On this episode of Japan Station, I talk to Ami Eldridge, the co-founder of Sumizumi LLC, a company in rural Kochi Prefecture trying to revitalize the area through charcoal production. šTopics Discussed About Ami Eldridge's efforts to revitalize rural Kochi Prefecture About the Niyodo Town and Niyodogawa River area About how Sumizumi LLC is using charcoal and akiya (abandoned houses) to revitalize the Niyodogawa area The many uses of charcoal The intricacies of making charcoal About turning akiya (abandoned houses into airbnb How many people Ami has gotten to relocate to Niyodogawa How people in Niyodogawa are creating new businesses like skate parks, curry shops and tea shops How to access the Niyodogawa area About the new lie flat overnight bus that runs from Tokyo to Kochi How airbnb's can be used to help revitalize rural communities When the best time to visit Niyodogawa is What foods to eat in Niyodogawa And much more! šSubscribe to the Podcast! Apple Podcasts: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/japan-station-a-podcast-by-japankyo-com/id1440454968 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6lDoFFt4M0HyyKaVeDyKkB šSupport on Patreon & Ko-fi Support for as little as $1 a month to get early access to episodes, ad free versions and occassional bonus content Support on Patreon https://patreon.com/japankyo Support via a one time donation! Ko-fi: https://www.ko-fi.com/japankyo Venmo: https://venmo.com/tonyrvega Paypal.me: https://paypal.me/tonyrvega šAffiliate Links Use my Mobal affiliate link to get a 10% discount on their voice & data plan. Their voice & data plan is perfect for those who want a Japanese phone number while in Japan. Using this link gets you a discount and it provides me with a small commission which I use to fund JapanKyo. Get 10% off of Mobal's Voice & Data plan: https://www.mobal.com/tonyjapan šLinks, Videos, Etc. For more info on what Ami is doing and Suzmizumi LLC, check out their Instagram page. Sumizumi LLC Instagram šFollow on Social Media X/Twitter: https://twitter.com/japankyonews Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/tonyrvega.bsky.social Tony R. Vega Personal Instagram: https://instagram.com/tonyrvega The Anime Linguist YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@theanimelinguist Japan Station YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@japankyonews Website: https://japankyo.com/ Tony R. Vega Personal X/Twitter: https://x.com/thevegatony Ā
Japan Station: A Podcast About Japanese Culture & the Japanese Language
Jan 5, 2026 • Subscribe
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