Available Experience Programs ＆ English speaking Guided Local Tours @Ichiju Issai no Yado Chabu Dining (updated in November of 2024)

2024年3月13日 10:04

At the farm stay accommodation, "Ichiju Issai no Yado Chabu Dining", we offer the following experiential programs and English guided local tours during your stay.
If you are interested in any of the offerings, please let us know in advance!

1.Experience programs at "Chabu Dining"

"Ichiju Issai (Japanese traditional simple meal)" cooking

We'll cook rice in a clay pot, prepare a hearty miso soup with seasonal vegetables, and prepare rice bran pickles together.
Afterward, we'll gather around the "irori" fire place and enjoy the meal together.

Additional fee: Free *included in the accommodation fee
Duration: Approximately 1-1.5 hours before dinner
Free rental: Aprons

Seasonal farm work (growing rice/seasonal vegetables)

Depending on the time of year, you can participate in hands-on activities on our farm.

Spring: soil sifting (March), seed sowing (early April), planting summer vegetables (March to May), foraging wild plants and digging bamboo shoots (April), weeding

Summer: soybean planting (Early June), rice transplanting (early June), weeding paddy fields (mid-June to early August), harvesting summer vegetables (July to September)

Autumn: chestnut picking (September to October), rice harvesting and sun drying (early October), rice threshing (late October)

Winter: yuzu harvesting (November), persimmon harvesting (November), making dried persimmons (early December)

Year-round: short farm tour (guided tour around the rice fields and vegetable patches on our small property, with explanations about our farming activities and lifestyle. Approximately 30 minutes to 1 hour.)

Weeding paddy fields (Mid-June to early August)

Additional fee: Free *included in the accommodation fee
Duration: From 1 hour *from 30 min. in case of short farm tour
Items to bring: Clothes that you don't mind getting dirty (long sleeves and long pants), sweat towels and caps *+Gloves & Rubber boots for children
Free rental: Gloves & Robber boots *only for adults
Additional information: You can join even in light rain.

Traditional "Mochi" Pounding *with an additional fee, advance reservation required

Experience traditional "mochi" pounding using harvested sticky rice (grown without chemical fertilizers or pesticides) from Chabu Dining's rice fields.
Starting from steaming the sticky rice outdoors, this experience involves using old fashioned tools such as "kine (a mortar)"and "usu (a pestle)".
Enjoy freshly pounded "mochi" with toppings such as "azuki (red bean)" paste, "kinako (soybean powder)" and "zoni" soup for lunch.

Additional fee: JPY33,000/group *with lunch, tax included
Payment method: Online payment in advance (credit cards)
Duration: About 3 hours (10:00-13:00)
Items to bring: Clothes that you don't mind getting dirty
Additional information: Rain or shine, reservations required at least 2 weeks prior to check-in date

e-Bike rental *with an additional fee, advance reservation required

Enjoy a leisurely cycle while taking in the beautiful scenery of the surrounding countryside and rice fields.
There are no restaurants within walking distance where you can have lunch, but you can access them by e-Bike. We also recommend stopping by a nice restaurant along the way.

Additional fee: JPY 3,000/ hour (excess charge JPY 1,500/hour), JPY 5,500/day (more than 3 hours), JPY 8,000/1 night 2 days (excess charge JPY 2,500/night) *tax included
Payment method: Payment at site (cash or credit cards)
Items to bring: Clothes that are comfortable to move around in
Free rental: Helmets & gloves
Additional information: Reservations required at least 2 weeks prior to check-in date (subject to bike availability). Suitable for people 140cm and over (ages 13 and up). Maximum 5 units.
About insurance: The bicycle administrator is not responsible for any accidents that occur during the use of a rental bicycle. All rental bicycles are registered for crime prevention and covered by TS mark insurance. (Handling fees and insurance fees are included in the rental fee.) Compensation details = deductible of 30,000 yen, liability limit of 100 million yen. *The 30,000 yen deductible is to be borne by the user.

Walking around the village

Enjoy a leisurely stroll while taking in the beautiful scenery of the surrounding countryside and rice fields.
We also recommend walking along the agricultural paths, visiting nearby shrines and temples, stopping by the nearby cafe "Sabo Fu" or "Inakaya Sorashido" which sells natural jams and sauces, and interacting with the locals.

Additional fee: Free (no tour guide)
Free rental: Robber boots (for adults only), umbrellas

2.English speaking guided local tours *with an additional fee, advance reservation required

"Satoyama” walking tour

Walking around our village while enjoying the beautiful rural scenery of “satoyama" with rice paddies and visiting local people. (Casual tea ceremony, lunch, tour of old houses, etc.)
*The exercise intensity is light.

Additional fee: Tour and English guide fee (A) + Lunch & drink fee (B)
A: Tour and English guide fee = JPY 26,000/group
B: Lunch & drink fee = JPY 2,750/person *Vegetarian/Vegetable based lunch box, casual tea ceremony, drinks (herbal tea, coffee, etc.)
*tax included
Payment method: Online payment in advance (credit cards)
Duration: Approximately 3-3.5 hours (from 10:00 to 13:30)
Items to bring: Clothes that are comfortable to move around in
Free rental: Robber boots (for adults only), umbrellas
Additional information: Rain or shine, reservations required at least 2 weeks prior to check-in date

"Satoyama” traditional life experience tour（"Okudo-san" cooking experience ＠"Inakaya Sorashido"）

This is a plan to experience a use of “Okudo-san,” or traditional cooking stove, which then were popularly used in between Meiji and Showa era, to cook and serve/eat meals.
1. Cook rice, miso-soup, or smoked-dry
2. Eat them on the tatami mat in the Japanese house
3. Roast the local tea leaves grown in Ayabe city
You will be putting the fire woods into the cooking stove to cook rice, to make miso soup, and dish them up on the bowls and plates. Also you can experience roasting tea leaves on the charcoal of Hibachi, and drink tea, feel what it was like to live in a traditional Japanese house.
You can feel the ambience of the rural countryside, and the scenery around the house.
After the meal, you can lie down on the tatami mats, listening to birds and insects singing, or walk around the house to enjoy the gardens or around the Nishisaka town. Feel free to do what you like to do.

Additional fee: Experience fee (A) + English guide fee (B)
A: Experience fee for Adults (over 12 years old) = JPY 8,800/person, children between 6-11 years old = JPY 4,400/person
*If you are participating alone, the charge will be for two people, JPY 17,600.
B: English guide fee = JPY 18,150/group
*tax included
Payment method:
Experience fee (A): Payment at site (credit card/cash)
English guide fee (B): Online payment in advance (credit cards)
Duration: 3-4 hours (from 11:00 to 15:00) *You can leave anytime after lunch. You can stay until 15:00.
Items to bring: You might feel the smell of smoke on your clothes after the activity, as ”Okudo-san” experience will involve the use of burning fire woods. If you feel uncomfortable of the smell, please bring another set of clothes to change after the activity.
Free rental: Apron
Period: Weekdays (except national holidays)
Location:Inakaya Sorashido *4 min. walk from the accommodation
Additional information: Reservations required at least 2 weeks prior to check-in date
The facility accepts two groups at one time. Therefore, please take note that there might be a chance to work together with another group.
For safety reasons, the facility only accept participants of elementary school students (over 6 years old) or older persons. Please consult us if you want to bring younger children with you.

"Washi (Japanese traditional paper)" making experience tour @Kurotani Washi Cooperative Association

Kurotani Washi has a history dating back 800 years. You can participate in a handmade paper workshop where one person can make 8 postcards at a time, a guiding tour around the facility and look at artists making paper or doing other process. The postcards made during the experience will be sent to you by mail at a lates date.

Additional fee: Experience fee (A) + Fee for facility tour by craftsperson (B) + English guide fee (C)
A: Experience fee = JPY 7,200/group of 1 to 4 people
Additional fee JPY 1,800/person after 5th person
B: Fee for facility tour by craftsperson (in Japanese) = JPY 6,000/group
C: English guide fee = JPY 16,500/group
*tax included
Payment method:
Experience fee (A) & Fee for facility tour by craftsperson (B): Payment at site (credit card/cash)
English guide fee (C): Online payment in advance (credit cards)
Duration: 1-1.5 hours（10:30-/14:00-)
Period: Wed, Fri, the 1st and 3rd Saturday between March 1st-November 30th (except national holidays and obon holidays in mid August)
Location:Kurotani Washi Cooperative Association *Aprox. 20 min. from the accommodation by car
Transportation: Your own car or Taxi (approximately 6,000 yen one way)
Additional information: Reservations required at least 2 weeks prior to check-in date. Lunch excluded. *WASHI is need to be dried. So the postcards made during the experience will be sent to you by mail at a lates date.

"Satoyama” tea picking & making tour *Only in May

Tea picking and tea making experience available only in May.
You will take home the finished tea as a souvenir.
You will also visit the home of a local resident and enjoy chatting with them while enjoying matcha tea.

Tea picking experience at "Inakaya Sorashido"
Tea making experience from tea leaves (steaming and drying tea leaves) at Chabu Dining
Casual tea ceremony (matcha and Japanese sweets) at a local resident's home
*We, the owner (guide), will guide you through the entire experience.

Additional fee: Tour and guide fee (A) + Tea picking & drink fee (B)
A: Tour and English guide fee = JPY 24,000/group
B: Tea picking & drink fee = JPY 2,000/person
*tax included
Payment method: Online payment in advance (credit cards)
Duration: Approximately 3-4 hours
Items to bring: Clothes that are comfortable to move around in
Period: May
Additional information: Reservations required at least 2 weeks prior to check-in date *lunch excluded

Tailor-made tour

We also offer local tours based on your interests and requests.

For example:
Experiencing the unique Japanese New Year holidays ("toshikoshi" soba, New Year's Eve bells, "hatsumode", etc.)
Visiting a local professional farm and experience farm work
Visiting a local junior high school cultural festival, etc.

Additional fee: English guide fee within 4 hours = JPY 16,500/group, English guide fee for 4-8 hours = JPY 33,000/group
*tax included
*lunch excluded
*extra cost for facility tour/experience & lunch may apply
Payment method: Online payment in advance (credit cards)
Additional information: Reservations required at least 2 weeks prior to check-in date. Early booking is appreciated because it sometimes takes time for arrangements.

3．2 night 3 day farm stay program at Ichiju Issai no Yado Chabu Dining (all inclusive)

Satoyama Traditional Life Experience (all-inclusive)

All-inclusive (accommodation, experience programs, guide, meals, souvenirs, interaction with local people), hospitality limited to one group per day, dialogue with host and guide, interaction with local residents, on the route from Kyoto to Kinosaki Onsen (along the JR line), an old house surrounded by satoyama and countryside, and various experiences (eating around the hearth, "Ichiju Issai" cooking, farm work, "Okudosan" cooking, making roasted green tea). This plan includes the Satoyama Traditional Life Experience.
Meals with homemade rice, homemade miso, and local vegetables.

↓Click here for more info (click "Book Now")

Satoyama Walking Experience (all-inclusive)

All-inclusive (accommodation, experience programs, guide, meals, souvenirs, interaction with local people), hospitality limited to one group per day, dialogue with host and guide, interaction with local residents, on the route from Kyoto to Kinosaki Onsen (along the JR line), an old house surrounded by satoyama and countryside, and various experiences (eating around the hearths, "Ichiju Issai" cooking, farm work, walking in a satoyama). This tour includes the Satoyama Walking Experience.

Meals with homemade rice, homemade miso, and local vegetables.

↓Click here for more info (click "Book Now")

4. Experience programs at nearby facilities (English available) *with an additional fee, advance reservation required

Pizza making at "Kominka La vie"

Pizza making experience from making a fire with a handmade pizza oven by a local potter Mr. Mitsuo Murayama ("Hakuungama") at "Kominka La vie."

Additional fee: JPY 3,300/person *with soup & coffee, tax included
Payment method: Payment at site (cash/PayPay)
Duration: About 5 hours (10:00-15:00)
Items to bring: Please wear clothes you don't mind getting dirty
Location: Kominka La vie *13 min. walk from the accommodation
Additional information: Reservations required at least 2 weeks prior to check-in date

Tea farm visit & Japanese cultural experience　＠Jinnowo Ayabe

In Ayabe City, high-quality tea such as "Gyokuro" and "Tencha" (used for "Matcha") are produced and are used as ingredients for the historically and traditionally famous "Uji Tea."

You can visit the tea plantation and enjoy unique experiences surrounded by beautiful tea fields that can only be found in this place, such as;
-Explanation on tea cultivation methods and types by the tea farmer
-Tasting tea produced at the farm
-Preparing "matcha" using a tea whisk with "matcha" produced at the farm
-Tea leaves picking
-Japanese calligraphy

*Experience content and location may change depending on the season and weather.

Additional fee: Experience fee JPY 7,500/group + Tea, Snacks & Souvenir JPY2,500/person *Tax included
Payment method: Online payment in advance (credit cards)
Duration: about 2 hours in the morning or afternoon
Period: between July-February *March to April also available upon request
Location: At Jinnowo Ayabe's tea plantation *Approximately 5km from the accommodation to the meeting point
Transportation: Your own car, taxi (approximately JPY 2,600 one way, around 7 minutes), eBike rental (JPY 5,500 per unit for one day, advance reservation required, around 20 minutes)
Items to bring: Please wear clothes you don't mind getting dirty
Free rental: Rubber boots (for adults only, rented at "Chabu Dining")
Additional information: Maximum 4 people. Reservations required at least 2 weeks prior to check-in date. This program will be held in light rain.

5．Cancellation policy

For optional paid experiences/ English speaking guided local tours

We will charge a cancellation fee of 100% if booking is cancelled 6 days or less before the check-in.

For 2 night 3 day all inclusive programs

We will charge a cancellation fee of 100% if booking is cancelled 13 days or less before the check-in.