DAY 2

Today after using Japan’s Takkyubinn luggage service to forward my small carry on from Tokyo to my hotel in Kyoto, I departed Tokyo for my journey into the Japanese countryside and the area of Chino in the prefecture of Nagano. This is a beautiful rural area featuring stunning mountain ranges and lots of outdoor activities. The trip began at Shinjuku station which is very well signed and relatively easy to navigate. I can’t remind travelers enough of the distances and the stairs! Transfer those big suitcases! The Azusa Limited express train took about 2 hours to bring me from Tokyo to Chino Station (with unexpected views of Mt. Fuji along the way) and my rural countryside adventure began.

My host from the Chino Tourism center brought me to my accommodation for the next 2 nights - a century old farm house built in the early 1800s and part of Yamaura Stay developed by an American writer and Japanologist, Alex Kerr. Kerr has lived in Japan since the late 1970’s and has spent much of his life restoring homes in the rural countryside with the goal of attracting not just foreign tourists to these rural areas, but also younger Japanese, tired of the urban lifestyle, who have an interest in living in and rejuvenating the Japanese countryside.

Yamaura Stay is a “rural retreat” where travelers can experience a different side of Japan. My retreat features two tatami rooms (used for celebrations with more guests), a large living area, state of the art kitchen (in what used to be the former stables) a comfortable bedroom with Western style bedding and a modern bathroom. The house can hold up to 6 people with two in Western bedding and 4 on futons in the tatami rooms.

After getting settled it was time for my first activity - cooking with a village granny. A journey is never complete without sampling the local cuisine. As part of my stay it was arranged for me to spend a few hours cooking traditional local recipes with Sumiko-san in the house. She is one of several women in the village who not only teach these classes but prepare breakfasts for guests staying in the house. In this area the cuisine follows the seasons. We prepared several dishes using locally grown ingredients including freeze dried daikon and a dessert using agar / kanten which is produced locally.