In July 2019 , I had the privilege of accompanying the students from Thailand’s Burapha University and Taiwan’s National Cheng Kung University students to Izumi as part of the US-Kagoshima-Asia Triad Programme’s Japanese Culture course.
Outside of the main city areas, most of Japan is still covered in farmland or inaka. Izumi is no exception. We wanted to expose the visiting Thaiand Taiwanese students to the nature and local culture of Izumi through having contact with local people. What better way to do this than through what is known in Japanese as noka minpaku. These farmhouse B&B style accommodations offer great value and fine hospitality when compared to hotels, yet the price for an overnight stay comes in at under 10,000 yen. Usually, during a farm stay, an agriculture tourism experience comes included. This can take many forms depending on the farm and host. Besides this, there are many Japanese cultural experiences that one cannot gain by staying at a hotel. For example; the Japanese custom of removing one’sshoes before entering a home at the genkan, eating dinner by an open irori hearth, and sleeping on a futon in a tatami mat room.
My group’s host was Mr. Ohira who took us for a side excursion to the island of Nagashima famous for its fresh fish and beautiful scenery. After buying a nice red snapper fish to grill for the evening, he took us to his home which was formerly a samurai house. Our guest room was generous in space and we had an irori in the middle of the room. For dinner Mr. Ohira and his lovely wife, Sachiko, prepared a sumptuous feast with whole roasted chicken, the grilled fish, roasted vegetables and salad harvested from their garden.
Our dessert was fresh watermelon harvested by my colleagues and me. We partied on late into the night eating and drinking and sharing cultural experiences with our host. We came to learn that Mr. Ohira, who is now 70 years old, worked in sales and marketing for Panasonic in the United States. Soon after retiring he and his wife started farm stay hosting as an enjoyable way to meet people from around the world and enjoy cultural exchange. And the Ohira’s are not alone. In Izumi, there are around 18 different families offering farm stay accommodation, with each one offering a unique agricultural experience.
& fruits you can harvest with them
For example, some of the students in our group were taken by their host family for a twilight tour of the local mountains to enjoy a deer watching experience, whilst others were treated to picking citrus fruit from orchards. Another group enjoyed feeding and caring for calves and some students also participated in extracting and making honey. Everyone came back with beautiful, unforgettable memories.
So, if you are looking for an authentic Japanese lifestyle experience in the countryside, with home cooked meals from seasonally harvestedproduce, then I highly recommend that you try this style of accommodation. You will be rewarded with the warmth and kindness of true Japanese hospitality.
