Owate is the name of our old farm house built in 1777, beautifully situated in rural Japan on a mountain plateau, close to Aso-Kuju National park in the volcanic mountains of Kyushu, the most southern of Japans main islands.

The area is not only famous for its splendid nature and mountains but also for its many hot springs.

In the living area of the house you come across the typical tatami mats and paper sliding doors. In the cooking area you find a “doma” earthen floor and an open fire place, rarely preserved in our days.

We cook our rice at a traditional cooking stove. Tofu, Konnyaku and Rice crackers are made by traditional methods.

Most of our food we grow ourselves without the use of pesticides and chemical fertilizers or take from nature. The rice we grow in the traditional “Aigamo duck” method.

Today most young Japanese know traditional lifestyle, cooking equipment and tools only from school books and museums, but we want to preserve the traditional culture and way of living of our grand and grand grand parents.