Much Ado about Mutti

So things have been a little tumultuous at my latest WWOOFing site – A pension (lodge) at Appi Kogen called Mutti. In a nutshell, I haven’t gotten along too well with the owner/manager – a woman who is strict, stubborn and doesn’t treat her WWOOFers with much respect or trust. The saving grace? A season lift pass that means I can go boarding every afternoon for free. And the solidarity I have felt with some other (Australian) WWOOFers here who feel the same way I do.

I have struggled for some time to write this post, because I don’t really want to fill my personal blog with a negative diatribe, but unfortunately I don’t have too much nice to write about my stay here.

WWOOFing with the Watanabes

So my first ever WWOOFing experience was with a family in Kochi prefecture who live high up in the mountains and run a small cattle farm. The Watanabe family were super kind to me from the beginning and I spent a wonderful week with them – learning all about taking care of cows and about life in a small mountain village. In fact, I don’t think you could even say they live in a village; while there are other houses around on the same mountain, it would take you around 5-10 minutes to drive between each one!

The Watanabe’s house, high up in the mountains

View from the Watanabe house, looking over the valley

On day one I arrived just before lunch and after some initial chit-chat with Mr. Watanabe and his daughter Tomoko, we were tasked with feeding the cows. The food consisted of some chaff, a small amount of salt, okara (tofu lees) and gluten, which we doled out separately to each cow, followed by some fresh cut mixed vegetation (grasses, weeds and the like). Then Tomoko and I headed up the road to the family’s log cabin, which also serves as a minshuku (Japanese bed and breakfast type inn) whenever guests book it, especially in the warmer months. Since there are no guests now (coming into winter), the family just use it as a lunch place, since it’s much closer to the farm than their actual house.

So Tomoko and I prepared lunch and then Mr. and Mrs. Watanabe (simply called ‘mum’ and ‘dad’ in Japanese) came to eat with us and relax for a while. Since it was our first real time together, we all had a great chat about all things Australian and Japanese. In the afternoon while mum and dad went back to the farm, Tomoko and I made yuzu (a type of tart Japanese citrus fruit) jam. After a short break for yuzu tea (made with some of the jam mixture and hot water), we too went back to the farm, and I helped mum scooping up cow pooh for about the next hour. And all this on the first day!

By then it was dark and time to head back to the house for baths and dinner, which we all enjoyed together (the food; not the bath!). Mr. and Mrs. Watanabe senior (‘grandma’ and ‘grandpa’), who are 90 and 95 years old, respectively, also live at the house, though do not participate in much conversation due to their old age and poor hearing.