Meet TOMOKA NISHIBE

TOMOKA NISHIBE – owner of Farm Inn Portulaca Nishibe.

How did you get involved with green tourism?

The central government encouraged residents to work on green tourism projects some 20 years ago. I’m a member of the women’s farmers group, and we came up with the idea to get people to try. The first three farmhouses started doing this about seven years later. The Shimanami Green Tourism group takes care of Oshima, Hakatashima, Omishima and the other small islands in the area.

You also tend to a farm where you grow mandarin orange, lemons and flowers. How do you find time to do everything?

My first priority is farming, so I make sure I take care of that first. There’s always something to do at the farm every day, even if it’s just clearing the grass. So especially during the busy harvest period, I may have to turn down some guests.

As part of the farm stay, you serve an elaborate dinner that includes kampachi fish carpaccio and various local
pecialties. Where did you learn to cook?

I learnt to make igisu tofu with seaweed, prawns and soya bean powder from my in-laws because it is a local dish. And I learnt how to make su dai zu, a dish made from soya bean and vinegar, from the seniors in the local group, but I improved on the recipe and even won a prize for it. The other dishes are very simple — I just use the freshest and best produce each season.

What are your goals for green tourism?

I’m looking forward to hosting more visitors from overseas. It will be good to have a booking system in place to help with that.