In the Yamashiro area, visitors can experience agriculture, forestry, and fishing in the guest rooms of farmers’ homes. In addition to experiencing agriculture, forestry, and fishing, each guest house has its own special features, such as enjoying delicious homemade tea, original guest house cuisine, pottery making, green tea art, and tea incense dressing. These hands-on accommodations allow visitors to learn about the lives of the people of this region amidst beautiful nature and scenery.
There are both public and private courses in and around Uji City where you can experience a variety of tea-related activities, from tea picking to tasting, grinding stone mills, and making matcha and sencha green tea. Whether you want to learn about tea production methods, tea making, or the spirit and culture of tea, enjoy a tea experience unique to Uji City, the city of tea.
Said to have begun when the British royal family used it in Meiji 14 (1881,) you can enjoy the Hozu River cruise and have fun learning about the history and culture of those who lived alongside the river, while listening to the boat’s captain’s funny stories.
Here at Wado Farm, you can enjoy picking various brands of strawberries like Amao and Kaorin. Using organic soil, their focus is their customers’ health and safety. Enjoy the literal fruits of labor by farming professionals who have been studying and researching organic soil for years. Also, they provide grape picking of Yama Ruby, which is Chichibu’s own brand of grapes. Please visit their website for more information.
Miyamotoke is a farmhouse of the Miyamoto family that’s been around since the Edo period. They renovated the house and turned it into a farmhouse-style hotel where you can have an immersive experience in farming. You can observe historic artifacts from the Sengoku and the Edo period in their gallery. Besides participating in an immersive farming experience, there is a Goemonburo, a traditional Japanese-style bath, so you can fully experience the lifestyle from the old days.
NIPPONIA – a Japanese-style old house/storage house renovated and turned into a hotel. With no TV or clocks in the rooms, it’s reminiscent of the old days and you can take a break from busy city life. From beams, interior decoration to furniture, they’ve been kept intact for over 150 years and they have a remarkable old feel to them. The hotel has a café and a French restaurant that uses locally produced ingredients.
The immersive amusement park is located in the Chichibu Valley. You can enjoy various thrilling activities – walking across Canyon Walk, which is a bridge built with wires and woods, or Canyon Bungee, where you can experience the 50-meter jump, etc. Also, they offer footage of your experience recorded by a drone.
Go paragliding in the largest flight area in Western Japan or go canoeing on the Kinokawa River.
Consider also participating in some of the many fun agricultural activities offered in the area, such as at Tategamori Ark Farm or the Honedera Village Estate—a great way to learn about farming while interacting with locals.
Kyoto by the Sea offers these and many other activities to experience the sea, the mountains, and the countryside.
