At Roopt, in addition to recruiting residents, we regularly hold events to introduce many people to share house living and the charms of Miyagi Prefecture. From these events, this time we bring you a report on the '2nd Roopt MEET UP' held for three days from Friday, July 22nd to Sunday, July 24th, 2022!
The 1st Roopt MEET UP, held in April 2022, had many participants who were visiting Miyagi Prefecture for the first time, so our coordinators guided them to discover the city's attractions. However, this time, as many participants had ties to Miyagi Prefecture, the event became a true 'MEET UP' where everyone enjoyed the city from their own perspective and shared their experiences.
Please read on through this report to find out how the participants enjoyed themselves.
To briefly explain the Roopt MEET UP, it is an event where participants 'experience life in Miyagi Prefecture's port towns while staying at various Roopt locations.' Held in Shiogama City, Higashimatsushima City, and Ishinomaki City, where Roopt has bases as of August 2022, the aim is for participants to discover the charms of Roopt and Miyagi Prefecture through city walks, interactions, and more. 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 bonded over the three days.
The 3-day MEET UP proceeded with the following schedule:
Day 1: July 22nd (Fri) 12:00 Orientation & Share House Tour @Roopt Shiogama Kaigan-dori 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 23rd (Sat) 11:00 Relax & Lunch @Irodori no Oka 14:00 Ishinomaki City Tour 16:00 Check-in & Guesthouse Tour @Roopt Ishinomaki Izumi-cho-OGAWA- 16:30 Free Time 19:00 Social Gathering @Roopt Ishinomaki Izumi-cho-OGAWA- Day 3: July 24th (Sun) 10:00 MEET UP Wrap-up @Roopt Ishinomaki Izumi-cho-OGAWA- 10:30 Departure & Free Time
As mentioned earlier, this MEET UP allowed for ample free time, enabling participants to enjoy the city and share house life in their own unique ways.
Gathered at Roopt Shiogama Kaigan-dori, we completed brief self-introductions and an orientation, then, as is customary for MEET UP (?), we explained Roopt's renovations. The renovations incorporated many interesting ideas, and participants seemed to listen with great interest.
As we started to get hungry, we all went for 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 Shiogama city tour with the coordinator from this point, but it was canceled due to a sudden heavy downpour, leading to free time. It was an interesting time, like a group activity even though it was free time, with everyone reporting their whereabouts in the LINE group and even coincidentally meeting at destinations.
By the way, the coordinator enjoyed a leisurely art appreciation at the Shiogama City Sugimura Jun Museum of Art.
After enjoying 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 Kaigan-dori, and everyone seemed surprised by its large size of 9LDK.
The first day concluded with a social gathering in the living room of Roopt Higashimatsushima Shintome.
As it was the first day, we played board games as an icebreaker, and it was a huge hit! Everyone forgot their age and innocently enjoyed the board games (lol). After the social gathering, everyone seemed to have bonded and continued talking until late into the night, even after the coordinator left.
Day 2 started quite leisurely.
Mitsuru Sato, a Makigumi intern, prepared breakfast, and everyone went for a walk or worked. Even though it was a MEET UP, it seemed like everyone was spending a typical holiday morning, which was reassuring for the coordinator.
The first destination on Day 2 was 'Irodori no Oka' (opened in 2021), a multi-purpose facility operated by a medical corporation. It's a unique facility that combines clinics and nursing homes with cafes, restaurants, hot springs, and bedrock baths, offering all kinds of relaxation.
This MEET UP was all about 'respecting freedom.' Upon arrival, everyone split into a hot spring group and a cafe group, and then had lunch at their own pace, resulting in a relaxed two hours. The beer after the bath also looked delicious!
We moved from Tona Station to Ishinomaki Station on the JR Senseki Line, and the Ishinomaki city tour started immediately! Ishinomaki's downtown area has interesting sights and shops compactly gathered, making it a course where you can get a digest of the city's charm.
We visited the following spots and shops:
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