Greeting

Makino, where I live, is rich in nature. Initially I had merely had a vague feeling of it, but as I started research on the plants on Mount Akasaka behind my house about 25 years ago, I gradually came to realize how richly my hometown was endowed with nature. My research in the area afterwards expanded further to other fields, such as local climate, culture and history, all of which interested and fascinated me. I had been sharing those appeals of Makino with visitors through NPO activities, and after retirement, I renovated my house into an inn to welcome guests and share great memories with them through experience-based activities. (In fact, the house used to be used as an inn until my junior-high school days!) To pass the area’s bountiful nature to our next generations, I would like many people to visit my inn, feel wonderful nature in Makaino’s satoyama, mountains, rivers and Lake Biwa with me, and enjoy local specialties including rice and vegetables I grew!