{"id":88050,"date":"2022-01-05T20:30:00","date_gmt":"2022-01-05T11:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/voyapon.com\/?p=88050"},"modified":"2022-01-25T18:10:12","modified_gmt":"2022-01-25T09:10:12","slug":"farmstay-experience-in-oumi-no-sato","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/voyapon.com\/farmstay-experience-in-oumi-no-sato\/","title":{"rendered":"A Farmstay Experience in Oumi no Sato"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Remove your watch and shut down your smartphone. For time flows differently at Oumi no Sato<\/strong> (\u7fc1\u7f8e\u306e\u91cc),<\/strong> and you don\u2019t want to be the one responsible for dispelling the magic within this realm. Here, a vivacious fairy godmother awaits you with a single mission: she\u2019s here to bring happiness to all of her visitors. As the old adage goes, \u201cThe way to a man\u2019s heart is through his stomach,\u201d she also has quite a lot of experience conquering us with delicious seasonal fruits from her farm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Oumi no Sato, a Break from the Mundane Noise<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Hailed as Japan\u2019s Land of Sunshine, Okayama<\/a> (\u5ca1\u5c71) enjoys privileged weather compared to most of the country, making it a prime location for agriculture. Muscat grapes and white peaches are the region\u2019s most famous products nationwide and it\u2019s no coincidence that this is also is the birthplace of Momotaro<\/a> (\u6843\u592a\u90ce), the Japanese folk hero born from a giant peach that\u2019s at the core of the legends<\/a> surrounding the ancient region of Kibiji<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Oumi
Tradition meets nature. The beautiful Japanese garden outside the house merges seamlessly with the uphill vegetation.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s already past sunset by the time I arrive at Oumi no Sato<\/a>, after a long day of walking and shooting. It\u2019s not that far from the city, only 13 km away from Okayama Station, but I\u2019m already in a radically different rural environment given the peaceful silence, only interrupted by the soft murmur of the trees with the fresh autumn breeze. Sadayo Satomi greets me with a bright smile, and after leaving my belongings in my room for the night and resting for a bit, she starts telling me about this special place over dinner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She\u2019s a third-generation peach farmer who decided to expand the business scope when she took over the farm from her parents. She envisions this place not just as a regular farm stay for a rural and agricultural experience but also as a healing place to stop and recover from the stress of our daily routines. <\/strong>\u201cNowadays, many people only fill their lives with endless studying followed by endless work, without time for themselves,\u201d she says. Some guests, she explains, just come here to work remotely while living for a little while in a slow-paced and natural environment. Seeing her visitors loosen up and relax is one of her joys of interacting with people. Her enthusiasm is contagious as she shares stories of an idyllic childhood running around and singing freely around the fields and nearby mountains. Oumi no Sato is about sharing with others this feeling of emotional freedom.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Organic Farming in Oumi no Sato\u2019s Fields<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Besides focusing on producing the delicious white peaches the area is so famous for, she also started to grow various fruits such as La France pears, blueberries, citrus fruits, and plums. Although aided by Okayama\u2019s gentle weather, running her farm is no walk in the park. Satomi-san is constantly watching over the fields and monitoring the fruits to gauge the precise moment to harvest them, even if it means checking every single day at sunrise as harvest season approaches. This year\u2019s weather had been a bit unusual, and she was not taking any chances with her beloved peaches.<\/p>\n\n\n\n