As One Network

What is As-One Community?

Gen-Japan As one Ofukurosan
The Story of a 14-Year Community Creation Process

---From Gen International Newsletter January 2015---

In 2001, some volunteers gathered in Suzuka, Japan, aiming to realize a happy society free from fighting and opposition, in harmony with nature. A border-less community named “AS-ONE COMMUNITY” has been created in an ordinary neighborhood of Suzuka, a typical middle-size city and also well known as a city of the Honda company. Hiroko Katayama, GEN ambassador reports.

The name ‘AS-ONE’ was taken from a line of John Lennon’s masterpiece Imagine, ‘and the world will be as one’. Nowadays, 38 core members, and more than 100 volunteers, work together for our mutual benefit. Each one lives in their favorite house in each one ́s favorite way of living, mainly in central Suzuka city, and it is difficult for other local citizens to tell our community members apart by their appearances. However, we have kept deepening and developing our social systems and activities as a model of sustainable community, as well as succeeding in avoiding being isolated from the wider society.

Our turning point was in 2004. Through many trials and errors, in both our community-businesses and social activities, in our first 5 years, we came to be aware of, and to realize that, neither our enthusiasm, nor our eagerness, our special abilities and talents, or our combined experiences, were enough in themselves to ensure the day to day smooth functioning of a healthy and thriving community.
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