[Nothing artificial] Enjoy living in absolute nature with rice fields and goats!







Local Characteristics
Located at the southern end of Fukushima Prefecture, in the northeastern part of Higashishirakawa District. As it is situated on the highlands of the southern Abukuma Plateau, most of the village lies at an altitude between 400m and 650m, with approximately 58% of the area covered by forests.
Concept
There are no artificial sounds. You can feel the sounds of the four seasons of nature. There are no convenience stores in the village; it’s very rural, a true hidden gem! Nearby, there are vast grasslands reminiscent of Hokkaido. The stars are also beautiful, and there is an observatory in that location. Additionally, there are many unique and charming locals. I’ll introduce you to them, and we can go out and have fun together! The surroundings of the house include mountains, rice fields, and farms – it’s very rural! In winter, you can warm up with a wood stove.
3 Key Points
1Host’s introduction
My parents are from Tokyo and moved to Samegawa Village 30 years ago. I was born in 1995 and raised in Samegawa Village. My hobbies are mountain stream fishing, farming vegetables, drones, watching movies, traveling abroad, BBQ, camping, sports, snowboarding, and baseball.
2You can interact with people like this!
We have many unique community members. I will introduce you to them and we can hang out together! The kids will be here for long vacations and it would be nice to meet and have fun with them!
3You can experience like this!
We have many animals, 3 goats, 2 dogs (Labradors), and about 30 chickens. We also have rice paddies and fields and are very into growing vegetables and rice, so we can teach organic farming methods using fermented compost. There are many things you can do such as working in the rice paddies, planting seeds in the fields, harvesting, mowing, and shipping to the direct farmer's market!
Typical One-Week Stay
Days 1-2: Farming (planting seedlings, harvesting, weeding, etc.)
Day 3: Visit livestock farms
Day 4: Village tour, introduction to local people
Days 5-6: Farming
Typical Daily Schedule of a Host
7:30~: Breakfast
8:15~: Animal care
9:00~: Farming and other tasks
12:00~: Lunch
12:30~: Break
13:30~: Farming and other tasks
17:00~: Animal care
17:30~: Free time
19:00~: Dinner
20:00~: Free time
Time Spent with the Host
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Weekends | × |
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Morning: 6:00-8:00 Late Morning: 10:00-12:00 Afternoon: 13:00-17:00 Evening: 17:00-19:00
Recommendations
Person who is energetic and cheerful. Interested in nature, children lover and want to work in agriculture. Animal lover. We highly recommend it! Experience rural life in a village where there are no convenience stores, but surrounded by nature. We will support you as much as we can with what you want to do and learn!
Annual Schedule
April:
Farm work, preparation of rice paddies
May:
Rice planting June: Wheat cutting, weeding rice paddies, planting soybeans
June:
Wheat harvesting, rice paddy weeding, soybean planting
July:
Mowing, weeding, harvesting vegetables
August:
Mowing, weeding, harvesting vegetables
September:
Mowing rice, harvesting vegetables, planting wheat seeds
October:
Carrying rice husks, making charcoal
November:
Transporting rice husks, making charcoal
December:
Nature experience school
January:
Chopping wood, tending mountains
February:
Chopping wood, tending mountains
March:
Nature experience school (March 25 - April 2)
Detailed Information
Location
Akasakahigashino Samegawa-mura,Higashishirakawa-gun, Fukushima-ken
Features of the Area
Remote area, in the mountains, village, farming village, Tohoku region, young people present, near mountains
Accessibility
By car:
Via Joban Expressway Nakoso IC (about 40 minutes)
National Highway 289 ~ National Highway 349 ~ Abukuma NS Net
Via Joban Expressway Yumoto IC (about 1 hour and 50 minutes)
Prefectural Road ~ Furudono Town ~ National Road 349 ~ Abukuma NS-Net
Via Shirakawa IC of Tohoku Expressway (about 1 hour)
National Road 289 ~ Tanagura Town ~ Prefectural Road ~ Abukuma NS-Net
Via Joban Expressway Naka IC (about 1 hour and 50 minutes)
National Road 118 - Hanawa Town - Prefectural Road - National Road 289 - Prefectural Road - Abukuma NS-Net
By bus or train:
Highway bus (Tokyo Station - Iwaki Station: Iwaki-go): Get off at Nakoso IC, Pick-up and drop-off service will be provided.
JR Shirakawa Station, Tohoku Shinkansen Line: JR Bus Shiratana Line - Tanagura Station - Pick-up and drop-off service will be provided.
JR Suigun Line: Iwaki Asakawa Station - Pick-up and drop-off service will be provided.
JR Joban Line - Iwaki Nakoso Station - Pick-up and drop-off service will be provided.
※Please consult with us if you are coming by other ways besides the above.
※There is no convenience store in the village.
※Please go to the next town for shopping, etc.
※If you do not have a car and would like to go shopping, etc., please let us know and we will provide a car.
Shuttle Service
Available
Languages and Proficiency
English: Native. Italian: Native
Fee (per person)
※One month is 30 days
〜2 weeks 5,940 yen/day
〜3 weeks 5,680 yen/day
〜4 weeks 5,420 yen/day
1 month: 145,200 yen
Extra Charge
0–3 years old: 7,400 yen/day. For children up to junior high school: 9,640 yen/day. University students: 5,020 yen/night. Heating fee (270 yen/day) is required from November to March.
Possible Admission Time
Anytime.University students and above are always available. High school students and younger are only accepted during the Nature School program. Program dates are during Golden Week: April 27th to April 29th, Summer Vacation: July 27th to August 6th, and Winter Vacation: December 25th to December 29th.
Unacceptable dates
We are generally available.
*However, the host may have urgent matters, so please feel free to request and confirm the dates.
Minimum number of participants
2-3 days
Food Expenses
Included
Food Arrangements
Morning | provided by the host |
Lunch | provided by the host |
Dinner | provided by the host |
Available Facilities

kitchen (together)

kitchen (seperated)

refrigerator

bath

shower

washing machine

parking

bicycle parking

Wi-Fi

air conditioning in the room

amenities

environment for remote work

work clothes
Other Facilities
Wood stove, farm
Suitable Guests
Adult Male
Adult Female
male student
female student
male highschooler
female highschooler
couple
single mother
singler father
family
Rentable Transportations

car
Recommended Transportations
There is no convenience store in the village. Shopping, etc., is in the next town. If you do not have a car and want to go shopping, please let us know and we will take you by car.
House Rules
Allowed
Having friends over, Staying out or coming home late at night, Hosting Friends, Outdoor Smoking
Forbidden
Accepting Pets, Indoor Smoking
Map
Image Gallery
Host and Townscapes
Activities
House Photos
Photos of Actual Participants
Frequently Asked Questions
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Q
Please tell me about the content of the nature experience program. Also, how do parents spend their time during this period?
A
The children will be the main participants and decide on the games and activities. Additionally, there are specific tasks in the morning and evening, including animal care, heating the drum can bath, and cooking.
We pay great attention to food, and the meals made with organically grown rice and vegetables are very popular among the children. Every morning, there is a forestry and agriculture experience for about an hour.
Some parents participate in activities with the children, some help with cooking, and others may work during their free time. -
Q
What are the check-in and check-out times?
A
Check-in: If you come by car, you can arrive at any time. If you come by train, you will arrive at Nako Station at around 10 AM.
Check-out: After having lunch, at around 1 PM.
Reviews
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I stayed for two weeks in October. If I had to describe my stay in one word, it would be 'revitalisation'.
I was able to spend time living with the soil and interacting with people, something I tend to forget in the city.
Harvesting rice and vegetables, pulling weeds, making compost and eating the bounty every day. I feel that I am living in such a cycle of nature.
Additionally, I met new people every day. I have met and talked to more than 50 people, counting only those whose faces I remember. Because we were deep in the mountains, we had clear connections with other people and realised that we were living in the midst of them.
It was a very satisfying two weeks of fun, awareness and growth!
I will return again!
I stayed for two weeks in October.
If I had to describe my stay in one word, it would be 'revitalisation'.
I was able to spend time living with the soil and interacting with people, something I tend to forget in the city.
Harvesting rice and vegetables, pulling weeds, making compost and eating the bounty every day. I feel that I am living in such a cycle of nature.
Additionally, I met new people every day. I have met and talked to more than 50 people, counting only those whose faces I remember.
Because we were deep in the mountains, we had clear connections with other people and realised that we were living in the midst of them.
It was a very satisfying two weeks of fun, awareness and growth!
I will return again!
I wanted to experience life in the countryside, so I joined this programme. The hosts were very kind and treated me like family, so even though I was shy, I was able to get used to life without realising it. I felt a sense of peace of mind that comes from being surrounded by nature.
I learnt a lot about slowing down and the flow of time. Thank you very much for the enjoyable and fulfilling time! I hope to visit again.
When I was unable to return to Taiwan due to COVID, I wanted to have a new experience in Japan in my life and happened to find the homestay website.
I was a little anxious before I left, but I was immediately reassured by the warmth and thoughtfulness of the A warm welcome from my host family.
During my service here, I learnt a lot about crops, how to take care of animals, communicating with the local people and even the opportunity to cut down a tree and visit a wagyu farmer.
Daily discovery.
Having grown up in the city, this is a very valuable experience for me.
In this society where everything is so accessible, knowing where food comes from and the story behind it makes me cherish everything I have and value food even more.
Thank you so much to Familyinn and all the host families for this experience. I hope I will have the opportunity to visit again.
(30s / female / February / 1 week)
I stayed for four nights and five days. I took care of animals, made miso paste and pizza with my host family. I had many experiences such as playing tag. My host, Shinji and his family were very kind to me and I learnt a lot from their stories.
I also learnt a lot from their children, who are very reliable and full of energy, I was also cheered up by seeing the children's dependable and energetic appearance. I was nervous about my first homestay in the countryside, but I was able to experience and meet many different people in a place full of nature, which is different from usual.
I was nervous at the first stay, but I think I gained many insights through the various experiences and encounters in a place full of nature that is different from usual. I would like to visit again if I have the chance.(20s / female / December)
Thank you very much!
I stayed here with my seven-year-old son for five days and four nights.
During our stay, there was a nature school where children gathered for activities, and my son was able to participate.
My son was able to experience living with a lot of people, which was a valuable experience for him as an only child.
The host family was very cheerful and warm, and I was impressed by the fact that all the participating children laughed a lot and spent their time in a relaxed atmosphere.
My son was able to have a good time thanks to the host family's encouragement and help from the other children when he was in trouble.
I hope that my son's heart will be enriched by the happy memories of the many people he met here.
Thank you very much. I want to come again!
I grew up in Osaka and longed to live in the countryside. I didn't know anything and everyone was kind enough to teach me and I learnt a lot, I had an exciting week.
Rice harvesting, pellet fertiliser generation, animal care, children's hands-on classes, healthy daily meals, the examples displayed are endless. I am really grateful for the good experiences I had.
Whenever it was convenient for my hosts, they also took me to many good places in Samegawa, such as the lotus park and the prairie that fills the whole area in front of us.
They treated me like I was their family, and I felt that I wanted to be a person full of kindness like that.
There are no convenience stores here, but I learnt new things, met new people and had many more exciting experiences than I would have in Osaka. Great place and people,,, I will be back!
I had the opportunity to experience the countryside with my children, which coincided with my children's long holiday.
There is an abandoned school nearby and we went to its gymnasium, plains, etc., and played tag and dodgeball, we ran around a lot. I was able to experience many things that I can't do where I live, such as taking care of goats and chickens and baking pizza in a pizza oven.
Everyone is so energetic Those are just the right amount of exercise.
I wanted to take my younger brother to this camp next time. (Teenager / Female / March / 1 week)
We were able to experience charcoal making, after-school children's club, pellet fertiliser production, stone oven pizza, vegetable seedling transplanting and rope twisting.
It was a great experience because it was not a busy farming season.
SHINJI's family is very kind and I learnt a lot from their stories.
The neighbours and people I knew from SHINJI were also very kind and I was able to get to know them very quickly.
In the city, my lifestyle was disrupted and I was sometimes unable to sleep at night or hungry, but here I could lead a regular life, as I move a lot during the day so I was hungry and naturally sleepy at night around 10.00pm.
It was a week in which I felt the goodness of the countryside all over again, and I will go back to visit!
I wanted to live in the countryside, in contact with people and nature, and this was the perfect space for me. I had a variety of experiences such as rice husk smoking, harvesting vegetables, planting, looking after animals, visiting school children's clubs and adventure plazas.
It was a sustainable life where all the food waste, animal feces, fallen leaves and grass clippings were recycled without any waste. Thanks to my hosts, I was able to live a stress-free, happy and healthy life every day.
Every single word my hosts said resonated with me and made me want to learn more from them. They are wonderful people who answered my questions politely and passionately, even if they were trivial questions.
Thank you very much for the 12 days.
Now I want to bring my friends and share a good time together. It was such a wonderful place. I will go back again!