Kabocha (Pumpkin) Festa was taken place at Dourakunosato (Misaki-chohi Kuwata, Isumi) again this year.
Flower signboard welcomed us at the entrance.
It was a sunny day and many people with kids also visited the festival.
Some kids were dressing up for Halloween and kids were all enjoying the festival.
I could see that they had longed for the day.
Shops sold flowers, vegetables, processed products with no additives, organic food, sweets, soft drink, etc., all made in Boso area.
They were all specialty products, and some people came to visit the festival to by them!
In this event, fine shops gather at one place, so you can choose what you like!
Some shops were from outside Isumi city, and there were new encounters.
There was a workshop event to make pumpkin lanterns which were used at night.
Everybody was worked seriously to make the lantern. It must have been a nice experience!
I’m very happy that more events are held these days in Isumi, where all the people from adults to kids can enjoy.
Hi, my name is Satomi Ui. I am a new staff of Isumi Lifestyle Lab.
Here is something about me.
Satomi Ui (Ms.)
I am a local girl, born and raised in Ohara, Isumi city.
I am 23 years old and now I became a member of Isumi lifestyle Lab!
I like festivals, and especially love Ohara Hadaka Matsuri (Ohara Naked Festival). I join the festival with my friends every year.
My favorite food is a local pear. I ate many kind of pear, but the one produced in Isumi is the best!
I like restaurant-hopping (café, restaurant, ramen), watching movies, Yoga, and going for a walk.
Why did I become a member of this organization? I was motivated by people who moved to Isumi from other places.
I was surprised that they knew well much more than me about how attractive Isumi was.
I used to think that I would like to do something at my hometown, isumi, as I’ve loved here since my childhood.
But I was attracted by Tokyo just like many other young girls who grown up in countryside.
I thought many times that I hated countryside.
I liked nature, so that I got a job where I could see the ocean.
Afterward, once I left Isumi and then I found that Isumi was very attractive place. So I decided to work at my hometown, Isumi.
I came to know Isumi lifestyle Lab. at the time, and came back Isumi to be a member of this organization!
As staff members of Isumi Lifestyle Lab. consist of both locals and people from other places, they have lots of different ideas, which is very interesting.
Isumi is a very attractive place, so that I believe it will even become a better place.
Isumi Lifestyle Lab. listens to the voice of the residents first. I would like to work for community development at this organization.
Many young people are interested in living in the countryside, but they do not have a chance.
Also there are many people who stay in their hometown and wondering what to do in the future.
I think the voice of young people is important. It will be great if we can exchange opinion anytime.
I look forward to working here at Isumi Lifestyle Lab.
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.
