A small, lovely town called Ajimu is located inside the mountain ranges of Oita prefecture on the Kyushu island, which is the northern part of Japan. If you prefer to experience the traditional Japanese lifestyle, I recommend you to pick a rural town like Ajimu. You can stay at a farmhouse, cook with the hosting family, eat with them, spend time on the tatami, sleep in a futon and share the house with the local hosts. When I arrived, the father was out in the farm and the mother was cooking dinner. The mother welcomed me with Japanese tea.

I stayed at 2 different farmhouses and spent one night at each house. I was guided by Mr. Abe from the NPO Ajimumachi Green Tourism Society. On the first day, I stayed at a kominka house at on top of a hill called Hyakunen-no-ike (means hundred year house) Tokieda. The Tokieda family has been living there for generations and generations. I cooked dinner with the mother and the father and they gave me a tour of their farm. On the second day, I stayed at another kominka house located along the street called Tamachan no Engawa (means sunny veranda of Tamachan). The father showed me how to make soba noodles from buckwheat flour and the mother showed me the local mosquito medicine. Both families were friendly.

Ajimu started Green Tourism (staying and experiencing rural areas in Japan) in 1996. I have heard that Ajimu is one of the first towns to start Green Tourism in Japan. This region is full of farmhouses, with each farmhouse having its own attractive characteristics. Ajimu has the longest history of providing farmhouse experiences to visitors from abroad.

For your information:
Access : Please visit web below;
http://www.usa-kanko.jp/en/

Contact : Please contact NPO Ajimumachi Green Tourism Society
http://www.ajimu-gt.jp/form.html (Web mail form, Japanese only)

Related web : http://www.ajimu-gt.jp/page0102.html (Farm stay family listing, Japanese only)