１．活用されていない「価値」
奄美大島には、かつてにぎわっていた商店街、
空き家となった住居、耕作放棄地となった農地など、
未活用の資源が数多く存在します。
それらは、単なる“過去の名残”ではなく、
新たな価値を生み出す資源になり得ます。
特に、人口減少と高齢化が進む地域では、
「空き資源 × 外部人材 × 補助制度」の組み合わせによって、
地域再生の具体的な可能性が見えてきます。
２．地域資源を活用した起業モデル
【モデルA】空き家リノベーション × カフェ・物販
・古民家を活用した外国人経営のカフェやギャラリー
・奄美の特産品（黒糖・パッションフルーツなど）を販売
【モデルB】空き店舗再活用 × 観光案内＋体験施設
・空き店舗を観光・交流拠点に改修
・外国人スタッフによる英語対応の観光案内所運営
【モデルC】耕作放棄地活用 × 加工品ビジネス
・地元の農家と連携し、原材料を確保
・加工品（ジュース、菓子など）としてEC販売へ展開
こうしたモデルには、
創業補助金・設備補助・地域協力隊制度などが活用可能です。
３．共創で実現する地域再生
この取り組みは
「誰かが助けてくれる」という他力本願ではなく、
地域の皆さんと、
外から来た人材が一緒になって再び動かすプロジェクトです。
・空き家を持て余している地域住民
・活用方法を模索している商店街
・自分の町で何かを始めたい若者・外国人起業家
それぞれの立場にとって、
“小さな希望の接点”となるのが「空き資源の共創活用」です。
４．私たちの役割
私たち「奄美国際人材・観光創生機構」は、以下のような役割を担います。
・空き資源に関するマッチング（物件・人材）
・起業家への補助金申請支援
・ビザ・法務・経理・広報などのバックアップ
・地域内の調整・関係構築
特に、外国人起業家にとっては、制度面・言語面・文化面での支援が欠かせません。
その“伴走者”として私たちが機能することで、失敗のリスクを最小限に抑えながらスタートできます。
５．共に生み出す“あたらしい景色”
「空き」は“欠けているもの”ではありません。
新しい人と発想が入ることで、“空き”は“余白”となり、
新たな物語が描ける場になります。
奄美にある静かな町角が、次の起業の舞台になるかもしれません。
未来の担い手が、今日、あなたの空き物件を必要としているかもしれません。
その最初の一歩に、私たちと共に立ち会ってください。
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Revitalizing Amami Ōshima through Co-Creation
Untapped Potential
Amami Ōshima is home to many local assets that remain untapped. Once-bustling market streets now lie quiet, homes stand empty, and farmland has been left uncultivated. Yet these “empty” places are not merely relics of the past—they each hold the potential for new life and value. In communities challenged by population decline and aging, combining these idle resources with fresh talent from outside the region and supportive programs (such as government subsidies) can reveal tangible opportunities for revival.
Business Models Using Local Resources
To turn this potential into reality, we have identified several model business ideas that leverage local resources in partnership with newcomers. For example, consider the following models:
• Model A: Renovating a Vacant Home into a Café & Shop
– An unused traditional house is refurbished into a café or gallery managed by a foreign entrepreneur, which also sells Amami’s local specialty products (such as brown sugar or passion fruit).
• Model B: Repurposing an Empty Storefront as a Tourism Hub
– A vacant shop is converted into a tourism and community exchange center, with foreign staff providing visitor information and cultural experiences in English.
• Model C: Turning Abandoned Farmland into a Food Business
– Idle farmland is cultivated again by collaborating with local farmers to secure produce, and then transformed into value-added products (juices, sweets, etc.) for sale through e-commerce.
These kinds of ventures can tap into various support schemes, including startup grants, equipment subsidies, and Japan’s Local Community Cooperator program.
Regional Revitalization Through Co-Creation
Unlike a passive approach of hoping “someone will come help us,” this initiative is a project driven by local residents and newcomers working together.
It embodies the concept of co-creation, where the community and outside innovators join forces to breathe life back into the region. For instance, this approach creates common ground between people such as:
• A local resident who owns an empty house they aren’t using.
• A shopping street community trying to find new uses for vacant storefronts.
• Young locals or foreign entrepreneurs eager to launch a project in town.
For each of these stakeholders, co-creating with unused spaces offers a small but meaningful spark of hope — an intersection where their needs and aspirations meet to create new value for the community.
Our Role
As the Amami Organization for International Human Resources and Tourism Development,
we serve as a facilitator to make these co-creation projects possible. In this role, our organization helps by:
• Matchmaking local assets with people
– Connecting owners of vacant properties with aspiring entrepreneurs and suitable uses.
• Supporting new businesses with funding
– Guiding entrepreneurs (especially foreign founders) through the process of applying for subsidies and startup grants.
• Providing administrative backup
– Assisting with visas and legal paperwork, as well as accounting and public relations support, to ensure ventures run smoothly.
• Building community connections
– Coordinating with local authorities and residents, and helping forge strong relationships between newcomers and the community.
These forms of support are especially crucial for foreign entrepreneurs, who often need help navigating local regulations, language barriers, and cultural nuances. By being there every step of the way as a partner, we help new venture creators get started while minimizing the risk of failure.
Creating a New Landscape Together
An “empty” space is not truly something lacking. When fresh people and ideas enter the scene, an empty space becomes a blank canvas — a place where a new story can be written. A quiet street corner in Amami Ōshima could soon become the stage for the next local startup. The next bearer of the island’s future might already be looking for a vacant property just like yours to begin their journey.
We invite you to join us in taking that first step together toward creating this new landscape.