During this week’s trip, we visited Amish Country. The Amish are an Anabaptist Christian group known for their extremely simple lifestyle and rejection of most modern technologies. They live in rural communities isolated from the rhythm of modern society, mainly in the United States (such as Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Indiana) and in Canada. Before coming to Ohio, I had learned about them in class at Chubu University, so I was excited to see their lifestyle for myself.
After a three‑hour drive, we arrived at our first stop: Berlin Farmstead, a restaurant where we tried Amish cuisine. They had many kinds of meat, such as roast beef and chicken, as well as several potato dishes. Everything was scratch‑made, farm‑to‑table comfort food, cooked from fresh ingredients. The difference from processed food was clear, and the taste was amazing.
Our second destination was Yoder’s Amish Home, where we had the opportunity to learn directly from people who live the Amish lifestyle. A guide took us through model houses based on actual Amish homes and explained their culture and traditions. First, we visited a smaller house for someone who lives alone, and then a larger family home. The smaller house had a bedroom, living room, kitchen, and bathroom all on one floor. In contrast, the larger house had a broad living room where church services are held, a big kitchen where all the women cook together, bathrooms on each floor, and four bedrooms. In the living room, there were many chairs and sofas on both sides so men and women could sit separately. There was also a large book listing every Amish person living in Ohio, updated every five years. The guide explained that girls have their own room, but boys share a room with all the men in the household.
During the tour, she also explained Amish clothing. Their clothing follows a precise sequence that reflects age, spiritual responsibility, and marital status. Children wear smaller versions of adult clothing. After baptism, adults adopt “Plain dress”: unmarried women wear cape dresses and white prayer kapps, while men grow mustacheless beards and wear dark suits without buttons. Married women switch from a white apron to a black one and often wear their blue or purple wedding dress every Sunday for the rest of their lives, even being buried in it.
We also visited the local school. It had no windows or other sources of light. The guide explained the subjects Amish students study: Phonics, Vocabulary, Spelling, Reading, Writing, Math, English, History, Geography, German, Bible Memory Verses, and Health. Interestingly, they do not use fairy tales or fiction because they do not believe in magic or mythical creatures. They only use true stories, such as U.S. history.
To finish our visit, we took a traditional Amish-style buggy ride. The driver, Marlon, was very friendly and asked about our other trips. He told us about his own travels to places like Pennsylvania and even Canada. I was honestly surprised because I thought the Amish avoided leaving their communities.
Out of all the trips we have had so far, this one was the most interesting for me. I feel that I learned a side of the United States that I could never understand only from books or websites.
