Shizukuishi, Iwate Pref. ¨C A paradoxical pleasure of living in Tokyo¡¯s unending metropolis is the minor sense of bliss you get whenever you travel beyond it.
After a two-hour shinkansen from Tokyo Station, I arrive at Iwate Prefecture¡¯s Morioka Station, where I¡¯m whisked into a complimentary shuttle. Despite being the second-largest Japanese prefecture (after Hokkaido), Iwate has the country¡¯s second-lowest population density. The drive out to my accommodation in mid-May passes through verdant forests, flower fields and dairy farms, with the looming, snow-capped Mount Iwate completing the idyllic landscape ¡ª it all hits me like a breath of fresh air.
Nestled in this counterpoint to Japan¡¯s urban sprawl is Azuma Farm Koiwai.
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