Feel Ueyama's seasons and the cycle of life

• #1 night or more
• #Small groups
• #Pickup available
• #Tent sauna
• #Beekeeping
• #Rice harvest

Nice to meet you, I'm Ari. I live a farming life in Ueyama, a small terraced-rice-field village in the mountains of Mimasaka, Okayama. For over ten years I worked in apparel as a buyer, in brand planning and as a barista, making things and building shops. But after the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011, I began to wonder what it really means for people to live well. After volunteering in the Tohoku region, I became interested in "living within the cycle of nature and life" and in a self-sufficient way of living. For a while I dreamed of living off the land and even aimed to become a bodywork therapist, but I ended up going back to the apparel industry and city life for a few more years. While working in Tokyo, I suddenly wondered where the raw materials for the fabrics I handled came from, and my awareness of the natural environment grew again. That was when I came across Ueyama. The people, the land and even the air felt warm, and I thought I could live true to myself here, so I moved. Now I grow crops in the terraced fields, graze goats and sheep, repair an old farmhouse, and plan and host seasonal nature experiences. Life here isn't flashy, but every day is an experiment, a discovery and a string of small joys. I'd be happy if your time here becomes a chance to look again at your everyday life. Why not feel the four seasons of Ueyama and touch the cycle of life? Feel free to say hello.