A New Wave of Purpose-Driven Travel Through Rice Farming

Rice Farming Opportunities for Travelers in Asia Offer a Lending Hand and Keep Tradition Alive

NEW YORK, NY, UNITED STATES, June 3, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- With the demand of off-the-beaten-path travel, volunteerism, and destination immersion on the rise, “rural upskilling” has emerged among these hands-on journeys. Rural upskilling shapes a new travel movement, turning touristic consumption on its head, generating a more active participation in local societies that keep their traditional, pre-industrial skills alive and reshaping the idea of voluntourism. Opportunities in Asia with Hotel Indigo Bali Seminyak Beach and Walk Japan’s Community Project allow travelers to get on the ground and assist, while taking home a particularly unique skill: rice farming.

Satiating the mind, body, and spirit, rice and its cultivation have sustained the human race since nearly 5000 BC. Linked to fertility, gods and goddesses, abundance, and prosperity, the tiny five-millimeter grain plays a crucial role in history. The process of rice farming is not just a labor-intensive process, but a culturally-intensive one that must be kept alive and respected the way it was 7000 years ago. Unfortunately, rice farms are often located in less-populated rural areas of Asia. As the farmers grow older and their children move away, no one is left behind to farm, which can also directly impact their local communities’ food supply.

It is fundamental and foundational for various cultures around the world, deeply respected and celebrated--one day of Chinese New Year festivities is dedicated solely to rice. In Japan, children are taught to eat every grain of rice, because each grain contains Seven Gods of Fortune and one must not risk their luck by angering the gods. Leaving just two grains of rice behind is considered disrespectful to the farmers and resources and will also attract 14 angry gods.

An activation at Hotel Indigo Bali Seminyak Beach is a rice field planting program based in the Mengwi area. The hotel team works together with local farmers to cultivate the rice fields, with an end purpose being able to donate parts of the cultivation to foundations in need, help support local farmers, and preserve the region's agricultural heritage. This program is crafted as a hands-on experience where guests can participate in traditional Balinese farming practices. As a result of three visits this year (planting, maintaining, and harvesting), the program was able to produce 300kg of rice that have now been distributed to local Balinese orphanages.

Additionally, the pioneer of off-the-beaten-path walking tours in Japan, Walk Japan invites travelers to experience the essence of rural Japanese culture and tradition through its small-size walking tours across the country’s four main islands. Guests learn and practice skills that awaken the five senses through its tactical experiences, aligning with the company's emphasis on giving back and keeping rural Japanese culture alive. Their Community Project invites travelers to tack on time during their trip to lend a true helping hand to the communities and allow locals to impart their own wisdom upon visitors. As the population grows older, farmers can no longer tend to their land the same way.

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About Walk Japan:
Established in 1992, Walk Japan is an independently owned and managed walking tour company that enlightens and enriches its guests on walking tours through many less-travelled regions of Japan, from Hokkaido in the nation’s far north to Okinawa in its far south. Walk Japan’s pioneering tours evolved from study trips run by two Hong Kong University academics, and since then, Walk Japan’s Tour Leaders have guided many tens of thousands of people from around the world through Japan’s natural beauty, history, society and culture that is otherwise often difficult to access and fully appreciate.

About Hotel Indigo^®:
Just as no places are alike, no two Hotel Indigo properties are alike. Each Hotel Indigo draws inspiration from the local neighborhood, culture and popular trends in food, drink and design to create a warm and vibrant atmosphere. Our hotels provide a gateway to discover and explore some of the world’s most inspiring cities and neighborhoods. For more information, visit www.hotelindigo.com.

Claire Strother
Imagine PR
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