"Icho no Ki" Farm Guesthouse

The wide fields in front of the guesthouse.

The Innkeeper at "Icho no Ki" Farm Guesthouse
   "Icho no Ki" Farm Guesthouse in Yusuhara Town was the first of its kind in Kochi establishing itself in April of 2000. 75% of guests who have stayed have come from outside the prefecture, and they have had guests from all 47 prefectures of Japan. The innkeeper; Mrs. Tomoko Ueta was selected in the "top 100 Moms who run agricultural, forestry or fishermen lodging" and keeps going every day, working to greet those who come with hospitality in her usual style to increase the fans of Yusuhara. She hopes that lodgers can spend their time leisurely, and that they can have a relaxing chat about what a great day they had.

"Miyamaru" – A Bed and Breakfast Fishing Experience

Scott and Mrs. Myōjin making dinner.

Managing as a Married Couple
   “Miyamaru” is near the beautiful seashore of the town of Kuroshio. The lady of the house, Mrs. Miya Myōjin, used to work at a nursery school. After she retired five years ago, she opened a bed and breakfast with the thought that she wanted to promote and bring visitors to Kuroshio, as well as teach people about the town’s fishing-driven way of life. Mrs. Myōjin’s husband was a fisherman, but he also retired 6 years ago due to back pain, and now he helps her with the bed and breakfast. Most of their customers are from outside of Kochi, and there are even some people who come from abroad.

Amazing Kochi

Aser Chapigas Berting
   Hometown: Province of Benguet, Republic of the Philippines
   Trainee on the Local Government Officials Training Program in Japan

   Visiting Japan especially Kochi was a dream come true through my 6 month training on agriculture. It was so very exciting and interesting. Kochi is a beautiful and safe place to live in. Clean roads, green parks, beautiful mountains and loving people. I have attended parties, joined fireworks viewing and visited tourist spots around the place. I observed that the places where parties, fireworks and other events were held were even clean after. Everyone who participated in the event must clean up their mess before leaving the area. I salute the Japanese people on having this kind of waste management system. It doesn’t end there, the garbage is then separated according to type, before finally disposing of it.

   Kochi is a mountainous area with limited agricultural land. This is surprising because despite its limited farmlands, farmers still produce enough, high quality vegetables. I was amazed when my boss informed me on paprika production in Kochi. He said the production of paprika is 20 tons per 1,000 square meters which is far behind the production in my town, 20 tons per hectare. And it is not only paprika, other vegetables too have the same yield like cucumber. Japanese agriculture is really very interesting.

   Kochi transportation is also interesting. Most of the people have their own cars because it’s a necessity, especially those who have jobs far away from their homes. What makes me surprised is that old people can still drive their cars properly. This means that they are healthy and have strong eyes. I also saw ladies driving large vehicles like trucks by themselves.

   People in Kochi are the most surprising, they are kind and hospitable. When I arrived in Kochi I was welcomed with smiles reassuring me that everything would be alright. They always offered their hand should I need their help. I was so very happy and thankful that I didn’t encounter any problem dealing with my workmates and other Japanese even though I only know and understand a little Nihongo. I didn’t experience feeling homesick and I felt at home because of their kindness. Japan is really a beautiful place to live in, blessed with loving citizens. How I wish to come back to Japan again and live in Kochi someday.

Kinkon Tosanikki ⑫

A series of four-panel comics called Kinkon Tosanikki appears the evening edition of the local Kochi Shimbun newspaper.

Takumi: Joro Spiders are amazing!　
They make string from their back-sides…


Takumi: The one that moves a lot is probably the dad.

Boy: That’s not the dad!


Boy: The big, colorful ones are all female.
The males are these small ones.



Takumi: Today I spent the whole day looking at girls’ butts!

 

● Tosaben Tidbit ~ sentence-final “ya” and “de” ~
   One of the characteristics of Tosaben is the way its sentences end. The “ya” in this comic’s “otosan ya” and the “de” in this comic’s “nai de” and “na ga de” are often used sentence-finally in Tosaben. If written in standard Japanese, one could change “ya” to “da” and “de” to “yo”. Both are used as emphasis in Tosaben!