Connect with nature at a farming homestay in rural Japan

The huge daikon radish comes out of the dark soil a lot more easily than the fledgling farmer anticipated and the momentum swiftly deposits him on his bottom. But it’s still a victory for this three-year-old city boy getting his first taste of Japan’s countryside and he grins from ear to ear as he grips his prize tightly.

The Japanese government, working with private travel companies, is keen to get foreign visitors off the well-worn “golden” route of Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka, not least because the soaring number of internation­al arrivals has put a strain on accommodation in the nation’s favourite destinations.

Communities the length and breadth of the country are also looking to get a slice of the tourist pie and are polishing landmarks and attractions for the delight of foreigners. But not every town is blessed with a parti­cu­larly attractive temple, a spectacular annual festival or an “onsen” natural spring with supposedly curative powers.

So towns such as Otawara (population 75,000), in the deeply rural northeast of Tochigi prefecture, a good 90 minutes by car from central Tokyo, are playing to their strengths.