A camping ground owner who likes to connect people together
Tsurunosato Camp Field Owner
Mamoru Odagiri
Born in Kushiro. He is the 3rd-generation president of Kai Kenpan, a turfgrass farm in Tsurui Village. After working as a taxi driver in Kushiro for 33 years, he inherited Kai Kenpan from his in-laws in December 2021. He currently operates several businesses, including the Tsurunosato Camp Field.
A camping ground owner who likes to connect people together
Odagiri-san’s company Kai Kenpan mainly produces and sells turfgrass, but they have also been operating a park golf course as a sub-business. When it first opened over 16 years ago, the park golf course was quite popular, but the rapid population decline and the COVID-19 pandemic eventually caused visitor numbers to drop. One day, an acquaintance asked Odagiri-san to lend him the park as a venue for a barbecue party. When the acquaintance posted photos of the barbecue to social media, it caught the attention of an outdoor equipment retailer called EHAB, who contacted Odagiri-san about doing an event in the same place. Social media surrounding the event led to an increase in visitors, so Odagiri-san decided to open a camping ground called “Tsurunosato Camp Field” in September 2021.
Odagiri-san admits that outdoor camping is not his specialty, so he had to visit and observe many other camping grounds to help ensure the success of his place. When one long-time operator told him that success all depends on the the owner’s personality, he was quite astonished. Since then, he has strived to personally greet every visitor that comes to his camping ground. On one occasion, he was talking to one group of visitors about camping equipment, and it led to another group of visitors joining in on their communication. He felt much joy in being able to connect different people together. His camping ground soon became known as a place where you can meet and befriend other campers. To encourage such communication and exchange between campers, Odagiri-san decided to hold a flea market for camping equipment. When more than 300 people came to the market over two days, he realized that a camping ground in Tsurui Village can be a successful venture.
Tsurunosato Camp Field has attracted many campers for its vast 35,000 square meter grounds as well as it ease of access and proximity to nature. It is located next to the Kushiro Shitsugen National Park, but it also not far from Tsurui Onsen and the central Tsurui Village district. It also operates all year round, so campers can experience -20℃ mornings in winter, or even try making their own snow igloo or sledding slope. Odagiri-san wants to make his camping ground a place where people can feel the rich nature of Tsurui while enjoying the thrill of the winter camping.
Since becoming the president of Kai Kenpan in December 2021, Odagiri-san feels the happiest as a camping ground owner when he can connect people together. He currently commutes every day from Kushiro City, but is planning to move to Tsurui Village in the near future. Tsurui may be a small village of around 2,500 people, but he sees the energy in its farming, commercial, and tourism industries, and this gives him the motivation to make his business succeed.
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