Outside of Tokyo, at the tiny organic farm Nahual Garden in Kamakura, Kanagawa Prefecture, a group of young professionals swap packets of seeds and horticultural advice over cups of freshly brewed lemongrass tea.
During the week, they work in a variety of fields — media, education, design — but, on weekends and holidays, they all become amateur farmers.
Across Japan, farming on the outskirts of major cities has become a favorite hobby among urbanites. According to the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, the number of shimin noen (city farm) plot rentals has increased three times in the last 15 years. While the majority of weekend farmers are interested in agriculture from a food perspective, rather than a lifestyle choice, there are several grass-roots and nonprofit organizations whose objectives transcend the gastronomic.