force not them to be like you.
Your children are not your children
They will need your love, so they can learn to love others.

Your parents might no longer living together.
That is not your fault as a child, nor theirs as partners.
Your parents might no longer living together.
That does not mean they do not love you as fully.
Your parents might no longer living together.
That might make you choose whom to live with, but not whom to love differently.
Your parents might no longer living together.
That might make you think and feel, or learn and grow.
Your parents might no longer living together.
That does not mean you cannot see each other, separated does not mean forgotten.
Your parents might no longer living together.
That does not mean they hate you, nor they hate each other.
Your parents might no longer living together.
That means they need sometime alone, like you need sometime together.

You are you parents' legacy.
No matter what they do in the past, their future is you.
You are you parents' legacy.
No matter who you are today for them, you are also their history.
You are you parents' legacy.
No matter whom you look alike more, you are half of each of them.
You are you parents' legacy.
No matter if they hate you, maybe you must have reminded them of someone they loved.
You are you parents' legacy.
No matter if they love you in different ways, focus on the love, that what matters.
You are you parents' legacy.
No matter if you must go far away, that way they learn the value of family.
You are you parents' legacy.
No matter if they have far gone, their souls live in you forever.
You are you parents' legacy.
No matter how you hate them, you must love them unconditionally.
You are you parents' legacy.
No matter how they hate you, remember that you were their proof of love.

SBY.24.02.16
#laviniaelysia

Nobody's Child (Photo by Lavinia Elysia)