A buckwheat pillow is probably firmer than you're used to. It's like walking barefoot on a tropical beach. The wet sand is firm but it spreads out and molds to the shape of your foot, supporting your weight. The buckwheat hulls move when you lay your head down, like the filling in a beanbag chair, then the unique shape of the hulls allows them to lock in place and keep that shape until you reform the pillow. In this way, the pillow is always custom fit to your head.
The more fill per square inch you have for your pillow, the firmer and thicker it will be. With the easy-access zipper on the end of the pillow, you can customize your pillow to be the perfect fit for you. If you take out too many hulls, you won't make the pillow softer, you just make your head lower to the bed. Once the hulls lock in place, this is still a firm pillow. If you want to make the buckwheat hull pillow softer, try placing a flat pillow or folded towel inside your pillow case on top of the buckwheat pillow.
When you are fluffing or adjusting your buckwheat pillow, the hulls moving inside sound like a rainstick, and when you first lay your head down, it's reminiscent of autumn leaves crunching beneath your feet. However, as soon as you stop moving, the pillow is silent as a fresh snowfall, and sleep comes quickly as your neck muscles relax.