I left my desk job to take over my grandparents' Wagyu farm in rural Japan. It changed how I define success.

Aug 17, 2026 07:14 AM - 1 hour ago 1

As told to Jianne soriano

A man wearing a bluish T-Shirt pinch cows successful the background.

This as-told-to effort is based connected a speech pinch Masashi Nakamura, 29, who is moving Nakamura Farm, a mini Wagyu workplace successful Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. His words person been edited for magnitude and clarity.

I was moving astatine a nutrient processing installation successful Tasmania erstwhile my interest successful Wagyu began. It was 2024, and I had conscionable moved from Vancouver aft my plans to study web improvement fell through.

One day, I noticed the connection "Wagyu" written connected the hanging beef carcasses. Having grown up successful Japan, I'd ever taken this benignant of beef for granted. But seeing really highly group overseas regarded it changed my perspective. I began to understand that Wagyu was much than conscionable beef — it had heavy roots successful Japan and was weighted astir the world.

I was 27 and surviving successful a agrarian area surrounded by cattle. The acquisition made maine recognize really powerfully I was drawn to the quiet lifestyle. I began reflecting connected my future.

A man successful a pinkish poncho posing pinch the Niagara Falls, successful Canada, successful the background.

Last year, I decided to prosecute a profession successful the Wagyu industry. I moved backmost to Japan to thief reconstruct my grandfather's aging Wagyu workplace successful Satsuma, a municipality successful Kagoshima Prefecture.

From IT to the countryside

I grew up successful a municipality adjacent Kansai International Airport successful Osaka Prefecture. Unlike the image of Osaka arsenic a crowded city, my hometown has galore fields and atom paddies.

I graduated from a Japanese assemblage pinch a grade successful English connection and communication, hoping English would thief maine activity internationally and acquisition different cultures.

By graduation, though, I realized English unsocial wasn't enough. I sewage a occupation arsenic an IT technologist successful Osaka, monitoring and maintaining servers. After 2 years, I decided I wanted to build integer products and systems myself.

I moved to Vancouver to study web development, but aft a year, I realized it wasn't the correct way and dropped out. Next, I headed to Australia connected a moving vacation visa.

Around the aforesaid time, I recovered retired that my grandfather was readying to adjacent the Wagyu farm aft trading each of his cattle. My grandparents were getting older and could nary longer tally it.

I utilized to sojourn the workplace arsenic a kid. During the summer, I'd thrust successful the backmost of my grandfather's motortruck arsenic he drove astir the atom fields. When I told him I wanted to take complete the farm, he was surprised. He worried I wouldn't beryllium capable to make a surviving from farming, but he supported my decision.

For years, I'd been truthful focused connected life overseas that I perpetually looked extracurricular Japan for my future. Now, I dream my IT and connection skills will springiness maine an separator successful farming and thief maine do things otherwise while still respecting tradition.

An aged photograph of his grandfather pinch a cattle connected the workplace successful Japan.

Embracing a elemental life

I moved backmost to Japan successful precocious 2025 and took complete the farm's regular operations arsenic my grandfather began stepping back. These days, I aftermath up astatine 6 successful the greeting to provender the cattle and cleanable the farm.

I'm still rebuilding the business, and it doesn't make capable income to prosecute workers. My grandma continues to attraction for the cattle, and I've utilized savings from my IT profession and overseas jobs to salary for renovations, maintenance, feed, and the workplace license.

To support myself, I activity part-time astatine an artificial fertilization center, wherever I thief pinch calf guidance and nationalist relations. I besides activity astatine a neighboring Wagyu farm, which gives maine a chance to study much astir cattle care.

I besides gain income online done Buy Me a Coffee donations and Instagram subscriptions, wherever I stock behind-the-scenes videos of Wagyu farming. I besides negociate societal media for the Wagyu workplace wherever I activity part-time.

I gain little than half of what I made erstwhile I was starting retired arsenic an IT engineer. But I'm happier living successful the countryside. I consciousness for illustration I person a greater consciousness of purpose.

A man giving a thumbs up opinionated adjacent the h2o pinch a upland successful Japan successful the background.

Rebuilding pinch a purpose

Working successful the IT manufacture came pinch intelligence stress, but successful farming, it's beingness and financial stress and changeless pressure. When you're responsible for surviving animals, there's nary specified point arsenic a time off.

Despite that, restoring my grandfather's workplace motivates me. It has a history of complete 60 years and is thing he has devoted his life to. This acquisition isn't thing I could summation by moving successful beforehand of a screen.

My extremity isn't to travel the accepted exemplary of expanding the herd size to turn revenue. I've seen really that tin move into a rhythm of changeless survival, from balancing cattle pinch atom farming to pushing group to their limits.

Instead, I want to build a sustainable business by diversifying my income streams. Right now, I'm creating a guidance exertion to thief pinch the workplace and hoping to develop a farmstay. My attraction isn't connected raising much money, but creating a building that tin past and turn complete time.

For now, my attraction is connected keeping the workplace alive, astatine slightest while my grandfather is alive