CHIBA, Sept. 24 — THE FARM, a farm resort in Katori, Chiba Prefecture, which offers services including vegetable harvesting activities, hot springs and glamping, has set on a second home business.
The firm plans to provide benefits for owners of the second homes, such as free vegetable harvest at the farm resort, so that they can experience farming lives.
By attracting more people from outside the region, the firm hopes to revitalize idle land and vacant houses.
The farm resort was established by Wago, a firm that processes and sells farm produce, in the city’s Nishitabe district in 2012 and has been operated by its affiliated company since 2016. It is a popular tourist spot which attracts 350,000 visitors a year.
When the facility opened, there were roughly 100 households in the district, but the number was reduced to less than half since then.
In an effort to utilize its restaurant and hot springs facilities as the district’s social infrastructure and encourage people to move in to the area, the farm resort launched the second home business in August.
It will offer proposals on the plots of land in the district and the types of houses to those wishing to build a second home.
Clients can choose from three types of cottages, including a single-story house and a two-story building, available at a price range of between 21 million yen and 37 million yen excluding land cost.
They can stay at the same types of cottages at the farm resort to get an idea of living in the district.
The hands-on experience to harvest more than 100 types of vegetables throughout the year at the farm resort is proving particularly popular among visitors. Those who sign a contract to buy a second home can harvest vegetables at the resort up to five times a month free of charge.
They can also use the resort’s bathing facilities, including its open-air bath and sauna, up to five times a month for free.
Regular maintenance of the second homes by a local company specializing in the service will also be available for a fee.
“The main purpose of the second home business is to return the favor for what we have been given by the district,” said Ayumu Tayama, an executive of THE FARM. “We hope to develop the business by cooperating with local firms and creating employment.”
Grande Cottage, the highest-grade cottage among the three types of second homes. The two-story building is priced at 37 million yen excluding tax and land cost. PHOTO COURTESY OF THE FARM