Relax in Nature around Tokyo

（英語/日本語）
Would you like to experience Japanese cooking and organic farming in Ogawamachi, a town famous for its organic farming? 🌳
Let’s learn about healthy Japanese food culture while enjoying a delicious autumn lunch made with seasonal ingredients.🌰🍁
We’ll start with a walk through the peaceful countryside, visit the farm to see and learn about the vegetables used for lunch, and then a hands-on cooking and dining experience and finally organic farming experience connecting farm and forests🥬✨

◼︎ Japanese Food Culture for beginners
This time’s theme is “Fermentation,” “Dashi (Japanese soup stock),” and “Ma-Go-Wa-Ya-Sa-Shi-I (a balanced Japanese diet).”
You’ll learn how fermented foods like miso, used in miso soup and many Japanese dishes, and dashi, the soup stock that forms the base of many Japanese meals, contribute to both flavor and health.
Together, we’ll also make side dishes based on the concept of “Ma-Go-Wa-Ya-Sa-Shi-I” — a traditional way to create nutritionally balanced Japanese meals (Each letter stands for beans, sesame, seaweed, vegetables, fish, mushrooms, and potatoes.)👩‍🍳
This workshop is designed for beginners — no knife work is required. You’ll learn by mixing and preparing ingredients together.
Even if you’re not good at cooking, you can simply enjoy learning about Japanese food and culture in a relaxed and fun atmosphere 🌿
*Please see the comments section for details about the cooking instructor.

◼︎ Organic Farming Experience – Connecting Forests and Farms
About 70% of Japan is covered by forest.
On this day, we’ll collect fallen leaves in the forest we manage and learn, through hands-on work, how they are turned into leaf compost for the farm 🌳
Here too, “fermentation” plays an important role 🍂
Let’s move our bodies and experience farming while enjoying the refreshing air of the forest and the fields 🧑‍🌾

◼︎ Lunch
Enjoy a comforting autumn meal featuring vegetables from our farm 🥬✨
Menu:
・Chestnut Rice 🌰
・Homemade Miso Soup with Pork & Mushrooms 🍲
・Komatsuna and Soybean Hijiki Salad
・Kikuimo (Jerusalem Artichoke) Pickled in Miso
This lunch is based on the idea of fermented foods (miso) , Dashi (Japanese soup stock), and “Ma-Go-Wa-Ya-Sa-Shi-I”, offering a delicious and healthy taste of Japanese home-style cooking ✨

◼︎ Tea Break
Dessert:
・Pumpkin Muffin using pumpkin from the farm🎃 (with Coffee ☕️)

◼︎ Schedule
10:00–10:30: Walk from Ogawamachi Station through the countryside to the farm and traditional house
10:30–12:00: Lecture & Cooking (Miso soup and side dishes)
12:00–13:00: Lunch time (Chestnut rice and seasonal organic dishes)
13:00–14:00: Leaf-collecting activity in the forest
14:00–14:30: Tea break (Pumpkin muffin & coffee)
14:30–15:20: Leaf Compost-making activity at the farm
15:20–15:40: Walk back to Ogawamachi Station
(Train examples:
15:46 departure → 16:49 arrival at Ikebukuro
or 16:03 departure → 17:17 arrival)
*The schedule is approximate and may change depending on conditions.
*The event will go ahead even with light rain.

◼︎ Participation Fee
・4,500 yen + 500 yen insurance = 5,000 yen
・The fee covers ingredients for lunch, preparation, guide support, and forest maintenance.
・Please pay in cash at the meeting place (we’ll have change available).
If you cannot prepare cash, please consult us in advance.

◼︎ Included
・Lunch, dessert, coffee
・Japanese cooking experience
・Organic farming experience (forest & farm)
・Insurance

◼︎ About Insurance
・Covers medical expenses in case of injury.

◼︎ Forest Walking Level
・Beginner level
・Includes gentle slopes
・We’ll walk together at a comfortable pace

◼︎ Meeting Place & Time
・In front of Ogawamachi Station (Tobu Tojo Line)
Note: Ogawamachi in Saitama, not in Tokyo
・10:00 AM — There’s a convenience store nearby, so please finish shopping or restroom use before meeting.
・Please arrive on time, as we cannot wait for late participants.

◼︎ Train Access
・Direct trains available from Ikebukuro, Shibuya, Yokohama, Shinjuku-sanchome, Musashi-Kosugi, and Nakameguro.
・See comments for more details.

◼︎ What to Bring & Wear
・Drinking water
・Clothes you don’t mind getting dirty
・Hiking shoes are ideal, but sneakers are fine
・Work gloves (we’ll prepare some, but you can bring your own)
・Change of clothes if you wish (changing space available)

◼︎ Confirmation Deadline
✅ 10 days before (Thursday, November 20)
✅ We’ll send a confirmation message to all registered participants. Please reply by the deadline.
If we don’t receive a reply, you’ll be placed on the Wait List.
✅ To avoid food waste, please refrain from canceling after confirmation.
If a spot opens due to last-minute cancellation, you can still message us to join.

◼︎ Cancellation Policy
・1 week–4 days before: 20%
・3–2 days before: 50%
・1 day before or same day: 100%

◼︎ Notes
・We are not responsible for injuries, accidents, lost items, or other issues during the event.

The guides speak both English and Japanese.
Many people join even if it’s their first Meetup or first time at our event, so please feel free to participate with no worries 😊