This Japanese farm homestay lets you get involved in producing organic food
Part of the global Wwoof programme, the Sho Farm near Tokyo lets visitors get their hands dirty and learn all about organic farming
06:49
As more Japanese ditch cities for farms, you can too
In the middle of a rice paddy on a warm summer day, Sho Nakano bends over to where water meets his ankles, showing how weeding is done by hand.
Once a week, he and his wife Shoko open their farm in the hills of Yokosuka, an hour south of Tokyo, to volunteers interested in organic agriculture or urbanites looking for a change of scenery.
“We like to make space for people to gather and be in touch with nature and farming,” Shoko says.
Commercial farms typically favour large fields of a single crop and an abundance of pesticides to maximise harvests. But organic farms like the Nakanos’ Sho Farm prioritise biodiversity and prohibit the use of chemicals.
The farm cultivates about 100 different types of produce, from pumpkins and tomatoes to spring onions and many species of radish.
“We go to a market, sell face-to-face,” Sho says. “[Customers] recognise us as reliable farmers. There are many ethical consumers around here.”
