See & Do
Harvest Seasonal Vegetables in an Illuminated Night Field - BNR Farm
See & Do
Harvest Seasonal Vegetables in an Illuminated Night Field - BNR Farm
The farm using tourism to revitalize Kyoto’s agriculture by promoting local food to the world
BNR Farm is a group of newcomers to agriculture in their 30s and 40s who began farming in Kyoto’s Oharano in 2020. Passionate about a range of food and agricultural issues, the farmers actively promote the joys of farming on social media where you can catch them live-streaming farm activities and by offering agricultural experiences to the public. In terms of farming, the group enjoyed early success in growing a variety of vegetables in the open field under the direction of the renowned Ueda Farm of Oharano, Kyoto, and has used that farm’s methods to produce delicious Kyoto heirloom vegetables. More recently it has enlisted the guidance of natural farming practitioner Toui Farm of Kyoto to focus on environmentally friendly agricultural practices.
BNR Farm's new initiative is a nighttime farming experience called “Night Farm”, which offers the opportunity to avoid the daytime heat and pick seasonal vegetables in the magical atmosphere of an illuminated field at night when it’s cooler. After picking the vegetables, participants will eat them in a barbeque or on pizza, making it an experience that immerses all five senses in the joys of farming, the beauty of nature, and the wonder of vegetables.
There are about 19 kinds of vegetables grown at Night Farm including Kyoto heirloom varieties. Participants will enjoy harvesting the bounty of the season such as bamboo shoots in spring and eggplants and cucumbers in summer. For children with an aversion to vegetables, the delicious taste of fresh produce picked with their own two hands can be just the thing to overcoming it, says BNR representative Kiyomizu Matsutani.
In 2024 BNR Farm began growing and harvesting fruit and conducting springtime bamboo shoot harvesting experiences in a bamboo grove. They’re a fun new way of enjoying leisure with family or friends. One of the great things about the farm is the variety of options that make farming accessible to all manner of clientele from families, friend groups and couples through to corporate and other large groups. Private sessions can also be arranged, and pets are welcome.
BNR Farm's new initiative is a nighttime farming experience called “Night Farm”, which offers the opportunity to avoid the daytime heat and pick seasonal vegetables in the magical atmosphere of an illuminated field at night when it’s cooler. After picking the vegetables, participants will eat them in a barbeque or on pizza, making it an experience that immerses all five senses in the joys of farming, the beauty of nature, and the wonder of vegetables.
There are about 19 kinds of vegetables grown at Night Farm including Kyoto heirloom varieties. Participants will enjoy harvesting the bounty of the season such as bamboo shoots in spring and eggplants and cucumbers in summer. For children with an aversion to vegetables, the delicious taste of fresh produce picked with their own two hands can be just the thing to overcoming it, says BNR representative Kiyomizu Matsutani.
In 2024 BNR Farm began growing and harvesting fruit and conducting springtime bamboo shoot harvesting experiences in a bamboo grove. They’re a fun new way of enjoying leisure with family or friends. One of the great things about the farm is the variety of options that make farming accessible to all manner of clientele from families, friend groups and couples through to corporate and other large groups. Private sessions can also be arranged, and pets are welcome.
Contents Offering Solutions to a Variety of Issues from Nighttime Tourism to Abandoned Bamboo Forests and Food Loss
Night Farm’s agricultural experiences could be said to be a new type of “hands-on” tourism. Their unique services fill a gap in the market for outdoor farming activities that allow participants to immerse themselves in nature and experience it with all five senses. They also respond to the need for more nighttime tourism options in Kyoto.
The farm has also incorporated experiences in traditional Kyoto crafts such as bamboo work into the program to support traditional industries. With Japan currently facing the issue of how to utilize abandoned bamboo groves, the bamboo work experience is notable for making constructive use of the famous bamboo of Kyoto’s western mountains where BNR farm is located. Participants will make items such as a taketōrō, a type of lantern consisting of a Japanese candle inside a piece of bamboo that emits a warm glow through decorative holes drilled in the bamboo.
Above all, what BNR Farm values most is encounters and communication between foreign visitors and local people and communities, and for them to share the farming experience with each other. Such experiences foster deeper exchange and make for an even more memorable travel experience. Working up a sweat over shared work, participants can forge friendships and lasting connections that will make them want to visit Kyoto again and again. Matsutani hopes to encourage this kind of “face to face” experience at BNR Farm.
With vegetables and farming as its main asset, BNR Farm’s content will appeal to the increasing numbers of vegetarian and vegan travelers as well as addressing environmental and sustainability issues.
The farm has also incorporated experiences in traditional Kyoto crafts such as bamboo work into the program to support traditional industries. With Japan currently facing the issue of how to utilize abandoned bamboo groves, the bamboo work experience is notable for making constructive use of the famous bamboo of Kyoto’s western mountains where BNR farm is located. Participants will make items such as a taketōrō, a type of lantern consisting of a Japanese candle inside a piece of bamboo that emits a warm glow through decorative holes drilled in the bamboo.
Above all, what BNR Farm values most is encounters and communication between foreign visitors and local people and communities, and for them to share the farming experience with each other. Such experiences foster deeper exchange and make for an even more memorable travel experience. Working up a sweat over shared work, participants can forge friendships and lasting connections that will make them want to visit Kyoto again and again. Matsutani hopes to encourage this kind of “face to face” experience at BNR Farm.
With vegetables and farming as its main asset, BNR Farm’s content will appeal to the increasing numbers of vegetarian and vegan travelers as well as addressing environmental and sustainability issues.