Did you know that in the former Maki-cho, now Nishikamaku, there is an activity called Makidokimura, where people work in the fields every Sunday morning, cook breakfast and eat it together? The catchphrase is "The best breakfast of your life".

This community was started in 1999 by Mr Takuji Nishida of the NPO Heroes Farm. This year marks the 16th year of the so-called 'original morning activity'.

On Sunday 27 April, I was able to attend.

The place is Fukui village in Nishigama-ku, Niigata City. They are allowed to use an old private house there, the former headman Sato House of Fukui, every time. The old house with a magnificent thatched roof is protected by the local preservation society.

On the day of the tour, we will get up at 4:30 am and meet in front of JR Uchino Station at 5:30 am to drive to the 'Fukui Old Headman Sato House'. Those who know where to go can just arrive at the Sato House at 6:00am.

Arrived at the former Fukui headman Sato's house at around 06:00. At this point, eight people including myself had gathered. Rubbing our sleepy eyes, we first lit the fire on the hearth. Everyone was very experienced and began to burn cedar leaves, branches and firewood. Apparently, the hearth here does not burn charcoal, but wood directly.

While the men are lighting the fire on the hearth, one of them starts grinding rice in the cooking area. Even though it is an old house, it has electricity, gas and running water, so I thought they would be cooking rice in a rice cooker, but to my surprise...

現役の釜が！釜炊きごはんですよ！囲炉裏に釜に、本当は不便なんだけれど、なんだか逆に贅沢に感じてしまいます。

Once all the preparations were done, "Well, shall we go to the fields now?" and everyone moved to the field.

In fact, they planted potatoes last Sunday and had nothing special to do that day. However, they were considerate to us first-timers and decided to let us do some work.

In the crisp morning air, participants walk along the farm road to the field.

The surrounding area is rich in rural nature.

新潟市周辺の田植え時期といえばゴールデンウィーク。一週間後に迫った田植え。苗も大きく育ってハウスに保管されていました。

In such a peaceful landscape, it took only a few minutes to reach the field on foot while everyone was talking.

One field that has been completely weeded and ploughed. Potatoes are planted in the two swells in the front. Of course, they won't sprout in a week.

In the meantime, we decided that it would be a shame not to do something, so we weeded the roadside footpaths.

I was lent a pair of gloves and a sickle to zap the soil. Touching the soil for the first time in a long time made me feel nostalgic. I am from the countryside in Nagano Prefecture, but when I was in primary and junior high school, we often had to work in the fields in class, and I remember being absorbed in weeding and watering the crops. Once you become a working adult, it's not so easy to have such opportunities.

The location is good and overlooks the Kambara Plain. Mount Kakuda and Mount Yahiko are close by on one side.

Well, weeding was only on a small footpath, and as it was a large group, it was over in no time. It seems that there will be more work to be done when we start growing vegetables in earnest, but on this day we decided to take a stroll around the Fukui village and return to the Sato family.

Traditional rural landscape.

In the midst of all this, a work from the Water and Soil Art Festival.

福井地区を流れる矢垂川。自然を守るような形で整備されていて、すごくいい雰囲気です。夏にはホタルが沢山飛び交うのだとか！別名「ほたるの里」。う～ん、6月には見に来よう！

During the walk, I was surprised to see a place with many doors on the mountainside! This used to be the village storehouse and was used for various purposes in the days when there were no fridges. It is still in use today, with taro seeds being stored here. It had an amazing atmosphere.

And then came the direct sales point!

A farmer's grandmother sells fresh vegetables at this shop, and it is a tradition in Makidoki Village to drop by here every week. The shop is only open on Sunday mornings, and the reason Makidoki Village's activities are on Sundays is that "we coincide with the days when this direct sales shop is open". 'At first we were just doing farm work, but the pickles here were so good that we decided to have breakfast as well' (Nishida).

I was given a sample of pickles and oyster cakes by an old lady. She said to me, "You're a newcomer, aren't you?" So the Makidoki Village members are already familiar with each other.

What a surprise, my grandma gave me a bookmark she made herself! Hmmm... now I can get on with my reading!

Around 8:00 (?) with various side trips like that. I returned home to the Sato family. I usually skip breakfast. But on this day, I moved around from the morning and was starving!

By breakfast time, there were 12 people in the group, including those who joined during the day. Each person immediately starts cooking. The person in charge of lighting the kettle and cooking the rice.

お味噌汁やおかずを皆手分けして作り始めます。

Everyone was a hard worker, finding some role and moving around. I just cut tomatoes and mostly just hung around watching everyone (laughs).

The venue, the former headman Sato House in Fukui, is not only a room with a sunken hearth. It is quite spacious and has a garden, which is extremely relaxing. It seems to have become an indispensable base for the community, used as a community centre and for events with large gatherings.

一度はこの古民家も取り壊しの話があったそうですが、地元の人の尽力によって残って今も地域で支えているそう。こういう場は私達みたいな若者も、もっと利用したり、協力したりしてずっと残していきたいと思います。

古民家をうろうろしていると、朝ごはんが出来上がってきました！ご飯、お味噌汁、いろいろと調理された野菜。

 お肉はないけれど、なんとも贅沢な朝ごはん！囲炉裏を囲んで皆で車座になって。ゆっくりと朝ごはん。

In our busy daily lives, we don't often get to relax, enjoy breakfast and talk about it. We get out of that routine and work the fields together, walk, cook and eat together. I didn't realise how luxurious it is to do just that!

I had a rich Sunday, which was somehow nourishing to my soul.

On this day, Makidoki Village had to clear out before 10:00 as there was a big event in Iwamuro and here in Fukui at the Sato family's house at 10:00. Normally we seem to go more slowly. Even so, it's only 10am after working so hard all morning! I used to sleep in twice or thrice on holiday mornings, but I was glad to have woken up early from the bottom of my heart.

The Fukui area of Nishigama-ku is only 30 minutes by car from central Niigata. It is a great attraction of Niigata that you can enjoy the rural scenery in just 30 minutes. Why not experience a rural village experience that people in Tokyo would envy at Makidoki Village?

• Makidoki Village Facebook group:https://www.facebook.com/groups/162407573931639/