Indonesian Myths, Hoaxes and Hidden Secrets in Harvest Moon: Back to Nature
Harvest Moon: Back to Nature isn’t just a PS1 farming sim in Indonesia – it’s a full-blown
cultural memory. For more than twenty years, Indonesian blogs, forums and YouTube channels have been
trading stories about secret cities, hidden items, impossible events, hacked maps and legendary glitches.
This article is a long-form summary of those Indonesian sources only:
every rumor, hoax and “deep secret” comes from Indonesian writers, video makers or communities.
You’ll also see key Indonesian sentences with an English translation right below them.
1. Why you come to Mineral Town – official story vs Indonesian reading
1.1 Official story (canon, via Indonesian guides)
Indonesian guides and Wikibooks usually summarise the BTn intro like this: as a child you spent one
summer in Mineral Town, staying at an old man’s farm, playing with local kids,
and creating a powerful memory. Years later the old man dies and leaves you the farm. The villagers
give you three years to restore the land and prove that you deserve to stay.
Indonesian:
“Mereka memutuskan memberimu kesempatan selama 3 tahun … jika gagal … kamu akan diusir dari desa dan tidak boleh kembali lagi.”
English:
“They decide to give you three years … if you fail … you will be driven out of the village and will not be allowed to return.”
1.2 Indonesian emotional interpretation
Many Indonesian fans retell this story in a more emotional way, for example:
Indonesian:
“Dia datang lagi ke Mineral Town karena lelah dengan kota yang bising dan ingin hidup sederhana.”
English:
“He came back to Mineral Town because he was tired of the noisy city and wanted to live a simple life.”
Indonesian:
“Tiga tahun di desa ini seperti masa percobaan untuk memulai hidup baru dari nol.”
English:
“These three years in the village are like a probation period to start a new life from zero.”
So in Indonesian nostalgia, returning to Mineral Town is not just a gameplay setup,
but a reset of life: leaving the noisy city, going “back to nature”
and getting one last chance.
2. The biggest myth: “Moving to another city”
2.1 Classic version – boat at the pier and a new city
Indonesian gaming sites like Duniagames and blogs list this as the
most famous hoax in BTN history: you can move to another city by boat.
Indonesian:
“Bisa pindah kota adalah salah satu hoax Harvest Moon Back to Nature yang sempat beredar dan banyak dipercaya banyak gamer.
Dikatakan kamu bisa berpindah ke kota lain menggunakan perahu dan nantinya bisa menemukan segudang bibit tanaman, ikan, serta item-item yang berbeda.”
English:
“Being able to move to another city is one of the Harvest Moon: Back to Nature hoaxes that once spread and was widely believed by many gamers.
It was said that you could move to another city using the boat and then find all kinds of crop seeds, fish and different items there.”
Typical elements of the rumor in Indonesian content:
- After several successful years, a usable boat appears at the beach pier.
- If you are close enough with Zack or the Mayor, they sell or give you a “boat ticket”.
- In the new city you can buy rice seeds, rare fish and items not sold in Mineral Town.
All serious Indonesian hoax-lists clearly mark this as false: there is no map, code or loading
scene for a second city in the original PS1 BTN. The boat is just background art.
2.2 The “road behind Saibara’s house” – rumor meets glitch
Another ultra-popular variant is the “secret road behind Saibara’s house”.
For years Indonesian players claimed there is a path behind the blacksmith that leads to another town,
sometimes activated in year 20 when Saibara supposedly moves away.
Indonesian (typical rumor):
“Katanya saat tahun ke-20 Saibara akan meninggalkan desa, lalu rumah Saibara akan digusur dan dijadikan jalan menuju kota lain.”
English:
“They say that in year 20 Saibara will leave the village, then his house will be demolished and turned into a road to another town.”
Blogger Just Vicher decided to test it using cheats and map glitches.
Indonesian:
“Akhirnya saya menemukan cara untuk pergi ke belakang rumah Saibara, dan ternyata yang ada di sana hanyalah halaman biasa.”
English:
“I finally found a way to go behind Saibara’s house, and it turns out that what’s there is just an ordinary yard.”
His conclusion, widely cited in Indonesian communities: the “road” is pure hoax; behind the house is only unused map space.
2.3 The “9-second hacker” and the lost website
Several Indonesian “mystery” blogs retell a strange story of a hacker and an old website:
Indonesian:
“Ke luar kota tentu yang sangat misterius dalam Harvest Moon: Back To Nature.
Rata-rata para pemain berkata ini bohong atau hoax, namun admin melihat ada cara ke luar kota.
Cara itu didapat dari seorang hacker yang melihat situs lawas Harvest Moon: Back To Nature,
dia hanya melihat selama sekitar 9 detik, dan mungkin tidak sempat melihat screenshot ke luar kotanya…”
English:
“Leaving the town is of course something very mysterious in Harvest Moon: Back To Nature.
Most players say it’s a lie or a hoax, but the admin has seen a way to leave town.
The method came from a hacker who saw an old Harvest Moon: Back To Nature website;
he only saw it for about 9 seconds and maybe did not manage to see the screenshot of leaving town…”
No screenshot, no code and no reproducible method were ever shared. Even the same blogs admit that
“most players say this is hoax”. But the idea of a hacker glimpsing a hidden city
for nine seconds became its own legend.
2.4 Mr Boss, castle and Naga – hoax turned fan-fiction
The Hoax Harvest Moon Back To Nature Indonesia community and related blogs created
a whole fan-fiction about Mr Boss, mysterious castles and a dragon called Naga.
One blog describes secret castles and tickets from Mr Boss, then ends with a confession:
Indonesian:
“Sebenarnya semua tulisan di atas itu hanya fanspic atau hanya karangan orang yang kreatif, dan tidak benar kebenarannya.”
English:
“Actually everything written above is just fan-fic or the creation of a creative person, and is not true.”
The Hoax HMBTN blog openly explains its mission:
Indonesian:
“Kumpulan gambar hoax atau editan Harvest Moon Back To Nature … bertujuan untuk mewujudkan semua hoax-hoax yang dulu pernah ada pada game tersebut dengan cara mengedit gambarnya. Dan ini semua hanya untuk HIBURAN semata.”
English:
“A collection of hoax or edited Harvest Moon: Back To Nature images … meant to bring to life all the old hoaxes about this game by editing its pictures. And all of this is only for ENTERTAINMENT.”
So the “Mr Boss castle route to another city” is now recognized by its own creators as carefully staged fiction.
3. Alternative “move to city” scenarios in Indonesian rumors
3.1 Relationship-based routes
On forums and Q&A sites, Indonesians describe several social routes to another city:
- Zack route: become best friends with Zack for years; he eventually offers to take you to his port town.
- Kai route: spend every summer at Kai’s food stall, join his events and save him; at the end he invites you to his beach city.
- Mayor Thomas route: win every festival and pass the three-year evaluation with perfect score; the Mayor gives you a “city invitation”.
None of these scenario chains appear in actual game data. Indonesian hoax lists lump them together
as “rumor populer” – popular rumors, not hidden events.
3.2 Extreme conditions – five years of cooking victories
Another myth says that if you win the Cooking Festival five years in a row,
master all recipes and collect every Power Berry, the judge will invite you to leave Mineral Town
for a gourmet city. Indonesian articles discuss this under the same heading as other BTn hoaxes:
fun challenges, but not supported by code.
4. Hidden items and recipes: real secrets vs pure hoax
4.1 Relaxation Tea Leaves – a real secret and fan-favorite
Almost every Indonesian guide has a dedicated section for Relaxation Tea Leaves.
Sites like Kompinter, HMBTNID and ID Harvest explain:
Indonesian:
“Relaxation Tea Leaves dalam game Harvest Moon Back to Nature adalah barang langka yang hanya bisa ditemukan di musim semi. Manfaatnya dapat memulihkan staminamu secara penuh.”
English:
“Relaxation Tea Leaves in Harvest Moon: Back to Nature is a rare item that can only be obtained in spring. Its effect is to fully restore your stamina.”
Typical Indonesian instructions:
- In spring, visit the Harvest Sprites’ house between about 2–4 PM.
- Give each of the seven Sprites (Chef, Nappy, Hoggy, Aqua, Bold, Timid, Staid) a gift such as Flour.
- They invite you to a tea party and give you Relaxation Tea Leaves at the end.
Indonesian:
“Mereka akan mengundangmu ke acara minum teh dan kamu akan mendapat daun teh yang berharga itu. Item ini bisa kamu gunakan untuk memenangkan lomba masak.”
English:
“They will invite you to a tea-drinking event and you will receive that valuable tea leaf. You can use this item to win the cooking contest.”
Indonesian strategy guides even call this “Cara Mudah Untuk Selalu Memenangkan Cooking Festival” –
the easy way to always win the festival.
4.2 “Resep rahasia dari penduduk desa” – villagers’ secret recipes
Blogs like HMBTNID and FB pages list what they call:
Indonesian:
“resep rahasia dari penduduk desa”
English:
“secret recipes from the villagers”
These are recipes you get only by watching the cooking show, reading notes, or becoming close to
villagers such as Zack and Sasha. For example, one Indonesian post mentions:
Indonesian:
“Resep Rahasia Dari Zack: bersahabat dengan Zack, lalu beri hadiah ikan L (besar)…”
English:
“Secret recipe from Zack: become friends with Zack, then give him a large-size (L) fish as a gift…”
These are real, unlockable recipes, but because they are not obvious in the in-game cookbook,
Indonesian fans treat them as “secrets” rather than hoaxes.
4.3 Chocolate and the “make your own chocolate” misunderstanding
An Indonesian cooking/gaming blog series called “Harvest Moon Back To Nature Resep Masakan Rahasia”
directly addresses confusion around chocolate:
Indonesian:
“Dengan kata lain tidak ada resep cara membuat coklat pada game ini. Kue coklat memang dapat dibuat, tetapi coklat tidak.”
English:
“In other words there is no recipe for making chocolate in this game. Chocolate cake can indeed be made, but chocolate itself cannot.”
Meanwhile, general hoax articles mention rumours that if you feed your cows chocolate you get
“susu coklat” (chocolate milk) worth lots of money. Indonesian writers such as those on
Duniagames mark this as pure hoax; the only “chocolate” you can legitimately use is the bought item for cooking.
4.4 Rice seeds (Bibit Padi) – myth of the second city shop
The phrase “bibit padi” (rice seeds) pops up mostly within second-city rumors.
Players claim rice seeds are sold only in that faraway city, reached by boat. Indonesian articles
generally conclude that:
Indonesian (summary style):
“Sampai sekarang belum ada bukti bibit padi yang bisa didapat secara legal di versi asli BTN; yang ada cuma lewat cheat atau mod.”
English:
“Until now there has been no evidence of rice seeds that can be obtained legally in the original BTN; the only way is via cheat or mod.”
The real game only has cooked dishes like Bamboo Rice or Mushroom Rice made
from rice balls, not a new crop type.
5. Legendary buildings and maps: second greenhouse, huge pond & more
5.1 The second greenhouse (Greenhouse Kedua)
Several Indonesian hoax lists repeat the idea of a “greenhouse kedua” – a second greenhouse:
- If you fully develop the farm and become rich, Gotz offers to build a second greenhouse.
- Some say you can place one greenhouse on the farm and one behind the mountain.
Hoax collectors state bluntly that the second greenhouse does not exist in the original BTN:
Indonesian:
“Greenhouse kedua di BTN versi asli tidak ada; kalaupun ada di screenshot, itu hasil cheat atau ROM hack.”
English:
“A second greenhouse does not exist in the original BTN; if you see it in a screenshot, it is the result of a cheat or ROM hack.”
5.2 Big pond on the farm vs real big pond in Winter Mine
Another myth claims you can build a huge pond on your farm where legendary fish spawn.
Indonesian guides, however, point to a different, real location: a hidden big pond inside the
winter mine cave.
Indonesian:
“Masuk ke gua saat danau membeku, gali sampai ada lubang, lalu masuk lagi sampai ada gua besar. Di situ ada kolam besar, tempat ikan legendaris.”
English:
“Enter the cave when the lake is frozen, dig until you find a hole, then go in again until there is a big cave. There you will find a big pond, the place of a legendary fish.”
For Indonesian fans the verdict is:
“kolam besar di ladang” (big pond on the field) = hoax;
“kolam besar di dalam gua musim dingin” (big pond in the winter cave) = real secret.
6. Karen, illness and dark endings
6.1 Rumor: Karen becomes very sick and leaves the village
Old Indonesian forum posts carried a dramatic rumor that if you ignore Karen:
Indonesian:
“Kalau kamu cuek, Karen bisa sakit parah dan meninggalkan desa.”
English:
“If you are indifferent, Karen can become seriously ill and leave the village.”
Some players connected this with darker “bad ending” myths:
- The protagonist dies and the child continues the farm.
- All villagers grow old and die in a long-term playthrough.
Duniagames and other Indonesian writers classify these as unproven hoaxes; no data supports
a death ending or generational transfer in original BTN.
6.2 Real event: “Anaknya Karen Sakit Demam” – Karen’s child has a fever
What does exist is a Child Journey event vividly discussed in Indonesian videos:
Indonesian title:
“Child Journey Event – Anaknya Karen Sakit Demam”
English:
“Child Journey Event – Karen’s child has a fever.”
In this event:
- You are already married to Karen and have a small child.
- The child gets a fever and stays in bed.
- Karen and the protagonist talk about responsibility and fear of losing the child.
Indonesian fans often paraphrase Karen’s feelings like this:
Indonesian (fan paraphrase):
“Aku nggak nyangka jadi ibu itu sesulit ini, tapi aku senang kita menjalaninya bersama.”
English (loose):
“I never thought being a mother would be this hard, but I’m glad we’re going through it together.”
And they imagine the protagonist reassuring her:
Indonesian (fan paraphrase):
“Tenang, Karen. Kita sudah melewati banyak hal di desa ini, kita juga bisa melewati ini bersama.”
English (loose):
“Don’t worry, Karen. We’ve been through a lot in this village; we’ll get through this together too.”
It’s easy to see how vague memories of “Karen being sick” merged with this
real event of her child getting sick.
7. Goddess, Kappa, perfume and other mystical rumors
7.1 The marriage-to-Goddess hoax
One universal hoax is that you can marry the Harvest Goddess. Indonesian
guides debunk it clearly:
Indonesian:
“Kamu hanya bisa menikahi lima wanita lajang saja; Mary, Popuri, Ann, Karen, dan Elli.”
English:
“You can only marry five bachelorettes; Mary, Popuri, Ann, Karen and Elli.”
Nevertheless, the Hoax HMBTN community has edited screenshots and videos that show
a fake ending where the player marries the Goddess – all labelled as hoax entertainment.
7.2 Kai’s perfume event
Indonesian site ID Harvest lists one of its five main secrets as:
Indonesian:
“Cara Mendapatkan Parfum dari Kai”
English:
“How to get Perfume from Kai.”
The rough Indonesian instructions:
- Become friends with Kai (he appears only in summer).
- After a summer storm, visit the beach the next day.
- You find a glass bottle; after dialogue, Kai gives you a perfume item.
Some Indonesian fans read this event as a symbolic “question”: will you stay in the village
or follow a more wandering, city-like life with Kai?
7.3 Ghosts and an item that can resurrect the dead
Duniagames mentions a rumor of an item able to bring dead people back:
Indonesian:
“Item yang bisa membangkitkan orang mati … kabarnya kamu akan mendapatkan item itu di kuburan dekat desa Mineral Town.”
English:
“An item that can resurrect the dead … reportedly you obtain this item in the graveyard near Mineral Town.”
No one has ever shown a valid method to obtain such an item, and Indonesian authors classify it
together with ghost sightings in front of the church: spooky atmosphere, but mechanically a hoax.
8. Glitches, hackers and hunting for hidden places
8.1 Indonesian-translation bugs and “May Hilang”
The Indonesian fan-translated version – often referenced as “BTN Bahasa Indonesia” – had several
notorious bugs. One of the most famous is the “May Hilang” (May disappears) event,
where the screen can become stuck black at the dock.
Indonesian guides on sites like Perpustakaan Arkade describe how to avoid or fix it,
and talk about special “fix bug” ISOs circulating in the local community.
8.2 Money and selling glitches
Indonesian YouTube videos with titles like “Glitch Bug Menjual Item Secara Unlimited”
show how to exploit bugs:
- Duplicating an item in the shipping bin by grabbing/dropping at the right frame.
- Rapidly abusing menu lag to multiply sale triggers.
These glitches became local legends as “the fastest way to become rich”,
but they do not unlock hidden maps or cities – they just break the economy.
8.3 Map glitches and the search for hidden towns
As seen in the Saibara investigation, some Indonesian players used cheats and map hacks to:
- Walk behind houses and shops.
- Escape beyond mountain borders.
- Stand on unfinished parts of the map.
Combined with the “9-second hacker” story, this produced a whole mini-genre of videos and blog posts.
But in the end, even those blogs admit:
Indonesian:
“Ke luar kota … rata-rata para pemain berkata ini bohong atau hoax.”
English:
“Leaving the town … most players say this is a lie or a hoax.”
Hackers and glitches proved something important: behind the old myths, there is no official second city.
But the hunt itself – the idea that maybe, just maybe, there was something more – became part of Indonesian BTN folklore.
9. Conclusion: Back to Nature in the mirror of Indonesian myths
Putting all these Indonesian sources together gives a clear picture:
- Your arrival in Mineral Town is remembered as escaping the noisy city and rebuilding life from zero.
- The myth of moving to another city – by boat, by Mr Boss, via hidden road or extreme achievements – expresses a desire for a bigger world beyond the mountain.
- Secrets like Relaxation Tea, Kai’s perfume, Goddess events and the winter cave pond are real hidden mechanics Indonesian fans treasure.
- Hoaxes such as rice seeds, a second greenhouse, a huge farm pond, chocolate milk, the death ending and generational play are not in the code – but they live strongly in collective memory and imagination.
- Hackers and glitch hunters ended up confirming: the world is finite – yet the stories Indonesians told around that world made it feel infinite.
For Indonesian players, Harvest Moon: Back to Nature is more than a farming game.
It is a shared mythos where every rumor, hoax and glitch feels like a local legend told in the
cyber-equivalent of a village square.
Indonesian Sources (no hyperlinks)
- Duniagames – “Selain Poligami, Inilah 10 Hoax Harvest Moon Back to Nature yang Dulu Sangat Melegenda” – duniagames.co.id
- Duniagames – “Terlengkap! Resep Masakan Harvest Moon: Back to Nature” – duniagames.co.id
- Kearipan – “7 Rumor Populer di Harvest Moon Back To Nature” – kearipan.com
- Hoax Harvest Moon Back To Nature Indonesia – blog, Facebook page and YouTube channel – hoaxharvestmoonbtnindonesia.blogspot.com & youtube.com
- Just Vicher Blog’s – “Bukti Hoax Tentang Jalan Belakang Rumah Saibara di Harvest Moon BTN” – vicherringgiallo.blogspot.com
- Dunia Harvest Moon – “Hal-Hal Misterius di Harvest Moon: Back To Nature” – duniaharvestmoon.blogspot.com
- Batardelrey – “Hal-hal Misterius dalam Harvest Moon Back To Nature” – batardelrey.blogspot.com
- Lucario’s Blog – “Misteri di Harvest Moon” – riomrovio.blogspot.com
- Fredy Bagus – “Benda Misterius yang ‘BELUM’ Terpecahkan Keberadaannya” – fredybagus94.blogspot.com
- ID Harvest – “5 Misteri & Rahasia Harvest Moon: Back To Nature” – idharvest.my.id
- HMBTNID – “Cara Mendapatkan Relaxation Tea Leaves di Harvest Moon: Back to Nature” and “Resep Rahasia: Juara Festival Memasak Harvest Moon Back To Nature” – hmbtnid.blogspot.com
- Kompinter – “Cara Mendapatkan Relaxation Tea Leaves di Harvest Moon Back to Nature”, “Hari Ulang Tahun dan Hadiah Kesukaan Penduduk Harvest Moon Back to Nature”, “Download Harvest Moon Back to Nature Bahasa Indonesia” – kompinter.com
- Perpustakaan Arkade – “Cara Mendapatkan Relaxation Tea Leaves Harvest Moon: Back to Nature” and “Cara Mengatasi Event May Menghilang yang Error di Harvest Moon: Back to Nature” – perpustakaanarkade.com
- Dafunda – “Cara Dapat Relaxation Tea Harvest Moon Back to Nature!” – dafunda.com
- DailynutritionHQ – “Relaxation Tea Leaves dalam Harvest Moon: Back to Nature” – dailynutritionhq.com
- Gamepedia Indonesia – “Hadiah, Festival & Stamina | Harvest Moon Back To Nature” – gamepedia.id
- Teman Nyantai – “60+ Daftar Resep Masakan Harvest Moon BTN” – temannyantai.com
- Jurnal Warga – “100 Resep Harvest Moon Back to Nature” – info.jurnalwarga.com
- Belajar Masak / Pinresep – “Harvest Moon Back To Nature Resep Masakan Rahasia” and posts about chocolate vs chocolate cake – belajarmasak.github.io & pinresep.github.io
- Harvest Lover – “Resep-Resep Masakan di Harvest Moon Back to Nature” – harvestlover.blogspot.com
- Neicy Tekno – “Tips & Trik Panduan Game Harvest Moon Back to Nature [Lengkap]” – neicytekno.net
- WikiBuku Bahasa Indonesia – “Harvest Moon: Back To Nature” and “Harvest Moon:Back To Nature/Walktrough” – id.wikibooks.org
- BeruangLaut – “Harvest Moon Back to Nature Bahasa Indonesia Fix Bug” – beruanglaut.com
- Various Indonesian YouTube videos about Relaxation Tea, secret recipes, bugs/glitches, Event May Hilang, Child Journey Event – Anaknya Karen Sakit Demam, and HOAX Legend: Mr Boss, Castle dan How to Go in the City – channels such as Hoax Harvest Moon BTN Indonesia, Rental PS Channel, Harvest Moon (Indonesia), The Key One and others.
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