A New Staff Member

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.

( Ui / Yasuko )

update : 2014/10/24 01:57
Category : information

“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

Ohara Hadaka Matsuri (Ohara Naked Festival), Navigation for Beginners

Ohara Hadaka Matsuri is only a few days away (on 23 and 24 September).
Local people are looking forward to this festival for a long time.
This is one of the traditional event for which people are most excited in this area.

Local people are accustomed to this festival and know entire schedule of two days, but people who come to the festival for the first time may have no idea where the festival is taken place and what is going on.

I recommend beginners to go Ohara fishing port on 23 September around 1 PM.
Multiple mikoshis (portable shrine) are carried around the town in the morning and start to gather the fishing port around 1 PM.

After mikoshis reach the fishing port, they circle around a building. People carrying mikoshis run with a loud voice, which is excited!
Then they toss over the mikoshis in the building. The higher mikoshis are tossed, the louder people cheer.

After the ceremony praying for bountiful harvest, they move to Ohara beach where “Shiofumi,” one of the main events of the festival, is taken place.
Everybody walk together with mikoshi to the beach. It is a good chance to take a cool photo of people who carry mikoshis.

For Shiofumi, you can see mikoshis are carried into the ocean one after another.
Roar, spray of water, and dirt. People are really brave and valiant.

Well, until the time of “Owakare” of 6 PM, you can enjoy atmosphere of the festival with some foods at Ohara shopping street.
Besides local shops, there are a lot of street stalls.
“Hokutosha” is also open on the day who sells folk crafts. You can find “Walking map of Ohara shopping street” there.

6 PM. Finally it’s a time of “Owakare”
Each mikoshi gathers at schoolyard of Ohara elementary school, and start to circle around the yard.
Candle is used for the Japanese lantern instead of electricity.
The soft wavy lights… are fantastical.

On 24 September, after each shrine is carried around the town, Owakare is taken place again at 6 PM.
If you miss it on September 23, please visit this day.

It is really difficult to follow a mikoshi for a whole day. Please check “must-see” points of main feature.

Also, please read the report of the festival last year!

( Shige / Yasuko )

update : 2014/09/22 02:50
Category : information, town events