Get Your Goat
An Easy In to Inaka
Our goat… err… goal… with Inaka Club is to lower the bar for experiencing Japan’s magical countryside. It’s a wide-open space full of possibility, though sometimes just deciding on what to do amongst all of the options can be difficult. To help out with that, we’re developing a number of offerings we think will be of interest based on anecdotal evidence, and also provide custom packages.
That being said, we’ve been scratching our heads for a bit about how to kick things off in the simplest way possible. There are a lot of factors that go into creating an experience during Coronatime, safety being first and foremost. Population density considerations require identifying regions outside of the major metro area sufficiently depopulated but still within reasonable distance, which itself has various logistics issues to address.
Once candidates with suitable environments are identified, we must then dig into them to discover attractive activities available to our clientele. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
But we love a challenge! After pondering many potential solutions, we think that we’ve hit on something truly unique, and that should get you riled up for a Corona-resistant adventure in Inaka:
Goats.
Mi-chan: The Fabled Goat of Yugawara
While our office is located in Omotesando, Akiya Hunter Matt Ketchum relocated from Tokyo to Yugawara last year to integrate with the local community, learn about Inaka lifestyles, and, of course, scope out some killer akiya. Oh, and to reduce the likelihood of contracting Coronavirus, too.
As a result, we’ve come to know Masato, a retired engineer and akiya enthusiast who, a few years ago, purchased an abandoned corporate retreat and single-handedly converted it into Share House Yugawara. As a result, he also picked up some abandoned farmland which needed to be reclaimed from the wild.
With his background, Masato isn’t averse to using industry-accepted tools, however as a DIY pro and talented recycler, he prefers to implement more sustainable, natural practices. Livestock is a well-known solution for cutting back overgrowth, and goats rule supreme in that category. After a bit of research, Masato was able to locate and acquire the Goat with the Most: the venerable Mi-chan!
The Package
So how does this play into a Corona-resistant adventure? So glad you asked – here’re the basics:
- Drive (no public transit) to Yugawara with no more than 4 people total
- Meet with and follow us to Mi-chan’s wide-open, almost human-less kingdom
- Prime time:
- Take pictures with Mi-chan
- Get your hands dirty on the farm
- Hear the low down on inaka lifestyle/business/opportunities
- Receive a shit-ton of local mikan oranges and probably some pickles or boar jerky or something
- Breathe fresh air and bask in nature; relax
- Drive back to wherever you came from
Private transportation. Masks. Fresh air. Controlled environments. Extremely limited human contact and applied social distancing. A goat. We live in weird times, and weird times call for weird measures.
This is just one of many wacky ideas we’re cooking up. Get in touch if you’re interested via the form below!
