Seasonal Satoyama Cuisine and Hands-On Rural Food Experiences

Welcome to Seihōen, a family-run farm stay in the countryside of Nihonmatsu, Fukushima. This renovated family home is run by a welcoming local couple, along with the guesthouse’s resident cats. Surrounded by vegetable fields and the nostalgic landscapes of Japan’s satoyama countryside, it’s a place where visitors can slow down and experience rural life at a gentler pace.

During your stay, step into the fields to harvest seasonal vegetables alongside your hosts. In the evening, gather around the table with local farmers and enjoy dinner together. The meal features Fukushima’s renowned brand beef and freshly harvested vegetables, paired with local sake and craft beer. As you dine, the farmers and your hosts share the stories behind the ingredients and the land they come from.
The following morning begins with a carefully prepared breakfast made with locally sourced ingredients.

Each season brings different foods and rhythms to village life. Through these seasonal changes, you will gain a quiet glimpse into everyday life in a satoyama community.

Nearby, you can also visit craft breweries and wineries that highlight local ingredients, as well as a historic shrine with more than 1,200 years of history.
Above all, it is the people you meet here that make the experience truly memorable.

Experience Highlights

• Stay at a family-run farm guesthouse in the satoyama countryside of Fukushima
• Harvest seasonal vegetables directly from the fields with your hosts
• Share dinner with local farmers and producers around the same table
• Enjoy satoyama cuisine featuring Fukushima brand beef and freshly harvested ingredients
• Take part in hands-on cooking and traditional food preparation
• Experience the rhythms of rural life and seasonal food culture

Meet your host

Farm Stay Seihoen
Kiyonori Yamazaki & Tomoko Yamazaki

Kiyonori and Tomoko Yamazaki run Seihōen, a family farm stay in the Iwashiro area of Nihonmatsu, Fukushima.
Alongside welcoming guests, they grow and ship seasonal vegetables throughout the year—seedlings in early spring, spinach through summer, and tara buds in winter.

Their guesthouse is a renovated 100-year-old farmhouse where guests are welcomed into everyday rural life. Meals feature freshly harvested vegetables from their own fields, and many visitors return for the relaxed atmosphere created by the Yamazakis and their two resident cats, Mei and Satsuki.

Tomoko is known locally for her warm and approachable personality. She has strong connections with younger farmers in the area and enjoys sharing stories about village life, local food, and the rhythms of the seasons. Spending time with the Yamazakis often feels less like staying at a guesthouse and more like visiting friends in the countryside—one reason so many guests choose to return.

Plan Details

Day 1
16:00 — Harvest Seasonal Vegetables in the Fields

Step into the fields and harvest vegetables that are at their seasonal peak. Feeling the soil and gathering your own produce is a simple pleasure rarely experienced in city life. The vegetables you pick will later appear at dinner and breakfast, allowing you to taste the season in ingredients you harvested yourself.

18:00 — Hands-On Cooking Experience

Enjoy a small seasonal cooking activity rooted in satoyama life. You might make simple countryside dumplings or prepare pickles using vegetables harvested from the fields—everyday dishes that have long been part of local home cooking. As you cook together, you will experience the relaxed rhythm of rural life and the traditions surrounding food in the satoyama. In winter, another favorite activity is roasting sweet potatoes or dumplings over the hearth or on a small charcoal grill (shichirin).

19:00 — Countryside Dinner Shared with Local Producers

The vegetables you harvested are transformed into vibrant dishes that highlight their natural sweetness and flavor.

Dinner is shared with the Yamazakis and local farmers, brewers, and producers—an opportunity to meet the people behind the ingredients and hear their stories firsthand.

A special dish featuring Nihonmatsu’s locally raised brand beef is also served. Paired with regional craft beer, wine, and sake, dinner unfolds slowly in a quiet space without televisions or clocks—an evening to simply enjoy good food and good company.

Day 2

08:00 — Breakfast Featuring Local Ingredients

Start the morning with a relaxed breakfast made from local ingredients. The meal may include homemade natto prepared from the guesthouse’s own soybeans, yogurt from a nearby dairy farm, and a variety of small dishes showcasing seasonal produce from the surrounding area.Note: The menu varies depending on the day and season.

09:30 — Satoyama Food-Making Experience

This hands-on activity introduces the traditional food practices of satoyama life—growing, preparing, and preserving ingredients. Depending on the season, you may try making tofu or konnyaku, preparing preserved foods such as dried vegetables or miso, or learning how vegetables are grown in the surrounding fields.

These activities reflect the everyday knowledge that has been passed down in local households for generations. Working with your hands offers a relaxed glimpse into rural life and food traditions.

Some of the foods you prepare—or seedlings from the fields—can be taken home as souvenirs, allowing you to continue enjoying a taste of satoyama life even after your journey ends.

Schedule
Day1

Day2

Note: Times are approximate. The schedule and activities may change depending on local conditions or the pace of the experience on the day.

Travel Details (Terms & Conditions)