Tokyo Weekender August 2016

GETAWAY GUIDE: CHIBA
THE WILD BEACH
While most people heading to
a beach in Chiba will be aiming
for Onjuku’s long stretch,
you can borrow bicycles from
Brown’s Field and cycle down
to Izumiura Bay in about 20
minutes. Perhaps not ideal for
sunbathing, the beach is often
windy, but this gives it a wild
element with crashing waves
not often seen near Tokyo. Cycle
through narrow back roads
and discover exquisitely kept
traditional homes, many of
which have their own private
rice paddies. Keep going, with
the ocean on your right-hand
side, and look for signs leading
you up a steep hill to Taito
Saki lighthouse. From here,
you can take in a bird’s-eye
view of the coastline, with the
60 km-long Kujukuri beach – a
surf hotspot – on your left.
YOU’LL NEVER SEE THIS MANY
STARS FROM YOUR TOKYO BALCONY
THE LUXURY RYOKAN
If you’d like your farm stay to be
a little more chic yet still traditional,
then turn your attention
to Jiji no Ie. In 2013, Brown and
Nakajima opened this six-bedroom
guesthouse that’s just a
short walk from the farm, and offers
tatami flooring, sliding shoji
doors, and a bathhouse in the garden
that you use privately with
your partner or family. Contrasting
beautifully with the old-fashioned
elements is a contemporary
styled dining area featuring
one large wooden table, where
Nakajima serves up gourmet
cuisine that’s mostly vegan but
sometimes includes local fish and
cheese. Enjoy a 10-course tasting
menu accompanied by unfiltered
sake and organic coffee.
Jiji no Ie costs ¥15,000 per night
per person, including breakfast
and dinner.
THE STARRY SKY
Surrounded by trees and rice paddies, Brown’s
Field farm is two acres of glorious nothingness.
You can spend ages just sitting on the wooden
deck of the farm’s Rice Terrace Café (left) watching
the two kid goats either basking in the sun or
balancing precariously on top of various perches.
Head across the green grass towards the woody
area at the bottom of the garden and enjoy an
outdoor foot massage or just an afternoon reading
in a hammock. Find the path through the bamboo
trees, out on to the road, and make your way past
a variety of interesting scarecrows down to Isumi
river for a waterside stroll. End your evening looking
up towards the sky, because you’ll never see
this many stars from your balcony in Tokyo.
For more information about Brown’s Field farm
visit brownsfield-jp.com
TOKYO WEEKENDER | AUGUST 2016 | 23