Chef Shinnosuke and natural farmer Murakame at their joint restaurant venture in Itoshima, Japan (photo, P.M. Lydon / Final Straw)

Filming – A Week in Western Japan

This week we filmed in Osaka, Nara, and Fukuoka, and each day was full of fresh local food.

In Nara, our amazing Japanese interpreter and I spent an extended weekend withYoshikazu Kawaguchi, a natural farmer who runs a free monthly farming class, including free practice farming plots for students; about 300 students were in attendance on this particular weekend.

Students watch a lecture in the vegetable garden at Akame Natural Farm School, Japan
Students watch a lecture in the vegetable garden at Akame Natural Farm School, Japan

We ate our meals with the farming students, which consisted of lots of rice (of course) and for greens, vegetables and wild plants from the farm, including a few flowers… tempura style.

Tempura veggies and wild plants (including flowers) at Akame Natural Farm School, Japan
Tempura veggies and wild plants (including flowers) at Akame Natural Farm School, Japan

Stayed over at the traditional Japanese forest lodge (aka: a hundred people sleeping next to each other on the floor), and then talked with as many of them as we could during the day.

Photo op with interpreter Kaori and Mr. Kawaguchi at Akame Natural Farm School, Japan
Photo op with interpreter Kaori and Mr. Kawaguchi at Akame Natural Farm School, Japan

That night, I took my sleep on a night bus (10 hours overnight) to Fukuoka, where I met up with Suhee Kang, for a whirlwind of interviews with local natural farmers, artists, and chefs.

The dinner guests at Murakame and Shinnosuke's farmer/chef co-op restaurant in Itoshima, Japan
The dinner guests at Murakame and Shinnosuke’s farmer/chef co-op restaurant in Itoshima, Japan

We had several amazing meals, one in particular was a rice plate with fish and legumes at a tiny, inexpensive, amazingly excellent reservation-only restaurant in Itoshima. You need reservations, not because it is a snooty joint, but because natural farmer Murakami, and chef Shinnosuke need to prepare properly.

One of the rice plates at Shinnosuke’s restaurant in Itoshima, Japan.

Their menu is improvised based on their conversations about which people are coming to the restaurant, and what is looking good at the farm on that particular day.

The crew and farmers Murakame's farm in Itoshima, Japan
The crew and farmers at Murakami’s farm in Itoshima, Japan

Today we have a shoot with Suhee and our hosts and I’ll head back up to Osaka (overnight bus again) for a day for two more interviews. Suhee takes a flight back to Seoul tonight.

It’s been a busy week with more to come…

1 thought on “Filming – A Week in Western Japan”

  1. hi friend,

    I and my husband are going to Japan for a 3 month vacation and would love to visit Akame Natural Farming School but couldn’t find any address of it on Net.
    Can you please give me the address or any contact info of the school?
    Thank you very much.

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