I have recently learned the history of Oita Prefecture, which I migrated to this month. Then, one historical activity interested me. It was the One Village One Product movement, born in Oita Prefecture and spread to the world. Today, I will talk about it.
How to be more abundant based on our individuality
Sometimes, we want to be more abundant, especially when long working hours or stressful work exhaust us. We want to be rich in a style that suits us instead of using our physical or mental strength.
However, we sometimes don’t know how to make it happen. That makes us think that the only way to become richer is to work longer hours with harder stresses.
In such a situation, choosing the time-consuming over the labor-intensive might be an option, especially for those who want to live peacefully. Today, I will talk about it by introducing one activity of Oita Prefecture.
A lifestyle of taking time without efforts
In my opinion, not limited to jobs, anything that takes time but less effort is easier for individuals to make profits. This is because they are hard to industrialize. Large producers are reluctant to do them.
Industrialization means making mass products faster and automatically. Even if it is complicated, people mechanize. That is the purpose of industrialization. On the other hand, people cannot industrialize the part we have to wait for.
The more it can be industrialized on a large scale, the cheaper it will be. On the other hand, we can add high value and sell at higher prices even if individuals because many people avoid industrializing it.
In other words, many people cannot wait. They would rather work hard and get abundance than wait, even if they use many energy sources. That is why the majority prefers a busy life to a slow life.
This tendency shows us an opportunity for people who love a peaceful life in the countryside, like us. Choosing the time-consuming over the labor-intensive would suit us.
An example of the One Village One Product Movement
I found a good example in the history of Oita Prefecture, the area of my new residence. There was an agricultural movement called the ‘One Village One Product movement.’ It brought them abundance.
This was a movement in which one village produced one competitive and staple product as a business. That brought them profits and improved their standard of living.
Due to their soil and natural features, farmers in these areas could not produce rice, one of the major products. That made them grow crops that raised effortlessly and produce processed food with high added value.
Why they chose pickled dried plums
Pickled and dried plums called Umeboshi were a typical example. Japanese consumed them a lot, but they were hard to industrialize because it required waiting.
Fermented pickles or dried fruits are typical examples. They are usually expensive, although they are easy and cheap if we make them personally. This is because they require waiting.
In other words, we can make them cheap and create high value. This is more effective if we make them individually.
The strength of fermenting foods and a super-long-term investment
That is why I like fermenting foods and a super-long-term investment. They are hard to industrialize but effort-free.
Both processes are simple. To make fermented food, we just fill a sanitized vessel with food and water. The rest is to wait. A super-long-term investment is the same. Buy based on longer cycles and wait.
Of course, we have to learn those basics. However, once we master them, we can make high value without effort. The only thing we have to do is to wait. Time gives us value.
Fermented food is a good example. It gives us healthy guts and reduces our food costs dramatically. Although we can make fermented foods sooner if we add heat, they taste worse. In other words, many fermented foods taste better if we wait without doing anything.
A super-long-term investment is the same. It provides us with profits as we wait a necessary span while doing nothing. It is too inefficient to industrialize or process with AI.
That is one of the efficient ways to use time. We can use not only our efforts but also time. They are used differently.
Avoiding competing in major areas
I like the concept of the One Village One Product movement. They avoided competing in major crops, such as rice or wheat. Then, they chose something that would grow well on their land. They required less effort but added high value if they processed them.
In other words, they used the individuality of their lands.
When we use individuality, we don’t make an effort. It gives us a comfortable state. Not feeling hard.
This would be a good lifestyle for those who want to live slowly and peacefully. Knowing how to use time gives us more abundance while waiting.
Conclusion
That is why choosing the time-consuming over the labor-intensive might be an option, especially for those who want to live peacefully.
Knowing how to use time gives us more abundance while waiting.
The One Village One Product movement in Oita Prefecture gives us an example of it.
Thank you for reading this article. I hope to see you in the next one.
