An example of the chef's recommendation of the day at farmers' restaurant Roshi in Takasaki, Gunma Prefecture. (Mainichi)
(Mainichi Japan) August 1, 2010An increasing number of farmers nationwide are running their own restaurants, offering both fresh local vegetables and beautiful rural landscapes to city-dwelling customers.
Farmers' restaurants are especially popular among young women, who are becoming more aware of health and food safety today.
One such restaurant is Roshi, located in the midst of the paddy fields in the Gunma Prefecture city of Takasaki, about 15-minutes' drive toward Mt. Haruna from Annaka-Haruna Station on the Nagano Shinkansen bullet train line.
Reiko Takahashi, the owner of farmers' restaurant Roshi, is pictured in her vegetable garden. (Mainichi)
The restaurant is the 60-year-old former residence of a family of raw silk producers, remodeled as a quaint dining establishment. Inside the entrance with its indigo blue curtain, there is a spacious earth floor connected to a 22-tatami-mat living room. A refreshing breeze blows through the open window of the white-walled house with thick wooden pillars. Bird and frog calls from the garden will remind its customers of their childhood summer holidays.
Roshi offers only one menu item -- the chef's recommendation of the day (1,000 yen). As the restaurant uses different kinds of fresh vegetables available each day, customers will not know what they will be served until they actually sit at the table.
The menu of the day usually includes about 10 items using vegetables such as cabbage, egg plant, potatoes, olives and carrots, which come with salad, brown rice and a bowl of miso soup. All vegetables are either grilled or boiled, and seasoned mainly with salt or soy sauce. The recipes are simple, allowing customers to enjoy the natural flavor of the ingredients.
Farmers' restaurant Roshi. (Mainichi)
"Simple cooking is the best way to experience the real taste of local vegetables," says restaurant owner Reiko Takahashi, a former indigo dyeing teacher. She opened her own restaurant in 2005, encouraged by the voices of her students, who praised the miso soup and the rice balls Takahashi offered for their lunch.
While growing vegetables such as tomatoes, cucumbers, potatoes, carrots, and various kinds of herbs at a nearby farm, she also buys ingredients from two local organic farmers.
On weekends, people come to her restaurant all the way from the Tokyo metropolitan area.
"I hope a quiet time with fresh vegetables and a country view will help people refresh themselves in body and soul," Takahashi said. The restaurant is open during lunch hours and only accepts five groups of customers per day. Reservations are required by the day before the visit. The restaurant is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. Reservations and inquiries can be made at (027) 374-4233.
A farmers' restaurant is defined as a restaurant which offers dishes using vegetables produced by the restaurant operator or local farmers. There are various types of such restaurants, including those run by guesthouse or farm stand operators. The number of farmers' restaurants has jumped over the past 10 years. According to a government survey conducted in 2005, there are 826 farmers' restaurants in the country, with a total of some 8.43 million customers per year.
"Today, more people are interested in the local food movement," says a public relations official at the Organization for Urban-Rural Interchange Revitalization.
In additions to the recommendation of the day, farmers' restaurants often offer a buffet-style menu, dishes with Italian or French twists or soba buckwheat noodles.
Information about farmers' restaurants nationwide can be found at the organization's website "Green Tourism"
(http://www.ohrai.jp/gt/restaurant/index.html).
Public Relations firm Gram 3 Inc. also launched the search site "Kokokichi" (http://www.cocokichi.jp/) for vegetable lovers in November last year, which currently introduces 225 farmers' restaurants across the country.
"Farmers' restaurants are attracting many people because they also allow visitors to see the local landscape, life and culture. I hope people will come to pay attention to Japan's agriculture through the experience of visiting farming villages," said a company official.
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