Welcome to the Earth Embassy!
After two hours of bus transport, I found myself the sole passenger dropped off on the side of a two lane highway in the middle of the woods. It was late and the day’s light was beginning to fade. I literally walked through a cloud, following vague directions towards the farm. Through the heavy snowfall I spotted a few signs in English… Solar Café… Closed!?!? The last bus of the day had long since sped off, and feared the worst: stranded in a foreign country’s wilderness with no shelter as frozen water fell and accumulated. 
I pressed onwards toward the building. Through the front window were the shadows a lone figure. Whew… I won’t have to break out that foil emergency blanket I packed. Pulling open the door, I walked in and announced “Hello, I’m Adam.” He responded. “Hello, I’m Adam. I’m from New York. Where are you from?”
He proceed to explain that the chef was on vacation, and due to the recent rain and snow there has been no farm work or guests in the ryokan (Japanese style hotel room). After an hour Jake showed up and introduced himself as the owner. Jake is also from New York. Two Adam’s volunteering at a farm in Japan… and all three of us hailing from the north-east USA!! Surreal?!? This truly is a small world.
This place has a great vibe. The café has a stage loaded with instruments. We played a bit of music and had a few hours of great conversation. Jake and Adam are both really down to earth. I can tell I’m really going to enjoy working with them for the next couple of months.
There are no guests now, so I was able to sleep in the ryokan for the night. My normal accommodation would either be in the tree house or teepee. Awesome!!
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Tags: - Transport & Travel, Asia, Farm, Fuji, Japan, Japan: Yamanashi, Snow
Adam Shane
the ryokan looks sick, just watch out for huge american eating bugs….. they exist!nrnriim happy to see your travels starting well, may the rest be up to par.nrkeep taking photos!nrnr-george
Looks like a really cool place man…if I am lucky enough to make it to Japan I will keep it in mind. Let the adventures begin!