Bessō Takigahara
Foraging, Fermenting and Seasonal Cooking
An edible retreat in the Japanese countryside
| Location | Takigahara / 滝ヶ原 |
|---|---|
| Dates | August 21 – 30, 2026 |
| Cost | $2,750 USD |
This program is an insight into the source of our food and an opportunity to learn from the symbiotic relationship that exists between humans, the land and the sea in Takigahara village.
Description ↯
Spend 10 days living in step with the edible landscape of Takigahara: a rural community in Japan where people coexist with nature, and neither the mountains nor the long culture of food cultivation has moved for centuries.
From chopsticks to ingredients to plate, together we will build a meal from our surroundings: carving bamboo, harvesting wakame, foraging edible plants, fermenting, and embracing the practice of seasonal cooking. This will be enjoyed as a feast on our final night in a restaurant we craft for each other and the people we've met over the course of the project.
To connect more deeply with our surroundings, we'll take part in Japanese language and culture classes, as well as a writing workshop centred on place-based creative non-fiction.
To document our experiences, we will also be hand-covering journals with washi: traditional paper we'll make ourselves. These may be filled with recipes, stories, snippets of conversation, Japanese phrases, drawings, maps, lists, analysis.
Held in a locally owned and beautifully restored Japanese farmhouse nestled at the foot of Kurakake-yama, this program provides an opportunity to embrace sustainable ways of living with nature and others.
Japanese breakfasts and innovative chef-cooked dinners will be provided most days, and guests will be sleeping in shared accommodation in a space that has been furnished by some of the greats in contemporary design, including Zaha Hadid, Achille Castiglioni, Eero Saarinen and Jasper Morrison.
As well as communal dining and relaxing areas, Takigahara Farm has a co-working space, an on-site café and a natural wine bar.
Satoumi + Satoyama ↯
In the Japanese language, sato (里) means village, umi (海) means ocean and yama (山) means mountain.
Over thousands of years, the harmonious coexistence of people and nature in parts of Japan has created irreplaceable ecosystems that are deeply intertwined with human well-being and biological diversity: satoumi (sea villages) and satoyama (mountain villages).
Ishikawa – the scenic and fertile prefecture Takigahara is located in – is home to both, giving way to a mosaic of terrain: mountain, forest, sea and flatland.
In practising and preserving these precious ecosystems, villagers maintain a deep and interdependent connection with the land and the sea: growing rice and vegetables, farming chickens, foraging edible wild plants, hunting boar, harvesting salt, fishing in moderation and tending to seagrass beds.
In 2015, Japanese designer Teruo Kurosaki visited Takigahara to investigate its moss gardens. As well as a charming village with a rich spirit and dwindling population, Kurosaki-san found an abandoned farmhouse – which he then renovated, furnished and transformed into a community space.
"It is my hope," Kurosaki-san explains, "that other cities and people will hear this and come here to learn. Then it becomes a kind of movement, a new type of village for the future."
In contemplating a sustainable tomorrow on a liveable planet, we believe there is so much knowledge to glean from Takigahara village and satoumi-satoyama lifestyle: from the value of seasonal eating to an awareness that mutually-beneficial relationships can, do and must exist between humans and the natural world.
This philosophy is especially true for those of us who live in urban and suburban environments where connections like this have largely been severed.
Inclusions ↯
- Return pickup from local train station
- 9 nights shared accommodation at Takigahara Farm
- 9 breakfasts and 8 dinners (7 chef-cooked, 1 group-prepared)
- 5 Japanese language and cultural classes
- Bamboo chopstick-making workshop
- Wakame harvesting field trip
- Washi-paper and journal-making workshops
- Creative non-fiction writing workshop
- Fermenting workshop
- Foraging field trip
- Autumn vegetable cooking workshop
- Guided hike to Mt Kurakake summit
Note: One dinner and all lunches are self-funded via the on-site café.
Accommodation ↯
For the duration of our time in the village, we will be housed in Takigahara's Craft & Stay facilities, which are the central nervous system of the farm. This 130-year-old double-storey house has been renovated for modern comfort and is a space where traditional art informs contemporary design choices.
Roomy, high-ceilinged and made with original farmhouse timbers, the guest bedroom is located on the second floor – housing 16 sleeping nooks in bunk-bed style. Each bed comes with a curtain partition for privacy. There are three toilets and two showers.
We get that as adults you may not have shared a room for a long time, if ever, but this communal living is part of the project. There's something about brushing your teeth alongside your neighbour that encourages communication, compromise and mutual understanding.
Guests are welcome to roam the open land, hike the mountains and swim in the nearby streams, which are all shared with the people of Takigahara Village. Within the farm grounds also sits a natural wine bar, open to all. Then there's Takigahara Cafe: a local eatery selling lunch, light meals, coffee and drinks throughout the day; it's an unofficial community centre and a great place to meet and chat with locals.
Schedule ↯
Day 1: yōkoso | welcome
Afternoon arrival in Takigahara
Evening barbeque with villagers
Day 2: washi to nikki | paper & journal-making
Japanese breakfast at Craft & Stay
Washi paper-making workshop with Ako
Japanese language and culture class with Ariya
Chef-cooked dinner
Day 3: yasou to katari | wild plants & storytelling
Japanese breakfast at Craft & Stay
Foraging field trip and workshop with Yamashita-san and Anna
Japanese language and culture class with Ariya
Writing workshop with Jam
Chef-cooked dinner
Day 4: wakame | seaweed
Japanese breakfast at Craft & Stay
Wakame harvesting field trip with Miwa-san, ama diver
Chef-cooked dinner
Day 5: yama | mountain
Japanese breakfast at Craft & Stay (takeaway for mountain climbers)
Guided hike of Kurakakeyama
Chef-cooked dinner
Day 6: kyūsoku | rest
Japanese breakfast at Craft & Stay
Dinner in town (self funded)
Day 7: shio koji | ferment & seasoning
Japanese breakfast at Craft & Stay
Japanese language and culture class with Ariya
Shio koji workshop with Anna
Chef-cooked dinner
Day 8: ohashi | chopsticks
Japanese breakfast at Craft & Stay
Chopstick-making workshop with Nari-san
Japanese language and culture class with Ariya
Chef-cooked dinner
Day 9: haru no aji | taste of spring
Japanese breakfast at Craft & Stay
Bessō cooking bonanza, restaurant & afterparty
Day 10: ja ne | goodbye
Japanese breakfast at Craft and Stay
10am check out
Getting There ↯
Takigahara Craft & Stay is located on Takigahara Farm, at O-66 Takigahara, Komatsu-shi, Ishikawa Prefecture.
Currently, the best way to reach Komatsu is by train or a flight from Tokyo.
Flight: Several airlines operate flights between Tokyo (Haneda Airport or Narita Airport) and Komatsu Airport (KMQ). Flight durations are relatively short – around 1 to 1.5 hours. From there, it's an hour by train and bus to our pickup location.
Train: If coming from Tokyo, take the Hokuriku Shinkansen (bullet train) from Tokyo Station or Ueno Station to Kagaonsen Station. The journey takes approximately 3 hours.
Car: If you decide to drive, parking onsite is available; you can rent a car in Tokyo and take the Hokuriku Expressway to reach Komatsu. The journey by car will take roughly 6 to 8 hours, depending on traffic. Do be aware that road tolls in Japan are expensive.
FAQ ↯
What's Takigahara like this time of year?
Our program takes place during the lush Japanese summer, when the surrounding mountains and rice paddies are at their most vibrant. Days are warm and humid, with temperatures around 28–33 °C, so pack light layers and something waterproof for the occasional afternoon shower. Evenings cool down nicely, perfect for onsen soaks and dinner on the terrace.
How do I apply?
Fill in a contact form at the bottom of this page telling us a little about who you are and why you're keen to participate in this program. We will strive to get back to you within two working days via email, and either Jam or Nirvana (or both) will tee up a quick phone call so that we can become human to each other, answer any questions you may have, and make sure we're the right fit for each other.
I have specific access/support needs; how will you accommodate me?
We're always up for a chat about what you need to feel supported, and have welcomed many folks in the past with specific needs: wheelchair users, d/Deaf participants, people with autism and sensory sensitivities, and mums with toddlers in tow. Basically, we just want to make sure your time with us is possible and pleasurable, so just get in touch by filling in a contact form or by emailing astrayproject@proton.me, and we can go from there!
Do I need any cooking experience?
Absolutely not. This program is for anyone curious about food — where it comes from, how it's made, and what it means to eat seasonally and intentionally. Whether you've never cooked a day in your life or you're a seasoned home cook, you'll get something out of it.
How does payment work?
An $800USD non-refundable deposit is needed to secure your place, then the rest is due four weeks before the program starts. We're happy to be flexible with payment plans if you need one. We accept bank transfers to our American bank accounts, and we also have WISE, which in our experience is the cheapest and easiest way to make international transfers (we're a US company). We can also accept credit card payments via Stripe if you're desperate, but it's our least preferred method coz the fees SUCK.
Where can I read reviews?
People document their time with us in all sorts of ways, and we have a collection of testimonials in various forms here.
Apply
We are looking to assemble a diverse group of community-minded folks who wish to gain a deeper understanding of food provenance, re/connect with the natural world and travel in a way that is slow, respectful and sustainable.
At Astray, we are determined to foster a space that is safe and inclusive for all – meaning we do not tolerate any form of bigotry, discrimination, abuse, marginalisation or insulting behaviour on the grounds of gender, ethnicity, religion, background, skin colour, race, religious belief, job, sexuality, gender identity, socioeconomic class, caste, disability or age.
Tell us a little about who you are and why you're keen to participate in this program.