Slow Down, Chat, and Cook with Grandma
Step into a slower pace of life in rural Yamagata, where you will spend time with a warm and welcoming local grandmother. Chat, share tea around a traditional irori (sunken hearth), and help prepare a home-cooked meal together.
You will be greeted with a gentle “Oshoshina,” a local Okitama dialect expression meaning “thank you.” Your host speaks both the regional dialect and standard Japanese, creating a uniquely comforting atmosphere. Spending time here feels like stepping back into Japan’s nostalgic Showa era.
Relax, lend a hand with meal preparation, and enjoy an unhurried, heartwarming experience.
In addition to cooking, you may be able to enjoy small seasonal activities depending on the time of year. Feel free to consult with your host. Take a break from your busy routine and unwind while listening to the soothing local dialect, even if you don’t understand every word.
Experience Highlights
- Cook alongside a local host using fresh, seasonal ingredients from the countryside
- Relax around a traditional irori hearth while enjoying tea and conversation
- Experience authentic rural life through hands-on cooking and seasonal activities
- Connect with a warm local grandmother and learn about her life and traditions
- Taste comforting, home-style dishes made without meat using local ingredients
Meet your Host
Chie Kanno – Farmer and Owner of Nagomi-an
Born in 1947 in Shirataka Town, Yamagata, Chie married into a farming family in nearby Nagai City. She has spent her life working in agriculture, raising livestock, cultivating shiitake mushrooms, and later growing cherries, which took seven years to produce fruit.
Today, she continues rice and cherry farming while running her farm restaurant, Nagomi-an, and producing preserved foods. Her warm smile and gentle personality evoke memories of a kind countryside grandmother.
About Nagomi-an
Nagomi-an began as a small local initiative called “Sumomo no Ki,” started by neighborhood women producing and selling homemade foods. Although the activity paused due to busy schedules, Chie later discovered green tourism, where visitors stay in rural areas to enjoy nature, culture, and local connections.
Inspired, she decided to open a farm restaurant. During preparations, she met Takahashi, who was visiting for an agricultural survey and asked to join her. Despite initial hesitation, Chie accepted, and together they launched Nagomi-an.
The restaurant officially opened on December 25, 2007, when Chie was 60. It quickly gained popularity, attracting visitors from across and beyond the prefecture, and was even featured in JR promotional posters.
Nagomi-an is known for its comforting, meat-free countryside lunches and Chie’s warm hospitality. More than just a restaurant, it is a place where visitors can experience rural life, food culture, and genuine human connection.
Relaxing at Grandma’s House
You will be welcomed with a smile and a cheerful greeting: “Yoku gozatta nashi” (“Welcome, I’m so glad you came”). It may even make you feel like saying, “I’m home.”
The experience starts by introducing yourself over tea by the irori hearth.
Once you are settled, Chie will invite you to help prepare the meal using homegrown vegetables and seasonal ingredients. It feels just like helping your own grandmother in the kitchen.
One specialty she may show you is “Bero-boshi daikon,” a preserved food made by cutting daikon radish into long, tongue-shaped strips and drying them.
This is a classic local comfort dish.
Enjoy the meal you prepared together while chatting with your host.
After lunch, seasonal activities await. On this day, guests experienced making uchi-mame, a preserved food where soybeans are flattened using a stone mill, a technique developed in snowy regions like Yamagata.
Schedule
| Time | Details |
|---|---|
| 10:00 | Arrive at Nagomi-an. Warm welcome from Chie |
| 10:15 | Relax: tea, introductions, experience overview, conversation |
| 11:00 | Cooking experience: prepare local dishes using seasonal ingredients |
| 12:00 | Lunch: enjoy the meal together with your host |
| 13:00 | Seasonal activity: farming or indoor work depending on weather and season Seasonal Activity Examples Spring: Drying daikon, harvesting butterbur shoots Summer: Vegetable harvesting, eggplant drying, farm work Winter: Grilling miso rice cakes over the irori Aug–Sep: Pickling round eggplant Jun–Sep: Harvesting udo shoots Dec–Jan: Making uchi-mame |
| 14:00 | End of experience |
Schedule may vary depending on the progress of each activity.
Travel Details (Terms & Conditions)
| Availability | Year-round, starting from 10:00 AM |
|---|---|
| Price | 8,500 yen |
| Included | ・Lunch ・Cooking experience ・Seasonal activity ・Facility usage ・Travel insurance |
| Location | Nagomi-an Farm Restaurant 1445 Narita, Nagai City, Yamagata |
| Access | 20-minute walk from Ayame Koen Station (Yamagata Railway Flower Nagai Line) |
| Number of Participants | 1 to 6 participants |
| Clothing | No special requirements |
| What to Bring | No special requirements |
| Cancellation Policy | ・14 days before the experience: 20% of the total fee ・10 days before the experience: 50% of the total fee ・Same-day cancellation or no-show: 100% of the total fee |
| Booking Deadline | Reservations must be made at least 7 days in advance. |
| Payment Methods | Credit card (Visa, Mastercard) Detailed payment instructions will be sent by email after booking. |
| Additional Notes | ・This is not a private experience. Other guests may join. ・Seasonal activities vary depending on theweather and availability and will be decided on-site. |
