Meet Umi, the inspiration behind Karuizawa Harvest

Umi is the heart of our little family and the inspiration for Karuizawa Harvest.

Born in Nagasaki and found with her four other siblings, Umi journeyed to a shelter in Ehime before being brought to Tokyo by a wonderful rescue organisation called Buddies. We met her at a rescue event in Tokyo when she was nine months old and immediately felt a strong connection. She joined our family and our lives forever changed.

We lived in Tokyo with Umi for about a year. She enjoyed playing in Yoyogi Koen, but was wary of the traffic and the crowds. When we moved to Karuizawa, Umi was arguably the happiest of us all. She loves being in nature and became excited to go outside. Here in Karuizawa, she walks forest paths and through farmland every day.

Umi is a Japanese village dog, a mura-no-inu. Japanese village dogs are a heritage type of dog, native to Japan and never bred to a formal standard. They're the base group from which Japan's six recognised breeds, Akita, Shiba, Kishu, Shikoku, Kai and Hokkaido, were later standardised.

These days she does what a village dog does best. She digs in the dirt. She hunts down sticks and tennis balls on every walk. She has a habit of stealing socks. And she has one trick that never fails: when she wants food, she sits, and waits, and looks at us until we give in. Venison and Shinshu salmon are her favourites. 

Karuizawa Harvest started in our home because we wanted to feed Umi with ingredients from the forests and rivers of Nagano. Everything we do originates from our love for her.