10 Childhood Friends from Tochigi Turn Abandoned Farmland into Strawberry Fields — CAMPFIRE Award-Winning Team Launches 2nd Crowdfunding

FJP LLC (Headquarters: Fujioka-machi, Tochigi City, Tochigi Prefecture; Representative: Ryoken Kamioka) launched its second project on the crowdfunding platform CAMPFIRE on Saturday, May 30, 2026. The project aims to raise 15 million yen to build greenhouses for cultivating 'Tochiaika', a brand strawberry that Tochigi is proud of. Support is being accepted until July 31, 2026, via the project page (URL: https://camp-fire.jp/projects/944847/view).

The average age of agricultural workers is 69. The number of agricultural workers in Tochigi Prefecture has halved over 25 years, and abandoned farmland has expanded to 8,830 hectares, about 7% of the prefecture's agricultural land.

Witnessing this reality, ten 30-year-old childhood friends from Fujioka-machi, Tochigi City, began farming.

'If no one else will do it, we have to.' The team, which started without any farming experience, has grown to manage 7 hectares of rice paddies and 4 hectares of fields.

Their first crowdfunding raised 7.48 million yen with support from 405 people and won the CAMPFIRE Award 2025 Regional Revitalization Division First Half BEST Future Creation Award.

The next challenge is cultivating the brand strawberry 'Tochiaika', whose demand is rapidly increasing but production is lagging.

Strawberry planting is from September to October, and the deadline for completing the greenhouse is August 2026. Since subsidy and loan reviews cannot meet the deadline, they chose crowdfunding.

In February 2026, they were officially certified as a general agricultural corporation (No. 1312) by the Tochigi City Agricultural Committee.

This project aims to achieve 15 million yen for the equipment and seedlings needed to build the Tochiaika cultivation greenhouses.

The fundraising period ends July 31, 2026.

Since it is an All-in method, returns will be delivered even if the target amount is not reached.

CAMPFIRE Award 2025 Regional Revitalization Division First Half BEST Future Creation Award

Produces Koshihikari rice on 7 hectares

First campaign total: 7.48 million yen (149% of target, 405 supporters)

Farmland scale: 7 ha rice paddies, 1 ha green onions (land provided by over 20 people)

Municipal certification: FJP Farm. Inc. officially certified as a general agricultural corporation (No. 1312)

Instagram: 27,000 followers / Reel highest 3.48 million views

YouTube: 8,900 subscribers

TikTok: 5,700 followers

Media coverage: BS-TBS 'Uwasa no Tokyo Magazine', Shimotsuke Shimbun, Yahoo News, etc.

Returns for supporters include:

[For Individuals]

Strawberry products: packs, dried, canelés, jam, gelato, etc.

Tochigi Prefecture Koshihikari: 2026 new rice

Tochigi Prefecture long green onions: with onion dressing

FJP baseball shirt: with 3 types of stickers

Packaged Tochiaika (250g to 2kg) / ¥2,980~

Strawberry processed items (jam, dried, gelato, canelés)

Strawberry satisfaction set (chilled/frozen) / ¥9,900

Koshihikari new rice, fresh long green onions + onion dressing

FJP original T-shirts and baseball shirts

Harvest festival (rice harvesting + BBQ) and strawberry picking experience

[For Corporations]

Collaboration short video production and distribution: ¥200,000

Collaboration video + YouTube sponsorship: ¥500,000

Strawberry uniform sponsorship: ¥200,000 to ¥500,000

FJP 10-person rental 'Man'yaya': ¥300,000

Collaboration short video production and distribution / ¥200,000

Collaboration video + YouTube sponsorship (limited to 6 companies) / ¥500,000

Strawberry uniform sponsorship (sleeve, front, back) / ¥200,000 to ¥500,000

FJP 10-person rental 'Man'yaya' (limited to 1 group, Kanto area) / ¥300,000

After greenhouse completion in August 2026, Tochiaika will be planted in September-October, and harvesting will start in November.

Returns are scheduled to be delivered in January-March 2027.

Long-term goal: to become the No.1 farmer in Tochigi in 5 years, and to make agriculture a career that young people can choose in 10 years.

Representative comment:

Ryoken Kamioka

Representative of (合)FJP and (株)FJP Farm.

From the moment I heard 'There are no strawberries in Okinawa' on Ishigaki Island, I wanted to deliver Tochigi's Tochiaika nationwide.

Because we are 30-year-olds who knew nothing about agriculture, we can question things and think from different angles.

We want to turn barren farmland back into rich fields.

We would appreciate your support in taking that first step.

Project Name: 10 Childhood Friends Revive Abandoned Farmland as Strawberry Fields! Cultivate the Future of Agriculture from Local Tochigi

Target Amount: 15 million yen

Period: Saturday, May 30, 2026 to Friday, July 31, 2026

Platform: CAMPFIRE

Use of Funds: Strawberry greenhouse construction, tractor, packing machinery, seedlings (Tochiaika), etc.

URL: https://camp-fire.jp/projects/944847/view

Company Name: FJP LLC

Representative: Ryoken Kamioka

Location: Fujioka-machi, Tochigi City, Tochigi Prefecture

Business: Agriculture (rice, green onions, strawberries) and agricultural product processing

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fjp_fujioka/ (27,000 followers)

YouTube: https://youtube.com/channel/UChkEfNzK11YSJzmWayaCqqQ (8,900 subscribers)

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@fjp_fujioka (5,700 followers)

Contact: FJP LLC, Email: fjp.aarai@gmail.com. Feel free to contact for sponsorship, collaboration, or interview inquiries.