Cool in Japan

日本でクール

This project is led by Bothie Social Club.

Cool in Japan is a project that emerged from the Winter Occupancy of 2024.

Shani Goldsbro & her family participated in the a Bothie Social Club program and traveled to the Hida Mountains in Japan to escape the summer heat. Shani lives in Hobart, Australia & has heat-sensitive Multiple Sclerosis (MS), she had been confined to bed in early summer by the heatwaves that affected the whole country.

Revived by the cool of the mountains, during her stay Shani & her family fell in love with Hida & worked with Bothie Social Club to help kick-start the Cool in Japan project to assist other people to find the same relief.

Now Cool in Japan is an open collaboration between Shani & David Goldsbro, Adrian Stewart-Bell, Kate McMahon-Bell & Tomoko Shimizu, local to both Melbourne & Hida.

The project creates multiple ways to support people with heat-sensitive disabilities or health conditions to be welcomed by the community of Hida Furukawa during winter. The project is open to all, please do get in touch to find out more.

Each winter Bothie Social Club hosts visitors to stay in Hida Furukawa as part of the Cool in Japan project. This program is open to anyone who lives in a place that is hot in January & who faces significant challenges related to heat.

We are building a network of accommodation partners who can provide home-away-from-homes in Hida that are comfortable & welcoming for people with heat-sensitive MS.

Currently we are taking reservations to stay in the Bothie Project Space, which has 4 bedrooms including 1 ground-floor bedroom. To remove financial barriers to participation, Cool in Japan partners can subsidise the cost of accommodation in part or in full. If you’d like to take part next winter, please get in contact.

  • A wider engagement process is being carried out to capture insights, define the possible scope of the project, find partners, supporters & collaborators & to define a big ambitious vision!

    We’ll publish our findings on this page.

    If you’d like to be part of the conversation, do please get in touch!

  • We are raising funds to provide accessible accomodation in Hida for people with Heat Sensitive MS..

    Our current target is to raise AUD$50,000 by August 1, 2025.

    This will allow us to complete a cool self-contained 4 bed residence in time for the 25/26 antipodean summer.

    The residence will include tatami rooms for steeping (or clean work), a kitchenette and a bathroom. The living area will have access to a shared, studio space/ workshop.

    All spaces (except the 3 upstairs bedrooms) will be designed & built to be joyful & easy to use with a wheelchair.

    Contributions to our renovation fund are gratefully accepted. Thank you! Please contact us to discuss your support.