At Roopt, we not only recruit residents but also regularly hold events to introduce many people to the charms of share house living and Miyagi Prefecture. From these events, this time we bring you a report on the "2nd Roopt MEET UP" held for three days from July 22 (Fri) to July 24 (Sun), 2022!
Many participants in the 1st Roopt MEET UP, held in April 2022, were visiting Miyagi Prefecture for the first time, so our coordinators guided them to discover the city's attractions. This time, however, many participants had ties to Miyagi Prefecture, making it a true "MEET UP" where everyone enjoyed the city from their own perspective and shared their experiences.
Please read on to find out how the participants enjoyed themselves in this report.
To briefly explain Roopt MEET UP, it's an event where participants "experience life in Miyagi Prefecture's port towns while staying at various Roopt locations." It's held in Shiogama City, Higashimatsushima City, and Ishinomaki City, where Roopt has bases as of August 2022, to introduce the charms of Roopt and Miyagi Prefecture through city walks and interactions. The 1st event was held in April 2022, and the 2nd in July of the same year.
Participants
A total of 5 people from Tokyo, Fukushima, and Sendai participated in the 2nd Roopt MEET UP. They were all meeting for the first time and seemed to have become good friends over the three days.
The 3-day MEET UP proceeded with the following schedule.
Day 1: July 22 (Fri) 12:00 Orientation & Share House Tour @ Roopt Shiogama Kaigandori 13:30 Lunch 14:30 Free Time 18:00 Check-in & Share House Tour @ Roopt Higashimatsushima Shintome 19:00 Social Gathering @ Roopt Higashimatsushima Shintome Day 2: July 23 (Sat) 11:00 Relax & Lunch @ Irodori no Oka 14:00 Ishinomaki City Tour 16:00 Check-in & Guesthouse Tour @ Roopt Ishinomaki Izumicho-OGAWA- 16:30 Free Time 19:00 Social Gathering @ Roopt Ishinomaki Izumicho-OGAWA- Day 3: July 24 (Sun) 10:00 MEET UP Wrap-up @ Roopt Ishinomaki Izumicho-OGAWA- 10:30 Dismissal & Free Time
As mentioned earlier, this MEET UP had longer free time, allowing each participant to enjoy the city and share house life in their own way.
We gathered at Roopt Shiogama Kaigandori, did quick self-introductions and an orientation, and then, as is customary for MEET UP (?), explained Roopt's renovations. The renovations incorporated many interesting ideas, and the participants seemed to listen with great interest.
As we started to get hungry, we all went to lunch! At "Harema," a cafe created by renovating the former Ebiya Ryokan, a 140-year-old inn, we were able to communicate deeply while enjoying our meal.
We had planned a guided tour of Shiogama by the coordinator from this point, but it was canceled due to a sudden heavy rain, so we switched to free time. It was an interesting time, like a group activity even though it was free time, with everyone reporting their locations in a LINE group and even meeting by chance at their destinations.
By the way, the coordinator enjoyed a leisurely appreciation of the artworks at the Shiogama City Sugimura Jun Museum of Art.
After enjoying the town of Shiogama, we moved from Hon-Shiogama Station to Tona Station on the JR Senseki Line and checked into Roopt Higashimatsushima Shintome, our accommodation for the first day. We gave a share house tour, similar to Roopt Shiogama Kaigandori, and everyone seemed surprised by its large size of 9LDK.
The end of the first day was a social gathering in the living room of Roopt Higashimatsushima Shintome.
Since it was the first day, we played board games as an icebreaker, and it was a huge hit! Everyone forgot their age and enjoyed the board games innocently (lol). After the social gathering, everyone became more relaxed and seemed to have talked until late at night even after the coordinator left.
Day 2 started quite leisurely.
Mitsuyo Sato, also known as "Mittsu," an intern at Makigumi, cooked breakfast, and everyone took a walk or did some work. Even though it was a MEET UP, they seemed to be spending it like a usual holiday morning, which was reassuring for the coordinator.
The first destination on the second day was "Irodori no Oka" (opened in 2021), a complex facility operated by a medical corporation. It's a unique facility that combines clinics and nursing care facilities with cafes, restaurants, hot springs, and bedrock baths, offering all kinds of relaxation.
This MEET UP was all about "valuing freedom." As soon as we arrived, we split into a hot spring group and a cafe group, and then had lunch at our own pace, making it a relaxing two hours. The beer after the bath looked delicious too!
We moved from Tona Station to Ishinomaki Station on the JR Senseki Line, and the Ishinomaki city tour started right away! The downtown area of Ishinomaki has interesting things and shops compactly gathered, making it a course where you can get a digest of Ishinomaki's charm.
We visited the following spots and shops.
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