{"id":1904,"date":"2023-10-16T10:30:18","date_gmt":"2023-10-16T10:30:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bentonhomestead.com\/?page_id=1904"},"modified":"2026-01-08T06:42:48","modified_gmt":"2026-01-08T06:42:48","slug":"press","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/bentonhomestead.com\/ja\/press","title":{"rendered":"Press"},"content":{"rendered":"

We’re humbled and thankful to all of the new friends, content creators, and publications, who’ve taken the time to share our story. It still feels a little surprising that so many people really seem to resonate with what we’re doing, but our little community keeps growing, the more our story reaches a wider audience. I’m naturally inclined to be private or shy about our lives, but knowing this information is helpful to others gives me the confidence to continue sharing our process, step by step.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I’ve created a playlist on our YouTube channel<\/a>, where you can see our interviews, podcasts, videos, and television episodes, all in one place! Keep scrolling to see additional articles and publications.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Mizobuchi-san earns 2025 President’s Award: JF-CMCA<\/em><\/strong> (Japan) \u00bb January 2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today I’d like to highlight an achievement earned by our business consultant: Mizobuchi-sensei. He is part of the ‘team of professionals’ who help us with immigration logistics. Mizobuchi-san is a member of JF-CMCA: Japan Federation of Certified Management Consultants’ Association<\/em>. He wrote an article to detail his role in supporting our fledgeling business, Benton Homestead. Mizobuchi-san received the President’s Award!<\/em><\/strong> He was invited to present the case study at the annual symposium in Tokyo. It’s uncertain, but we suspect this is the first time in the history of JF-CMCA that the President’s Award has been received by a consultant guiding a foreign-owned and operated business.

You can read the full article here, in Japanese<\/a>. Or you can read the article translated into English, in my blog post<\/a>. Thank you , Mizobuchi-san, for all of your support and friendship the past three years! We look forward to working together for many more years to come. We couldn’t imagine the past three years without your guidance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Network Television Feature: NHK World Japan’s ‘Workpedia’<\/em><\/strong> (Global) \u00bb August 2025<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We’ve been waiting very patiently to share our citrus honey harvest on NHK! The segment is called Workpedia<\/em>, which is part of a show called Where We Call Home<\/a><\/em>. Workpedia<\/em> is designed to introduce foreigners living and working in Japan, their profession, and an interview with their Japanese colleagues. So for our segment, we took the NHK film crew to our apiary to harvest honey, to our workshop to extract the honey, and to a local market to sell the honey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was broadcast on the channel NHK WORLD JAPAN<\/a>, throughout Japan, and globally! Wow!

UPDATE 1: You can now view the episode for free on-demand on NHK’s website, here<\/a>. Please note that our Workpedia<\/em> segment begins at the 20-minute mark (the last 7 minutes of the episode).

UPDATE 2: You can now also view the episode for free on-demand on Workpedia<\/em>‘s YouTube channel, here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thank you to the NHK film crew, and to our \u014cmishima neighbors! We look forward to more opportunities in the future, not only to share our own business, but also to help share all of \u014cmishima and the Shimanami Kaido small businesses. Our small island economy is very much tourism-based, so the more visitors to the islands, the more we can all continue to grow and succeed together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Feature Article Interview: Escape Artist<\/em> Magazine<\/strong> (Global) \u00bb July 2025<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Escape Artist<\/a><\/em> is the longest-running and “number one source for expats, digital nomads, and dreamers.” Their associate editor reached out to ask for an interview, which became her article entitled, The Couple Restoring Lost Homes in Japan; Guesthouse dreams, retro treasures, and honeybees in \u014cmishima<\/a><\/em>. I could not have asked for a better interview experience, as she was so kind, and her words so beautifully written .<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Article Excerpt: “Dani and Evan Benton didn\u2019t set out to become innkeepers or beekeepers on a small Japanese island. Their journey began in New Orleans with an urban farm, a few chickens, and a growing sense that something quieter and more grounded was calling. After over a year of house-sitting across 21 Mexican states, they turned their attention to Japan\u2014specifically, to \u014cmishima, a cherry-blossom-lined island linked by bridges off the coast of Shikoku. There, they purchased two akiyas\u2014abandoned traditional homes\u2014each layered with the belongings and memories of previous lives, and began the meticulous process of restoration.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

But this isn\u2019t just a story of restoration<\/strong> and hard work. It\u2019s about building something meaningful in a place that, like them, is rediscovering its own purpose. From navigating Japan\u2019s Startup visa to raising bees among wild boars, and welcoming guests to their restored inn, the Bentons are crafting more than a livelihood\u2014they\u2019re shaping a life that feels entirely their own.”<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Feature Podcast: Nippon Tradings International Japan Real Estate Podcast<\/em><\/strong> (Japan) \u00bb April 2025<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you’re interested in Japanese real estate, you have probably heard of Nippon Tradings International<\/em>. We were so pleased for the opportunity to speak with Ziv Nakajima-Magen on his very popular real estate podcast. This was a fun interview, and a great opportunity to give a wrap-up of our whole story, from <\/a>the<\/a> US<\/a>, through <\/a>Mexico<\/a>, to <\/a>Japan<\/a>, Startup visa<\/a>, akiya <\/a>renovation<\/a>, ‘ryokan’ <\/a>license<\/a>, and now, operating our guesthouse<\/a> and honeybee farm<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n