身土不二
Shin-Do-Fu-Ji:
“The Body And The Earth Are Not Two”
This is a belief that we stand by here at Ryunohara. We serve our guests, volunteers, and friends rice we grow ourselves without the use of fertilisers, herbicides, or pesticides.
We also run Ryunohara Hatago, a farmstay that features a 120-year-old farmhouse lovingly restored with natural materials.
Natural materials
Guests at Ryunohara Hatago may enjoy meals at the main house, which was first constructed over 300 years ago. We’ve restored the interior of this house to its former glory. It sports a new floor made with loal wood, and recycled or upcycled furniture from the neighbours. The shoji screens have been repapered with handmade local washi.
Natural rice
Volunteers help to plant rice fed with crystal-clear spring water from nearby mountains. Our rice fields, like our tea bushes, do not get any fertilisers, herbicides, or pesticides.
This results in rice that’s not only healthy for you, but also for the multitude of plants and animals that live in and around the paddy fields. Come on a rainy mid-summer’s night; the thousands of frogs in our fields put on a concert.
The main variety of rice we plant is Shugin 秋銀, “Autumn Silver”. It’s been cultivated here for over 300 years, so it is well-adapted to Ryujin’s climate, weeds, and pests. This means that the rice is a lot hardier than modern varieties and requires only 1 round of weeding in August.
We then harvest the rice in October, and hang them up on long racks to sun dry for about 10 days. This increases the sweetness, fragrance, and flavours of the rice.
Natural tea
We make our own tea in the springtime, from bushes that are at least half a century old. These tea bushes do not get any fertiliser (apart from droppings the free-roaming chickens and goats decide to bestow the tea bushes).
Meet the Ryunohara Family.
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Deko
CHIEF EXECUTIVE GOAT
I am 7 years old, and I used to have a bumpy horn, so my previous slave called me “Deko”, short for “Dekoboko”, which means “bumpy” in Japanese. I process Ryunohara’s leftover food and especially ripe persimmons into fertiliser the plants can immediately use.
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Honda
JUNIOR GOAT
I was born in March 2023 at a goat cheese farm run by a very nice man called Dal. I was born without the ability to produce milk, so I was sent to Ryunohara. I then got named “Honda”, after the very noisy petrol-run weed whacker manufactured by the famous automobile maker, Honda.
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Makita
ASSISTANT TO C.E.G.
I am Honda’s brother, although most people think I’m his sister. My actual sister is called Banana, and I hear she is still producing milk with my mom Bianca. My role is to assist Deko in producing fertiliser, and my quiet, unassuming nature earned me the name “Makita”, after the electric weed whacker manufacturer.
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Dragon & Phoenix
SENIOR CHICKENS
We are 2 of 300 Ryujin Chickens left in the world, and mom and dad to many chicklets. Our mission in life is to eat a lot, fertilise, and lay many eggs so that our offspring may fertilise Ryunohara and rid the place of unsavoury insects (savoury to our palates of course).
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Hachi, Mochi, Scratchy
SECRETARY GENERALS
Our dad, Dragon, is partially hidden in the bushes in the photograph above. Mochi (foremost in foreground), was named after the delicious mochi grains grown at Ryunohara. Mochi loves rice of course. Scratchy (centre) was named for his favourite activity, scratching. He also loves nipping at people who try to carry him. Hachi (top right corner) was Egg No. 8, and Volunteer No. 8, named him Hachi, “Eight”.
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Sr. Floofy & Br. Goofy
INCUBATOR CHICKS
Sister Floofy (left) and Brother Goofy (right) were born in September 2023 in a warm plastic container after being spun around for 21 days. Our favourite activity is pecking, and we are very good at pooping.
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Mori
PRINCESS
My role is to improve the health of the humans here by forcing them to walk me. I also rid the fridge of chicken. I am a good barker who scares scary people from Ryunohara. I enjoy hiding in dark corners to protect them from scary things. I am an experienced forester, who used to live in the forest for the first two years of my life, hence my name “Mori” - “Forest”.
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Ume
MORI’S MINION
I got into a car accident when I was 6 months old because I love to poop in the middle of the road. I lost my bottom right tooth and am half-toothless a result. Kind volunteers helped to pay for my broken front right hand surgery. I am now afraid of people, moving things, and anything new. Please do not come to see me.