Seibo’s Charity Coffee enterprise (Warm Hearts Coffee Club) made an appearance at the Satoyama-Maru Marche held at Yokoze town in Satitama Prefecture on the 20th of November, 2022. (See our pre-event article here!)
The rain was an ever present visitor on the day but those who participated in the Yokoze Hiking Pilgrimage also got to enjoy warm, life-changing coffee. The event was the brainchild of the local tourism authority and Seibu Railway, and was a resounding success. In addition to the organisers, there were also over 40 volunteer students from Rikkyo University’s Tourism Department who ably assisted the various hikers on the day.
During the event hikers passed by prayer plaques such as those featured here, and followed a course dotted by temples and shrines. Along the way, hikers also availed of hot coffee, hot soup and an array of goodies sold from roadside stalls.
From an outside perspective it was fascinating to hear the university students’ motivation to help out. Their participation was perceived to be a form of social engagement and a way of building a connection with the region they live in. Their hope is that this type of field work will become a regular activity and of course we are thankful for the students’ help in serving our coffee on the day also! As a result we got to send another 1050 meals to the children of Malawi!
Many thanks to everyone involved!