Kominka Japan’s My Village Program is an all-volunteer effort to help mitigate the population decline in Japan’s rural villages. Volunteers from across Japan have effectively volunteered to introduce you to villages where they and their minka reside. Realtors and akiya bank managers can only tell you so much about a particular area. What’s the elementary […]
Minka Summit 2026 Update
Minka Summit 2026 is COMING SOON! （日本語版は下記） Here at Kominka Japan, Yukiyo and I are working hard to put this giant jigsaw puzzle of event together and, so far, the pieces are coming together nicely! We’re just about set with all of our guest speakers, who’ll be giving presentations about a wide range of topics, […]
What Makes This All Worthwhile…
We had unexpected visitors at our minka this Golden Week holiday, an elderly couple from Osaka. The wife, 79, told us she had lived in the minka until junior high school age, as part of the family that had been there since its construction in 1810. They had been lingering outside, unsure as whether to […]
Spring Has Sprung!
Spring has finally arrived in the mountains north of Kyoto though, incredibly, we had sleet recently. Nevertheless, perhaps like many of you my thoughts are slowly turning toward the big spring projects I hope to accomplish before the rainy season and (especially) the hot summer months begin, not to mention the seasonal arrival of all […]
Hanase (Kyoto Prefecture)
Google Maps Link A one-hour drive north from central Kyoto City, Hanase is a mountain village of about 125 full-time residents, most living along a 9km stretch of river valleys in both minka and more contemporary housing. With less farmable land, Hanase’s economy was traditionally lumbering, floating huge trees downriver into Kyoto City. The area […]
Sasama (Shizuoka Prefecture)
Google Maps Link The Sasama area is a collection of small villages nestled in narrow river valleys running north to Japan’s Southern Alps district. Known for its tea fields and crystalline blue water, it is one of few areas in Japan to preserve the traditional Shinto dances known as KAGURA. The Oigawa steam and rack-and-pinion […]
Ryozenji (Niigata Prefecture)
Google maps Link If you love snow, Ryozenji is the place to be. It is a rice farming village at the base of one of the best powder skiing resorts in the country, Lotte Arai Ski Resort. Ryozenji (approx 80 houses) together with a few other villages makes up Yashiro district which in turn is […]
Kitajima, Tamba-Sasayama (Hyogo Prefecture)
Google Maps Link Our village, Kitajima, is located in a beautiful satoyama in Hioki District, Tamba-Sasayama, characterized by a mix of man-made and natural woodlands near rural settlements with land use predominantly forests, paddy fields, black soybean fields, and vegetable croplands. Our village is nestled by the Sasayama river along which numerous Japanese cherries are […]
Hirabayashi (Nagano Prefecture)
Google Maps Link Since day one of arriving in Hirabayashi as the first expats in the village we have felt nothing but welcomed. Now, after nearly 4 years here I can say without doubt that this is our home and moving here was one of the best decisions of my life. With stunning nature surrounding […]
Hami (Kyoto Prefecture)
Google Maps Link Two hours drive from Kyoto station will land you along the Sea of Japan’s pristine waters and rugged mountains. The Hami river flows down Hami valley and three villages occupy the space in a close-knit ‘Tri-Village’ setting: Satohami, Nakahami, Okuhami. Throughout history Hami was rather isolated due to little access to the […]