noumee
Harvesting

Field experience picking, learning, and bringing back rare vegetables not found in supermarkets [special price commemorating the start of publication 🎉]

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Booking

Payment is charged after the host approves.

Price (per person)

Adult
¥2,912
Junior/high school
¥2,912
Elementary
¥1,455
Preschool
Free

Incl. tax & service fee

(approx. $18.87)
Duration About 1 h
Max participants Up to 6 people

About this experience

It is a field located in Shin-Matsuda and Kaisei in Kanagawa Prefecture, about 1 hour from the city center. It takes about 75 minutes by romance car from Shinjuku, and you can also pick them up from the nearest Shin-Matsuda station. For over 20 years, we have grown over 160 kinds of vegetables a year without using pesticides during the cultivation period. Even in summer, it is about minus 3 degrees cooler than Yokohama and the city center, and the meltwater from Mt. Fuji pours in, making it a place with clean water and air. When you stand in the field, the changing seasons are conveyed as they are. What is grown here is mainly rare vegetables that cannot be found in supermarkets. They also have varieties that can only be found at high-end restaurants, such as the star-shaped okra “Star of David,” micro tomatoes smaller than cherry tomatoes, “destroyer” potatoes with purple skin, yacon, and Italian vegetables. We grow more than 160 kinds of vegetables a year. ■Flow of the day (approx. 1 hour) 1. Meeting (those by train can meet and drop off at Shin-Matsuda Station/those by car can come directly to the field) *Detailed meeting locations will be announced in a message after making a reservation. Please also let us know the means of arrival (train/car). 2. Heading to the field 3. Seasonal vegetables are harvested. Let's talk about vegetables while walking through the fields. 4. You can nibble and enjoy freshly picked food on the spot 5. We are breaking up with the harvested vegetables as souvenirs I am qualified as an exercise trainer, so I can leisurely advance at my own pace while doing light stretches along the way. ■Seasonal vegetables (what you can pick changes with the season) ・May: onions, radishes, etc. ・June: potatoes, onions, shishitou, etc. ・July: This is the time of the year when vegetables are at their best. tomatoes, eggplants, potatoes, etc. ・August: Okra, eggplant, shishitake, etc. ・September: okra, eggplant, etc. ・October: sweet potatoes, etc. I'm looking forward to seeing what I can harvest that day once I come. Some may not be harvested depending on the weather. You can take home all the vegetables you have harvested. ■What we do in this field To be honest, it takes quite a bit of time and effort to grow more than 160 varieties a year. The seeds are collected and dried by hand, and weeding is done by hand with almost no machines. They decide where to plant by considering the path of the wind, adjust the spacing between stocks because they harden when crowded, and devise planting combinations by calculating how insects gather. While reading the environment of this land, they are grown by taking advantage of the characteristics of each vegetable. There are years when things don't go well, and there are many difficulties that come from not using pesticides. Please listen to anything about the field on the spot. ■Recommended for people like this ・Those who like rare vegetables not found in supermarkets ・Those who want to try farming someday or start a kitchen garden ・Families who want to touch soil and vegetables with their children ・Those who want to spend time relaxing and preparing themselves in nature It's not just about picking vegetables. I would be happy if you could touch the soil and cherish the time you spend while feeling the comfort of the wind, the coolness of the water, and the warmth of the sunshine. It's also a time for children's dietary education to learn how vegetables grow. On the way back, we also recommend stopping by the surrounding hot springs and delicious restaurants.

・Clothes that can get dirty ・Hat/towel/boots (or shoes that can get dirty) ・Work gloves (vinyl material is recommended) ・Drinks ・A bag to take home harvested vegetables ・If necessary, sunscreen, insect repellent, and regular medicine

  • JapaneseNative
  • EnglishBasic phrases

Languages other than English can also be supported using translation apps, etc.

野菜ーに's profile photo

野菜ーに

Kaisei, Ashigarakami District, Kanagawa, Japan

About this field We grow rare vegetables that do not use pesticides during the cultivation period in Kaisei-cho, Kanagawa. I started going out to the fields with my parents when I was in my 20s, and it's been over 20 years now. How I started the field In addition to working in the fields, they also have qualifications as athletic trainers, and I have seen students active in national competitions up close. Watching people grow up close has always been a source of power for me. In the midst of that experience, I began to feel that what we eat is important for both our body and mind. Then I wanted to make vegetables that are really good for the body, so I started a field that does not use pesticides. An unforgettable event Something like this happened. The mother's child, who said that my child hates carrots, ate the carrots here. Then, 3 years later, my younger child, who was in my stomach at the time, grew up and ate the same carrots. Since there are moments like this, I keep thinking that it's good to make vegetables. Land Called Kaisei Kaisei Town has cool summers and warm winters. There is plenty of water, and fireflies also appear. I would be happy if the time spent in this field will be even a little fun for those who come. If there is anything that would trigger it, I would be very grateful. What we are working on in the field To be honest, it takes quite a bit of time and effort to grow more than 160 varieties per year. While dealing with insects and the weather, it is a steady accumulation of work such as picking and drying the seeds yourself. Weeding is also done by hand with almost no machines in. It's not just work that I'm working on. They decide where to plant by considering the path of the wind, adjust the spacing between stocks because they harden when crowded, and devise planting combinations by calculating how insects gather. While reading the environment of this land, I'm thinking about which vegetables to plant where, making use of the characteristics of each one. Wow There are years that don't go well, and there are many things that are difficult because pesticides are not used during the cultivation period. Vegetables are most delicious the moment they are harvested. Therefore, we have begun to focus on harvesting experiences where people can enjoy freshly picked food on the spot. From now on What I want to do now is make this field a place where people gather. I would like to be able to convey the appeal of Kaisei Town and this land to those who come through farming experiences. I would be happy if this place could be an entrance to something for someone.

〒258-0028 神奈川県足柄上郡開成町金井島

  • Parking available
  • Nearest station: 新松田駅20 minutes on foot/5 minutes by bus
  • Shuttle from the station · Pick-up is possible from Shin-Matsuda Station (about 5 minutes by car). For the convenience of child seats, please use a taxi if you are traveling with children under 6 years old.
  • Details of the meeting point for the day will be announced via message after the reservation is confirmed.

If you cancel after your booking is confirmed, the following cancellation fees apply.

7 or more days beforeNo cancellation fee
2–6 days before30% of the price
1 days before50% of the price
Same-day cancellation / No-show100% of the price
Bad weather / farmer's circumstancesNo cancellation fee

Cancelled if rainy / full refund

It was decided in light rain. In case of cancellation, we will contact you the day before.

  1. STEP01

    Select your preferred date and time

    Check availability and choose the date and time you'd like to join. Fully booked dates can't be selected.

  2. STEP02

    Enter participant and payment details (name, contact, number of people)

    Enter your name, contact details, and number of participants to request a booking. No charge is made at this point.

  3. STEP03

    Farmer approval

    The farmer reviews and approves your request. Once approved, payment and your booking are confirmed, and you'll receive a confirmation email. If not approved, the booking is automatically cancelled with no charge.

  4. STEP04

    Payment

    Payment is charged to your registered payment method as soon as the farmer approves your booking.

  5. STEP05

    Join on the day

    You'll receive a reminder email the day before. On the day, check the meeting point and what to bring on your booking page, then meet the farmer in person.

  6. STEP06

    Leave a review

    After the experience, you can post a review. Following a farmer you'd like to support lets you know about new experiences, and you can also send support (a tip) directly.

Kaisei, Kanagawa

The smallest town in eastern Japan — yet its population keeps growing. A town built on farming.

About an hour from Tokyo, this is the smallest town in eastern Japan. On the alluvial fan of the Sakawa River — fed by Mt. Fuji's snowmelt and the sea breeze off Sagami Bay — rice, taro and citrus grow. The sea is close, shops are within reach, and daily life feels complete here, making it a popular place to relocate.

  • Kaisei, KanagawaのSetoyashiki, a 300-year-old farmhouse
    Setoyashiki, a 300-year-old farmhouse
  • Kaisei, KanagawaのThe Sakawa River and Mt. Fuji
    The Sakawa River and Mt. Fuji
  • Kaisei, KanagawaのEarly-summer hydrangea festival
    Early-summer hydrangea festival

Access

  • To Odakyu Line "Kaisei Station"

    About 90 min from Shinjuku, about 15 min from Odawara Station

  • By car

    About 10 min from the Oimatsuda IC on the Tomei Expressway

  • Distance from central Tokyo

    Within about 50km of central Tokyo — a comfortable distance for a weekend outing or as a place to relocate.

A message from the editor

I visited at the height of summer, yet the moment I arrived it felt cool. It's within an hour not only of Tokyo but of Gotemba, Atami and Hakone, with scenic spots along the way. The nearby roadside station “Ashigara / Kintaro no Furusato” is lively with local produce. Everything you need for daily life is here, and walking around you can see why more and more young people are renting fields and moving in.

The land

Terrain

A gently sloping flatland across the Sakawa River's alluvial fan, with the river to the east, the outer rim of Hakone to the west, and the Tanzawa Mountains to the north. So it drains well and gets plenty of sun — fertile land where paddies, fields and orchards all thrive.

Climate

Thanks to the sea breeze off Sagami Bay, the climate is mild: cool in summer and warm in winter. So the gentle temperatures let open-field vegetables grow over a long season.

Water

Fed by Mt. Fuji's snowmelt, the Sakawa River is rich in water and clear enough for ayu to run and fireflies to live. So it waters the fields and brings crops to juicy ripeness.

What grows here

Kaisei Yaichi taro

An heirloom taro named after Yaichiro of Kanaijima. White, sticky and tender. Once nearly lost, it was revived by local volunteers as “Kaisei Yaichi taro.”

Rice

The paddy belt of the Ashigara plain. Rice growing once spread so widely that it pushed aside taro farming; the Sakawa River's water raises it.

Citrus

Neighboring Odawara is famous for “Odawara mikan,” the northern limit of satsuma mandarin. The mild climate from Sagami Bay is shared across Ashigara, and citrus colors up in Kaisei too.