In Onomichi, a port town in Hiroshima Prefecture known for its steep slopes and views of the Seto Inland Sea, a hillside renovation project has become an emerging hub for global collaboration and local revitalization.
About 150 steps above street level in the Higashitsuchidocho district sits a cluster of wooden houses more than a century old. The buildings have been undergoing extensive renovation for the past six years and are now rebranded as , ¡°a place where people eat, talk and make something together.¡±
The project to transform the akiya (abandoned homes) into a community center has developed in stages. Samuel Holden, a 36-year-old American urbanist and translator, got involved with the renovation in 2020 and has led the second phase of the project for the past four years.
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