At Mobility Resort Motegi in Motegi, Haga District, Tochigi Prefecture, various outdoor activities are available.
Among them, there was an activity called "Satoyama Chibikko Adventure - Playing in the Rice Field" where you can get completely muddy in the rice field and have fun.
We will now share our experience participating in this activity.
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 explained in detail about 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, our destination for today, have been preserved since ancient times and are carefully managed by dedicated staff. At the terraced rice fields, there are activities such as rice planting in spring and rice harvesting in autumn. As we continued on, we arrived at the rice fields.
In the terraced rice fields of Hachoutonbo, rice is planted in many fields, but there are also areas called fallow fields that are not cultivated and are used as habitats for living creatures. This activity will take place in one of these fallow fields. The participants eagerly entered the rice fields! On a sunny day like today, snakes may come out to warm themselves in the sun, so we must be careful as we enter the fields.
Participants were enjoying playing in the muddy rice fields with a happy expression. About 10 minutes after the start, they were completely covered in mud!
In addition, 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 completely covered in mud. It's great to be able to get absorbed in nature with your family.
There is another fallow field, and we will move there next time. This rice field has a different texture from the previous one, with a soft texture like fine mud.
Here, we also had the experience of searching for living creatures with a net. We were able to catch living creatures such as frogs and loaches that are not often seen in the city.
Finally, a relay race with everyone! It's a competition to see which team can connect the relay the fastest through the muddy rice fields.
There were some children who fell, but everyone had a blast getting covered in mud.
After enjoying activities in the rice fields for about an hour, we will return to the entrance of Hello Woods by lightly washing our feet in the water.
After the activities are over, you can rent a shower room and clean off all the mud before going home. Each shower room is a private room with a curtain for privacy.
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, there are few opportunities to see rice fields, so by immersing yourself in the natural environment of soil and mud, you can experience many things such as texture, materials, smells, and air.
It can also be said that this is a great opportunity to move your whole body with all your might.
We received satisfied voices from the children who participated, saying "It was fun" and "It felt good".
Since it is an activity that you cannot experience in your daily life, if you are interested, please check out the activity page!
Click here for activity details >>