伊藤　妹

Mai Ito

Ever since I was a child, I never liked my hometown of Hakodate. I disliked it anyway because of its simplicity, wildness, and lack of freedom, but I also developed a longing to go somewhere else, and I left my hometown upon graduating from high school. However, every time I returned to my hometown, I began to feel loneliness at the depopulation and decline of my hometown. Although he wanted to do something about it, he did not know what to do and drifted through his daily life. In 2021, he had an opportunity to share his feelings with others and found that his one-person feelings became connected with two or ten others. Hakodate is a treasure house of food, I believe that a new community will be born in Hakodate by communicating the wonderful producers and foodstuffs. I was convinced that the best thing I could do was to take pictures and show people what Hakodate has to offer. As an adult, I finally understood the value of my hometown. People have as many feelings for their hometowns as there are people. The plight of regional cities is serious, and my hometown of Hakodate is no exception. I want Hakodate to be a town that is as comfortable to live in as possible and a place people want to return to. I want it to be a town where people not only say, "It used to be a good town," but also say, "It used to be a great town. Even in a land I do not know, someone is weaving thoughts and feelings. And they are trying to protect it.