Farm-to-Table Dining & Satoyama Life Experience

This tour is ideal for travelers interested in seasonal farm-to-table dining, satoyama landscapes, and the quieter side of rural Japan. It particularly suits those who enjoy nature, satoyama landscapes, and everyday village life beyond typical tourist destinations. The experience also works well for families and for travelers comfortable with light outdoor activity and gentle walking or cycling.

Kamiyamada is a small farming village nestled in a quiet valley of the historic northern Lake Biwa region. Surrounded by satoyama hills and sustained by clear mountain water, it has retained a way of life closely connected to the surrounding landscape.

Your hosts are the Koshoji family, local farmers whose lives are deeply rooted in the village. Depending on the season, meals are prepared using rice, vegetables, and other ingredients grown by the family themselves, offering a fresh taste of the region and its seasonal rhythms.

The journey begins at JR Maibara Station, where you meet your guide and travel together by local train to Takatsuki, surrounded by quiet countryside.

From here, we continue by E-bike along small rural roads through rice fields, waterways, and quiet villages. The pace is relaxed, with frequent stops to enjoy the seasonal satoyama scenery and observe how water, farmland, and daily life remain closely connected in this rural landscape.

In Kamiyamada village, guests are invited to experience the changing rhythms of rural life throughout the seasons. Depending on the time of year, this may include gentle walks through quiet forest paths, satoyama trails, and small village roads surrounded by rice fields and mountain scenery.

Hosted by the Koshoji family, the experience centers around wholesome farm-to-table dining featuring rice and vegetables carefully grown by the family, along with homemade dishes rooted in satoyama life. Freshly cooked rice prepared in a traditional tabletop kamado stove is a highlight of the meal.

The area is rich in nature, filled with birdsong, fresh mountain air, and beautiful seasonal landscapes shaped by the surrounding mountains. Along the way, there may also be opportunities to visit small local shrines and places connected to the village’s long relationship with water and local traditions.

For families, the experience offers children a chance to slow down, explore nature, spot frogs and other small creatures, and refresh both body and mind away from crowded tourist destinations.

Dietary requests can be accommodated where possible with advance notice.

After the meal, a gentle ride of approximately 3 km through the countryside brings the journey to a close at Takatsuki station.

• Cycling season: March–mid-December (except August)
• Walking option: Year-round except late Dec–early Jan
• Start time: 10:00 am
• Standard Meeting point: JR Maibara Station/tour concludes at Takatsuki Station

• Total cycling distance is approximately 10 km, using E-bikes, at a relaxed pace with frequent stops
• The route follows quiet rural roads with gentle slopes
• Minimum height guideline for cycling is approximately 152 cm
• If cycling feels uncomfortable on the day, alternative transportation by car can be arranged
• Please consult with us prior to booking if you have concerns about cycling or mobility

• Guests under 18 must be accompanied by an adult.
• Children under 6 join at +¥8,000 per child.
• Tours including young children are conducted by vehicle instead of E-bike.
• Child seats are not available for vehicle transfers.
• One adult with one or two children is charged at the 2-guest base rate.

• The tour operates rain or shine (route may be adjusted).
• In case of heavy rain, transportation will be arranged by car
• Guests are strongly advised to arrange their own travel insurance.