Crowdfunding Case Study ⑥ | "I Don't Want to Lose This Place" Becomes Support. Why 286 People Backed a Tea House in Kobe
機械翻訳 / Machine-translated
In crowdfunding, explaining why you need the funds is essential.
But I believe that alone isn't enough.
"The building has aged and needs repairs."
"We need funding to keep our activities going."
Both are important reasons.
Yet, will those explanations alone make people who've never heard of you want to support you?
What I'm introducing today is a crowdfunding campaign that took on the challenge of connecting a "place no one wants to lose" to the future.
In 2025, the project I supported was one dedicated to preserving Ontaki Chaya, a tea house located at Nunobiki Falls in Kobe.
Nunobiki Falls is one of Kobe's most beloved natural landmarks.
Ontaki Chaya has stood in that spot for over 100 years, welcoming visitors throughout its long history.
However, the building had deteriorated significantly, and new efforts were needed to keep the site going into the future.
That's when a group of mostly young people, "Mizutama — The Nunobiki Falls Weaving Association," stepped up.
Their goal wasn't simply to repair an old tea house.
It was to pass the value of this place on to the next generation.
That was the overarching purpose of their challenge.
What struck me as crucial about this project was that so many people already felt a deep attachment to this place.
People who had known the tea house for years.
People who loved Nunobiki Falls.
People who wanted to preserve this place's culture for the future.
Each of them had their own reason to offer support.
In crowdfunding, project creators sometimes convey a message of "please help us."
That feeling matters, of course.
But when supporters can think to themselves,
"I also want this place to survive,"
"I want the next generation to know about it too" —
support becomes something more than a simple financial contribution.
The project creator's challenge becomes something meaningful to supporters as well.
I believe that's where the spark of genuine backing is born.
This project offered not only thank-you letters and original T-shirts, but also returns such as a breakfast experience at the tea house and exclusive private-use sessions.
In other words, supporting the campaign wasn't the end of the journey.
There was a doorway to actually visiting the place and experiencing it firsthand.
On top of that, future plans were shared — art and music events, activities to pass down the area's history, and more.
It wasn't just a story about preserving an old place.
There was also the excitement of wondering, "What will be born here from now on?"
I think this perspective is extremely important in community-based crowdfunding campaigns.
The first goal for this campaign was 2,000,000 yen.
It launched on July 7, 2025, and reached its goal on September 21.
The final results were:
Total amount raised: 2,525,500 yen
Number of supporters: 286
I was involved in the planning, goal-setting, returns design, page production, outreach strategy, and post-launch support.
Of course, these results weren't mine alone.
They came from the people who had long protected this place, the young team members who embarked on a new challenge together —
and the 286 people who chose to show their support.
Looking back on this project, I'm reminded of what I truly value in crowdfunding.
It's turning the project creator's "I want to do this" into a form that makes others think, "I want to be part of this too."
It's not just about explaining why you need money — it's about conveying why this place matters and what kind of future your support will help create.
Places that have been loved by a community for a long time hold a value that can't be measured in money.
Revisiting that value, and working together to carry it forward into the future.
I believe that's one powerful way to use crowdfunding.
Turning the feeling of "I want to preserve this" into the action of "let's preserve it together."
The Ontaki Chaya project in Kobe was one that made me feel the full potential of that possibility.
The actual project:
【Kobe's Treasure】We Want to Protect "Ontaki Chaya" at Nunobiki Falls | CAMPFIRE
If you'd like to consult about crowdfunding, please check my profile page.
