Hi, my husband and I moved to countryside Japan from Singapore in 2020 and we’re now owners of an old farmhouse. Over the past two years, our neighbors have been very friendly in helping us become a part of their community. This is a primarily farming community and as one of the few families without a working farm, our neighbors have also been super generous with their produce.

I started thinking about this project over a year ago, when one of my neighbors rejected my attempts to pay for their produce and shared that we were doing them a favor by taking their excess produce. Turns out, local farmers generate excess produce every season. Every farm in the region plants similar crops each year and they find it hard to fully sell or give away their harvest. This means that unsold or unconsumed produce goes to waste because many of the local farmers do not farm commercially or sell their produce.

I am motivated to start this community diner, partly to help reduce seasonal waste, provide some means of income or reward for these local farmers, as well as offer affordable meal options for the seniors and working individuals in the community. I also hope that this diner can act as a space for anyone who wish to learn more about Japanese/Singaporean history and food culture. The ultimate goal is for it to eventually evolve into a mini hub for cross-cultural exchanges.

Your contributions will help me convert an existing community house into one with a working kitchen.

What We Need & What You Get

Right now, the community house lacks a functioning kitchen. It also uses well water and has a traditional (squat) toilet. To convert the existing community house to a diner, we need:

• A license to operate from our local Public Health Center and a permit from the fire department.
• This involves upgrading the existing plumbing system and building a full kitchen equipped with adequate kitchen and fire safety equipment to fit necessary health and safety codes.
• Some interior remodeling works of the existing space to accommodate customers and an upgrade from the traditional toilet to a modern one.

I’m hoping to raise funds for the major works (plumbing and remodeling) involved. Here’s a breakdown of the amount a local contractor and plumber quoted:

• Upgrades to plumbing system – 780,000 yen
• Kitchen plumbing & toilet upgrade – 450,000 yen
• Remodeling kitchen and communal space – 500,000 yen
• Fire safety equipment and tests – 250,000 yen

Any contribution is very much appreciated. To thank you for your contributions, I’m offering a variety of perks from a simple thank you card to a week’s stay with our farm & guesthouse or a a year’s worth of local/Japanese goodies sent your way.

All your contributions will go toward the project even if we don’t reach our entire goal.

Who Your Contributions Will Help

My ultimate goal is to build a space for the community, but as you might have sensed, we’re in an aging village; the average age of residents here is close to 70 years old. Increasingly more villagers are having to give up farming due to poor health conditions. I hope the diner can be a source of monetary support to the seniors in the community who still farm or who might be keen to help out in the diner. 

We have quite a number of delivery staff, truckers, and construction workers who are engaged in the community. My other goal is to provide an alternative source of healthy, yet affordable meal options for these working individuals. I’ve often observed them taking breaks within their vehicles or by the roadside no matter how harsh the weather conditions are (and it gets pretty extreme here!). I hope the diner can provide these working individuals with an option for more comfortable breaks.

Other Ways You Can Help

We’re going to need all the help we can get. So if you know someone who might be keen to support this project, please help share this with them.

Thank you so much again for your support!