【FOCUS IT.] Zero luggage, zero inconvenience, zero additional cost: THE FARM Slow Mountain Narita offers the ideal nature experience.

Camping is certainly fun. On the other hand, there is a heavy price to pay for the fun. The day before, you have to worry about what tools to bring, and on the day of the camp, you have to carry heavy luggage, and setting up and taking down the site is hard work... THE FARM Slow Mountain Narita is an accommodation facility that removes these negative aspects of camping. The openness of spending time in nature, just like camping, is maintained, but the comfort is at the level of a hotel. For adults and children alike, this was the perfect playground.

Photo_Fumihiko Ikemoto
Edit_Marugoshi Kimura

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A new type of resort was born, eliminating only the "hassles" of camping.

The best part of camping is only making a fire and BBQ in nature. The selfish editorial staff wants to seek comfort in other areas. If possible, we want to sleep in a warm room with a soft bed and take a shower as much as possible. We don't even want to take our luggage with us (although some say that if that's the case, don't go camping).

This wish is fulfilled at THE FARM Slow Mountain Narita, an accommodation facility that opened on March 1 in Narita City, Chiba Prefecture.

Aren't you glamping?" Some people may think, "Isn't it glamping? But this is more like a hotel, where everything is high quality and comfortable. It's like an "outdoor hotel" if you will.

The reception building welcomes guests as soon as they pass through the gate. In this well-heated area, a free-flow corner has been set up. Coffee, tea, and soft drinks are available, as well as wine, beer, and other alcoholic beverages.

Let me reiterate. All of this is free (from 14:00 to 23:00). Strictly speaking, it is included in the room rate. Activities and meals, etc., as described below, are also all-inclusive. The fact that there are no extras other than the accommodation fee is also a feature of this facility.

The grounds resemble a single village in the midst of nature. The rooms and activity areas are scattered around a stream running through the center of the property.

From cottages with sauna to small comfortable tents.

Next, let us introduce you to the guest rooms. There are two main types of rooms available: cottages and tents.

Standard type cottage with 13 rooms. The number of guests can be up to 5 people.

Wooden deck connected to the indoor space. It is separated from the outdoors by a transparent curtain. Meals are served here.

Maisonette suites are on two floors. The living room is spacious.

Private sauna attached to the maisonette suite. A water bath (Jacuzzi) and outdoor chairs are also available.

There are four types of cottages, large and small, all with bathrooms and toilets.

The single-story standard type has two double beds. The huge maisonette suites, with a maximum capacity of 10 people, are equipped with five king beds on the first and second floors. Moreover, the maisonette suites even come with a sauna. And of course, a water bath. You can go with a large group and enjoy a private sauna. Room rates start at 116,360 yen per room, which is not cheap, but if everyone stays together, it is quite inexpensive. The price includes all-you-can-drink drinks, meals, and a sauna.

There are a total of 20 guest rooms using Nordisk tents.

The tent has everything you need. Electricity outlets, etc. are available.

Tent rooms offer a more direct experience of nature. Every tent has a large terrace, and the tents are fully equipped with air conditioning and beds. Also, even though the tents are tents, they are insanely large, so they are not cramped at all.

There are no shower rooms in the tents, but there is a shower building next to the reception area. Each tent has separate booths, so there is no need to use a shower room after someone else has entered. This is a very nice consideration for those who are fastidious about hygiene.

Of course, amenities such as towels and shampoo are provided, and even toothbrushes are included. Toilets are shared, but they have warm toilet seats, washlets, and hot water. This is a hotel.

Enjoy a bonfire & BBQ experience with nothing.

Everyone loves bonfires, and all rooms are equipped with FIRESIDE's "Tipi," which allows you to use as much firewood as you like.

The origami-style fire pit is really beautiful, and the smoke is not smoky because it is vented above. Normally, my clothes would smell like smoke after a camping trip, but because of this fire pit, there was no smell at all the next day.

Now for the greatest pleasure, the meals, which are prepared in a do-it-yourself style.

All rooms have Weber BBQ grills, and you can grill or heat up the food brought to you by the staff. There are two BBQ menus to choose from, depending on the season. At the time of the facility's opening, the lineup includes Asian BBQ and American BBQ.

We ordered American BBQ that day and were served a large steak, garlic shrimp, chicken jambalaya, and more food than we could eat. The food that I had bought for the event was not enough.

Two types of breakfast are available: Japanese breakfast, which consists mainly of omusubi, and Western breakfast, which consists mainly of sandwiches.

By the way. Instant foods such as cup noodles and snacks are allowed. Please note that items that require cooking are basically prohibited.

With a variety of activities utilizing nature and the latest technology, there is never a dull moment.

Children, in particular, cannot sit still. They want to move around. There are five activities to choose from, and if you want to enjoy them all, a day is not enough time. Here are just a few of them.

In the spacious greenhouses, visitors can enjoy the experience of strawberry harvesting throughout the year. Carrots, spinach, and radishes are also growing in the field in front of the farm. By this time next year, it will be possible to experience harvesting carrots and green onions. You can enjoy food education at the camp.

The "Dinosaur AR Shooting Game," which is played using a special smartphone and gun, is quite a serious game, although you would think it was for children, and even adults are inadvertently immersed in it. While strolling around the site, spot the dinosaurs and shoot them with a gun. Kids are sure to have a blast.

The most popular activity in the facility is an outdoor athletic activity named "Aerial Adventure. Participants wear harnesses and helmets to clear obstacles such as ropes and bridges set atop wooden posts.

There are five courses of varying difficulty, with the highest course reaching 10 meters, so if you look down, you will not be able to avoid a wobble. The zipline at the end of the course has a maximum length of 100 m. The kids' course for preschoolers is safe and secure, with a minimum height of 60 cm above the ground.

There are also lawn slides and river play, and you will be exhausted after experiencing all of them. But don't worry. If you get tired, you can sleep on the soft beds, and if you get sweaty, you can clean yourself off in the shower room.

No more tiring preparation and cleanup. A new way to spend nature.

Numerous hassles that are unavoidable in conventional camping. Selecting and preparing gear the day before, transporting luggage, setting up after arrival, the labor of cooking and cleaning up, and then taking down the gear on the way home and cleaning up after you get home. It is not uncommon to be exhausted before and after what is supposed to be a day of enjoying nature.

What THE FARM Slow Mountain Narita offers is a pure nature experience that removes all such troublesome elements, and is a luxurious time. Visitors can literally come here "by themselves. Everything is here.

Some of you may feel guilty and say, "How can I have so much fun?" Some may even feel guilty. But this is not just a labor-saving measure; it is a new option for modern people.

I think it is a wise choice to make the most of the very limited time off and to spend a truly fulfilling time.