Experience firsthand the challenges facing rural villages and agriculture, and search for clues to revitalize the region
For rural tourism, participants will visit Osako in Hanamaki City, Iwate Prefecture, and tour a winery, harvest and ship grapes, and interact with local residents. After the program is over, participants will write a report and hold a presentation, experience farm work and agricultural product sales near the university, and think together about what actions they can take to continue their involvement with Osako. Specifically, the program has the following five goals:
- Students will stay in rural areas and learn about community development that makes use of local resources.
- Through farm work, you will learn about the joys and hardships of farming through all five senses.
- Encounter different values and broaden your horizons and options.
- Prepare a report and share learnings.
- We plan events to connect Osako Town, Hanamaki City, Iwate Prefecture with the university.
In fact, there were many things that you can't understand just by listening to someone's explanation, and you can't understand unless you experience it for yourself. It was a three-day trip that made us make many new discoveries and changed the way we think. There were 10 of us working together, and we were surprised at how difficult and time-consuming each task was. At the same time, I thought it must have been very difficult to grow the crops to this extent, but I felt very grateful that they let us experience harvesting and sorting and entrusted us with the job. Knowing this, my gratitude deepened as I worked on the task.
When it comes to fruits and vegetables, that's all I can see, but through experiences like this, I begin to think about the faces and hardships of the producers when I buy food.
Mai Kikuchi (graduated from our affiliated high school)