Japanese Farm Life

Photo © Fredrika Stjärne

California-born cookbook author Nancy Singleton Hachisu found love with a Japanese farmer. Here, a glimpse into the couple's rural, farm-to-table life.

Start Slideshow

1 of 20

Sake Cups

Photo © Fredrika Stjärne

Nancy Singelton Hachisu's colorful collection of sake cups is as beautiful as it is functional.

Treasured: Tadashi Ono's Ceramics

2 of 20

Pickle Barrels

Photo © Fredrika Stjärne

Nancy tends to the fermentation and pickling pots she keeps by her well.

How to Make Pickles

3 of 20

Nancy and Tadaaki

Photo © Fredrika Stjärne

"I found love in a form of a Japanese farmer," Nancy says of her husband, Tadaaki.

Farm to Table Recipes

4 of 20

Tableware

Photo © Fredrika Stjärne

The Hachisus' rustic tableware includes lacquered spoons and colorful chopsticks.

Heritage: Vintage Wine Country Tableware

5 of 20

Kamikawa, Japan

Photo © Fredrika Stjärne

Clouds roll through the town of Kamikawa, where the Hachisus live.

Japanese Recipes

6 of 20

Weeding

Photo © Fredrika Stjärne

Tadaaki weeds the daikon field.

Radish Recipes

7 of 20

Barracuda

Photo © Fredrika Stjärne

Nancy air-dries whole barracuda, a flaky, white-fleshed fish.

Smoked Foods

8 of 20

Sake

Photo © Fredrika Stjärne

Sake, Japan's fermented rice beverage, often graces the Hachisus' table.

Chefs' Favorite Cocktails

9 of 20

Books

Photo © Fredrika Stjärne

The Hachisus' wooden staircase does double duty as a bookcase.

Best Books for Food Lovers

10 of 20

Salted Cucumbers

Photo © Fredrika Stjärne

"A trip to the fields yields juicy cucumbers and other vegetables that almost cook themselves," Nancy says.

Cucumber Recipes

11 of 20

Blistered Shishito Peppers with Miso

Go to Recipe

Finger-long and typically mild (one in 10 is spicy), shishito peppers are sautéed, simmered, grilled and eaten raw all over Japan in the summer. This charred version from Tadaaki Hachisu gets a salty, earthy, spicy hit from brown rice miso and fresh ginger.

Bell Pepper Recipes

12 of 20

Cooking Rice

Photo © Fredrika Stjärne

Tadaaki cooks rice with friends.

One-Bowl Rice Dishes

13 of 20

A Well-Laid Table

Photo © Fredrika Stjärne

For a salad to go with thick-cut pork shoulder, Nancy tosses onion, cherry tomatoes and green pepper with soy sauce.

100 Best Recipes Ever: Salads

14 of 20

Tomato, Onion and Green Pepper Salad with Shiso

Photo © Fredrika Stjärne

Go to Recipe

Although this blend of raw tomatoes, paper-thin onion and mild green peppers seems Italian, it’s a common mix for Japanese farm families. Instead of the usual squirt of mayonnaise, Nancy Singleton Hachisu drizzles on an Asian vinaigrette.

Tomato Recipes

15 of 20

Mizuna Salad with Kumquats

Go to Recipe

In this refreshing modern Japanese salad, spicy mizuna greens are brightened with aromatic sliced kumquats and yuzu juice.

Recipes for Greens

16 of 20

Quick Soy-Pickled Zucchini

Zucchini is relatively new to Japan, but Japanese farmers have started growing them alongside native chayote, bitter melons and other vine vegetables. Nancy slices the summer squash and tosses it with umami-packed shoyu koji, a sweet-salty condiment made with soy sauce and rice, to make a zingy quick pickle.

Zucchini Recipes

17 of 20

Tasting Sake with Guests

"I soon learned some of the family rules: The house must be wiped clean once a day; the fields must be kept weed-free; and someone should always be at home to accept drop-in visitors," Nancy says.

Party Dishes: Tasty Snacks

18 of 20

Linens

Stacks of colorful table linens find a temporary home on the Hachisus' antique wooden chairs.

A New Kitchen's Vintage Style

19 of 20

Citrus

Colorful citrus fruits in various stages of ripeness at the Hachisu farmstead.

Citrus Recipes

20 of 20

Figs

Fresh figs pair with cool ice cream for a natural, not-too-sweet dessert.

Fig Recipes

Replay gallery

Your Profile

Japanese Farm Life

1 of 20

Sake Cups

1 of 20

2 of 20

Pickle Barrels

2 of 20

3 of 20

Nancy and Tadaaki

3 of 20

4 of 20

Tableware

4 of 20

5 of 20

Kamikawa, Japan

5 of 20

6 of 20

Weeding

6 of 20

7 of 20

Barracuda

7 of 20

8 of 20

Sake

8 of 20

9 of 20

Books

9 of 20

10 of 20

Salted Cucumbers

10 of 20

11 of 20

Blistered Shishito Peppers with Miso

11 of 20

12 of 20

Cooking Rice

12 of 20

13 of 20

A Well-Laid Table

13 of 20

14 of 20

Tomato, Onion and Green Pepper Salad with Shiso

14 of 20

15 of 20

Mizuna Salad with Kumquats

15 of 20

16 of 20

Quick Soy-Pickled Zucchini

16 of 20

17 of 20

Tasting Sake with Guests

17 of 20

18 of 20

Linens

18 of 20

19 of 20

Citrus

19 of 20

20 of 20

Figs

20 of 20

Share the Gallery

Up Next

Share the Gallery