Greetings!

I dedicate this blog to my family and friends and to all whose paths have crossed mine.

Welcome to the "Letters from the Green Side"!  

Hello, I'm Kunino and I'm the author of this blog!  I launched this blog to keep my family and friends updated with my new adventure - living and working on organic farms in the UK.  As in the blog title, this blog will be my letters from the "Green Side"...letters from the countryside, letters on the green conscious lifestyle.

You may be my family, friend, or someone keen to learn about organic farming or life in the UK's countryside.  Well, everyone is very much welcome!  It can be a quick read for fun during a tea break or maybe travel tips for your future visit to the UK. Whatever your reason is for reading my blog, I hope it will add something to your day, if not your life.

Now...have a good look at the Green Side! 

Best wishes,
Kunino

May 2012

<Author's Profile>

• Born and grew up in a world center for economy and technology in Asia...the country is the birth place for Anime, Samurai, Zen, Bonsai...and many more!
• Went through very typical childhood as a city girl, studying in an air-conditioned classroom, rebelling against protective parents, and dreaming off about foreign lands and fantasy worlds.
• In school, studied, played volleyball and sung in chorus day and night.  Especially loved learning English and still do.
• Went off to college in a hilly countryside, to get some peace of mind...or just to feel more independent.
• Studied 1 year in a sunny state where people call each other "dudes" and eat a lot of tacos and nachos - wonderful memories of hiking and camping in the beautiful national parks, thanks to my outdoorsy American friends
• Had a taste of privilege of working & living in Tokyo - met interesting people of different backgrounds, learned the fun of working in a big company.
• Came across WWOOF (= World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms), liked the life on organic farms, became more environment-conscious. Thought about the future of myself, my family and this planet...
• Found out about the UK's Youth Mobility visa (working holiday type of visa) in winter 2011, applied for it and got the visa in spring 2012.  
• Currently on a 2-year (2012-2014) holiday, WWOOFing in the birthplace of WWOOF to learn more about organic farming and green conscious lifestyle.

About WWOOF:
A charity established in the UK that intermediates organic farms and volunteer workers.  There are a number of WWOOF hosts within UK and many other countries around the globe including Japan.

About Youth Mobility visa:
UK visa for youth that permits work, study, travels etc. for up to 2 years.  Currently, the UK has the Youth Mobility Scheme between Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Monaco, Taiwan and Japan.  For Japanese nationals, the program offers 1,000 places annually.