Nou En: June 2010

Nou-En

In rural Japan, as in many areas around the world, small communities are suffering from rapid population decline as young people flock to the cities. A self perpetuating cycle develops in which rural communities lose their youth to entertainment and work opportunities in the city, which cripples the local economy by leaving behind small towns and villages lacking an able workforce.

Here in Sasayama, Hyogo Prefecture, the evidence of this can be easily seen on any walk or bike ride around the valley. In some villages more than half of the houses are vacant. Many fields have been abandoned and have begun the rapid transition back to a more natural state. Elementary schools with great facilities are being forced to close due to low enrollment. At our local elementary school this year's First Grade class has three students. Village elders possess a lifetime of priceless skills and knowlege that is not being passed on because of a lack of interested youth. Looking forward in time, it is worrisome to imagine the state of these communities if current trends continue.
Seeing these things, we here at Nou En have been motivated to work for positive change. Our aim is to encourage young people from around the world to return to rural communities. We organize enthusiastic volunteers (mostly through the WWOOF organization, http://www.wwoofjapan.com) to help local farmers in exchange for healthy food and invaluable local knowlege. We network and assist local organic farms with vegetable and rice production on a regular basis. We try to enthusiastically jump in and help local villagers whenever we can. In addition to these projects, we also have our own fields and gardens as well as chickens and goats that we care for.
Because part of our aim is encouraging people to want to live in the country side we also take time to enjoy the benefits of country living. We go hiking in the surrounding mountains, swimming in ponds and streams (especially during the hot humid Japanese summer!), barbecues with friends on weekends, kendo lessons at the local gymnasium and much more.

Mostly we try to provide a communal living environment where we work, learn, and grow together, all while striving to benefit and elevate the local community.

Saturday, June 19, 2010

My stay at Tsuji house was what I was looking to experience in Japan.

It was really inspiring to live with fifteen other people from all over the world, to share food and stories and work. When I arrived I thought to myself, I can learn or make or do anything I desire here. Being able to work with the farmers, to sit in their kitchen or go to their field made this a very special part of my trip to Japan.

The mountains surrounding

The frogs sing chorus of rising intensity.

Beardog is Buddha.

Jeremiah Riehl

May 9, 2010

Sunday, June 13, 2010

update

by Anna

I know, it's been a while since I've posted anything here. We've been SO busy this spring getting all the summer veggies in the ground, starting up the community garden, weeding (of course), helping out some local farmers, and dealing with some wacky weather and abismal drainage in our big fields (swimming, anyone?). And I just had a baby.

All excuses aside, I took a few pictures of my backyard the other day and thought I would share them.

This is some kind of Italian wheat that Gen got me for my birthday last year. Maybe it's farro?

This is one of a handful of peaches on our baby peach tree. Isn't it precious?

We're raising a small flock of akadori chickens. They're a local breed raised for meat that grow really large. They're still chicks and we're struggling to keep them safe-- we lost one to disease, one to the dog, and five to a weasel who, oddly, struck in broad daylight.

The bread oven. We usually make a lot of bread but haven't been for the past few weeks since it needs a bit of repair work done on the inside. We've got to fix it soon-- I want to have a pizza party.

A japanese forest crab. I couldn't believe it when I first saw these little guys crawling around on the forest floor. Japan is full of surprises.

Welcome Mio!

by Seth Paul

In the last two weeks we have planted black beans in several fields, collected ume from a temple in Kyoto, harvested our yellow onions, and welcomed a new member to the Nishimura family; the latter being the most exciting, unexpected, and happy incident to occur.

Little Mio Nishimura entered the world a little earlier than we had expected, about one month earlier than expected. I personally don’t know many of the details of the event but the labor started on a very memorable day for me at very least. At 3PM I heard the crack of thunder to the East. This was the first thunder I had heard in Japan and I was uncertain if this was in fact thunder. Thirty minutes later the answer came in torrential rains, the likes of which I have rarely seen. It was as though a small ocean had been enjoying an afternoon nap in a cloud on this beautiful day and after waking was hurrying back home to its fish, ships, and beaches. This ocean seemed to have liked his nap because the same incident occurred for the two following days. Perhaps Mother Nature felt she had to do a little cleaning for Mio before she arrived. She is a little sweet heart and all her wwoofer “Aunts and Uncles” look forward to spoiling her with exorbitant amounts of attention.