He left Tokyo to open a Japanese inn and sake brewery in the countryside

July 30, 2026 - 02:42

Goki Akuzawa traded a high-pressure finance career in Tokyo for a life of rice terraces, sake brewing, and rural hospitality. He now runs a guesthouse and small sake brewery in a depopulated area of Japan, breathing new life into abandoned farmland.

Akuzawa left the city behind to restore centuries-old rice terraces that had fallen into disuse. He did not just want to grow rice. He wanted to create something that connected people to the land. His guesthouse offers visitors a chance to stay in a traditional Japanese inn, or ryokan, while his brewery produces small-batch sake using locally grown rice.

The move was not easy. The first years were spent learning skills he never needed in an office: repairing irrigation channels, planting by hand, and understanding the delicate fermentation process of sake. But Akuzawa says the work gives him a sense of purpose he never found in corporate life.

His project is part of a quiet trend in Japan, where younger people leave crowded cities to revive dying villages. By combining tourism with traditional agriculture, he hopes to make the area sustainable again. He also wants to show that rural life can be a viable choice, not just a nostalgic dream.

Today, his inn attracts travelers looking for an authentic experience, and his sake has gained a following among those who appreciate craft drinks. For Akuzawa, the real reward is seeing the terraces full of water again, reflecting the sky.