A Trip to Aina Satoyama in Japan 🇯🇵

Hi fellow hivers and members of the Pinmapple community.
It was a rainy day in September of this year. A group of foreigners living in Japan, ventured to Aina, Satoyama, a countryside area in the northern part of Kobe. It was my very first time there and so was the case for many others. When we got there, it seemed we were the only visitors. Later on in the day, we saw a few others. At the location we could view traditional farm houses with thatched roofs. They are located on a big area of land. We did quite a bit of walking and enjoyed the greenery that was all around. The rice fields 🌾 🌾 were beautiful and the general atmosphere was traditional,refreshing and relaxing. Though not too far from the city, it felt like a nice escape and retreat from the usual hustle and bustle of day to day life.

Life size Dolls and Scarecrows

At several locations of the property, we could see scarecrows and life-size dolls representing residents of the traditional farm village. The scarecrows were in the fields and each one had a name. I found that to be quite interesting. Every now and again, I jumped when I pounced on a doll thinking it was an actual person. It took some time for me to get used to that. Actually, I could see others with similar reaction to the dolls. That didn’t stop us from getting some shots of them.




Life size dolls

Fruit Trees on The Property

Using our umbrellas, we walked in light rain around the compound. We noticed there were some fruit trees around. We saw persimmon , eggplant and bitter gourd.
There were beautiful red spider lilies on the grounds as well.

Aina Satoyama sign

Traditional Farm House

Bitter gourds

Entertainment area in the traditional farm village

Eggplants

Persimmons


Spider lilies

Inside the Farm House

Rice has long been a main staple and main produce of Japan. Inside the farm house we could see household items that were made from dried rice plant. Some of those items included hats and mats. We also viewed a traditional stove.

Cooking Rice and Chestnuts Using Kamado Ovens

One of the most interesting experiences I had there, was helping to make the fire for the Kamado (traditional oven). We added wood chips to the fire and fanned it to get it at the right condition for cooking.
We cooked rice and chestnuts and had them for lunch. They were delicious.
Some carried meat to go with the rice. Others carried toppings. We had a good taste of history, cooking in a traditional way.
Outside one of the farm houses, we could see piles of wood used for cooking and other purposes. They were neatly stacked.

Cooked chestnuts

Kamado Ovens

Cooked rice with toppings

Base of the Kamado oven

Cooked Rice

Preparing chestnuts



Wood and wood chips

The Overall Experience

It was a great way to spend the day with friends. We had great conversations while waiting for the rice and chestnuts to be cooked.
Aina Satoyama is a great place for individuals and groups that want to experience life in the countryside, life in a traditional farm village and the awesomeness of being out in nature.
Would you spend a day in a traditional farm village?

Thank you for reading my post. Have a lovely weekend. 😃