A deep home-stay experience in rural Japan

In the foothills of the Yatsugatake Mountains (at an elevation of over 1,000 m), there is a nostalgic rural area made up of tiny farming villages stilled in time. Here, you can still see traditional farmhouses and playfully decorated Kura storehouses, all lined up in rows and surrounded by rice fields. The locals keep leading a traditional lifestyle in harmony with nature.

This activity will take you to one of these lovely hamlets, where you can spend a day with a family of locals. It is a deep home-stay experience that will allow you to visit a real Japanese countryside house, eat delicious home-cooking, experience plenty of fun farming activities and, of course, interact with the locals. Getting to stay the night also means you get to know your host better and really make friends.

Seasons play a vital role in this region. You will embark on different adventures depending on the time of your visit. Perhaps you will plant some seedlings in late spring or pick some fresh vegetables to go into your meal in the summer. If you plan to come in autumn, chances are you will help with the harvest, reaping the rice and hanging it to dry under the sun. In winter, you may experience weaving straw to make New Year’s decorations or even preparing miso paste.

The experience includes dinner and breakfast, which you will prepare together with your hosts. You will learn how to make some of Japan’s most popular dishes such as onigiri (rice balls) and miso soup and try some typical local food such as egoma (perilla) rustic mochi. As every family grows their own vegetables and makes their own preserves, you will use lots of genuine homegrown and homemade ingredients.