Yokohama OneMM Mr. Takahiro Fukushima

We spoke to Takahiro Fukushima of Yokohama OneMM, the inventor of "e-spo GOMI."

A collaboration born by chance

--What kind of event is e-spo GOMI?

"e-Sports GOMI" is an environmental conservation event that combines e-sports and trash picking. It's a team game of three people, and the trash picking is divided into two halves, like soccer, and an e-sports tournament is held at halftime. Teams that perform well in the half-time esports competition will receive benefits that will give them an advantage in the second half of the trash-picking competition. For example, a professional trash picker becomes your friend. In the end, the type and weight of trash picked up will be converted into points, and participants will compete based on the points they have earned.

e-Sports GOMI is a collaboration between three organizations: the Japan Sports GOMI Federation, which is a professional trash pick-up organization, Life Reversal Gaming Co., Ltd., an e-sports professional, and Yokohama OneMM, to which I belong. We have organized the GOMI Organizing Committee to produce events. The first event attracted a lot of attention, with two television stations, one magazine, and one web media company coming to cover the event. Since then, we have been invited to companies, local governments, schools, sports teams, etc. from all over Japan, mainly in Yokohama, and have held a total of 2 times (as of May 1, 12).

--What made you decide to start e-sports GOMI?

In November 2020, when I was thinking about my esports business, I happened to see a friend post on social media saying, ``I've started picking up trash!'' The idea came to me that it would be interesting to combine e-sports and trash picking, so I wrote a proposal on the same day and talked about it at Yokohama OneMM. After discussing the project at various locations, we hit it off with the Japan Sports GOMI Federation and Life Reversal Gaming Co., Ltd., and held our first event in April 11.

The idea really came about by chance, and if a friend of mine had started wrestling, it might have been ``esports x professional wrestling.'' (lol)

Activities that only individuals can do

--What is Yokohama OneMM?

Yokohama OneMM is a cross-border community where people who have some kind of connection to Yokohama gather, mainly people who work for companies with offices in Minato Mirai, people who live in Yokohama, people who like Yokohama, and others who have some kind of connection to Yokohama. Even though it is a community, there is no leader. It's an image of a platform where members support what someone wants to do from an equal standpoint.

--Why did you launch e-sports GOMI from Yokohama OneMM?

I thought that the members of Yokohama OneMM, who have a deep-rooted culture of taking on challenges, would understand that we should give it a try and sympathize with e-sports GOMI. As a result, the e-sports GOMI organizing committee was able to gather members who would not have met if they had not participated in Yokohama OneMM. Also, the reason why we were able to come to cover the event for the first time and attract so many people's attention was due to the cooperation of the people we met across the border, including Yokohama OneMM.

The atmosphere of an open port city invites new things.

--What exactly is the charm of Yokohama?

I think it means that there are people from various backgrounds within walking distance. You can walk to meet not only Minato Mirai, where many Yokohama OneMM members work, but also startups in Kannai. Even if we work in different industries, we all have something in common, the region, so we naturally get into conversation and end up talking about doing something together.

The other day, I had the opportunity to talk to a top leader over coffee and receive advice and support for our initiatives. The sense of distance that allows us to get together and say, ``Let's go have lunch now,'' is a big attraction.

--Please give a message to people who want to cross the border or those who will cross the border in the future.

I think it's important to try it first. I think if you strive for perfection when taking on a challenge, it will be difficult to move forward. I think sometimes it is necessary to think that timing and friends are the best time to take on a challenge.

If you try, someone might help you. A path may open up in an unexpected place. Give it a try first, and make adjustments as needed. I think it would be best to gradually increase the number of friends who support you and those who sympathize with you. I think Yokohama OneMM is a place that will accelerate this challenge.

FAVORITE SPOT

"BARReL"

It's run by a friend of mine and I visit often. It is used more as a co-working space and an event venue than for gaming, but it is well-equipped and very convenient. It's close to Yokohama Station and has good access.

"Zou-no-hana Terrace"

It is a place that I have a lot of fond memories of as the first e-sports GOMI held in April 2021. I often brainstorm ideas while walking along the coast.

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