With its vivid and bold colors and patterns, Ryukyu Bingata is a dyeing technique passed down in Okinawa since ancient times. Bingata was originally crafted and presented as garments for the royal family of the Ryukyu Kingdom. Toma Chinen, the 10th-generation head of the Chinen Bingata Research Institute in Naha, engages with Bingata every day while infusing it with a fresh perspective.

One of the three leading families of Bingata, which used to present Bingata textiles to the royal family

Bingata is a traditional craft unique to Okinawa and the only form of dyeing practiced there. In ancient times, it was produced exclusively as clothing for the royal family of the Ryukyu Kingdom, but today it is widely enjoyed in the form of kimonos, obi sashes, and accessories. Originally, it was written in hiragana as “bingata,” but it is said that during the Showa period, it came to be written in kanji as “Bingata.”

During the Ryukyu Dynasty, which lasted until about 120 years ago, Bingata was crafted as a tribute to the royal family by the three Bingata master families: the Shirogane family, the Takushi family, and the Chinen family.

The Decline and Revival of Bingata Due to the War

However, with the abolition of the feudal domains and the establishment of prefectures, as well as the invasion of Satsuma, the monarchy was dismantled, and the work that had been passed down through generations for some 450 years came to an end. Although they could no longer sustain it as a livelihood, some families continued to produce Bingata after the Meiji era, determined not to let the technique die out. The Chinen family, while making a living through other work, continued to carefully preserve their Bingata tools and materials. As time passed, during Okinawa’s postwar reconstruction in the Showa era, Fuyuma’s grandfather, Sadao, learned the Chinen-style Bingata from a relative who had kept the tradition alive and revived it as a family business.

Artisans began producing Bingata for Ryukyu dance costumes and souvenirs, reviving it as an Okinawan craft. Around 1972, orders began coming in from the mainland for use as Japanese-style clothing, bringing new vitality to the Bingata industry. Consequently, in 1984, “Ryukyu Bingata” was designated as a Traditional Craft by the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry.

The 10th-generation successor to the historic Ryukyu Bingata tradition

The Chinen Bingata Research Institute is located in a workshop near Naha Airport. The current head of the institute, Fuyuma Chinen, studied graphic design in Kyoto and worked as a designer in Osaka before moving to Milan, Italy, to further his studies in art. There, surrounded daily by works of art and historic buildings that have stood the test of time, he realized, “I want to create things that endure rather than being consumed. I want to express my own world.” The Benibana craft, the family business he had always intended to inherit one day, perfectly aligned with the vision he had arrived at.

With that resolve in his heart, he returned to Okinawa, and his days of dedicating himself to Benibana at the Chinen Benibana Research Institute began. Returning home at the age of 22 was sooner than she had anticipated, but considering that honing her skills was her top priority, it was the best choice. However, shortly thereafter, her grandfather, who had been running the workshop, passed away suddenly, and within just a few months of joining the workshop, she found herself having to take over its management. Looking back, she recalls those years as a time when she was truly struggling.

Chinen has received numerous awards, including the Newcomer Award from the Japan Traditional Crafts Exhibition and the Japan Crafts Association in 2021. She currently serves as a director of the Ryukyu Bingata Promotion and Preservation Consortium and as vice director of the Ryukyu Bingata Business Cooperative.

The Process Behind Okinawa’s Unique Bingata

Bingata is created using stencils carved with the designed patterns. The stencil is placed on the fabric, and resist paste is applied over it. After drying, pigment is applied in layers to the areas not covered by the paste. Next, resist paste is applied to the dyed areas, and finally, the base color is applied to the remaining areas. To set the colors, the fabric is steamed, rinsed, and dried to complete the process. While this is a general overview, there are actually more than 10 distinct steps involved in the process.

There are no strict rules regarding the fabric material, but silk and cotton are commonly used. Because there are no restrictions, a wide variety of dyeing techniques can be employed.

This beautiful indigo-colored pattern is called “Amefibana.” In the Okinawan language, this means “rain flower,” and the design features morning glories. The blue background is dyed with Ryukyu indigo. Ryukyu indigo is characterized by a deeper, more intense blue hue than the indigo found on the mainland.

The background color is created using natural dyes derived from plants, while the pattern itself uses pigments; the vivid pigments are used to express the boldness of Bingata. Since the dye is water-soluble and penetrates deep into the fabric, it blends seamlessly with the base material, while the pigment adheres to the surface as particles, allowing for vivid colors. The contrast in colors, which leverages the distinct properties of each, is a key focus.

Chinen explains, “The pigment comes to the forefront, while the softer dye recedes slightly into the background. This creates a dynamic three-dimensional effect, resulting in a work with great depth.” She uses a variety of pigments and blends the colors specifically for each design.

When she returned to Okinawa and began working with Bingata in earnest, she was strongly motivated to create her own original designs that differed from her grandfather’s. While she did experiment with various approaches, she says that as she continued her daily work, she increasingly came to appreciate the ease of dyeing the traditional patterns passed down through generations and the beauty they exhibit when colored.

Since many people still love the classic patterns that have been popular for generations, she continues to create these historic designs. In addition, she consciously incorporates modern patterns that appeal to younger people, aiming to produce products that will be cherished for a long time as the times change.

This involves a process called “katazuke,” where a stencil is placed on the fabric and resist paste is applied with a spatula. The paste acts as a mask to prevent the dye from penetrating the areas covered, ensuring the pattern remains intact. The artisan scoops up the paste, spreads it evenly, gently peels off the stencil, and places the next one adjacent to ensure the pattern connects seamlessly. If the process is too slow, the paste dries too quickly and clogs the fabric, or the stencil may tear, leaving holes in the design. Chinen’s movements are fluid and smooth. She explains that when she first returned to Okinawa, she could only complete one roll of fabric per day, but now she can produce as many as 15 rolls a day.

The resist paste, made by hand from glutinous rice and rice bran, is mixed with blue pigment. Apparently, this enhances the color intensity when the fabric is dyed later.

“Color application,” the process of layering fine colors, is performed by holding two brushes simultaneously. Pigment is applied with a dipping brush, and then a rubbing brush is used to work the coarser pigment into the fabric to help it penetrate more easily. In the next step, to emphasize the design, color is applied further while blending with the brush to create a sense of depth.

There are several types of brushes, and the one used varies depending on the fabric. Many of the tools are handmade.

Every year, I take on the “Oboro-gata,” a major project that requires twice the effort

This kimono, named “Island of Falling Flowers,” is made using a technique called “oborogata,” in which two stencils with different patterns are layered and dyed together. Since this process takes twice as much time and requires a high level of skill, few artisans attempt it. Although it’s labor-intensive, Ms. Chinen loves this oborogata technique and often works with it. The fabric used is a thin silk known as “kakujou-nuno,” produced in the nearby town of Haebaru.

Growing the Bingata Fan Base Through Social Media

She also actively pursues collaborations with other industries, working on projects that combine Okinawan specialties—such as transferring Bingata patterns onto local pottery or incorporating Bingata designs into Awamori bottle labels. She believes this creates opportunities for people who aren’t interested in dyeing to discover the art, and vice versa.
Currently, Mr. Chinen is actively posting on social media. He shares content designed to spark interest in Bingata, such as videos showcasing the production process. He reportedly handles not only the posting but also all video editing himself.

Perhaps as a result, the number of visitors to the workshop continues to grow, and it seems that our social media posts are reaching younger generations across the country who were previously unfamiliar with Bingata.
I also frequently visit the kimono shops on the mainland that carry our products. While interacting with customers there, I’m able to directly hear about their preferences—which differ from those in my hometown of Okinawa—tailored to each specific region. I often bring these insights back to incorporate into my work.
Currently, about 10 people work at the Chinen Bingata Research Institute, ranging from seasoned artisans to young people who have come with the goal of becoming Bingata artisans, and they all work briskly at their respective stations.

Looking Toward the Future of Ryukyu Bingata

“It’s not about it being culture or tradition—it’s not something special. We’re continuing it as a profession. I believe that’s how it becomes part of our history and culture,” says Chinen. His words convey a sense of determination to look ahead to the future of Ryukyu Bingata and carry that responsibility.
“If it isn’t fun, you can’t keep it up, and because there are challenges, you don’t get bored and can take on new ones. I want to show my staff that I’m taking on these challenges myself, and I want to keep pushing myself to create a form of Bingata that fits the modern era,” he says with sincere conviction.
As he continues to pass down the craft to ensure Ryukyu Bingata’s ongoing development, he will likely continue to take on challenges with a light yet stoic spirit, brightly leading the way for the Ryukyu Bingata community.

The post Toma Chinen of the Chinen Bingata Research Institute, who creates works with an eye toward the future of Ryukyu Bingata / Naha City, Okinawa Prefecture first appeared on NIHONMONO.

MONKEY MAJIK, one of Japan’s premier rock bands, continues to shine in the music scene. Their vocalist and guitarist, Maynard Plant, and drummer, TAX, are now dedicated to beekeeping. They harvest honey in Tomiya City, Miyagi Prefecture, where they’ve lived for over 20 years. They sell their raw honey at a shop called “EIGHT CROWNS” inside the city’s central tourist exchange station, “Tomiya-do.”What led these musicians to become beekeepers…?

Beekeeping in Tomiya, inspired by childhood memories

Tomiya City, Miyagi Prefecture, is a town of over 50,000 people adjacent to northern Sendai City, once prosperous as a post town. In recent years, it has gained attention as a “child-rearing friendly town,” attracting young families. Living in Tomiya for over 20 years are MONKEY MAJIK’s Maynard Plant and drummer TAX, aka Takuya Kikuchi.

These two founded the honey company “EIGHT CROWNS” in 2018.

The world of beekeeping they encountered in Canada

The background to this lies in Maynard’s childhood in Canada. As a teenager, he sometimes helped his uncle, who was a beekeeper. He learned firsthand about nurturing the tiny lives of tens of thousands of honeybees, how their pollination allowed crops to bear fruit, and how people then enjoyed that bounty. It was a time of experiencing the cycle of nature and the role each living thing plays. That memory stayed with him, becoming a desire to “try it myself someday.”

An encounter in Tomiya City connects the dots

Amidst this, Maynard, who was serving as a navigator on an NHK local program, met Tomiya City Mayor Hirotoshi Wako. Mayor Wako was interested in “urban beekeeping” conducted on building rooftops and was practicing it on the roof of Tomiya City Hall. Sensing something fateful in this, Maynard decided, “Tomiya is a town promoting beekeeping, so I should try it too!” and began beekeeping with TAX.

The Beginning: “Eight Beehives”

They started by placing seven Western honeybee hives and one Japanese honeybee hive—eight hives total—in the lush green area called “Nanatsumori” in central Miyagi Prefecture.The “EIGHT” in the company name EIGHT CROWNS comes from this. Maynard explains that “CROWNS” was chosen because he wanted a word showing respect for the queen bee, adding with a laugh, “Later, I realized ‘EIGHT’ is the Japanese word for the number eight (hachi), so it was perfect.”

Creating Unique Honey Through Terroir-Driven Beekeeping

Rather than migratory beekeeping, which moves hives in search of flowers, Maynard and TAX wanted to harvest honey from their own terroir. They planted Japanese honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica) as a nectar source. Known for its distinctive blue-purple flowers, Japanese honeysuckle is considered one of the best nectar plants for honeybees. Collecting its nectar produces a golden, fruity honey. Characterized by a light sweetness, it pairs well with tea, yogurt, and cheese.While the honey yield is never large, their sole focus is on quality.

While they may expand their collection sites, they have no plans to move their hives. The flavor of the honey subtly changes each year due to the climate and natural environment. They find value in these differences, seeing them as the unique terroir of this land, offering distinct tastes to enjoy.　

The “WILD FLOWER” flavor born in Tomiya

Given Tomiya’s location, collecting monofloral honey from a single type of flower is difficult. Instead, they harvest nectar from mountain cherry, acacia, wisteria, and others, packaging it as “WILD FLOWER.” Meanwhile, they source and sell monofloral honeys from beekeepers across Japan who share their scale and dedication.

Using this single-flower honey (acacia), the company focuses on producing Infused Honey, where ingredients like habanero peppers, lemon, and saffron are steeped in honey. Beyond its versatility in cooking, it’s gaining attention overseas for its potential health benefits, such as boosting metabolism and enhancing immunity.

Challenging the World from Tomiya with Honey Wine (Mead)

Furthermore, they brew “mead” from WILD FLOWER. Mead is an alcoholic beverage made by fermenting honey, water, and yeast. It is said to be the world’s oldest alcoholic beverage, even appearing in mythology.

Developing Mead with Tohoku Breweries

The impetus for mead brewing came when TAX, during MONKEY MAJIK’s Canadian tour, saw an in-flight magazine feature on mead and proposed, “We should definitely try this.” After returning to Japan, Maynard and TAX sampled meads worldwide and decided to commission brewing with a sake brewery in the same Tohoku region.Only about 20-30 companies in Japan brew mead, and this company is the sole producer in the Tohoku region. The rarity lies in the very environment capable of producing mead. Leveraging fermentation techniques honed in sake brewing, they craft mead that preserves the honey’s natural aroma and flavor. The range extends from sweet to dry styles. Maynard and TAX tasted it and found it delicious, which was the deciding factor in entrusting them with the brewing.

A dry, fruity cup born from sake yeast × raw honey

EIGHT CROWNS’ mead uses sake yeast as an ingredient. Combining watered-down raw honey with sake yeast results in a slightly tart, dry finish. After much experimentation, the president of Mine no Yuki Shuzo settled on this yeast, producing a mead that’s fruity like Muscat grapes and easy to drink.

Maynard laughs, saying of his mead, “I never imagined it could taste this good! I’m incredibly satisfied.” Just as grapes determine wine’s flavor, honey dictates mead’s taste. It goes without saying that EIGHT CROWNS’ exceptional honey creates exceptional mead.

Worldwide Recognition

EIGHT CROWNS’ mead, named “WILDFLOWER TRADITIONAL MEAD,” won a gold medal at the 2023 BTI World Mead Challenge, a globally recognized American mead competition. It boasts an exquisite balance of acidity and sweetness, with a clarity reminiscent of sake. Though Maynard was initially hesitant about brewing mead,his pursuit bore fruit, driven by the desire to “pair it perfectly with various dishes and deliver the natural bounty gathered by bees directly to the table.”

His goal is to create “the world’s best mead” and connect beekeepers globally.

When asked about his future dreams, Maynard shared: “First, I want to build my own meadery.” He also aims to create a mead that surpasses even their highly acclaimed current offerings to become the “world’s best,” and to revitalize the local community through mead.

He also smiled as he shared his vision as a beekeeper: to become a “hub” connecting beekeepers not just in Japan, but around the world.

EIGHT CROWN honey is unheated and minimally filtered, preserving abundant natural vitamins, minerals, and enzymes. This is because they want to deliver the flavor and nutrients of the nectar gathered by bees from flowers with as little loss as possible. This also connects to expressing Tomiya’s terroir.

Born in a small town in nature-rich Miyagi Prefecture, this honey and mead, recognized worldwide, should bring richness and vitality to everyday life. We invite you to experience the “finest honey and mead” born in Tomiya with all five senses.

The post The goal is to create the world’s best mead in both name and substance. Maynard Plant, Representative of “EIGHT CROWNS” / Tomiya City, Miyagi Prefecture first appeared on NIHONMONO.

Long ago in snowy Aomori, cotton cultivation was difficult, so cloth was used with great care. Worn-out kimonos were eventually cut into strips and woven on a floor loom to make work clothes and other items. This later became known as Nanbu Saki-ori. Teruko Kobayashi carries on the founder’s vision and is striving to spread the appeal of Nanbu Saki-ori in the Reiwa era.

What is Nanbu Saki-ori?

The historical background of Nanbu Saki-ori, truly unique to this land

Born from the wisdom of women who cherished their possessions, Nanbu Saki-ori boasts a tradition spanning over 200 years, tracing its history back to the Edo period.In snowy Aomori, cotton was difficult to grow. Cotton and old cotton cloth transported by Kitamae ships were extremely precious, so farmers at that time wove the natural fiber hemp they cultivated into cloth for clothing. They didn’t discard scraps either; they layered them for sashiko stitching or, finally, tore them and joined them to create a single piece of cloth. This was the prototype of Nanbu Saki-ori.

When the railway opened in 1893, worn cotton fabrics began circulating in this region. Farmers started weaving them on floor looms, using threads from unraveled hemp sacks as warp threads and thin strips of worn cloth as weft threads.The thick, coarse-textured saki-ori weave was well-suited to this region’s harsh, cold winds and was used for work clothes and kotatsu covers. “In this way,” Kobayashi explained, “the people of this area have lived by devising various ingenious methods to overcome the cold.”

Diverse yet each a one-of-a-kind piece

Despite being a very simple weave—”hemp yarn and old cotton shredded into strips about 1 cm wide woven on a floor loom”—the variety of weaving techniques is by no means limited.The most basic plain weave, the saguri weave where cloth and thread are interwoven alternately, the ichimatsu weave and ajiro weave created by warping two colors of thread, the interesting diagonal pattern of the hikikaeshi weave, the tsuzure weave that creates patterns within the fabric, and many other variations exist.

Today, while utilizing traditional techniques on floor looms, it’s possible to create a wide range of items suited to modern life—such as vibrant kotatsu covers, tote bags, bedspreads, tapestries, and slippers.

One of the major charms of Nanbu Saki-ori is that “you can create original items found nowhere else in the world.” “Even if you use the same fabric, the texture changes completely depending on when you weave it in and how much force you apply while weaving,” laughs Kobayashi. “Even if you try to make the same thing, you can never make it twice.” This is why each piece of Nanbu Saki-ori is said to be one-of-a-kind.

The Beginnings of the Nanbu Sashiko Preservation Society: A Miraculous Encounter

It all started when Kobayashi’s sister, Eiko Kanno, then 35 years old in 1971, attended the distribution of her beloved aunt’s belongings.A purple sash made of split weave lay in a corner of the room, seemingly worn out and unwanted. Yet Kanno was deeply drawn to its rich color and the meticulous texture of its weave. “If no one wants it…” she thought, and took it home. The more she looked at that sash, the more captivated she became by the warm, handwoven character of the fabric, and she grew increasingly eager to learn about split weaving.

However, by that time, Nanbu Sashiori was already on the verge of extinction, as people considered “weaving worn-out clothes and rags shameful.” Persistently searching for someone who could teach her its roots and techniques, she eventually found Ms. Kiyé Higashiyama and Ms. Mise Akasaka in Towada Lake Town the following year.Both women initially refused, telling her, “You won’t earn a single penny doing rag weaving,” but through her sincere and repeated visits, she finally gained permission to learn.

A Life Devoted to Nanbu Saki-ori with Burning Passion

Kanno-san reevaluated the value of Nanbu Saki-ori, learned its techniques and spirit to become an inheritor herself, and established the Nanbu Saki-ori Preservation Society on July 7, 1975, Tanabata Day. She started a “Saki-ori Classroom” at her home, pouring her heart and soul into promoting the weaving. Her contributions were highly recognized, earning her the title of “Aomori Prefecture Traditional Craftsman” and many other honors.

Driven by his desire to “introduce Nanbu Saki-ori to as many people as possible,” he lobbied Towada City for years. His efforts culminated in 2002 with the opening of the Towada City facility, the Master Craftsman Workshop “Nanbu Saki-ori no Sato,” adjacent to the Towada Pia Roadside Station.The sight of about 75 looms lined up is spectacular, most of which were collected by Ms. Kanno. “She gathered them not only within Towada City and the Nanbu region, but also traveled to places like Fukushima Prefecture whenever she heard about them,” Mr. Kobayashi told us, gazing fondly at the looms.

After successfully organizing the Nanbu Saki-ori Festival in Towada in October 2003 to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the preservation society’s founding, Kanno passed away in March 2004. He had been suffering from cancer but kept it hidden until the very end. He was 67 years old.

Sister Carries On the Legacy

Kobayashi-san explained that in an era when weaving rags was considered shameful, she initially faced social disapproval and was against Nanbu Sakiori. However, about ten years after Sugano-san began working with Nanbu Sakiori, Kobayashi-san tried it herself on a whim and was immediately captivated. “Sitting at the loom, touching the fabric, and weaving was truly enjoyable. It was a real healing experience for me, who was exhausted at the time.Before I knew it, working until 1 or 2 in the morning became normal. That’s when I truly began to take Nanbu Saki-ori seriously,” Kobayashi says with a smile.

Today, the Nanbu Sashiko Preservation Society has 130 members, most of whom are housewives. While women face various worries and hardships, like raising children, the society strives to embody the founder’s vision: “Leave all that behind when you come here.” They make every effort to ensure no one accumulates stress while participating.About 50 students attend the weekly Wednesday classes, which have no set start or end times. The group gets along so well that laughter is constant. They work to complete one item per year for the city’s cultural festival, ensuring everyone can submit their work.

Beyond the regular classes, they offer experiences, attracting many foreign visitors and groups of children and students. “It seems especially fresh for the kids; they weave with such enjoyment,” Ms. Kobayashi says, her eyes crinkling. She recalls one child who came for an experience and then pleaded, “Daddy, I want this loom. Please buy it for me.” The number of people who have experienced weaving here has surpassed 11,000.

Preserving the Founder’s Vision for Nanbu Saki-ori

The used cloth used for the weft threads comes from donations nationwide, including yukata from hotels and inns, and even sumo stables. “Some people send us cloth, saying, ‘My grandmother passed away,’ or ‘My mother passed away,’ but it feels wasteful to throw it away, so could you take it?'” says Kobayashi. “That’s why we’re supported by everyone.”

While Kobayashi wishes to spread Nanbu Sashiko with this widespread support, he also states, “This isn’t a facility for training artists. Passing on sashiko to future generations and keeping it alive is the most important thing.”Back when Ms. Kanno was still running the workshop, other municipalities with growing numbers of enthusiasts apparently offered, “We want to hold a contest. Please plan it and judge it for us.” However, Ms. Kobayashi firmly refused, believing that裂織 is absolutely not something to be competitive about. “裂織 isn’t about competition,” Ms. Kobayashi told us. “Everyone is a first-place winner. You should just do it freely, following your own sensibilities. That’s one of the strong convictions I inherited from my sister.”

The Society’s Half-Century Journey and Future Initiatives

In 2025, the Nanbu Saki-ori Preservation Society will celebrate its 50th anniversary. As part of the commemorative events, themed “Connecting to the Next Generation,” they are holding a commemorative exhibition and free hands-on sessions. They are showcasing over 500 pieces demonstrating the inherited techniques, displaying a 50-meter-long woven fabric created collaboratively across all their classrooms, and attempting various other challenges.Driven by the belief that “Nanbu Sashiko is a cultural treasure our region can be proud of and has the potential to become a future local industry,” the association is producing and selling not only traditional pieces but also sashiko designs suited to modern tastes. They even received an order from a Japanese designer living in France for indigo-dyed sashiko fabric to be used in men’s suits.

“Nowadays, everything runs on electricity with the push of a button. I feel it’s essential to teach children that, just like in the past, their own hands and feet can be the energy to create things.The reason Nanbu裂織 remains timeless is probably because everyone shares that feeling of cherishing things. My mission is to make more people aware of it,” says Kobayashi. Carrying on the tradition of Nanbu裂織 and the founder’s vision, and striving to create a society where everyone has a place, Kobayashi and her team continue weaving today. They weave, one step at a time, using colorful warp threads and strips of fabric as weft threads.

The post Carrying on the Founder’s Vision: Teruko Kobayashi, Southern裂織 (Setsuori) Weaving Tradition Bearer / Towada City, Aomori Prefecture first appeared on NIHONMONO.

Kiyosato Jam began when its founder relocated to run a pension, eventually creating jams and cordials with unique recipes that resonated widely. President Yoshiki Sanoma attributes this success to “Kiyosato’s distinctive environment,” a place with a history of welcoming pioneers. What drives his ongoing product development?

Jam Making Born from Pension Management

Located in the Moegi Village area of Kiyosato, Hokuto City, Yamanashi Prefecture, at the southern foot of the Yatsugatake Mountains, is Kiyosato Jam Agricultural Corporation. Here, you’ll find jams so fresh and juicy that people say it’s “like eating the fruit itself.”

“We avoid unnecessary steps and let the ingredients’ natural flavors shine,” says Yoshiki Sanoma, President and CEO of Kiyosato Jam Agricultural Corporation.

They continue making jam with the motto of valuing “sincerity” over manufacturing efficiency. Mr. Sanoma established the “Kiyosato Jam” workshop in 2003. It began when he moved to this area in his early thirties and started producing ingredients for the pension business he launched.

Starting a Second Life in Kiyosato

Born in Gunma Prefecture, Mr. Sanoma moved to Tokyo for university and later pursued a career in fashion by attending a specialized school. After graduation, he worked as a designer under a famous fashion designer. While the work was rewarding, he gradually felt stifled by the relentless, fast-paced days of constantly chasing trends.

Longing to work amidst nature reminiscent of his hometown, he decided to pursue the then-booming pension business. While searching for properties around the Yatsugatake area, he encountered Kiyosato and resolved to establish his pension business here.

Interest in Agriculture

Reflecting on those early days, Sano-san recalls starting farming himself because he couldn’t reliably source the ingredients needed for the meals served at the pension.

He started by growing herbs and vegetables, but gradually became deeply immersed in farming. “I started farming because I had no choice but to grow my own ingredients, but it actually worked out pretty well. Since I was already interested, I studied and gradually expanded what I grew.” After much trial and error searching for crops suited to Kiyosato’s soil, he settled on blueberries.

He began cultivating them in earnest as a tourist farm. When he served homemade blueberry jam made from his harvest with meals at the pension, it received overwhelmingly positive feedback from guests. Requests for supplies also started pouring in from nearby hotels, finally prompting him to take the plunge into full-scale product development.

Kiyosato’s Welcoming Environment and the Expanding Jam Business

Mr. Sanoma began developing the processed goods market as a pillar alongside lodging. A pivotal moment arrived in 2003 when he was approached about the construction of facilities within Moegi Village, an initiative conceived by the then-mayor of Takane Town.

“The mayor at the time was an extremely enthusiastic and intelligent person. While the region traditionally focused on dairy farming and its products like milk, he dedicated himself to developing other local specialties and agriculture.”

Creating specialty products beyond milk. To fulfill this mission, Mr. Sanoma entered the jam-making business with a direct recommendation from the mayor. Successfully selected, he expanded the small-scale operation—previously only producing enough for the pension—and established “Kiyosato Jam Agricultural Corporation, Ltd.”Finally, the “Kiyosato Jam” brand, using local Yamanashi fruits, was born. Mr. Sanoma describes this entire process as “something only possible because it was Kiyosato.” “Kiyosato is a town of pioneers, so it had a culture of welcoming outsiders.” Indeed, history shows that residents from villages submerged by the 1938 construction of the Okutama Lake dam relocated to the Kiyosato area and began new settlements.Kiyosato, which developed the region through the harsh work of reclaiming barren land while enduring severe cold and hunger, likely possesses the “culture of acceptance” Sano-san mentions. It was precisely because of this culture, which treated migrants without discrimination, that such a new movement could emerge.

Back then, Takane Town was also an early adopter of “farmstay collaboration,” combining agricultural experiences with lodging. The town mayor established an organization called the Youth Academy, conducting annual study tours to European countries. They learned how to link agriculture to tourism through “agritourism” and observed vegetable and fruit production sites firsthand.”It was an extremely meaningful experience,” recalls Mr. Sanoma, who was a member of the Youth Academy at the time. Inspired by these study tours, Mr. Sanoma began implementing initiatives at his pension that combined lodging with farm activities, such as picking experiences and jam-making workshops.

The Enchanted “Kiyosato Jam”

The most popular product in the “Kiyosato Jam” line is the white peach jam. “While strawberry jam is usually the top seller, white peach is our best seller,” he explains.One reason is that by manufacturing and selling only during the peak season, they can deliver the inherent fresh, juicy flavor of the fruit. Of course, the other varieties in the lineup are also so popular they sell out within the season. The jams, made from carefully selected ingredients, come in 25 different types.

The “Kiyosato Jam,” featuring large chunks of fruit for a satisfying texture, comes with a trade-off. “Preparing the fruit takes half a day, which is inefficient,” he says with a wry smile. While typical jam production might allow for three batches a day, here they can only manage one.The daily process begins with prepping ingredients personally inspected by Sano-san in the morning. His jams have a sugar content of 37 degrees Brix, slightly lower than store-bought varieties. This allows the acidity, aroma, and the depth of flavor from the natural bitterness to shine through, resulting in a jam that highlights the ingredients’ true taste rather than just sweetness.

He uses a unique “vacuum low-temperature concentration” method, taking time to evaporate moisture without using additives like pectin or flavorings to achieve the jam’s viscosity. This process concentrates the ingredients’ flavors, resulting in a jam that is fruity and tastes like “the fruit itself.”

Mr. Sanoma described this entire process as “casting a spell.” Inside each jar of delicious-looking jam lies the magic he arrived at through continuous trial and error, packed tightly within.

A “Japanese Cordial” found only here 

Jam-making began as a side venture to the pension business. While wholesale to retailers and hotel shops was the main focus until recently, requests for product development have increased in the last few years—for jams served at hotel breakfasts and gift jams. “Thanks to the positive response, I truly feel our recognition is gradually growing,” Sano-san answers proudly.

In response, they closed their thriving pension business and now focus solely on jam production. Within this shift, a new product called “Cordial” was developed.

Cordials are relatively unfamiliar to Japanese consumers. Originating in Britain, they are flavored syrups meant to be diluted. They can be enjoyed in various ways: mixed with sparkling water for a non-alcoholic drink, or added to tea or yogurt to savor their aroma and sweetness. Currently, most cordials available in Japan are imported, with very few produced domestically.

“Of course, our best-selling product is jam. But jam-making and fruit processing naturally lead to developing various other products. Cordial is one such example. We enjoy processing and are actively developing new products.”

Since its development, it has grown into a popular product, garnering significant attention as “Japanese cordial.”

The Future of “Kiyosato Jam”

The current challenge for Kiyosato Jam Co., Ltd. is a shortage of workers. Mr. Sanoma himself is getting older, and finding the next generation to take over is proving difficult. Furthermore, many of the farms supplying the fruit are closing down because they lack successors. There’s also anxiety about whether they can continue sourcing the same fruits consistently, due to poor harvests caused by global warming. Yet, even in these tough circumstances, quitting jam-making is not an option for Mr. Sanoma.

“Even so, I still get ideas for things I want to do. I think it’s like being told, ‘You should keep working for the world.’ So, while I can still move, I want to challenge myself in various ways. Making bread that pairs well with jam is my immediate challenge.”

Kiyosato Jam offers a variety of products, including jams, cordials, and bread. At its core lies the desire to create quality goods, to contribute to Yamanashi’s agriculture and tourism, and ultimately, to serve the world. Through trial and error, developing unique methods, and crafting products with sincerity, Sano-san’s journey will likely continue to be embraced by the world.

The post Made possible by the land of Kiyosato: “Kiyosato Jam Agricultural Corporation, Ltd.” / Hokuto City, Yamanashi Prefecture first appeared on NIHONMONO.

The Amataki-Ondan Terraced Rice Fields in the Ondan district of Kawauchi, Toon City, Ehime Prefecture, designated as a “Connecting Terraced Rice Field Heritage.”The “Hotaru Mai” rice grown here has received high acclaim, including consecutive Gold Awards in the 22nd (2020) and 23rd (2021) editions of the “International Rice Taste Analysis and Appraisal Competition – International Comprehensive Division.”

Farming to preserve the terraced field landscape

My family home is a farm in Toon City that cultivates rice and shikimi (an evergreen tree used in Buddhist ceremonies). In my youth, I strongly yearned for the city and had no intention of taking over the family business. After graduating from university, I ended up working for the local Toon City government. While working in the Agriculture and Forestry Promotion Division, I became deeply involved in community activities, including the maintenance of terraced rice fields. There, I faced the reality of agriculture declining year by year and the loss of the landscape of the past.Onda is a small village of about 40 households. Its farmland totals just over 10 hectares. After the war, the entire Kawauchi area had about 80 hectares, but currently only about 50 hectares are cultivated. Driven by the desire to “preserve the terraced rice field landscape,” he took early retirement at age 58 and began seriously pursuing rice farming.

Shortly after starting rice cultivation, he had agricultural cooperative staff measure the taste score of his rice. Unexpectedly, it scored a high 88 points. This high score from his first harvest gave him great confidence that the terraced fields of Amataki and Onda were indeed a place capable of producing delicious rice.

Clear Streams and Terraced Fields Nurtured by Forests and Valleys

The Onda terraces possessed all the conditions necessary for growing delicious rice. Located at an elevation of 250 meters, they experience significant temperature differences between day and night and enjoy excellent sunlight. Furthermore, the soil has good water retention properties, making it well-suited for rice cultivation. Above all, the area boasts exceptional water quality.

Right beside the farm lies a small waterfall called Amataki, once a sacred site for rain-praying rituals. Other abundant water features dot the landscape, such as Shirai Falls, Karakai Falls, and Kubo no Fuchi. Nestled in mountains surrounded by broadleaf forests, these sources provide the paddies with pure mountain water rich in nutrients and minerals.A testament to the purity of these streams is Amataki Hotaru no Sato (Firefly Village), located near the terraced rice fields. On summer nights, countless fireflies dance here, offering a profound sense of nature’s abundance.　

The Birth of Hotaru Mai Rice

Despite benefiting from a rich natural environment, rice cultivation in terraced fields is not highly efficient due to burdens like grass cutting and damage from harmful birds and animals. To continue, it was necessary to enhance the rice’s value and establish it as a brand. Named “Hotaru Mai” (Firefly Rice), meaning “rice shaped by the landscape,” it was first entered in 2013 into Japan’s largest international rice competition, the “Rice Taste Analysis and Appraisal Contest.”This competition evaluates rice’s deliciousness from two perspectives: numerical analysis of moisture, protein, amylose, etc., using specialized machinery; and sensory evaluation of taste perceptions like umami, sweetness, and richness when eaten. “It was sweet. At first, it was nothing,” he recalls of that time. Afterwards, he traveled to the competition’s venue, visited farmers nationwide, and learned techniques through dialogue with many producers.

Transitioning to reduced-pesticide and organic cultivation, leading to a gold medal

“Hoda Ryu Rice” began with conventional farming using pesticides and chemical fertilizers. Through repeated exchanges with farmers nationwide, interest in reduced-pesticide and organic farming gradually grew.Through extensive analysis—including cultivation methods that suppress nitrogen in fertilizers and soil preparation using organic mineral fertilizers—he aimed for delicious rice with low protein content and excellent stickiness. Rice with less protein allows starch to blend well with water, resulting in fluffy, soft grains with a pleasant texture. “I was good at collecting and analyzing data. I absorbed the subtle differences unique to each farmer and refined them in my own way.”

After several years of organic farming, in 2020 and 2021, the “Niko Maru” variety from Sakamoto Natural Farm’s “Hotaru” rice won the Gold Prize in the International Comprehensive Division at the “Rice Taste Analysis and Appraisal Contest.” Following the taste value assessment at the contest, a taste index evaluation measuring the “sticky layer” is conducted.The sticky layer refers to the viscous layer formed on the surface of rice grains when starch dissolves during cooking. Rice with a robust sticky layer exhibits greater luster, stickiness, mouthfeel, and perceived sweetness. “The taste value increased after switching to organic farming and eliminating chemical fertilizers. It didn’t suddenly blossom after going organic; it was gradual. We’ve gotten closer to the flavor we pursued.”

“Hoda Ryu Rice” is rice meticulously crafted for taste, safety, and quality. Quality control extends all the way to the consumer.The rice is milled in a climate-controlled milling room using cold milling and stored year-round in refrigerated warehouses maintained below 14°C (57°F). This prevents condensation from forming during winter due to temperature differences between the interior and outside air. Furthermore, even the rice bran used as fertilizer, which is prone to insect infestation under normal conditions, is carefully stored under temperature control.

JINEN (Nature): Where Nature and People Coexist

Currently, “Hoda Ryu Rice” cultivates four varieties across six brands, divided into two types: “Rice with 80% Reduced Pesticides (compared to Eco Ehime standards)” and “Pesticide-Free Rice · JINEN (Nature)”. Both are grown without chemical fertilizers, using only organic fertilizers that return to the fields, such as straw, rice bran, and rice husk charcoal.

The unique brand “JINEN (Nature)” embodies the desire to cultivate rice alongside all life forms inhabiting this land, including microorganisms and flowers blooming along the field borders. “Rice should grow naturally. Instead of forcibly adding unnecessary fertilizers, we gently supplement only what is lacking. That is our authentic approach to rice farming. We want to produce rice worthy of this landscape,” they explain.

One variety within JINEN, “Ondasennen Rice,” is cultivated using natural farming methods. It employs “single-seedling cultivation,” relying solely on self-harvested seeds and completely avoiding fertilizers and chemicals. Every step is done by hand, truly nurtured by the power of people and nature alone.Due to its mountainous cultivation, the yield is extremely low, about 4 to 5 bales per tan (approx. 1000m²). While modern farming typically yields 8 to 10 bales per tan on flat land, this significantly lower harvest forms the foundation of Sakamoto’s rice-growing cycle.

Rice Farming in Terraced Fields: Restoring Pride to Rural Communities and Connecting to the Future

The reality is that almost no new farmers are starting rice cultivation. Utilizing old, narrowly structured terraced fields as farmland presents many challenges, including the maintenance of irrigation channels. What began as rice farming driven by the desire to “protect this landscape” has now expanded beyond a personal challenge into a hope for the entire region.

Sakamoto Natural Farm Hoda Ryu established the “Hotaru Club,” a rice ownership program, creating a system where people can engage with rice farming from the very beginning. Participation is possible even with small tasks like weeding, allowing people to be involved in rice farming as a side job without needing initial investment or farmland. Participants, especially parents with children, are particularly conscious of creating “a future where children can safely eat rice without worry.”Learning, growing, and eating. Through this experience, they feel that having an environment where rice can be grown is a step toward protecting children’s futures.

“The most important thing is restoring pride to the rural community. We need to be able to take pride in the fact that we are the ones creating this landscape.” To that end, they spare no effort in enhancing the value of the rice grown here.In the “Amadake Onda Terraces,” an environment ideal for growing delicious rice, maximizing the potential of this land’s natural resources holds the possibility of developing a globally competitive rice brand. “It might be the generation after mine that makes it happen. Passing this legacy forward is my dream now.”

In December 2025, the group, previously operating as a production and sales association, incorporated as a company, establishing “Hoda Ryu Co., Ltd.” This move allows the company to aim for business expansion, focusing on broadening sales channels with an eye toward exports, processing agricultural products, and even engaging in satoyama conservation activities. It marks the step into a phase dedicated to passing on the region’s resources to the next generation.

The post 棚田の美しい風景を作る米、「坂本自然農場 穂田琉」／愛媛県東温市 first appeared on NIHONMONO.

Aomori Prefecture boasts four fishing grounds: the Sea of Japan, the Pacific Ocean, the Tsugaru Strait, and Mutsu Bay. In Aomori City, located at its center, Takashi Shioya, the fifth-generation owner of the fresh fish wholesale and retail shop “Shioya Fish Shop,” and his son Naoki use advanced techniques like nerve-pinching to deliver fish tailored to the specific requests of each chef, both within and outside the prefecture.Underlying their work is a strong desire to halt the decline of the fishing industry and repay the fishermen for their contributions.

Delivering Aomori’s prized fish at the highest quality

Surrounded by sea on three sides, Aomori Prefecture is a treasure trove of seafood, boasting four distinct fishing grounds: the Sea of Japan coast, the Tsugaru Strait, the Pacific coast, and the inland Mutsu Bay. Off the Sea of Japan coast, the Tsushima Warm Current flows northward; part of it enters the Tsugaru Strait, becoming the Tsugaru Warm Current, and then flows out toward the Pacific.The Tsugaru Warm Current collides with the Oyashio Current from the north and the Kuroshio Current from the south off the coast of Hachinohe. Diverse fishing methods are employed across Aomori’s various fishing grounds, where fishermen, facing the sea, use techniques passed down through generations to land high-quality seafood.

It is Aomori City’s fish wholesaler and retailer, Shioya Fish Shop, that transforms these bountiful gifts from Aomori’s sea into the highest quality products for chefs and consumers, using extensive knowledge, advanced techniques, and above all, a passionate dedication.Takashi Shiotani, the fifth-generation owner running the shop, also serves as the representative of the “Hama no Shigoto-nin: Northern Japan Nerve-Stopping Association.” This association, founded by Takashi, is an organization formed by fisheries professionals engaged in nerve-stopping techniques across Aomori, Hokkaido, Iwate, Miyagi, and other prefectures. Nerve-stopping is a technique that delays rigor mortis in fish after death to preserve freshness. This allows high-freshness fish to be delivered even to distant locations.

Transforming frustration into strength: The journey to nerve-pinning

Takashi’s motivation to pursue nerve-pinning began when he heard people in western Japan, far from Aomori, say, “Fish from Aomori are poor in freshness and not tasty.”Shioya Fish Shop, started in 1933 (Showa 8) by four fishmongers, primarily served local restaurants and hotels when Takashi joined. Wanting “people outside the prefecture to taste delicious Aomori fish,” Takashi challenged nationwide distribution in his mid-40s. However, long-distance transport took time, leading him to hear those words again.

“Is there no way to deliver Aomori fish nationwide while keeping it fresh?” Fueled by frustration, he studied and researched relentlessly, eventually arriving at nerve-pinching. Furthermore, alongside his son Naoki, he visited fishermen in coastal villages like Sai Village and Fukaura Town within the prefecture, dedicating effort to sharing knowledge and techniques directly at the fishing sites.Since the condition of the fish at the moment of killing directly impacts its flavor, it became crucial for fishermen to catch fish in optimal condition and perform proper processing. To unite stakeholders in pursuing excellence, they established the “Hama no Shigoto-nin: Northern Japan Nerve-Striking Association” to create opportunities for information exchange and skill improvement. At its founding, nerve-striking professionals from places like Ehime and Kanagawa came to provide lectures.Many fishermen, moved by the passion of the Shioya father and son, have united their efforts with them.

Crafting Custom-Made Fish as One Team

Utilizing techniques evolved into a unique style, the fish crafted by Aomori fishermen and Shioya Fish Shop as one team now attracts attention from renowned chefs nationwide.Because the fish delivered meet or exceed expectations. When an order comes in, Shiotani Fish Shop explains to trusted fishermen: “We want fish like this.” The fishermen then determine the best approach for each request—whether to kill the fish onboard, send them live, or prepare the fish tanks optimally.The fish delivered this way undergoes meticulous management at Shioya Fish Shop. They consider everything down to what the fish ate, selecting the appropriate processing method, such as nerve-pinning. This collaboration between two professional teams enables Shioya Fish Shop to create what they value most: “custom-made fish tailored to each individual customer.”

“We want customers to feel satisfaction beyond the price, just like wearing a perfectly tailored suit,” says Takashi. “Each chef prioritizes different elements—whether texture or aroma. We deeply understand each fish’s individuality, calculating even the optimal cooking timing to meet their requests. Creating fish that tastes absolutely delicious the moment it hits the palate—that’s what making custom-made fish means. Nerve-pinching is just one of the methods to achieve that.”

Shioya’s Nerve-Cutting: Adapting the Process Based on Species, Condition, and Requests

Nerve-pinning involves destroying the spinal cord. Typically, it combines two processes: destroying the brain (known as brain destruction) and bleeding out the fish. Takashi excels by determining whether to prioritize brain destruction or bleeding based on the type and condition of the delivered fish and the customer’s request, thereby adjusting the flavor and freshness. “With brain destruction priority, we destroy the brain and perform nerve-pinning before bleeding, leaving some blood in the fish.”Leaving some blood actually enhances the aroma and umami. So for customers who plan to use the fish immediately upon delivery, we prioritize brain destruction. On the other hand, bloodletting-priority is a technique focused specifically on draining blood. Since residual blood accelerates deterioration of the flesh, we use this method for customers who won’t cook it right away, like those who want to age it,” explains Naoki. He demonstrates brain destruction, a craftsmanship skill passed down directly from Takashi.

Nerve pinning involves severing the spinal cord nerves with a wire. Since nerve locations vary by fish species, it relies on experience and intuition—a true artisan skill. “The wire is coiled, so it wraps around the nerves,” Naoki explains. Removing the nerves causes the color to drain instantly in fresh fish. This also serves as an indicator of the fish’s quality.

While bleeding methods vary, Mr. Shiotani’s approach relies solely on the fish’s own heartbeat. Here too, the fish’s vitality is crucial. With a lively fish, thorough internal chilling allows nearly all blood to drain within about 10 minutes, resulting in a translucent finish.

Regardless of the processing method, the fish must be in excellent condition as a prerequisite. “We get to work with fish that fishermen meticulously manage, allowing us to pursue even higher standards. Our work exists because of the fishermen,” both Takashi and Naoki express their gratitude.

Raising fish prices to halt the decline of fisheries and preserve culinary culture

“We want to produce fish that can compete nationwide. Fish worthy of recognition by chefs featured in the Michelin Guide.” While Takashi initially held such dreams, his desire to “repay the fishermen” gradually grew stronger.”I learned so much from the fishermen, and the work I do now is only possible because of the fishermen who walk alongside me. It’s my turn to repay the debt,” says Takashi. He feels the dwindling fish stocks firsthand and shares a sense of crisis.

“When I go to the beach, I often hear sad stories about sons wanting to take over the family business, but their parents can’t afford to feed them if there’s no catch, so they have to give up. I’ll say it again: our livelihood depends entirely on the local fishermen.We’re sustained by them. Plus, the local fish-eating culture could vanish. So what can we do? We have to raise fish prices. We especially need to lift the rock-bottom prices,” Takashi believes. “To achieve that, I want to spread the knowledge and techniques I’ve gained throughout the entire prefecture, raising the value of fish county-wide.”

If fishermen can continue their work under good conditions for generations, Naoki’s generation will also be able to carry on this profession. Furthermore, they can preserve the food culture passed down from their predecessors. This is the future Takashi envisions. “Ultimately, it’s about people enjoying delicious Aomori fish. I want to keep delivering fish that people will crave again and again to as many people as possible.”

The post Custom-made fish tailored to your preferences. Shioya Fish Shop: Looking to the future, striving alongside fishermen / Aomori City, Aomori Prefecture first appeared on NIHONMONO.

Oya Stone, quarried in the Oya district of Utsunomiya City. Known for its fire resistance and softness, making it easy to work with, it is widely used as a building material. The Oya Stone Museum allows visitors to explore the former quarry sites. Its breathtaking, massive underground space, reaching 30 meters below ground, captivates all who see it.

Oya, the Stone Town: Where Stone and Nature Weave a Unique Landscape

About a 25-minute drive from central Utsunomiya City. The scenery of dense buildings suddenly changes, arriving in an area surrounded by greenery and mountains. Though called mountains, it’s a unique landscape resembling rocky hills. This is the major production area for Utsunomiya City’s specialty, “Oya Stone,” known as the “Stone Town of Oya.”

What is “Oya Stone”?

Oya Stone is a tuff rock formed by volcanic eruptions 20 million years ago. It is named after the Oya district in Utsunomiya City, where it is primarily quarried.

Its softness and workability have made it a long-used building material; many stone walls and old storehouses in the prefecture are built with Oya Stone. It also offers fire resistance and humidity-regulating properties, and its natural texture is highly popular. In recent years, it’s increasingly used as interior material in homes and shops. For those living in Tochigi Prefecture, “Oya Stone” is a very familiar stone, known to almost everyone.

Oya Stone Used in the Former Imperial Hotel

Full-scale quarrying of Oya Stone is said to have begun around the middle of the Edo period. At that time, without machinery, miners used pickaxes and manually extracted the heavy stones by hand. While it was primarily used for shrines, temples, Utsunomiya Castle, and private home walls within the prefecture, the quarrying industry grew significantly after the Meiji period with the development of transportation methods like railways. Shipments increased substantially to areas like Tokyo and Kanagawa.

In 1922 (Taisho 11), Frank Lloyd Wright, an American architect known as one of the “Three Great Masters of Modern Architecture,” utilized Oya Stone in the main building (the Wright Building) of the former Imperial Hotel in Hibiya.It is said that Oya Stone was chosen because sufficient quantities for the construction could be secured and because of its softness, which made it easy to carve intricate details. Shortly after the Imperial Hotel opened, the Great Kanto Earthquake struck. The hotel suffered minimal damage during the quake, demonstrating the stone’s excellent seismic and fire resistance. This led to the widespread recognition of the name “Oya Stone.”

Subsequently, the introduction of mining machinery and increased construction demand during Japan’s period of rapid economic growth combined to bring the industry to its peak in the 1960s. Annual shipments reached approximately 890,000 tons, with mining operations conducted at about 120 sites.

The Oya Stone Museum: The Core of Tourism in the Oya District

Parallel to the development of the Oya Stone industry, the Oya district also grew as a tourist destination. In 1956, a massive 27-meter-tall “Peace Kannon” statue was carved into the wall of a quarry south of Oya Temple, where Japan’s oldest stone Buddha is carved into a rock face. This attracted many visitors to Oya, leading to an increase in souvenir shops, restaurants, and drive-ins in the surrounding area.This further accelerated its transformation into a tourist destination. Meanwhile, however, demand for Oya Stone gradually declined, influenced by factors like the diversification of building materials. Amidst this, the Oya Stone Museum emerged as a privately run facility opening the former quarry site to tourists. This was back in 1978, over 45 years ago.

A breathtaking underground space created by human hands

Our guide through the Oya Stone Museum was its director, Mr. Yasutoshi Okubo.

Visitors can walk through the vast underground quarry ruins, located 30 meters below ground and spanning an area of 20,000 square meters. The interior remains cool and refreshing, even in midsummer, with an average annual temperature of around 8°C (51°F). The towering rock walls are etched with numerous fine, line-like marks, which are the traces left from cutting the stone.

The Oya Stone Museum operated as an actual quarry for approximately 70 years, from 1919 (Taisho 8) to 1986 (Showa 61) (quarrying is no longer conducted). Until around 1960 (Showa 35), workers used pickaxes to extract stone, sometimes carrying heavy stones weighing nearly 120kg out on their backs using a “shoiko” (backpack).Later, mining machinery like chainsaws was introduced, enabling more efficient extraction of larger quantities of stone. Observing the rock face from top to bottom, the upper section appears uniformly pitted and uneven, transitioning to a flatter surface with sharp, knife-like cuts in the middle to lower sections.

Looking further up, the ceiling appears sooty black. Mr. Okubo believes this is likely due to stonemasons burning fires to keep warm in the cold underground caverns.

It is not a modern, large-scale structure reflecting the latest technology. Yet it is also distinct from a natural limestone cave. The Otani Museum allows visitors to experience a unique space and history born from the fusion of natural rock and human effort.

More than just sightseeing: Utilization as a wedding and event venue

Since opening in 1978, the Oya Stone Museum has remained a core tourist attraction in the Oya district. Its convenient location along the route to Nikko made it a popular stop for field trips and school excursions for students both within and outside the prefecture.

Its fame also grew through being used as a filming location for movies, TV shows, and music videos. Oya Stone’s fire resistance has made it suitable for filming scenes involving fire. Numerous photos documenting these productions are displayed inside the quarry, often drawing curious visitors who exclaim, “So that movie was filmed here?”

Many companies also seek to utilize this mysterious underground space for product promotions and events. It has been used for receptions for cars, watches, and global luxury liquor brands.

Furthermore, it is possible to hold weddings by specially opening non-public areas. Natural light streaming through an opening above and candlelight alone create a fantastical and solemn atmosphere, making for unforgettable memories. By responding to diverse needs beyond just sightseeing, it has become a representative spot of Oya.

Declining Tourist Numbers, Closure Due to the Earthquake. The Decline of the Ōtani District

The “Oya Stone Museum” established its unique presence as a tourist facility. However, this success was limited to the museum itself. For the Oya district as a whole, a rapid decline began in the early Heisei era.

One cause was the ground collapse accident in 1989. Shocking footage of the large sinkhole left people with the impression that “Oya is dangerous,” tarnishing the entire region’s unique beauty—where one could normally enjoy abundant nature and mountains revealing Oya stone rock faces. Furthermore, demand for Oya stone as a building material declined year by year due to cheaper foreign alternatives, and the number of quarry operators steadily decreased.Surrounding restaurants and lodging facilities also withdrew, and it was inevitable that tourists would stay away from an area with fewer attractions and activities. The sight of numerous tour buses and people walking the streets diminished, making the former bustle seem like a distant memory.

Even so, the Otani Museum managed to continue operating as a tourist facility, thanks to its uniqueness and the impact of being able to tour the vast underground spaces.

Amidst this situation, the Great East Japan Earthquake struck in 2011.

Utsunomiya City, where the Oya Museum is located, recorded a seismic intensity of 6 upper, and the damage to the area was extensive. This unprecedented disaster led to the decision to close the Oya Museum.

Many people misunderstood the reason for this closure, assuming it was due to physical damage from the earthquake. However, that was not the case. The interior of the Otani Museum was exceptionally sturdy, having been used as an underground military aircraft factory during the war, and suffered no physical damage from the quake. The then-director decided to close the museum to prevent visitors from being startled by aftershocks, potentially causing injuries or anxiety.

Regardless of the reason, the closure of this representative tourist facility in the Oya district accelerated the area’s decline. With no prospect of reopening and the owner at the time considering selling the business, it was Mr. Okubo’s father, Keiichi, who took over management to reopen the museum and preserve it for future generations.

The Path to Revival as a Tourist Spot

Keichi, who had previously run a civil engineering and stone business in the Oya district, took on this unfamiliar venture in a visibly declining area. It seemed a reckless move. Yet, Keichi was driven by a strong desire: “I want to bring back the Oya of the past, bustling with people.” He was spurred on by his own earnest wish to see once again the vibrant scene of the area where he grew up.

Mr. Okubo, who was working outside the prefecture at the time, also resonated with his father’s vision. To help his increasingly busy father, he decided to return to Ōtani, the place where he was born and raised.

Thus began days of trial and error for father and son. They explored various initiatives. Among them, an exhibition of works by flower arrangement artist Shogo Kariyazaki drew significant attention. Combined with events like collaborations with popular anime, these efforts increased awareness of the museum. Furthermore, allowing photography—previously prohibited—made the museum a popular photogenic spot. (※Photography exceeding two hours without permission, and the use of tripods, selfie sticks, or other photography equipment is prohibited.)

Parallel to these efforts, the entire Otani area saw a gradual recovery in visitor numbers. Driven by people wanting to “bring back the old bustle,” events were held and new shops opened. Today, annual attendance exceeds 450,000, and the area has regained its vibrancy, with buses carrying overseas tourists visiting daily.

To ensure visitors feel safe exploring this unique underground environment

Mr. Okubo explains that managing this unique underground environment presents many challenges.

Humidity inside is extremely high, consistently around 80%. Electrical systems are prone to corrosion, requiring meticulous attention to prevent leaks. During typhoons or heavy rains, massive amounts of water flood in, sometimes requiring three full days of pumping to remove it.

Additionally, when bringing vehicles in for events, they must be vigilant about carbon monoxide poisoning.

In recent years, to alleviate concerns about crowding underground, they introduced a machine at the entrance that counts the number of visitors. They also installed infection control equipment that displays the number of people inside in real time.

Amidst these efforts, the utmost focus remains on ensuring safety. Oya stone is lightweight and prone to cracking, so skilled craftsmen conduct monthly inspections to check for any new cracks. They also regularly monitor the width of existing cracks in the non-public underground areas to ensure visitors can enjoy their tour with peace of mind.

Today, not only have tourist numbers increased, but companies and organizations nationwide are continuously proposing events and projects. “We allow the use of fire, but we ask them to refrain from explosions,” says Mr. Okubo with a slightly troubled smile. Yet, he clearly takes pleasure in seeing the museum bustling with visitors once more.

Moving forward with Oya

“I believe this place is truly unique, even on a global scale,” says Mr. Okubo. While many visitors come to see locations from their favorite films, he adds, “I’d be happy if children also learned about the history of how people used their minds and hands to mine here in the past.”

In the past, many visitors to the Oya district would leave after seeing the Oya Stone Museum. Over the last decade or so, stylish restaurants and shops have opened up around the area, revitalizing the entire Oya district into an enjoyable destination. This transformation was driven by people like Mr. Okubo and his son – individuals who remembered Oya’s former vibrancy, believed in its potential for revival, and dedicated themselves to making it happen.

Mr. Okubo’s life in tourism began when his father raised his hand. It was something he never expected, but now he finds daily joy in meeting all kinds of people.

“I’d like to expand the tour routes, but safety considerations make it difficult. Still, the scenery above ground is beautiful in every season, not just underground. After visiting the museum, I hope people will explore the entire Oya area,” says Mr. Okubo.

It’s not just about the “Oya Museum”; it’s about many people visiting the Oya district and the entire area thriving. That is surely the wish of the people who have witnessed the rise and fall of this land.

The post A massive underground space, 30 meters below ground, created by human hands throughout history. The Oya Stone Quarry Site “Oya Stone Museum” / Utsunomiya City, Tochigi Prefecture first appeared on NIHONMONO.

Fujio Ishimoto, a textile designer at Marimekko and creator of more than 400 designs, has returned to his hometown of Ehime after 50 years of living in Northern Europe, and has chosen Dogo as his new creative home. With Mustakivi, a brand he launched with Eisaku Kurokawa, he delivers expressions rooted in the people, the region, and their daily lives.

Mustakivi” was born in their hometown, Ehime.

Mustakivi is a lifestyle brand that deals with tableware and textiles, etc. Mustakivi was coined from the Finnish words “Musta,” meaning “black,” and “Kivi,” meaning “stone. The two names are superimposed on each other.

How did the two meet? It all started when Mr. Kurokawa visited Finland on business and was attracted by the charm of Finnish design. After returning to Japan, he continued to deepen his interest, and finally met Mr. Ishimoto for the first time in 2013, when he held his first solo exhibition in Ehime.

Since its launch, Mustakivi has been collaborating with Japanese handicrafts to create vessels and fabrics that accompany daily life.

Mr. Kurokawa says, “We want to be more than just a product seller; we want to be a cultural creator and transmitter. He hopes to create such a place where people can become aware of the value of the local community through Mr. Ishimoto’s works.

Ehime and Scandinavia, two original landscapes, are the source of his creations.

The beautiful glazed designs of his pottery and fabrics such as tenugui (hand towels) and towels are based on motifs of things found in nature. Ishimoto’s designs evoke Japanese aesthetics and techniques, such as depicting nature in chic color schemes and using blurring effects. The source of his designs lies in the original landscape of his hometown, Ehime.

Ishimoto was born in 1941 in the town of Tobe, Ehime Prefecture, known for its Tobe pottery. His family was a mandarin orange farmer, and the ruins of a defunct climbing kiln and chimneys around his house, where pottery shards and kiln tools lay scattered about, became the starting point for his later creative endeavors.

I used to collect the pottery shards that were lying around and use them as playthings,” he said. There were three climbing kilns large enough for an adult to enter standing up, and I used to play in them. The memories of his childhood are still vivid.

After studying at the Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music, he traveled around the world, eventually ending up in Finland.

From 1974 to 2006, he worked as a designer at Marimekko, a leading Finnish design house, and created over 400 textile designs.

Marimekko has developed bold and unique textile designs and still has fans around the world more than 70 years after its establishment. Many famous designers have supported the foundation of Marimekko, and Mr. Ishimoto is certainly one of them. His designs, which make full use of a variety of techniques and styles, remain a Marimekko staple.

Ishimoto also turned his attention to ceramics in the 1980s, working in the art department of Arabia, a traditional Finnish pottery, and creating expressive ceramics incorporating natural motifs.

He began making things in his hometown of Ehime.

In 2020, Ishimoto returned to Japan for the first time in half a century, saying, “I have always wanted to go back to Japan to work. Having lived abroad for so long, he has come to see the beauty that resides in Japanese life and the original landscape of his hometown. He wanted to express these in his hometown.

Eisaku Kurokawa supported his new start in his hometown, opening the store and gallery “Mustakivi gallery&” the year after the completion of his atelier in 2021.

The atelier is equipped with an electric kiln, and Mr. Ishimoto devotes himself to creative activities such as designing and making ceramics every day. Creating is fun. It’s good for my health,” he smiles.

His parents’ home was located near the kiln opened by Josuke Sugino, the founder of Tobe pottery. It is a coincidence that Mr. Ishimoto, who was born and raised there, is now involved in pottery making.

Nature is interesting because it is not as it seems.

The source of Mr. Ishimoto’s design lies in the limitations imposed by the materials.

In both Finland and Japan, wood has brought about a great deal,” he says. In the past, people used to make their own plates by cutting trees that were close to them. That is why I think the Finnish sense of “form” is rooted in wood. In Japan, too, there are many shapes made from wood.

Nature does not always do things the way we want them to. That is why some forms are born. The same is true of ceramics. Mr. Ishimoto seems to enjoy the beauty of design that comes from a kind of limitation that does not allow his will to be fully carried out.

A spirit of respect for the four seasons, which Japan and Finland have in common

There is one more thing that Finland and Japan have in common. The four seasons. Finland also has four distinct seasons, and there is a sense of celebrating and enjoying the seasons,” says Kurokawa.

Mustakivi releases a new tenugui every three months. The tenugui, featuring motifs of flowers, fruits, landscapes, colors, and shapes, add color to the season. These tenugui are perfect for spread on the table or displayed on the wall as an item to enjoy the four seasons in your daily life.

Culture takes root in our daily life.

Kurokawa says, “I was happy when a local person saw Mr. Ishimoto’s design and said, ‘I’m so glad to hear that he is from Ehime. Through her works, which are based on the motifs of Ehime’s natural features, she is able to appreciate the beauty of her hometown anew and take pride in it. He believes that such pride will become a source of unity that unites the community.

With this in mind, he plans to open the “Ishimoto Fujio Design Museum” near Matsuyama Castle in 2026.

Kurokawa’s thoughts on the new cultural center are filled with a sense of “pure connection, valuing people-to-people relationships, and wanting to continue what only we can do in this area for a long time,” he says.

A Place to Discover Happiness in Everyday Life

While moving freely between the two fields of art and design, Mr. Ishimoto has been able to capture the small flashes of inspiration that lurk in everyday life and incorporate them into his designs. Mr. Kurokawa has carefully taken that sensibility and crystallized it into a brand. The time and memories that the two of them have shared are still quietly spreading through “Mustakivi”.

The works created from the memories of Finland, where they spent half a century, and the original landscape of Ehime, will show us new landscapes while staying close to our daily lives.

The post Japan and Finland. Mustakivi” spinning two original landscapes with cloth and ceramics, by Fujio Ishimoto and Eisaku Kurokawa / Matsuyama City, Ehime Prefecture first appeared on NIHONMONO.

Pure clarity and a first taste of deliciousness. The craft saké brewed by haccoba-Craft Sake Brewery in Minamisoma, Fukushima Prefecture, instantly captivates you. The representative of the brewery, Taisuke Sato, lightly enjoys the experimental and free brewing of sake in the area he has moved to. The young brewer has a big dream to go global with craft saké and a passion for the region’s reconstruction after the Great East Japan Earthquake.

Sake brewing from scratch in Minamisoma, where reconstruction efforts are underway

haccoba-Craft Sake Brewery” (haccoba) was established in February 2021 under the concept of “a sake brewery that grows together. The brewery, which was renovated from a 50-year-old house, is located in Odakaku, Minamisoma City, Fukushima Prefecture, an area where all residents were temporarily evacuated due to the nuclear power plant accident after the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011.

In fact, my birthday is March 11. I was living in Saitama at the time of the disaster, and every year on my birthday, I feel frustrated that I have done nothing to help the affected areas, and I wanted to someday engage in activities that would help the recovery of the region,” he says.

Enthralled by the Beauty of Fermentation Culture, Entered the Sake Brewing Business

After getting hooked on sake as a university student, Mr. Sato worked for an IT company after graduation, and later found a “sake start-up” at a company he changed jobs at. There, he learned that he, too, could create a new sake brewery, and he set his sights on opening a sake brewery where he could make his living from the sake he loves. The reason for this, he says, “was because I was impressed by the beauty and depth of fermentation culture through my favorite sake.

In opening the business, he was once again impressed by the “world’s best tasting sake” after drinking it at an izakaya. He visited Abe Shuzo (Kashiwazaki City, Niigata Prefecture), the brewer of REGULUS sake, which is known for the Koshino-Oyama and Abe series of sake, and learned sake brewing techniques. After one year of training, he established his own sake brewery at his current location at the age of 27.

Sato was positive about starting from scratch as a local sake brewery, and his encounter with Tomoyuki Wada, the head of Odaka Workers Base, who had been working to create a business in Odaka Ward, Minamisoma City since 2014, also helped accelerate the launch of haccoba. Mr. Wada introduced us to this house when we were struggling to find a good property for a sake brewery,” said Mr. Wada.

He met many people who were sincerely involved in the regional development and reconstruction of the areas affected by the nuclear power plant disaster, and the fact that there were many people who supported him was also a deciding factor in his decision to choose this location. The support for starting a business from the local government also brought a sense of security. In addition, his wife, Mizuki, is from Iwaki City, Fukushima Prefecture, which made him feel more familiar with the area.

Today, in Minamisoma’s Odaka Ward, in addition to residents who have lived there for a long time, young entrepreneurs from all over the country have come to start their own businesses, and new business and community development efforts are underway.

Craft saké,” in which the maker’s individuality shines through, is also appealing in its range.

Under the Sake Tax Law, the craft saké produced by haccoba is classified as “other brewed sake” rather than “sake,” and thus cannot be called “sake. In addition, currently, sake production licenses are rarely issued to new brewers, so the younger generation of sake brewers is finding a way to make their dreams come true in the craft saké business. Mr. Sato is one of them.

However, the Sake Tax Law will be revised in 2020, and new sake production licenses will be issued only for brewing sake to be sold for export, not for domestic distribution in Japan. We expect that these trends will lead to changes in laws and regulations in the future,” he said.

Craft Sake, a New Genre of Sake Growing in Popularity

Sake (sake) is made from strained “moromi,” a fermented mixture of rice, rice malt, and water, and there are limits to what other ingredients can be used, such as brewer’s alcohol and sugar. The process of making sake is different from that of sake.

According to the Craft Sake Brewery Association, “craft saké” is a new genre of rice-based sake that is based on sake (seishu) production technology and incorporates processes that cannot legally be employed in conventional sake. The number of sake breweries producing craft saké has been increasing in recent years, and the quality of the sake has improved dramatically, steadily expanding its popularity and power.

The strength of craft saké is the freedom to take on new challenges. Our brewery focuses on direct sales, so we can be adventurous with sake that would normally be considered difficult to sell, and we can make it fruity, dry, or smoky depending on the secondary ingredients we add, such as herbs, hops, and fruit.

A Modern Take on Folk Sake Making

There was once a time in Japan when each household enjoyed “dobrok” (the original form of sake) made from a variety of ingredients. However, since sake brewing became licensed in the Meiji era (1868-1912), it has become difficult to freely make sake. One of the purposes of haccoba’s sake brewing was to express such a folkloric way of sake making in a modern way.

One of the books that Sato loves to read and cherishes as a reference for his recipes is “The Do Brokk Treasured Book of Countries. I was intrigued by the unique and free ways of making it, such as using calahanasaw, which grows in the mountains of Tohoku, and using fruits such as millet, Japanese millet, and mountain grapes, in addition to rice,” he says. The idea of starting a sake brewery in a private home was also an extension of the home brewing process, he says.

A Small Brewery Enjoying Evolution and Change

Located in Odaka-ku, Minamisoma, is a small, 40-square-meter glass-fronted brewery, an adjoining pub (open Friday, Saturday, and Sunday by reservation only), and a store with a wide variety of products. The brewery has three 300L thermal tanks, one for brewing and one for storage, from preparation to completion.

Due to the steady increase in orders for new products since its establishment, the company is building a brewery in the neighboring town of Namie in 2023 and making sake at two locations. The standard time from preparation to completion is about one month. As soon as the tanks are empty, they begin the next round of brewing, releasing new products and collaborative products as they go along.

This year, we are trying our hand at old sake for the first time,” says Sato, smiling happily, “by keeping a close eye on the fermentation process and letting the sake mature. Always remembering to evolve and change, he takes on the challenge of sake brewing.

Passing on the baton from the producers to create safe sake with organic rice

The rice used as a raw material is one of the specialties of the company. The rice used includes “Omachi” from Nemoto Organic Farm in Minamisoma City, “Amanotsubu” from Toyoda Farm, and “Sasashigure” from Tsuchiya Farm in Inawashiro Town, all of which are contract farmers.

Beautiful ears of rice were waving in the wind in the rice paddies of Nemoto Organic Farm in Odaka-ku, Minamisoma City. Koichi Nemoto, the owner of the farm, is currently working on organic farming with his son, Gomi.

Nemoto’s rice is so delicious that I feel it naturally makes sake taste good as well,” he said. I want to pass on the baton by expressing the precious rice that is grown organically and deliciously to the maximum extent possible in the form of sake without wasting it,” says Sato.

Koichi says calmly, “It’s been 70 years since I started growing rice, but every year I treat it as if I were a first grader. Mr. Sato moved to the area and started a sake brewery, which uses the rice we grow, and also employs young local people, which helps to revitalize the community. As a sake brewery rooted in the community, haccoba is already happily connected to a multicultural and multigenerational community.

Beautiful Sake Brewed with Originality Enriches and Adds Color to Everyday Life

Starting with “Hananuta Hops,” a standard sake since its establishment, haccoba has released a succession of unique flavors and collaborative products such as “kasu [sansho lemonade],” “haccoba coffee shop,” and “Shokolashu,” which have been attracting attention.

Most of the products are 500 ml in size. The unique and cute labels have many fans and are also appreciated as gifts. The alcohol setting is set at 10-13℃ because they want even wine lovers to enjoy their wines casually. We base our wines on taste and quantity so that they can be enjoyed with meals. He often collaborates with people from other industries, sharing ideas and creating recipe designs, ultimately aiming to create an enjoyable experience through alcohol.

A taste with depth combined with native plants and trees of Fukushima

haccoba has steadily grown into a sake brewery whose name is always mentioned when “craft saké” or “botanical sake” is mentioned. haccoba’s deep flavor, which combines native plants and trees of Fukushima, is attracting attention both in Japan and abroad.

The standard sake “Hananuta Hops” is a bottle that combines the refreshing citrus aroma and clear sweetness of rice by crossing “hanamoto,” a fantastic production method handed down in Tohoku, and “dry hops,” a beer technique that extracts a gorgeous aroma. In addition to aroma hops, the brewery is particular about the use of calahanaso, a type of vine grass also known as oriental hops. The hops are boiled from a dried state, and the boiled juice is added to the brewing water to make the malt. The hops are also soaked in the tank during the latter stages of fermentation, leaving a strong aroma in the finished product. The style is a unique flavor that has been perfected by combining craft beer production methods with an awareness of reproducing the “Hana-Hashiro” style.

In 2024, the company will introduce a new series of standard sake called “zairai (indigenous). Brewed with a variety of native ingredients, the sake is made with local herbs encountered with mountain owners in the mountains of Fukushima Prefecture. For example, kaya leaves, cedar bokkuri, aburachan branches, and mugwort flowers are fermented together with rice. The finished product has a gentle aroma, a good balance of coolness and astringency, and a pleasant lingering taste.

More than 6 to 10 varieties are always available at haccoba’s store and online store, and can also be purchased and enjoyed at stores in Tokyo.

From Fukushima to the world. Challenge to open a brewery in Belgium

The next goal of haccoba, which expresses craft saké through free brewing, is to expand into Belgium. We have been working on a plan to establish a brewery in Belgium since the very beginning. Belgium is a region where each region has its own recipe for beer, and they have built a culture similar to the Japanese dobrok, so I would like to take on the challenge of creating a sake that is a fusion of our drinks,” he says enthusiastically.

With a free spirit that is reminiscent of the folkloric dobrok of the past, haccoba is aiming for the world, and we can’t wait to see what kind of delicious sake they will produce.

The post From Fukushima to the world. Taisuke Sato of “haccoba,” a company that delivers surprise and excitement with its freely conceived “craft salmon” / Minamisoma City, Fukushima Prefecture first appeared on NIHONMONO.

Owner Toru Nihei operates select stores of antique furniture and household goods based in Mashiko Town, Haga County, Tochigi Prefecture. The “Nihira Old Furniture Store” and “pejite” stores in Mashiko Town and neighboring Moka City offer old furniture carefully handcrafted in the olden days, as well as ceramics and sundry goods made by local artists.

It is not only Mashiko pottery. Mashiko is a town where you can feel people’s handiwork and sensibility.

Mashiko Town is located in southeastern Tochigi Prefecture. The Mashiko Pottery Market, held in spring and fall, is a big event that attracts up to 400,000 visitors.

Although the image of “Mashiko-machi = Mashiko-yaki” remains strong, the Mashiko area outside of the pottery market is a tranquil region with abundant nature and Japanese satoyama scenery. There are many fashionable and unique cafes and bakeries run by individuals, as well as galleries dotted around the area that sell not only pottery, but also sundry goods and apparel made by artists whose handiwork shines through. It is an area where one can experience not only ceramics, but also nature, gourmet food, and the handiwork of many people.

In such a town, “Nihira Old Furniture Store” and “pejite” have stores.

The stores, owned and operated by Toru NIHIRA, offer a selection of antique furniture, pottery, and sundries.

Three locations in Tochigi Prefecture and another store in Aoyama, Tokyo

In Mashiko Town, there are “Nihira Old Furniture Store Mashiko” and “pejite Mashiko. In the neighboring city of Moka, there is “NIHIRA Antique Furniture Store Moka,” and “pejite” also has a store in Aoyama, Tokyo.

NIHIRA Old Furniture Store” purchases rare old furniture and miscellaneous goods made from the Meiji to early Showa periods from all over Japan, and sells them at affordable prices after washing and repairing each item and restoring it to its original condition.

On the other hand, “pejite” sells not only old furniture, but also ceramics and glassware made by Mashiko-based artists, simple yet high-quality clothing and sundries, and other items that show the “handiwork” of the craftsmen who made them, with their skills and thoughts in mind.

Although the stores are not located in an easy-to-see location, with no large signboards and a slightly secluded street, many customers come all the way from outside of the prefecture to visit the stores.

The goods lined up in the stores are not those of famous brands. The items lined up in the stores are not famous brands, nor do they have stunningly elegant designs, but the customers never stop coming in. Why do these stores continue to capture people’s hearts? We asked them how they got there.

I want to live doing what I love.

Owner Toru Nihira moved to Tokyo immediately after graduating from high school. He worked at a record store and chose a career that allowed him to experience the music he loved. However, at the age of 23, he was forced to return to his hometown due to his family’s circumstances. The reality is that there are not many job opportunities in the so-called “countryside. Mr. Nihei, too, worked at a local factory without choosing a job he “liked. However, it was difficult for him to find a job he liked, and he spent many months working and quitting repeatedly.

What grew during those depressing days was his desire to “make a living doing what I love.

At the same time, Nihei bought old furniture and tools at low prices, washed them, and repaired them as a hobby. He had been interested in interior design since he was young and was attracted to the charm of old things. Realizing that he could not continue working in a job that did not suit him, Mr. Nihei decided to start his own business.

First, he obtained an antique dealer’s license and began buying, repairing, and refurbishing furniture and tools on his own, which he then sold at Internet auctions. He then began selling them at antique markets in Tokyo. In 2009, he opened his first store, Nihei Antique Tool Store, in Moka City next to Mashiko Town.

Although Niihira has gone ahead with what he loves, he recalls, “I was full of anxiety when I opened my first store. Still, he thought, “If I could manage to eat, that would make me happy,” and continued to sell online and visit antique markets in Tokyo in parallel with the store.

As I continued to do this, I gradually became more and more interesting, and magazines began to feature my work,” he said. At that time, magazines were still very influential. Whenever a magazine featured travel or culture, more and more people would visit the store with the magazine.

In 2010, he opened a second “Nihira Antique Tool Store” in Mashiko Town. There was demand not only from individual customers, but also from store owners and others looking for unconventional interior design.

To convey what is “good,” but which no one knows about yet

Mr. Niihira has been striving to convey the good qualities of antique furniture, but there are only a limited number of people who like “antique” furniture. At “NIHIRA Furniture Store,” he also places importance on selling one-of-a-kind items that were handcrafted by people in the past and can be used for a lifetime, at an affordable price. I want to convey the feeling that just because something is old, it doesn’t mean it is old, and that one-of-a-kind items are fun,” says Nimpei.

In 2014, he opened “pejite” as a separate concept from “NIHIRA Furniture Store. In addition to selling larger and more expensive antique furniture, the store will also sell ceramics made by local Mashiko artists, handmade sundries, and clothing. At first I thought I would sell first-class products from all over Japan, but then I realized that there are still people who are not well known but are doing good work, rather than people whose work has already sold well…” He continues, “I wanted to introduce good products but no one knows about them. I wanted to introduce things that are good, but that no one knows about,” he said.

And in 2018, he opened the second “pejite” store in Aoyama, Tokyo. Until then, many people from Tokyo had been coming to Tochigi, but having a store in Tokyo made it easier for people to experience the charm of Mashiko.

Loving the old and reviving its charm

I started the business in a state of uncertainty, wondering if I would be able to make a living on my own. The old tools that he buys are managed in his workshop, which has a floor space of about 330 square meters, and each one is carefully cleaned and repaired by seven or eight craftsmen to give it a new life.

Dirt and other debris are removed cleanly, but not too cleanly.

The reproduction of the work, which cannot be reproduced in a new piece, brings to life the flavor that has deepened over the years, and shows not only the high level of skill but also the “handiwork” of modern craftsmen, which is a reflection of their respect for the craftsmen who worked on these items long ago.

This is not a passing fad. Mr. Nihei’s life has given birth to a beloved store.

I was the kind of kid who was happy to pick up things like oversize trash and fallen rocks,” says Nimpei with a laugh. When I was a child, we were poor, and I thought it would be better if I didn’t ask people to buy me toys. I was poor when I was a child, and I thought it would be better if I didn’t say, ‘Buy me a toy,’ so that may have been my roots.

The old furniture sold at Nimpei’s store is full of unspeakable charm, from its simple, warm feel and form to its detailed design that reveals the culture and fashions of the time.

Mr. Nihei’s aesthetic sense is the result of a fusion of his childhood circumstances and his innate sensibility. He also has a love and respect for old things.

It is not a passing fad that has made the store a favorite of so many people, but rather the very essence of Mr. Nimpei’s life. It is because of Mr. Nihei’s life itself.

To continue to enliven the local community

In 2023, he will open his own original tableware brand “Kyuko” store in the Shin-Marunouchi Building, right in front of Tokyo Station. The shop will focus on ceramics fired in Mashiko’s studio, making it a place where the appeal of Mashiko and its handicrafts can be further communicated.

The shop is a place where the charm of Mashiko and its handicrafts can be communicated. I hope there will be more people who want to do interesting things in this area,” said Nihei. In 2024, he plans to renovate an old private house and turn it into a store that will be available for rent.

Having grown his business to the point where he has multiple stores in and out of the prefecture, Nihei may appear to be a successful businessman. However, at the root of his success is a deep respect and love for the land where he grew up, the historical Japanese old things, and the handiwork of people who put in a lot of time and effort.

He is standing in a future that would not have been possible without his action and desire to leave stability behind and “make a living doing what I love.

The power of “like” is strong.

I am sure that he will continue to run as fast as he can toward what he loves.

The post Mr. Toru NIHIRA, owner of “NIHIRA Old Furniture Store,” which conveys “good things” from the past to the present and brings out the charm of craftsmanship / Mashiko-machi, Haga-gun, Tochigi Prefecture first appeared on NIHONMONO.