What Itâs Like to Live In the Japanese Countryside: New Hurdles, New Joys
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- Äas pĆidĂĄn 16. 07. 2024
- Have you ever wondered what it would be like to live in the Japanese countryside? I live in Japan: Ehime Prefecture, Shikoku. I'd like to tell you about my daily life, culture, and food experiences here.
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I moved into a vacant house ( akiya ) in the inaka countryside mountains of Shikoku, Japan. We are renovating a 100-year old kominka traditional Japanese house into a guest house and we live in a newer house next door. I'm a former career interior designer (American certification/license). Now I'm a foreigner living in Japan, and recently married the Tokyo-born Mr. Nakamura. Please enjoy our living in Japan vlogs.
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#japanesecountryside #countrysideliving #akiya #abandonedhouses
00:00 Introduction
00:38 Ehime prefecture, Shikoku, Japan
01:40 Daily life
04:47 Culture
09:54 Japanese food
This feels like a monologue about being stranded in a distant tribal island and as a person living in Japan, I feel this is way too accurate
I *am* stranded on a distant tribal island đ€Ł
â@@bitsiiha! Stranded by choice is stranded nonetheless đ
My partner and I lived on half an acre five miles from town for almost thirty years. we grew alot of food, raised chickens, air dried clothes, preserved food, raised a son, etc. Honestly, at the age of 59 I was over it. We moved to Seattle for a job and are renting a house here while we rent out or old home to tenants. It took a year or two, but I so miss the daily/seasonal rhythms of taking care of the house and land. I find that kind of active lifestyle and connection to nature more conducive to healthy aging. But it does take a toll psychically and physically, especially since we had no close neighbors that lived that lifestyle. Do you get snow there? Winter downtime helps. Also, we had a "Jiro" Fuju persimmon tree and after one year of peeling/stringing/air drying, I said never again! I switched to slicing them thin on a mandoline and dehydrating, then storing them in mason jars. Delicious in a different way and so much quicker. Country living helped me get over my perfectionistic streak...I learned good enough works. When you overwhelmed by all the jobs, getting them done was satisfaction enough. And developing systems over the years (like stacking functions in permaculture) definitely helps. You and partner will get it figured out! Look how far you have come already! I am interested in foraging sansei!
Yesterday, I saw a short interview with a Japanese man who lived in the US in 3 different cities for about 15 years. Asked what the biggest difference was, he said that in the US people wanted to expand their circle of friends and he found friends easily, but that in Japan it was difficult, people were focused on strengthening their family and friends circle. I thought of this as I watched this.
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I'm the kid who grew up in Kochi, a hundred km from you, but 55 years ago. I think your assessment of being given lots of roles and volunteer work is spot on. The physical work, cutting grass especially, is part of the "share and share alike" standard. ("Wakeru" is the term used for sharing of goods, usually food, but the flip side is real too--common areas are common responsibility as well). Only the elderly have paid those dues for decades already and see those communal tasks as something the next generation should care for, (and they pprobably had them dumped on them 30 years ago too). The flip side is you paying those dues means group membership (literally "nakama iri").
My dad often joined in on village projects. But he also helped the unfortunate and distressed, often organizing the effort when others were frozen or unwilling to assume obligations to those they might otherwise have helped. He pulled drunk men from rice paddies in the middle of storms, pullrd injured from car crashes, took care of legal and medical needs of a mentally ill Korean man, dug through roofs of collapsed houses after typhoons. He had the advantage of being unable to assume life long rescuer responsibilities by being the foreigner. He carried a wild card, essentially as a foreigner, and gradually acquired life-debt in his favor from those he helped and rescued (and their extended families and clans), all of which gave him a remarkable stature in the community.
You hold the freedom to be different as a foreigner, and at some point can be assertive about how you want to volunteer. That said, you must volunteer in some way to have group membership and their acceptance.
There are two kinds of people. One that travels but wants the comforts of home. Like having an American breakfast in France. You have chosen to be the other kind of foreigner that is open to new experiences and cultures. You are loved for that. Kudos!
My Japanese wife and I live in small mountain town in California of less than 200 people with no markets or stores. We grow our own vegetables and try to be somewhat self sufficient. Regarding you getting asked to help a lot, I think it has to do with you being young and a foreigner. Here, even though I'm in my 60s, I still have a strong back and tools and I seem to be one of the youngest ones in town. I can relate to what you are experiencing. Thanks for another well edited video and content.
Thanks for the honesty. It helps to keep our feet the ground when dreaming of living in the country side in Japan. I wish you the best in this journey. Greetings from Virginia , US.
Asking you to do so many things is the way they show appreciation, and your inclusion into their community, ......but it's okay to decline politely, no one is actually offended. Great videos, .......a Tokushima neighbour.
A very educational and down to earth view of rural Japan living. Thank you!
the line about food and synergy, made me cry.
About your question, I think people have rightly perceived how respectfull and open you are of the japanese culture, the quality of the réhabilitation work you do and so they are inclined to reach out all the more !
I imagine with the older traditional rural population, it's possible that there is more communal exchange rather than transactional money serving as an intermediary between every exchange.
It is nice to see that simplicity exists in such a nice way.
About being asked to do 'favors', my guess is that the local community has accepted you as one of them? A very good, interesting video about your life in Ehime Prefecture! Ehime along with Wakayama are known for their mikan. There are YT videos of the Shikoku pilgrimage involving walking to 88 temples with a total distance of around 1200 kilometers through all the prefectures (including Ehime) on the Shikoku island. The sceneries are beautiful, encompassing deep mountain valleys looking down into the sea. As with moving to a new place, it will always take time to adapt and settle in, good luck with your new life!
Of course your husband will know best, but learning how to ask for help is an important part of building community, especially among women, everywhere. We are all challenged trying to balance all the demands of daily life. But like with your garden project before, your neighbors should be receptive to helping with weeding, working on small projects, going shopping, preparing food, or whatever else you might need to help support you so you can make your unique contributions to the community. I'm really impressed that they are going out of their way to try to develop a sort of ambassador to help bring other foreigners into the community. That's huge. They must really like you :)
Wow! I found this video extremely interesting! Most other foreign CZcamsrs in Japan only present Japan from the point of view of travelling or life in the big cities. They don't go as deep as the social expectations of the community in which they live. It might be because there are far fewer such expectations in big cities beyond sorting your garbage correctly and not being an annoyance to your neighbors. I think urban apathy might also play a part.
To give a bit of context about my comments: I went Japan 8 times and always as a tourist. I only got to go to Shikoku twice. The first time was back in 2012 and I only went to Matsuyama and Ozu. In 2022, I spent 2 weeks travelling in Shikoku's 4 prefecture, but I know I only barely scratched the surface. I can speak Japanese and I have enough vocabulary and grammar to have a casual conversation. However, my mastery of the language is very far from making fully functional. I might be able to read 300 or 400 hundred kanjis, but that's pretty far from what I believe is required to fully engage in social life while living there.
Before actually going to Japan for the first time, I had a kind of idealized vision of the country. Among other things, I was shocked by place of women in Japanese society. To me, it feels like they are 50 years behind the social norms I know in Canada. The culture is much more traditional in Japan which may explain why such changes are taking longer.
I love how you talked about both the good and the back aspects of your experiences living in the Japanese countryside. You also analyzed your experiences both in light of the social values from your country of origin and those of Japan. I admire that as I see it as a rational perspective while being opened about differences. It makes for great video!
The comment about "place of women in Japanese society being 50 years behind the social norms I know in Canada" shocked me. This is a typical stereotype comment I used to hear about Japanese women about 50 years ago. Just because this Canadian went to Japan 8 times as a tourist does not justify making such ignorant comment. Today women of younger generation have more power than men in nearly all aspects of thier life. Women of older generation appear to be subservient to men on the surface, but in private, women have real power. In other words Japanese women are not as 'pushy' or vocal as Canadian women. Why' don't you spend sometime living in Japan to understand 'real' Japan.
@@chino6595 Clearly I have shocked you my my assessment of gender equality in Japan, and I apologize for that. Perhaps I was inconsiderate in how I worded my thoughts. However, I also do not wish to sugar coat and minimize the discussion of what I consider to be a key part of human rights that impacts half of the global population.
I would further like to point out that I do not base my statement only on 8 trips. For example, over the 15 years I have spent learning about the language and the culture of Japan, I have met over 200 Japanese women at different events such as language courses and exchanges and various cultural events. I have become friends with many of them. Out of all of them, only 2 said NOT having been groped in public transit! That basically means that 99% of them had, at least one point in their life, been victim of a sexual aggression.
Furthermore, all of my Japanese female friends, expressed feeling social pressure to uphold beauty standards that apply only to women such as wearing makeup, skirts and high heels. There is still the expectation that child care is mostly the responsibility of women. Some women might want to stay at home to take care our their kids and that is fine, but some might want to return to their jobs. Japan make it hard for the women who want to continue being part of the active work force to do so. They often donât have access to good paying jobs when returning to the job market.
Talking about income, Japanâs gender wage gap is the worst among G7 countries. Iâm not making this up. Please have a look at credible sources such as the OECD (data.oecd.org/earnwage/gender-wage-gap.htm) and the IMF (www.imf.org/en/Publications/fandd/issues/2019/03/gender-equality-in-japan-yamaguchi).
There is also the issue of the so-called (glass ceiling): www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/13568277
Not for one moment to I suggest that those issues are unique to Japan and I do agree with you that things are improving in Japan. I also donât pretend that Canada is perfect; far from that! We still have our share of sexual violence, double standards, wage gaps and other social issues. We ALL need to continue to work on those issues in order to get closer to gender equality.
I think they ask for your help because of your energy. They recognize it because they have the same kind of energy. â€ïž
Thanks for sharing, I love these little glimpses into your adventures. Maybe youâve tried this already but I find rice (and all grains) more easily digested when I soak them in water and lemon juice ( or rice vinegar, apple cider vinegar, or whey) for at least 7 hours or overnight. It also adds a wonderful flavour! You can reuse the soaking water or rinse and add fresh water to cook:)
Love these videos. Not sure whether you may have the time to read at the moment! However I would definitely recommend âHarukoâs World: A Japanese Farm Woman and Her Communityâ by Gail Bernstein. For her Anthropology PhD fieldwork, she lived for an extended period with a farming family in Ehime (I think a hamlet near Yawatahama?) in the mid 70s.
I mention this book as the author writes a lot about the community obligations she was met with upon arrival. She documents how she felt the requests became progressively more outlandish, to the point where the local school teachers would turn up at the farm demanding she tape long hours of English practice for the schoolchildren. She also discusses the impossible task of balancing these unpaid requests with her farm work and thesis writing, and how there simply werenât enough hours of the day.
She also mentions that her initial efforts at integration âcost her months of valuable research timeâ to begin with, as she pushed back at the requests and the community werenât able to place her. Once she took on a healthy fraction of the requested roles, her role in the village became established and people opened up to her a lot more. She did mention however, that she always set aside an hour or so for some alone time to ground herself at a cafe in a larger village, where she was more anonymous.
Maybe worth a read! All the best from Kameoka.
Oh my gosh what a valuable recommendation. Thank you so much. Please stay in touch.
Hi Adam! Wanted to circle back and say thanks for the recommendation. The resemblance of this book to my life is uncanny! Completely wild! She mentions a local instructor coming and asking her to record English tapes. I also had a local instructor ask me to record English on his iPad. Many more things in common, too. Not much has changed. Definitely worth the read - makes me feel a little less crazy and gives some perspective to this place. Thanks again. Hope you are doing well.
Great sharing đ
Plenty of great foods to eat there without having to struggle through the few that don't rest well on the western tastebuds.
Urchin is beyond an acquired taste...
I felt the same with rice and simply eat it rarely. I do not consume rice as a side with my family every time but will if it's with specific dishes like curry, or fried rice, etc.
Wonderful place to be and a great perspective. Enjoy!
Persimmons sliced thin and dehydrated are very good and are sweet like a candy.đ
We appreciate your insights. You'll always have our support.
Hi when I eventually get to Japan Ehime was my first choice. But there so many beautiful places I'll travel around for a while until.
I glad I found your channel.
wonderful and thank you!
Too short! We want more. Bitsii, my own two cents on why you are asked to volunteer so much is that you have such an open, happy, calm, welcoming attitude, which is visible to everyone instantly. Practice being grumpy and looking pissed regularly and I'm sure the number of requests will fall rapidly :).
This was such a wonderful video, thank you for your honesty - it's much apreciated!
Great video !
I have a similar problem where people often ask me to do things or favors for them. But, I guess they're not wrong because I do usually end up helping. Maybe besides the age thing, your neighbors see you as potentially more open to helping so you're getting a disproportionate number of requests? I definitely understand how it can get frustrating and tiring, though. You seem like you're taking on a lot - hopefully things will settle down a bit as time passes. Best of luck, and thanks for sharing your journey with us!!
imho, set yourself a number of hours you are willing to 'help out' and carry a list of requests in a small book. when asked, say sure! tell me all about what you want done. write down what they want and then tell them when your schedule will be free to do it. â€
đ¶ We've lost dancing đ¶ Miss you friend!
It sounds like your neighbors are trying to revitalize their community with your help? It's a lot for one person though! I wish I could come help! Maybe climate change and other factors will bring more young people to the countryside in coming years.
The temple on 3:41 remind me of A Whisker Away scene. Lovely!
Asking you to help is the only way for them to get to know you. And you to know them. Do the work and seeing how others organize and coordinate a project, you learn how they want things done. Who are the natural leaders, whose the comedian kn the group etc. Some oftheir concerns, who has been sick. These are what you learn. Their hopes and sorrows. And they learn about you. Decide if they can trust and depend on you.đ
I loved this! Such a wonderful insight into a very foreign land to me. It's not usually the Japan you see. It sounds to me like your new community is trying to make you feel at home by including you in all those activities. Are you learning Japanese while you live there? Thank you for sharing your interesting life â€
Love ur videos a lot !! â€â€â€â€â€
I love your visuals. Oh, and your story too đ
great video about life in rural japan - ehime is a lovely place whenever i visit but i empathize with being asked to do so much - i had that when i first came & lived in Oita in Kyushu. it can be overwhelming to be asked to do so much- hope you can find a bit of balance
Your videos are so good. I hope you are asking others in the community for favors and help with things too.
Also, even though it seems exhausting, I am jealous of your engaged community. I live in the city in America and don't even know the names of 90% of the people on my block. I've tried, but people just keep to themselves.
Japanese food is nutritious in itself but if you have an autoimmune process developing in your body things like tofu, soy, miso, raw foods, some sea foods will be similar to poison causing inflammation in thyroid, gut, joints and often gut bloating and gain weight are the symptoms of it. Its safer to get tested.
I enjoy your channel very much. You have a knack for video making. I really love your photography and your style of editing. Iâll be keeping an eye on you. Lol!!!
Daniel Kahneman, the Nobel Prize-winning psychologist, has a rule where he never says yes to anything on the spot.
People-pleasing had him making too many commitments.
He says something to the effect of: "Thanks for the invite. I don't say yes to anything on the spot, but I'll let you know if I'm interested."
Turning the choice into a rule lowers the pain of rejection for others and makes the decision easy for you as well.
I like this idea. Thanks for sharing. Interesting.
Lovely video†stay strong, and take your time! We canât do all ! You have a big yard and weeding never stopđ lots love your way!!!đ„°đđ€
That looks like a very delicious onabe dish!
I recently returned from a two-week vacation to Japan. I'm from the USA and of 97% European ancestry and my body was very pleased with Japanese food. I enjoyed eating rice multiple times a day and didn't experience bloat. However, I was not fond of the marshmallowy bread that seems to be so prevalent and avoided it when possible. I was worried about the salt-heavy diet, but for a change I didn't have edema. đ€·ââïž
However towards the end of my trip I actually found myself with a small craving for a roasted or baked potato...and I don't frequently consume them at home. đźđ
For me it was a very special treat to consume fresh sea urchin roe. At home there is never the opportunity for fresh. The differences were noticeable, but part of the experience.
(Crab innards I've consumed before, but the sashimi chicken...I would be really tempted to drown it in soy sauce or citrus juice like a ceviche for antimicrobial effects. đ)
Thank you for sharing your experiences with us!
Search out what plants are medicinal in the area. The more common ones everyone uses. Many have their own recipes that are passed down from their great grand mothers. And keep some of those foraged medicinals. They truly do help. The herbs put in cokking the foods are also medicinal. So if someone is getting the sniffles. Cook a dish that incorporates the herb to get rid of it. Your herbs in food are medicinal as well.Learn them.đ
Such a flagrant public (CZcams) display of non-approved Japanese nabe recipe!? The local authorities have been notified, do not try to flee the country.
You joke, but someone actually did try to stop me from posting it out of âconcern that I would embarrass myself.â Hence the disclaimer. Itâs got nabe stock with a few oden ingredients. Itâs not the Japanese way. đ Rogue foreigner here.
U see tat favor request thing I would love to be part of tat cause for me tats the cultural aspect of life I'm used and living in the city these past 5 to 10 years has made me miss the life of living in a small town where we do favors for people here and there can't wait to go to Japan soon and help around there â€â€â€
Always a joy to watch, what was the story behind the 2 person cultural dance?what does it represent?
And what about the dragon bobbles? For good luck, perhaps?
I don't think every one of these requests are normal. Not everything a person asks for is an attribute of a culture. These requests sound more like the attempt to leverage your unique presence to attract more people to the area given the dwindling local population and general migration of younger people toward more urban areas.
Keep favors at the level of voluntary good will to the extent you want to and in general continue doing what you want to do. You are an obvious asset to your community. If you start doing favors you don't want to do, it will just foster subconscious resentment. Personally, I never found Japanese people that I met to be that much less individualistic.
Really good advice. Learning to say no gracefully will always be respected.
What's wrong with drying laundy in the sun đ?
Câest vrai, câest surprenant. Je viens dâune rĂ©gion du sud de la France oĂč jâai toujours vu le linge sĂ©cher dehors, sur des fils dâĂ©tendoirs (sur des buissons de plantes aromatiques , aussi, dans le temps )Le soleil, le vent, câest gratuit ; vite sec et ça sent bon ! Ăvidemment le sĂšche - linge est pratique quand il pleut; mais sinon il faut planifier ses lessives !đ đ
There is nothing "wrong" with drying laundry in the sun, per se. But doing so means (a) more labor and (b) anchoring your day's planning to the availability of drying time and the need to take in the laundry by such and such hour. That is, on a day when it is OK to do laundry in that manner, some other scheduled item may get impacted. But not every day is a good day for laundry in Japan, which adds in uncertainty. So, in daily life there is often mention of "laundry weather" ïŒæŽæżŻæ„ćïŒ.
A very interesting video, but I can't help but think they are taking advantage with the number of and type of requests - I say this as person living in a country other than my own who has received a lot of(and often surprising) requests that I am confident would not be asked of a local. I get that they want to have a good community, but such bombarding cannot be conducive to retaining younger folk in the countryside. Regarding the food, I think the chicken sashimi is best avoided. Best of luck with everything.
I really miss Nabe.... Approved or otherwise.đ
Really lovely video, thank you.
I bet its quiet, except for the insects buzzing!
Anywhere in the world, at the end of the day, we all gonna share a good beer
In response to getting asked favors, perhaps because you married a Japanese person they see that you are more invested in the community than your average ex-pat. You love someone that is like them.
What a wonderfully made an interesting video. Having lived in Japan and marrying a Japanese man I can relate. Please try to stay warm. Hard to do that.
It's their way of inclusion. Conformity is very important, especially in small rural communities. Roll with it and the rewards outlay any negatives. I felt honoured when asked to carry the Mikoshi around town ( the Sake helped as well )
I really think they are going out of their way to include you. They want to be sure you don't feel left out and that can get a bit extreme. They are hopeful you will feel part of the community and stay.
You were kind enough to send me a reply,
i admire your willingness to adapt.
I'm not sure I can keep working if I was to move there because of the lack of internet but I could probably survive being to local daiku.
I love the journey you've decided to take. Not many people would have done so!
I found myself developing an allergy to white rice. It materializes with the appearance of psoriasis on my hands. I can only do it about twice a week.
I don't know about other types.
it's there whether you are willing to receive it or not đ
English practice request: "if you weed at my farm for an hour I will speak English to you for that time" haha
I guess you must be feeling a bit used or taken advantage of.
That planet crushes ego but develops heart. If you want it.
Soooo, I see you kinda have it figured out in the short term what your goals are here, and this place looks like it will be amazing after some TLC.
What I'm curious about is your couple years out goal for the place? Visiting apprenticeships, JP rural life experience expedition, or just keep on with fixing/adding to your new home?
You have an amazing home and it would be a neat experience both physical and spiritual for English speakers to take part in it. Imagine doing a "Week in the life of" for one or two people wanting to experience these circumstances in a controlled environment? (BIG *)
*I often get verbose when drinking and expressing a desire to take part in Japan's nature and culture.... I see you have an amazing thing going and wanted to experience it myself as well.... If this idea helps you at all then I'm glad, otherwise plz ignore me!
Some feedback (and I donât know if you have tried or if it is culturally acceptable). 1) I suspect that the women of the area have an unofficial network to feed things back through one another and distribute the work. 2) Appeal to their wisdom side and see how they may approach the concerns and the amount of learning you need to accomplish.
If you approach the workload with the perspectives like: I can do what you ask, however, I have a long list of things I am already doing for others this week, can we do this next week/month? Can you help me to understand how to prioritize all of these asks? Is there a way that I can contribute that people will accept that gives me the time to be with my new husband? How do you cope when you have so many tasks to do (gather a concesus from a bunch of folks)? I am not sure if this helps, but I offer the perspective to consider and to understand myself.
Ahhhh... there is always beer.
I would like to know what you are doing to encourage your artistic abilities other than painting murals for others. You have such a beautiful style. Can you not take some time to decorate your home, paint a landscape, create a pond garlanded by rocks and flowers without giving all your time to subsistence and immersion into your new culture? Love your perspectives. I as well love Japanese food but draw the line at chicken sushi or crab innards. I was once served a soup in a Korean sushi restaurant and when asked what it was, the explanation was fish gut soup. Ugh.
@libertyblueskyes2564 Now imagine that was breakfast, lol. Oh, shiver me timbers!
Make a daily month calendar with all you already do filled in and then highlight and add all you do thats not directly for your home, include your partner in this. When asked to do something take it out and sincerely look through and show and explain heres your time available and try to find a spot when you can fit their favor in. If you can you can and if you cant then they can see clearly that theres just not enough hours in the day. include down time and time alone with your partner and busy because you do deserve that. but like others have said i think besides your age they ask you to show you they accept you. otherwise i assure you no where even other than japan will people that dont accept you ask you to do anything for them.
Beautiful video. Not your cookie cutter Japan travel video. I dig it.
I think you having a Japanese partner makes you part of society, unlike your average westerner who is likely expected to eventually make a return to their home country.
I too find Japanese food very one dimensional. Tbh Japanese food is overrated. Most people only know a few popular sushi/sashimi (tuna, salmon, California roll?) and some noodle dishes (which I do like) but once you get to the raw squid or abalone sushi and the like with really different textures and flavour profiles it normally ends the would be love affair real quick. And you can only eat so many ramen bowls, and as you say, then it's all veggies in dashi with mirin/sake and Kombu with some rice and fish and some bonito flakes. Boring đ
I am not smart enough to partake in the dragon team. lol
Air drying clothes is not normal? (Asks the Australian)
Interesting perspectives. I am well aware that I am no fan of country life that isn't within a quick (less than half hour) hop to an urban center. I grew up in the countryside with a kitchen garden and spending the entire summer as mother's kitchen slave to preserve food for the winter. Not a lifestyle I enjoy.
I also find the similar flavour profile in every Japanese dish tiresome. A one note samba. Worse when that flavour profile is used to "improve" other culinary experiences from other cultures--fish flakes on pizza, curry that left its brilliant origins millennia ago, dashi or shoyou or Japanese mayonnaise introduced into everything and wine light.
I simply do not eat the rice--or not much of it or very often. It's used as glue and that's how my intestinal tract handles it. Don't even get me started on konnyaku / potato. I have eaten (out of politeness because I was served them) the various versions of guts and will say I prefer that to konnyaku potato.
it sounds like you need to learn to say no culturally and not verbally. "i greatly appreciate this opportunity. can you help me prioritize my responsibilities. xxx San has this for me to do. Can you speak to them and let me know which is more important? i am glad to help."
ĐŽĐ”ĐœŃ ĐŽĐŸĐ±ŃŃĐč. ĐŸŃĐ”ĐœŃ ĐžĐœŃĐ”ŃĐ”ŃĐœĐŸ. ŃŃĐżĐ”Ń Đ°. ŃпаŃĐžĐĐ.