Hatake Score!

The strange irony in Japan is that in the countryside there are literally acres and acres of land that are available to those who really look for it. While Japanese cities burst at the seams, the countryside is left nearly abandoned. The average age of the Japanese farmer is somewhere in the mid sixties, and is only getting older. Many elderly farmers simply can’t maintain their land.

One of TLG’s childhood friends introduced us to one such gentleman. He was very pleased to hear that I would be coming soon and offered to lend me the use of his Hatake (a field for growing vegetables), which all told amounts to more than 1100 square meters (about a 1/4 acre).  A little bit of good news goes a long way these days.

In contrast to the neglected fields near our hope-to-adopt-house these are “ready-to-go” so I can work these while I bring the other ones back into cultivation. Oh and an added bonus is that the house and these fields are in adjacent valleys. Oh Stars, please align!

So I haven’t even left the States yet and I already have a 1/4 acre garden to use when I arrive. The wonderful gentleman also offered to lend his advice (which I’m sure I’ll have to filter a bit to get the good parts since I plan to do this without the use of chemicals aids). Pictures of said Hatake are below…