TOCHIGI field trip!? Copse, not corps :)

I was away from Tokyo this weekend, enjoying a day at
tradional coppieced woodland, ZOKIBAYASHI, in Tochigi prefecture.
Weekend traffic out of Tokyo has increased due to the weekend highway
toll discount. Doube-edged sword, indeed.

Our destination was Tochigi-ken, Nasu-gun, Nakagawa-machi
(栃木県那須郡那珂川町) where ZOKIBAYASHI is still conserved.

The scenery as well as the people there made my heart warm.
Homemade food like riceballs(ONIGIRI),vegetable pickles with KOJI,
YUZU confit, MISO soup with lot of goodies(KENCHINJIRU), KONNYAKU,
etc etc was served and that, made my tummy warm as well!
 Rice was just harvested rice(SHINMAI), with red beans and chestnuts.
The rice was sticky rice, was awesome.

If you feel trapped in Tokyo, try spending a day in untouristy rural areas!
Need help? Drop me a line :)