Episode 24 Goodbye, Tsukamoto Office and Osaka

The "Yodoe Project" started the day before Christmas Eve in 2018. A major cleanup was done during the second round in late January 2019, and demolition and renovation proceeded during the third (March), fourth (May), fifth (July), sixth (September), seventh (December), and eighth (February 2020), and ninth round (March). Right before the state of emergency was declared in mid-April, Yoko hired a moving company to move her belongings from her Osaka home to Yodoe. After some deliberation, she gave up on her initial plan to live in two places and decided to move out of her Tsukamoto office in Osaka.

The Tsukamoto office had just opened in early 2018 as "Life Career Salon 'En'."

Atsushi Jomura of INTERIOR BOOKWORM CAFE used only 24mm plywood to design the trapezoidal room in accordance with Yoko's concept of "En" with a circular motif for efficient us (With different Chinese characters, the word En can mean circle, bond, banquet, garden, extension, support, and performance). The construction was carried out as part of the "Tsukamoto Salon Preparation Project." The office was prepared with the help of many people other than Mr. Jomura. Although it was only for a short period of time, many people used it for seminars and study sessions.

The space needed to be restored to its original state before moving out. All the bookshelves, tables, chairs, and relaxation space that had been nicely set up had to be removed. Yoko felt it would be a shame to have to demolish it. She asked Shokichi (Nozaki Shota), the Yodoe Project leader, if they could utilize it in Yodoe.

There was no space in Yodoe to use them as they were at that time. Therefore, Yoko requested the project members to dismantle them into boards, except for a few small chairs, and take them to Yodoe where they would be stored in a warehouse for the time being. 

At 9 AM on May 12, five members of the Kansai area came to the Tsukamoto office and work began.

• Shokichi (Shota Nozaki),
• Higucchan (Yumi Higuchi)
• Mr. Yatsuda (Kohei Yatsuda)
• Yutaro (Yutaro Kawai)
• Ue-chan (Kazuki Kamimura)

Yoko left for another work commitment at Company E as soon as members had started demolition work. When she returned to the Tsukamoto Office around 3 PM, the 24mm plywood slabs were stacked and ready to go.

Appreciating their efficient teamwork, Yoko reflected on the Yodoe Project with them.

The state of emergency had not been lifted even after the Golden Week. Due to the contract, Yoko had no choice but to withdraw from the Tsukamoto Office at the end of May. Even though she felt bad for the local people in Yodoe, she decided to proceed with the move.

On May 15, three days after the demolition work, Yoko finally said goodbye to Osaka. It was bit sad since she could only tell appreciation and farewell to friends, business partners, and everyone she had involved online.

In the afternoon, the mover loaded Tsukamoto's Office's belongings, including the dismantled 24mm plywood slabs and bicycles, onto the truck and headed to the destination. Yoko and her daughter Momoko left Osaka by car in the evening and arrived in Yodoe in the middle of the night.

The next day, on16th, the movers arrived at Yodoe. They helped carry a massive amount of woods into the warehouse. Seeing them make multiple trips back and forth to bring the woods in, Yoko felt really sorry but also grateful.

Yoko parked her car with Naniwa (Osaka) license plates in the garage and closed the shutter so it couldn't be seen. Meanwhile, she started the process of getting one for Tottori.

This marked the start of their two weeks of hermit life.