Murakami : Experience the Rice Plantation and Stay with Farmers in Japan

Sponsored by Murakami City

After my visit to the town of Gatsugi, near northern Murakami,  I headed to my own special accommodation. I had the opportunity to stay with a family who owns their very own rice farm in one of the best areas for rice production in Japan. I was able to enjoy the atmospheric countryside, and get a taste of the local rice in my meals, as well as the opportunity to plant rice alongside the family. This farm is an ideal destination for green tourism enthusiasts looking for a unique experience in a beautiful natural environment, especially if they are interested in the ecology of rice planting, and the chance to get closer to farmers and the Japanese countryside!

How to Get to the Farmer’s Minshuku by Public Transportion?

From Murakami, access to the small village of Takane, where the Zaigomon accommodation is, is very simple. No need for a car! A bus leaves directly from Murakami, and the family house is only 50 meters away from the bus stop. Just in front of Murakami station, you will see the bus stops. Just take the bus that goes to Takane 高根. It is even marked in romanji “Takane.” Once getting on the bus, you can enjoy the scenery as you gradually leave the city and begin your immersion into the Japanese countryside. The area is pristine, and surrounded by rice fields and mountains, a truly beautiful location. You can check the timetables here. Get off the bus at the terminal stop. In general, it is appreciated if you arrive at a Japanese inn (Ryokan or Minshuku) between 4pm and 6pm as dinner is served fairly early. The bus ride takes about 40 minutes. You will have to pay the driver when you exit the bus. (700Y)

The Minshuku Zaigomon, A Local Experience in the Heart of the Japanese Countryside

In Japan, minshuku (民宿) is equal to what we call a Bed and Breakfast in France or the United Kingdom. It is typically a local house with rooms reserved for tourists and guests. It is a great experience if you come to Japan, as it actually allows you to feel the daily life of a Japanese farmer; it’s an especially great opportunity if you are on budget as it offers a lot for little cost.

I arrived at house Zaigomon around 5:30 pm, I was able to meet the grandmother, the mother, the father and the children. The mother guided me to my room so that I could leave my belongings. The atmosphere was friendly and family orientated, I loved it!

Room

My room had a breathtaking view of the village in Takane. Like all traditional houses, there were tatami mats on the floor. The room had private bathrooms, and a small coffee table with tea and coffee making facilities.

Bathroom

The bathroom was a Japanese traditional style bathroom. Shampoo, conditioner, and body wash were all available for use.  When using a Japanese style bathroom, simply sit on the small plastic chair and wash your body and hair thoroughly. Then, after washing, you can soak in the heated bathtub. Natural light shone into the spacious bathroom from this window. It was a real pleasure to try. The house offers  towels as well as a hairdryer for guest use. 

Dinner

After resting , it was time to sit down for dinner. It was about 7pm when one of little girls told me it was time to head into the main room. Dinner and breakfast were included in the price of lodging, and were served in the dining room. The middle of the dining room had an “irori“, a main fireplace where the family comes to warm themselves by the fire. We sat down and had dinner together surrounding the irori.

I had dinner with the grandmother and a girl from the village who had come to help me translate some conversations into Japanese. It was the grandmother who prepared the traditional Japanese dinner we ate together, which included seasonal items such as “sansai,” wild mountain vegetables which had been picked by her that morning. The meal consisted of miso soup, rice, tempura, “udo” mixed with tofu, “kogomi,” which were dumplings made of mountain vegetables, and warabi flavored with wasabi, a pumpkin salad, shiraae with carrot, tofu, and shitake. Everything was incredibly delicious and seasonal. They even offered me a kind of thick yogurt produced by the family, which was a pure delight! The whole meal accompanied by either a very good sake produced in this region, beer or tea.

Breakfast

The breakfast was served early, around 7:00, because directly after breakfast everyone (including me) had to go to the rice fields. Before going to the dining room, I took the opportunity to have tea on the terrace while admiring the view.

 

The breakfast was a traditional Japanese meal, all the ingredients were healthy and prepared me for a day of work on the rice fields.

 

At 8:00am, it was time to head to work. We all headed diligently towards the rice paddies.

Takane village

If you have more time, why not stroll around the alleys in Takane village.  I especially recommend visiting before sunset, as the fading light lends an especially charming atmosphere to the village.

 

Plant Rice with a Japanese Family

At 8am in the morning, we went to the rice fields by truck, the fields were only 10 minutes east of the house. The first step was to go into the greenhouse where  sets of rice grass were waiting to be loaded onto truck. We carefully packed them onto the truck for transportation.

After 5 minutes of loading rice shoots, we headed to the fields.

With the truck loaded, it was time to take the truck to the family’s rice fields, where we started placing the rice shoots into the rice planation machine. Once filled, we simply added the organic products that were to accompany the crop.

 

The idea is to position yourself well and organize your field to make straight lines! The mechanical use of the machine is more efficient and quicker. Sometimes rice is also manually planted by the farmers.

  I had the chance to drive the truck, but it was difficult to stay straight as you can see in the photo below!

Original article by : Estelle

Translated by: Aika Ikeda