Lived in Yugawara, 2020–2023
Matt Ketchum
Matt moved to Yugawara from Tokyo in 2020. He cleared farmland, learned to build with bamboo, joined the local Rotary Club and started businesses from a share house above the valley. He's back in Tokyo now, and still comes down on the Tokaido Line whenever he can. He writes and edits Yugawara Club.
Essays
A Boar in Miyakami, and an Ageing Hunters' Association
A boar was reported in Miyakami on 18 January 2026, at about 16:05, on streets the macaques use. In 2017 the hunters' association had 19 members.
Wildlife · Swine feverSwine Fever in Yugawara's Wild Boar
Classical swine fever has reached wild boar in Yugawara: four positives, two in Miyakami and two in Kajiya. It does not infect humans.
Wildlife · KawaboriThe Seven Boar Catchers of Kawabori
About ten volunteers in Kawabori, the seven boar catchers, set snares after damage above ¥5 million. Town News met them on 17 June 2023.
Wildlife · NewsHakone's Deer, and the Question for Yugawara's Mikan
In October 2026 Nippon TV followed deer through Hakone and Odawara mikan farms that have lost half a harvest. Our groves are the slope between them.
Wildlife · DeerDeer Moving into the Mountains above Yugawara
Sika deer are moving into the mountains above Yugawara. The management cull is 30, after 20 and, before that, 70. Notable farm damage has not shown up.
Wildlife · For residentsFirecrackers from the Town
Yugawara gives residents firecrackers and rocket fireworks on request, hands trained farmers animal-repellent fireworks and metre-long sticks, and takes reports of damage at the Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Division.
Wildlife · The patrolTwenty Years of Chasing Monkeys in Yugawara
Since 2004 Yugawara has sent people out to chase macaques off its streets: air guns, rubber bullets, a town team, and now fireworks, GPS collars, and a cooperation team its councillor describes as volunteers.
Living hereBuying a House With Onsen in Yugawara
Many onsen houses in Yugawara draw their water from the town's supply. Before you buy, find out which kind of supply the house has, what it costs each month, who fixes the pipe, and what the land allows.
Wild food · Part 1Citrus, Persimmons, Loquats, and Chestnuts
Yugawara is a citrus town: dozens of kinds grow on its terraced slopes, and one of western Kanagawa's main mandarins was bred here. Persimmons, loquats, and chestnuts are garden trees, and the town now asks owners to pick them early, because monkeys come for the fruit.
Hiking and adventures · Part 1Shiroyama, Yugawara's Castle Mountain
The hill behind Yugawara Station is named for a castle nobody can date. Here is what the chronicle says about the Doi clan and Yoritomo's escape in 1180, what the earthworks and stone Buddhas really are, and which stories are legend.
Local life · Travel safetyBooked a Yugawara Ryokan? How to Spot the Fake “Payment Failed” Message
A message with your real booking number says your card failed and the room will be cancelled. It isn't from the inn. What to do as a guest, and what Yugawara's small inns can do to stop it.
Personal essay · A day outMy Turn to Show the Way
Goats and chickens at the farm, Gosho Shrine, Makuyama Park, bouldering, dinner at Saluté and a beer at Kadoya: the day I knew Yugawara well enough to share it.
Onsen history · Part 1How Yugawara Became an Onsen Town
A river valley where hot water came up through the gravel became one of Kanto's best-known spa towns. Here is how: the poem, the wounded soldiers, the wells, the railway, and the town-run pipes.
Wildlife · Local lifeLiving with the T1 Troop: Macaques in Yugawara
Yugawara's remaining macaque troop is small, persistent and deeply entangled with life at the edge of town. Here is what residents and visitors should know.
Local life · In the newsMasato, the Monkeys, and the Yugawara Behind the Brochures
A Yomiuri TV report on Yugawara's monkey problem, and why the people who work the land belong in the story.
Personal essay · FriendsUntil the Fire Burned Down
Rooftop potlucks, grilled wild boar and a gazpacho salad, staying until the fire burned down, and cleaning up together afterwards.
Personal essay · WalkingThe Lake I Needed
A solo walk into Yugawara's hills, following an app's random pin, to a lake I'd never heard of that gave me exactly what I needed.
Personal essay · Friendship“Hey, These Ones”
Fudō Falls, ripe biwa straight from the tree, bamboo work, and one man's easy generosity that opened Yugawara to a newcomer.
Personal essay · SunriseThe Balcony Above the Valley
Sunrise over the Yugawara valley from a share-house balcony, and the habit of sharing it with someone far away.
Personal essay · River and seaTwo Waters
A free afternoon: sushi near the station, a walk along the Chitose River, and time on Yoshihama Beach, where moving water and open sea calm you in different ways.
Personal essay · The trainThe Decompression Chamber
Why the Tokaido Line Green Car, and the way the view opens up after Fujisawa, became the first part of arriving in Yugawara.
Personal essay · Farm workThe Weekends That Became Home
How weekends at a share house, clearing an overgrown farm and learning to build with bamboo turned Yugawara into home.