My Special Spot in Yokohama

横浜で少しでも時間を過ごしたことのある皆さん、いちばん好きな場所は何処ですか?みなとみらい、山下公園、氷川丸、中華街…いろいろおありでしょうEver been to Yokohama? If so, where is your favorite spot? Minato Mirai? Yamashita Park? Hikawa Maru? Chinatown?

小生、これらの場所はどれも大好きですが、今回は隠れたとっておきの場所をご紹介しましょう
自宅から徒歩で約30分 早朝歩いたり走ったりするときの定番コースです
I like all these places, but today let me show you a special place off the beaten path. It’s half an hour away on foot from where I live, and thus one of my favorite hiking/jogging destinations.

その名は「寺家(じけ)ふるさと村」 横浜市青葉区と東京都町田市の境目に広がる地帯です
地元の皆さんが野菜とお米を育てつつ、首都圏近郊の農村文化を守っています
This place is called Jike (pronounced something like “jee-keh”, not “jaik”) Furusato Mura – “Jike Farm Village” in my rough translation.
Right on the border between the cities of Yokohama and Machida, local households grow veggies and rice and preserve a rural way of life in the suburbs of the world’s largest metropolis.

春は風薫り… Spring breeze is especially refreshing here…

夏は深いみどりに包まれ… Summer brings a deep greenness full of life…

As you can see, more than a few people drive here and park by the road side – on space intended strictly for farm traffic. Not a good idea.
5:31AM on Saturday, July 17, 2021
Two minutes earlier

秋は実り豊かに… Autumn is indeed bountiful…

Back in 2017, they harvested the rice rather early, in mid-September. This was most likely in anticipation of a typhoon which ended up heading in a different direction.
When you see these flowers – known as higanbana 彼岸花 in Japanese – you know autumn has arrived.
Cabbage (left) and daikon (right) looking nice and sweet

冬の凛とした空気も清々しいものです… And the crispness of winter is beautiful in its own way.

Jack Frost nipping at your nose…

ふるさと村の一角にBlue Doorというコーヒーの焙煎所があります
お好みの豆でドリップしたコーヒーを味わうこともできます オススメ!
There is a coffee roasting shop called Blue Door that also serves coffee dripped with beans of your choice. Highly recommended.
https://bluedoorcoffee360.com/

This shop used to be very quiet when I started stopping by back in the early 2010’s, but now must be one of the most popular coffee haunts in northern Yokohama.

Getting There – and Things to Remember

行きたくなりましたか?
一点ご留意頂きたいことがあります
ここは「農家さんの職場」です 私たちが農道散策を楽しめるのは、専ら農家さんのご厚意によるものです
農家以外の人がマイカーで農道に入り路上駐車しているのをしばしば見かけますが、これは礼を失するというべきでしょう

マイカーではなく、極力公共交通機関を利用して訪問しましょう
東急田園都市線青葉台駅から東急バス「青30」系統に乗って「四季の家」、または「青31」系統に乗って終点「鴨志田団地」で下車するとすぐそこです
隣に駐車場を備えたお食事処(結構いけると聞きます)がありますがスペースは限られています 営業時間外は閉まっていますので悪しからず!

Interested?
Please keep in mind that this area is a workplace for local farming families. It is only because of their kindness that we can enjoy walks on the farm roads.
To show gratitude for their kindness, I strongly encourage using public transport to get there, as opposed to driving a car.
Take the Tokyu Den-en-Toshi Line 東急田園都市線 to Aobadai 青葉台. There, hop on Tokyu Bus #30 and get off at Shiki-no-ie 四季の家, or #31 and ride all the way to the last stop, Kamoshida-danchi 鴨志田団地. This will take you to the village’s doorsteps.
Yes, there is an eatery nearby with parking space, but that space is limited and closed outside of their business hours.

Don’t count on this parking lot to be open when you are there – take the bus!

「寺家ふるさと村」について、詳しくはこちらをご参照ください(注意書きもご確認下さい):
More details about the farm village, from the City of Yokohama website (Sorry, available in Japanese language only):
https://www.city.yokohama.lg.jp/kurashi/machizukuri-kankyo/nochi/noutaiken/shizen/furusato/jike-index.html

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