Please come visit the ALL NEW Earth Embassy website and blog.

We will be updating the new site with news and photos regularly.

Be sure to change this bookmark, as we will be phasing out this existing blog and bringing you all of our new news on the new new site.

http://www.earthembassy.org/earth-embassys/new-blog/

We had our 4th wedding at the Solar Cafe this weekend. Our old friends Mr and Mrs Nagashima brought over 100 friends and family to our farm for the weekend. Despite a brief squall just as the bride was about to walk the candle lit aisle, the wedding was a beautiful affair and we were honored they chose to have it with us.

This year's crop of eggplant is our best ever! The marigolds help keep away the moths and nematodes. Tonight we feasted on eggplants marinated in garlic and roasted over a pine fire. Mmmmmmm.

Ok, we used a little fossil fuel for this one, but the pizza plates we are making are 100% home grown. We had to cut a pine tree behind the cafe because it was too close to the roof. SO instead of just making firewood, we cut a few new pizza plates. The wood gives the crust the slightest hint of pine flavor. You have to taste it to believe it! Delicious.

Our three years of planting, weeding and tending our raspberry canes have paid off. This year we ate lots of fresh berries, made jam, shakes, and a couple sweet raspberry cakes. This fall we will be harvesting the leaves and adding them to a mixed tea with our mint. The raspberry leaves have certain medicinal properties for women's cycles especially.

Basil Cake? Probably ours is not the first in the world, but maybe the best. The Solar Cafe farm is full of basil these days. Natsuco has been making an amazing Pesto with peanuts. We have plenty of baby basil in pots for guests to take home too.

You have to eat this pie to believe it! The wild mulberries trees around the cafe are in season and our team has been picking them everyday. The apples are from Tomeko Miura's trees in Nagano. And the crust is our original Vegan whole wheat crust (really crispy and not too oily). This is actually a healthy pie!

Our wild mulberries are natural farming, permaculture and bio-dynamic farming at it best. The area around the Earth Embassy used to be used for growing mulberry leaves for local silk production and the trees have been growing here for hundreds of years. We use no chemical or machines and the trees simple grow wild on the edges of our fields, providing homes and food for insects and birds as well as giving us jam and a freezer full of berries for our shakes and cakes throughout the year. The jam goes great on Emiko's fresh Irish Soda Breads too!

We have started baking Emiko's amazing Irish Soda Bread every week and our new little bread shop "Chikyu No Panya" and plant nursery is open for business. Fresh breads available every weekend. Try the Oregano or Cinnamon Raisin and you will never go back to white bread. The shop also has all types of plants in pots for your home garden or balcony; raspberries, mint, basil, oregano, dill and more....

The snow on Mt. Fuji is just about gone and our fields are in full green. Hope you will come by the cafe and try our fresh green salads from the garden!

After 8 years of little by little, this year our shop is finally full home-made goods from our team. Kanda-sans little organic rice farm has grown and he is now offering packs of 7 grain rice and black rice in the shop. Miho's Ramon tree nuts from her small naitve women's fair-trade cooperative in Guatemala, are now branded in Japan as MayaNuts, and her NGO Tierra Madre is selling the flour for baking all over Japan. The proceeds help buy and protect native forests. Come try MayaNuts cake with local wild honey at the cafe! The wild honey is harvested by Izuru's dad in Kawaguchiko, also in packs with honey combs in our shop. Shoko's home spun neon hats still available. And her latest, Thai Fisherman style pants, made from old kimonos. Some of the silk is actual gold obi material her grandfather wove years ago. Classic.

Jeannie wanted to get the gang together for something special on her birthday, so we were flattered when she asked Emiko to do a special vegetarian Mexican lunch spread, Solar Cafe style. The hot fajitas with a spicy mint salsa were the hit of the day. Mike obviously had a little too much hot sauce on his!!
After lunch all went strawberry picking and horseriding.

Contact Emi for events, weddings, birthdays, etc. 090-8004-5952

Earth Embassy's Mint Tea is HERE! 地球大使館のミントティーはこちらです！

At long last, after 3 years of planting, planning, pruning and preparing, we proudly offer our 100%, All-natural, no-chemical mint grown on MT Fuji in Yamanashi. Our mellow mix of white peppermint and spearmint make for a smooth tea, hot or iced, and the special apple mint we add is so sweet you wont need sugar!

ついに、植栽、計画、準備中の3年後の剪定と、誇らしげに、当社の100 ％、すべての自然を提供する化学ミント富士山の山梨県で栽培。ホワイトペパーミントとスペアミントのまろやかなミックス当社の円滑な紅茶、ホットまたはアイスで、私たちを追加して、特別なリンゴミントwont必要があるので、砂糖は甘い！

We would like to tell you it is Organic, but we cant as the word is certified by the government and the inspection and registration will cost us about $3000. SO until then, you'll have to take our wrod for it, its darn good!

Available by mail-order in 10 tea bag packages. Contact us for pricing and ordering info. info@earthembassy.org Tel. (81) 0-90-9346-3774

私たちは有機なのかわかりますしたいと思いますが、その言葉は、政府と私どもの検査とregisrtationによって認定されている価格は約￥30,000をカント。それまでのSO 、あなたはそれを私たちのwrodを取る必要があるでしょう、そのせい良い！

メールで使用可能な- 10ティーバッグのパッケージでご注文ください。お問い合わせ価格や情報発注。電話info@earthembassy.org 。 （ 81 ） 0-90-9346-3774

Here is a little sample of one of our home grown, all home cooked meals. The eggplant and goya tempura is from our greenhouse in the mint field. Goya or "bitter melon" is a zuchini like veggie thought to be one of the secrets of Okinawan long life. The peach and fresh mint salad is one of Emiko's original recipes. Our multi-grain rice this year comes from our friend Kanda-san's organic paddies in nearby Kofu. And all of the greens and salad are from our field. Hope to see you up here soon for a meal....
reservations at 0555-85-3329 or online at www.earthembassy.org

ここのもうひとつのホームの成長の小さなサンプルですが、すべての家庭料理の食事。ゴヤは、ナスと天ぷらは、ミントの分野で当社の温室ではない。ゴヤや" 苦瓜"野菜のような一zuchini沖縄の長寿の秘訣だと考えられている。ピーチミントは、新鮮なサラダを一恵美子のオリジナルレシピです。私たちの多神田今年の我々の友人から来る米粒さんの有機水田の近くの甲府。とすべての緑のサラダを私たちのフィールドからです。ここに、すぐに食事を希望....を見て www.earthembassy.orgで0555-85-3329またはオンラインで予約

This year we have had a great crop in the fields on Mt Fuji. Pictured here are some cucumbers, mini pear tomatoes, turnips, soy beans, peppers, basil, parsley, arugula and nasturtiums. The weather has turned chilly but the fields are still green and red and yellow with veggies. A big thanks to all of the staff and volunteers who helped make the farm such a success this season. And a big welcome to all of you looking for some good homegrown meals. Come visit!

今年は富士山の分野では、大きな収穫があった。ここにいくつかの写真きゅうり、ミニトマト梨、カブ、大豆、唐辛子、バジル、パセリ、ルッコラ、 nasturtiumのです。肌寒い天候が、フィールドはまだされ、赤と緑の野菜と黄色になっている。すべてのスタッフとは、農家など、今シーズンの成功に貢献するボランティアへの大きな感謝します。そして、いくつかの良い国産の食事のすべてのあなたの求めには大歓迎。是非訪問して下さい！

Lila, our long time friend from Maui, was at the farm for a little birthday garden party. Lila used to live with her kids on a beach near Jake's tree house and the family organic fruit farm in Haiku. She now lives with her two children and two grandchildren near Yoyogi park and runs a kindergarden for the keikis. We had Champagne and fresh blueberries to celebrate her visit!

After 4 days of hard shooting, the TBS Doubutsu Kisotengai show is in the can and ready to air on Oct 21, Sunday at 8pm, Channel 6 (nationwide!). Rueben played his part of the loner sheep perfectly. HE loved knocking the TV stars around, Irie and Yabe from the Karate-Ka comedy team. Exactly on cue, he would smash them into the props and knock over the set. He wasnt so good at socializing with the other sheep. Everytime we had a shot where he was suppooosed to interact with them, he ran over to the TV crew and started licking the camera. He is too much of a ham and I think the stardom has gone to his fuzzy head. Also sad to say that he wasnt much of a hit with the ladies. They seemed interested but he is either too shy, or maybe doesnt realize he is a sheep. He kept following the cute assistant director around all day and licking her knees. But we are not giving up hope. Eva, our female sheep on the farm, was very glad to see him when he got home with his new haircut, and we are hoping they may be making baby sheep these coming cold nights. Remember to watch. Oct 21, 8pm. TBS.

Assistant Director Adachihara-san testing out sheep models.

Here is Irie-kun of Karate-ka, and Jake kissing a seal for fish.

And Yabe-san wating for his meal....

And the staff and students of the Tokyo Wildlife College giving Reuben his biannual haircut and getting him all beautiful for the girls.

Many thanks to Director Maeda-san, TBS Television, AD Adachihara, AD Murasei, and Yabe and Irie of Karate-ka. And of course the Solar Cafe staff for all the hours of cutting grass for Rueben, rain or shine. Thanks all. jr

Rueben is back on TV again with Doubutsu Kisotengai.

Our old friend, Maeda the producer, was up to meet with Rueben and discuss the role. Rueben will playing the role of Rueben, a sheep who just cant get a girl. He will have to compete with other male sheep, and the two guys from Karate-ka comedy team, dressed up in giant sheep costumes(to boost Rueben's confidence1?!). Then Ruben will be introdcued to a number of girl sheep in a traditional Japanese "Omia" introduction party. Good luck with the Ladies Rueben! The show will air in October on TBS.

Solar Café is with little doubt a favorite stop for passers by, if only for the great open view it offers on Fujisan. It is quiet usual to see people stopping at the café to have their photos taken. Another good reason to enjoy tea and home made cake in our place.

Right after a typhoon and an earthquake hit Japan, we organized a rave to keep things shaking but in a more beautiful way. The fields around Solar Café were used as camping and raving facilities on Saturday 21st. Probably due to the reinvigorating home made meals provided by Naoko, everybody was still standing and dancing until the afternoon of the next day. Ron came all the way from Hong-Kong to help around here, providing for us these photos of the event.

Kuku our little black chicken, joined us from the forest 5 years ago, today!!! He was a wild chicken living alone in the forest until the day we saw him wandering around the yard. He became friends with our other chickens that evening and has lived with us ever since. The foxes got all the others, but Kuku sleeps up in the pine and has managed to be the last surviving chicken! Good job Kuku!!! We are always happy to hear your calling at 2am, 3am, 4am, etc. We promise not to eat you even though you are such an early riser. Hope to have you around for your birthday next year too!

Click and drag on the image above for a panoramic view of the Solar Cafe.

Thanks, Adam Shane!

Nozomi is the latest person to join the staff at the Solar Cafe. Originally from Kofu, Nozomi has been traveling to different parts of the world for the past two years and has decided to settle down at the Solar Cafe, which she first visited in 2002, because of its peaceful atmosphere and good friends. Not only does Nozomi bake delicious treats, but she has a cheerful smile which makes everyone happy to have her here. Welcome, Nozomi!

Naoko grew up in Niigata, Japan and now helps run the Solar Cafe & Guest House as the head cook. Before coming to work at the cafe, she was a cook at a national park in the mountains of Oze. Her specialty is vegetarian cooking and her goal is to create meals that are both delicious and healthy.