Beyond Sightseeing: Experience Real Rural Japan with a Hiroshima Rice Farmer (Private)
LOCATION:
HIROSHIMA
TOUR TYPE:
HOUR:
7-8 hours
Stay in a 200-Year-Old Japanese House—Live Like a Local in a Hidden Valley.
Escape the tourist trail and discover a peaceful valley where only locals live. No shops, no crowds—just the beautiful everyday life in nature.
Highlights:
- Stay in a traditional Japanese farmhouse with tatami rooms
- Enjoy matcha tea in the garden or a cozy tatami room
- Cook and share a homemade lunch like a local family
- Choose your own activities: forest walks, river time, rice farming, and more
- Explore Japan’s unique moss culture with a local guide in a private moss garden
SCHEDULE
10
min
Tour meeting
Your hotel or Hiroshima station
Let's meet either at the Shinkansen ticket gate at Hiroshima Station or in the lobby of your hotel in Hiroshima. If you prefer to meet at Hiroshima Station, please let us know your train's arrival time in advance. If you'd rather meet at your hotel, please send the name of your hotel before the tour so we can arrange the meeting location.
9:00am
70
min
Scenic Drive through the Countryside
Your guide will transport you to your destination by private car. Relax and enjoy the changing scenery along the way, accompanied by friendly conversation. On the way, there's a beautiful secret spot with a great view, so let's stop by and take a break there.
9:10am-10:30am
60
min
Warm Welcome at a 200-Year-Old Farmhouse
As you step into our family's 200-year-old farmhouse, you'll enter a world shaped by generations of rice farmers and centuries of tradition.
This isn't a museum—it's a real home, where everyday life continues much as it has for generations. As we explore together, you'll discover the little details that make a traditional Japanese home so unique. Why is the entrance so small? What do the architecture and design tell us about the way people once lived? Every corner has a story to share.
We'll then stroll through our private Japanese garden, a peaceful hidden place that isn't open to the public. A soft carpet of vibrant moss stretches beneath your feet, creating a tranquil landscape that changes beautifully with the seasons.
From there, we'll step into the surrounding cedar forest. Walking among the towering trees, you may feel as though you've wandered into the world of a Studio Ghibli film. It's a quiet place to slow down, breathe deeply, and experience the beauty of rural Japan through all your senses.
11:00am-12:00pm
30
min
A Conversation About Rice and Rural Life
We'll begin with a relaxed conversation about the role of rice in Japan. More than just a staple food, rice has shaped our culture, traditions, and way of life for centuries.
As a working rice farmer, I'll share what it's really like to grow rice today—from planting and harvesting to the joys, challenges, and changing realities of modern farming. You'll also learn why many Japanese farms are still family-run and why, despite the challenges, I continue this way of life with pride.
Rather than a lecture, this is an open conversation. Feel free to ask questions, share your own experiences, and discover the similarities and differences between our cultures. Many guests tell me this genuine exchange becomes one of the most meaningful parts of their visit.
12:00pm-12:30pm
120
min
Cooking Together & A Farmhouse Lunch
Now it's time to step into our family kitchen and experience the heart of everyday life in rural Japan.
Using rice harvested from our own fields and fresh local ingredients, we'll prepare a simple homemade Japanese meal together. Along the way, I'll introduce the ingredients, cooking traditions, and the role that rice has played at the center of Japanese family life for generations.
We'll also make onigiri with our freshly cooked rice—a simple yet meaningful dish that reflects the deep connection between Japanese people, nature, and the changing seasons.
When everything is ready, we'll gather around our family table to enjoy the meal together. Your lunch will be served in traditional lacquerware bowls that have been passed down through generations of my family, and whenever the season allows, we'll garnish the dishes with fresh herbs and greens picked from our garden.
In Japan, sharing a meal is one of the warmest ways to welcome someone into the family. I hope that, as we eat, talk, and laugh together, you'll experience not only the flavors of rural Japan, but also the hospitality, traditions, and sense of home that have been part of our family for centuries.
12:30pm-14:30pm
120
min
Village Walk – Discover Japan's Hidden Countryside
Take a leisurely walk through a quiet rural community where everyday life unfolds at nature's pace.
There are no souvenir shops, convenience stores, or crowds of tourists here—just rice fields stretching toward the mountains, traditional farmhouses, and the peaceful rhythms of village life. This is satoyama, Japan's traditional countryside, where people have lived in harmony with nature for generations.
As we walk together, I'll share stories about rural traditions, local customs, and the close relationship between the land and the people who care for it. You'll experience a side of Japan that few visitors ever see—simple, authentic, and deeply connected to the seasons.
Sometimes, the most unforgettable moments come not from famous landmarks, but from the quiet beauty of ordinary life.
14:30pm-16:30pm
30
min
A Quiet Moment with Matcha : Tea celemony
To conclude our day together, I'll invite you to experience one of Japan's most cherished traditions . I'll show you how to whisk the tea and share the simple customs behind this timeless practice.
To end our day, I’ll prepare a bowl of matcha for each guest in the quiet tatami room of my farmhouse.
Looking out onto the Japanese garden my grandfather created, we’ll slow down and reflect on the day we’ve shared.
For me, this is more than a tea ceremony. It’s a small way of saying, “I’m truly happy you came all the way here, and I’m grateful that I had the chance to get to know you.”
This is my way of sharing Japanese hospitality with you.
Looking out onto the garden my grandfather created, you can experience a side of Japanese hospitality that isn't something you simply learn from a guidebook.
As we enjoy our matcha together, there's no rush—just a peaceful moment to reflect on the day, surrounded by the warmth of our 200-year-old farmhouse, the beauty of the garden, and the gentle sounds of the countryside.
I hope you'll leave with more than memories of rural Japan. I hope you'll leave feeling that, for a little while, this old farmhouse was a place where you truly belonged.
16:30pm-17:00pm
60
hrs
Farewell
At the end of the tour, I'll drop you off at your preferred location within Hiroshima City. Maybe one hour drive.
17:00pm-18:00pm
INTRODUCE TOUR PARTNER
Naomi
Looking for a side of Japan beyond the famous sights? I'd love to welcome you to my home in the mountains of Hiroshima.
In a 200-year-old farmhouse where generations of our family have grown rice, spend a day walking through rice fields, discover the culture and traditions behind the rice. After sharing a homemade meal with the fresh vegetables, I'll prepare matcha in a quiet tatami room. This isn't a tour. It's an invitation into a part of Japan most visitors never see. Harvest season!
OVERVIEW
Objective
This is more than a tour—it’s a memory that lasts. Come experience the heart of rural Japan—where nature, tradition, and community live in harmony.
Perfect for:
- Travelers seeking authentic, off-the-beaten-path Japan
- Nature lovers and cultural explorers
- Families, and small groups
Meeting Place
Hiroshima Station or your hotel in Hiroshima city
2-37 Matsubara-cho, Minami Ward, Hiroshima, Hiroshima Prefecture 732-0822, Japan
Schedule
9:00am-18:00pm
Participants
2-5
What'a Included
Guide fee
The cost of ingredients for lunch
Matcha Tea
What's not Included
Any drinks or foods except lunch and tea celemony
Available Date
Available all year round
Additional Information
・Please let us know in advance if you have any allergies or dietary restrictions.
Cancellation policy
・We will charge a cancellation fee of 100% if booking is cancelled 1 day or less before the event
・We will charge a cancellation fee of 50% if booking is cancelled 2 days or less before the event
・We will charge a cancellation fee of 30% if booking is cancelled 7 days or less before the event
・We will charge a cancellation fee of 0% if booking is cancelled 8 days or less before the event
