Farmhouse Stay In Tono: Experience The Authentic Japanese Lifestyle And Culture

2016.8.23

Tono is far away from the large cities.
Tono is not a stop on the Shinkansen super express.
Tono does not have 3 star restaurants.
If you are looking for the urban lifestyle, Tono is not your destination.

But if you are looking to experience the traditional Japanese lifestyle, farm stay in Tono is perfect for you. You can experience the real Japanese lifestyle by staying at a farmer or fishermen’s house. Share the house with the family by cooking and eating together, visiting the local izakaya together and going to an onsen hot spring with the family. You can also experience farming, fishing, rambling, hiking, biking and many more.

Tono is located in Iwate prefecture, which is the northeastern area of Japan. Tono is famous for its folktales, old legends and mysterious stories that feature spirits, ghosts and other imaginative creatures like Kappa. Tono is less than 4 hours away from Tokyo by Shinkansen bullet train if you transfer at the Shin-Hanamaki station.

One of the exciting events in Tono is the Tono-matsuri festival, which is held in early autumn every year.
During the festival, local performances such as Kagura (ancient Japanese sacred music) and the rice planting dances are performed.

For your information :
Travel agent for Farmers stay in Tono : Tono Natural Life Network
http://www.tonotv.com/members/yamasatonet/PDF/English-npo.pdf
Contact : kuwahata.yamasatonet@gmail.com

Photograph and text by meguru hayata

Break at Farming Activity

After breakfast, short ride to Golden Rice Paddy. Enjoy the rice harvest. When we finished almost half, we had the break with rice-cake (mochi with red beans) and hot tea.