Organic Farm Tour and Cooking Class

expert/guide: Mie Aoki of Aoki Organic, Aoki Organic Farmer

Why Organic Farm Touring?

            Organic farming practices are becoming commonplace across the world, but there is still much to learn about the most environmentally sustainable ways to approach this. Touring an organic Japanese farm will give visitors insight to the Japanese way of eating seasonally, and participants will also learn about different Japanese vegetables, methods of cultivation, and how to prepare vegetables to maximize their flavors in Japanese cuisine.

Why Organic Farming in Kyoto by the Sea?

            Kyoto by the Sea is known as the first ancient kingdom of Japan, where rice was first cultivated and sacred sake first brewed, so you could say the people here have a legacy of cultivation dating back to the origins of Japanese agriculture. On top of the thousands of years of experience, the region has excellent quality water, with natural springs feeding the farms from the nearby mountains. Pair this with the nutrient-rich volcanic soil of the region, and you have the foundation of a food culture worth crossing oceans for. This experience includes a visit to Aoiki’s Organic Farm, seasonal vegetable harvesting, and then a visit to their kitchen workshop where guests will cook a local meal with the farmer.

About our organic farmer

With such a rich natural environment, it may come as no surprise that aspiring farmers from all over Japan move to Kyoto by the Sea to begin their futures. Twenty years ago, Mie Aoki’s husband moved to Kyoto by the Sea to start a farm that went further than the organic standard. His vision was about creating soil from scratch, soil that was natural and rich, that was sustainable and worked in harmony with the natural environment. It goes without saying that the soil is organic, and that people who visit can learn about cultivating organic vegetables, but this farm is about natural and sustainable soil creation, work that has taken decades of refinement to realize. When Mie’s husband died suddenly in the middle of his agricultural development, Mie took the mantle not because of an innate passion for farming, but because of how many people implored her to continue. They had tasted for themselves Aoki’s vegetables and couldn’t go back to the standard supermarket offerings.

Where is this experience?

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