{"id":29273,"date":"2017-09-03T08:00:25","date_gmt":"2017-09-02T23:00:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/voyapon.com\/?p=29273"},"modified":"2024-11-25T22:22:42","modified_gmt":"2024-11-25T13:22:42","slug":"green-tourism-oita-kyushu","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/voyapon.com\/green-tourism-oita-kyushu\/","title":{"rendered":"Green Tourism and Homestay in Saiki, Oita."},"content":{"rendered":"
Sponsored by Tourism Oita<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n After visiting Usuki<\/strong> known for its castle<\/strong>, its samurai streets<\/strong>, and the Stone Buddhas<\/strong> carved into the volcanic rock, I had the chance to visit a rather special accommodation: I will sleep at the home of a couple of farmers, who own vegetable gardens<\/strong> and even rice fields<\/strong>. Ideal for green tourism enthusiasts<\/strong> looking for an experience to connect with nature<\/strong>, the environment<\/strong>, and ecology<\/strong> closer to farmers and the Japanese countryside<\/strong>.<\/p>\n The farmer’s house where stayed was about 45 minutes by car from the Usuki Stone Buddhas<\/strong> carved in the rock, towards Saki city.<\/p>\n The driveway<\/strong> was beautiful and we passed through several valleys<\/strong> before coming upon this small village which has only eight or nine houses.<\/p>\n The house where I stayed is run by a nice couple, Mr. and Mrs. Sato. Both are about 75 years old but look much younger. They are still quite active despite Mr. Sato having a bad leg. I enjoyed talking with them and noticed they have a certain accent. In addition to their personal activity in the fields, they get up every day very early (sometimes 1 am) to distribute the mail to the surrounding villagers.<\/p>\n They used to run a tofu<\/strong> shop, so they have a passion for cooking<\/strong> and will happily share any an all information about the cuisine and local food<\/strong> they cook in their beautiful kitchen.<\/p>\n They do not speak English but with gestures and the few phrases I knew, we managed to make ourselves understood. They often welcome tourists into their home (Malaysians, Indians, Japanese …), so they are used to having tourists around them, and communicating through various means.<\/p>\n While staying at Mr. and Mrs. Sato’s accomodations we slept in a normal Japanese house. The rooms reserved for the tourists are integral parts of the house. They are not separated from the main building but rather they are a part of it, and therefore you really get to experience life in the Japanese countryside. It is really a great experience<\/strong> to do if you come to Japan as it actually allows you to feel how Japanese live their daily lives, and it is not very expensive either! It is best to arrive around 3:30 pm to 4 pm to sit quietly and help them pick up vegetables and cook<\/strong>. The atmosphere is friendly and family oriented, I loved it!<\/p>\n The beautiful countryside before arriving at the farmer’s inn<\/p><\/div>\n This house is where I am going to stay!!<\/p><\/div>\n The wisteria garden must be beautiful in full bloom in May.<\/p><\/div>\n The mountain view in front of the house<\/p><\/div>\n Japanese traditional old house<\/p><\/div>\n A lotus flower<\/p><\/div>\n Before we started to cook, we went to put our luggage in our room. The woman made us choose between two rooms: a Japanese style room<\/strong>, sleeping on the floor. Or a western style room<\/strong>, with western stylr raised beds. I preferred to sleep in the Japanese room. It had a small balcony overlooking the small river<\/strong> which is right in front of the house. The bathroom and toilets were located on the ground floor.<\/p>\n It’s time to start cooking !<\/strong> The farms are located 100 meters from the house. They have plenty of vegetables<\/strong>: cucumber, pumpkin, tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, cabbage, eggplant, sweet pepper, ginger, goya and so much more!<\/p>\n Cherry tomatos<\/p><\/div>\n Put them in the basket gently<\/p><\/div>\n Filling the basket, it’s time to go home !<\/p><\/div>\n The harvest of the day !<\/p><\/div>\n Madame Sato, a wonderfully generous woman<\/p><\/div>\n It was still very early but we often eat early in the Japanese countryside<\/strong>, especially because of the lifestyle and work hours of the farmers.<\/p>\n The kitchen was large and was located in the main room where there was a TV, and a coffee table. We began by washing all the vegetables, to prepare some of them for the meal. Meanwhile, the gentleman in the kitchen watched the sumo game<\/strong> on TV. The atmosphere was 100% Japanese!<\/p>\n We ate very well, first eggplant then everything was quickly made: potato salad, pickles, tofu, grilled peppers that had been harvested, shrimp in papillote, soup miso, eel.<\/p>\n Grill the eggplant in the pan<\/p><\/div>\n Then, add on miso. Simple, but delicious !<\/p><\/div>\n The rice cooker, the classical version !<\/p><\/div>\n A big shrimp !<\/p><\/div>\n Eel donburi as a main dish.<\/p><\/div>\n The next morning we got up very early because we had to catch a ferry to visit an island where more cats live than locals. Lucky for us, Madame Sato had prepared a great breakfast: tomatoes harvested the day before, salmon, lots of pickles, small cherry tomatoes, miso soup, rice and grapes.<\/p>\n Before leaving her house, she prepared us onigiri<\/strong> for the road and offered us rice from her farm.<\/p>\nStaying at a Local Farm, a Local Experience in the Heart of the Japanese Countryside<\/h2>\n
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Our Room<\/h3>\n
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Pick Up Local Vegetables and Cook with Farmers !<\/h2>\n
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The Dinner at Farmer’s Inn<\/h3>\n
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The Breakfast at the Farmer’s Inn<\/h3>\n