Workshop of Making New Year Decoration and Mochi-tsuki (pounding Mochi)

I participated in the workshop held at Yu ju Kan＠Kou Fu Rin

The workshop was provided by Mr.&Mrs. Sano (R Koubou) who enjoy the agricultural lifestyle in Isumi. We learned to make New Year decoration with the rice straw of red rice (ancient rice) named Kanniho, and then we did mocha-tsuki in the workshop.
They told us that it was the day of “Shogatsu-kotohajim (the day of starting New Year’s preparation.)” on the day of the workshop.
I think it was the best day to make New Year decoration.

First, Mr. Hiro Sano talked about the attractiveness of self-sufficient lifestyle and rice growing, and then we started to make rope with the rice straw.
Mr. Sano is very good at straw work, making animal of Chinese Zodiac every year.
Here is the sheep in Chinese Zodiac (2015 is the year of sheep) made by Mr. Sano.
It creates a lovely atmosphere.

It was also the first experience for me to make a rope with rice straw!
It seemed easy, but it was not!
When I actually tried to make rope using my hands, I did trial and error to figure out the knack of how to entwist the straw.
But I felt somehow comfortable.
I thought in old days, people might have made livingware etc. in this way using their own hands.
At least, it took shape of a rope!?
Everyone seemed to get intense to the work.

After that, we had a lunch time and then we did mochi pounding with red rice using a mortar and a pestle.
Children had been very looking forward to it ^^
For the first time I had mochi made of red rice.

Children also helped to make mochi round^^
It was really tasty with the special flavor! I was surprised.
The side dishes were Natto made using Mr. Sano’s rice straw, Ama-Natto (sweet natto), walnut miso, and hand-made pickle, etc.
The dishes were simple, but were slightly sweet and tasty. It made me feel happy.
The mochi was pounded with the right extent with some lumpy texture in the mochi left

I left the workshop after lunch, but everyone continued to make New Year decoration in the afternoon.
This is the finished piece! I hope everyone could make it nicely.

I realized the abundance of living with the benefit of the local plants.
There is a theory that the decoration made of rice straw is the “grain god” of rice, so it is meaningful to make it with rice straw. I also thought of utilizing the rice straw as a rice farmer.

( Shu / Yasuko )

update : 2014/12/26 15:31
Category : Diary, event reports, town events

7th Boso Star Market @Otaki was held.

The Boso Star Market was held on November 2, 2014 at Otaki Vegetable Ggarden.
It was beautiful weather the day, and lots of customers visited the event from the morning.

It smelled good with herbs and foods in the garden.

There are always some new shops participating in the market, so that you can enjoy this market each time.

The performance by the Wind Ensemble Club of local Otaki High School augmented the atmosphere.

A marionette show from Czech Republic was performed again!
Not only kids but adults were also enjoying the show.

We, the event staffs, also enjoyed shopping of the specialty goods and foods.

I ate a freshly-fried horse mackerel at a fisherman shop “Taku,” that often opens shop at Chimachi Market. It was tasty!!

There were also many kinds of workshops. The participants created a nice crafts.

You can just stop at the market for a while and enjoy, which may be an appeal of this event.
The next Star Market will be held in spring.
We will let you know once the date is fixed.

( Ui / Yasuko )

update : 2014/11/11 17:10
Category : event reports

“Informative Tour to Sake Brewery & Cheese Factories” was held on September 20 2014

Following last year, well-received “2nd Informative Tour to Sake Brewery & Cheese Factories” was held.
Approximately 17 people mostly from Chiba prefecture joined the tour.

We met at Ohara Station, and following an orientation at Isumi tourism center, we moved to a shopping street to visit Hokutosha, a renovated old Japanese-style merchant’s house.

The owner wished to preserve this building, so that she renovated the building as a showshop for folk crafts of Chiba prefecture.

The owner also made a walking map of Ohara shopping street.
It is a nice map. Please find a map at Ohara station or Hokutosha when you visit Ohara and walk the shopping street.

Next, we visited a brewery Kidoizumi Shuzo.
Company president showed us around the brewery.
The pot and steamer to make steamed rice were the biggest tools I’ve ever seen.

Most of the Breweries were mechanized nowadays. He explained their obsession with the traditional methods of making sake.
They have continued sake brewing considering tasty Koshu (aged sake) after maturation. (Sake with additive does not mature.)
“Shizenmai,” one of their sake brand, is made of rice grown using natural farming method. It is costly and requires great care. We knew the meaning of sake brewing using rice with a strong life force and origin of their specialty for making real sake.

After the sake brewery tour, we tasted their sake.
Everybody couldn’t stop smiling. They enjoy tasting the delicious sake.

After enjoying tasty sake, before lunch, we visited cheese factory at Takehide Farm.
We were supposed to have lunch at the farm, but as it was rainy the day, we moved to former Chimachi Nursery School. There we had a catering lunch of Spice & Hurb and also compare the taste of cheese from 5 cheese factories in Isumi!!

It was really a satisfactory menu.
The colorful Spice Lunch was made with local rice and vegetables.
The meat cooked with local blueberry was also very good.

In the afternoon, we visited 2 cheese factories.
“Cheese factory IKAGAWA” is a state-of-the-art cheese factory for me. They graze 2 Jersey cattles, and all tasks from milking to cheese processing are done by family members. It is my ideal style.

“Home-made cheese Daigoya” is the 5th cheese factory in Isumi. The owner is skilled and even built his house and factory by himself.

I feel all the people in these cheese factories practice “whatever you can do, do it yourself”.
I wanted to show participants such point, so I introduced them these 3 factories this time.

The other factories are also doing great with a small scale according to their capacities.
I will hopefully introduce them another time.

Here is the tour video.

( Miho / Yasuko )

update : 2014/10/05 22:50
Category : event reports