So it's been over a week since we packed up and headed South

to the small town of Aya, in Miyazaki prefecture.

Honestly I was a little worried

about adjusting to life here.

But you know what?

I think we're starting to get the hang of it.

(upbeat music)

Oh my god.

You're all wet, oh no.

So this morning, we got up early.

Super early for me because I'm not a morning person at all.

But we're in the car and we're going to the mountains.

And I'm really excited because I don't have a car

and I can't really get to any of these places

unless nice people help and offer to drive me.

So I appreciate it.

So today is the day of the Ume Matsuri,

a small festival held in the mountains

every year when the plum blossoms start to bloom.

I'm so out of shape but at the end of this trail,

there's supposed to be some ume blossoms in full bloom.

So.

That's why. (panting)

Hopefully it's worth the struggle.

After a short hike we arrived at the clearing

filled with plum blossom trees and it wasn't long

before other hikers began to join us there as well.

For 1000 yen or $10 you could buy a meal ticket

that you can later exchange for lunch.

I mean besides the obvious hazards,

why don't we have these in regular homes?

How cool would it be to just like grill your food

inside the floor

and like sit around and eat.

- Mm that's good chicken.

- There's a great sense of community here in this kitchen

and everyone has an important role to play

as more and more people gather outside

for the spring festival.

Oh my god how lucky are we.

Fresh kakiage, tempura.

Itadakimasu.

So this is tempura made from all fresh Aya farmed products.

Organic, organic, they're all organic too.

And the vegetables, are just,

they're crunchy, they're hot and they're sweet.

They have this really natural sweetness to them.

Mm this is so good.

While lunch is being prepared in the kitchen,

festival goers are enjoying live,

traditional Japanese music.

Played underneath the almost blossoming plum trees.

(flute music)

The shakuhachi, a Japanese flute, tells the story.

While the koto, the string instrument,

skillfully creates the atmosphere.

(traditional music)

- This is what sheet music for a koto looks like.

It's crazy.

(speaking foreign language)

Oh my god, I don't understand it at all.

I'm learning.

(plays instrument)

(claps)

It's actually pretty fun.

Just before eating lunch, everyone heads up to the shrine

for a quick prayer, a greeting and a thank you to the gods.

(upbeat music)

(speaking foreign language)

- I feel so lucky to be able to eat like this.

We've got tonjiru which is a pork miso soup.

It's full of vegetables.

We've got onigiri, some tempura, some tsukemono,

some chicken.

All in this beautiful bamboo plate.

An orange, some tofu that we were just stirring

a minute ago and some amazake.

All of this for 1000 yen.

This is better than restaurant quality, I'm pretty sure.

The town of Aya is very proud of its organic agriculture.

Which is done with deep respect to the natural ecosystems

in the area.

Everyone plays their part in the community,

creating a town that's able to provide healthy fruits

and vegetables to its people.

The result is healthier residents who then have

an even deeper respect and awareness for the environment.

Alright guys it's very late at night, I've got my camera,

the Lumix G7 and the G7X.

We're gonna try and see if we can take a timelapse

of the starry sky.

I've never taken a night time timelapse before

but I did read your comments and I know

that you guys were interested,

some of you were interested in seeing the starry sky.

So here goes.

To find a good spot.

That looks cool.

I think I got it you guys.

This was my first time taking a timelapse (at night)

so, I'm not really sure if I did it right.

But, luckily I'll be in Aya for a while still,

So, I'll have lots of time to practice.

I wanted to let you know

that we are planning a meetup in March right here in Aya.

Come hang out and sample some of the organic produce

with me.

I'll let you know the details about that in the next video

so make sure you're subscribed

if you're interested in knowing more

about the Japanese countryside.

See ya! (upbeat music)