Experience the "Satoyama Chibikko Adventure - Getting Dirty in the Rice Fields" activity.
At Mobility Resort Motegi in Motegi Town, Haga District, Tochigi Prefecture, various outdoor activities are available for enjoyment.
Among them, an activity called "Satoyama Chibikko Adventure Team ~Getting Muddy in the Rice Fields~" was held, where participants can have fun getting thoroughly muddy in the rice fields.
This time, I will share the experience of participating.
I actually experienced "Satoyama Chibikko Adventure Team ~Mud in the Rice Field~"!
First, we will gather at Hello Woods, the meeting place, and introduce ourselves with the staff and participants. We will then listen carefully to the precautions from the staff. After that, we will all head to the Hatcho Tonbo terraced rice fields! The weather forecast for the day was rain, but it turned out to be a nice sunny day. As it was hot, we made sure to have drinks in the cooler box provided by the staff and headed to our destination.
On the way there, the staff gave a detailed explanation about nature, including the history of Hello Woods, where the water in the rice fields comes from, and how this mountain was formed. For example, the terraced rice fields at Mobility Resort Motegi, which is today's destination, have been preserved for a long time. Dedicated staff carefully maintain the environment and continue to manage it with great care. At the terraced rice fields, activities such as rice planting experience in spring and rice harvesting experience in autumn are also held every year. Before we knew it, we arrived at the rice fields.
At the Hatcho Tonbo terraced rice fields, many of the rice paddies are planted with rice, but some areas are left uncultivated as fallow fields to serve as habitats for living creatures. This activity uses these fallow fields. The participants immediately entered the rice paddies! On sunny days like today, snakes sometimes come out into the sun to warm their bodies. Everyone enters the rice paddies with plenty of caution.
The participants seemed to be enjoying playing in the mud in the rice fields comfortably. About 10 minutes after starting, they were covered in mud from head to toe!
Additionally, the staff provided balls and sleds, so you can enjoy playing in the mud in various ways. On this day, there were many families, and parents and children were covered in mud from head to toe. It's great to be able to fully immerse yourself in a nature experience with your family.
There is another fallow field, and this time we move to that one. This rice field has a different texture from the previous one, with a soft texture like fine mud.
In this rice field, we also experienced searching for creatures by rustling with nets. We were able to catch creatures such as frogs and loaches, which are rarely seen in the city.
Finally, everyone participated in a relay race! It was a competition to see which team could pass the baton fastest through the muddy rice paddies.
Some children fell down, but everyone got thoroughly muddy and enjoyed themselves.
And so, we enjoyed about an hour of activities in the rice paddies. After this, we lightly rinsed our feet with water and returned to the entrance of Hello Woods.
After the activity, you can use the shower rooms to clean off the mud before heading home. Each shower room is a private room, and there are partition curtains installed inside each room.
It is recommended to bring a change of clothes for the entire body as clothes may get dirty. Families who have actually participated have said, "We were able to wear clothes that we didn't mind getting dirty." If you do not have clothes that you don't mind getting dirty, it may be a good idea to participate in swimwear or something similar.
In the city, opportunities to even see rice fields are rare, so by immersing yourself in natural environments like soil and mud, you can sense many things such as textures, materials, smells, and the air.
Also, this is a great opportunity to move your whole body to the fullest, isn't it?
Children who participated expressed their satisfaction with comments like "It was fun" and "It felt great."
Since this is an activity that is hard to experience in everyday life, if you are interested, be sure to check the activity page!
Details of the activities here >>
