While running his organic dried fruit import and sales business “AMBESSA,” he is self-sufficient in food through natural cultivation, uses solar power for energy, and builds his own store. Mr. Kimishima continues to acquire the “zest for life” in Minami-Boso that he learned on his travels around the world, and is quietly questioning how he should live and work in the future.

Visit “Abyssinia,” AMBESSA’s directly managed grocery in Minami-Boso

The southern part of Boso Peninsula is one of the warmest areas in Chiba Prefecture, where citrus fruits and flowers are cultivated. In this area of southern Boso facing the Pacific Ocean, Mr. Kimishima lives with his wife, Aguri, and their two children. Although it is less than a 10-minute walk to the ocean, the gently rolling mountains of the Boso Hills approach the coast, with lush green satoyama mountains in the background. Standing as if blending in with the scenery of Minami-Boso is AMBESSA’s directly managed store, “Organic Grocery Abyssinia,” located on the grounds of the main building.

Incidentally, these store names are derived from the Rasta philosophy, which has greatly influenced Mr. Kimishima’s philosophy. The lion used as a symbol in various parts of Ethiopia, the starting point of this philosophy, is called AMBESSA in the ancient local language, and Ethiopia is called Abyssinia.

Building a “store that goes back to the soil.”

Abyssinia, which opened in 2018, was designed and built by Kimishima himself under the guidance of the architectural firm Koufurin in Isumi City, located in the central Boso Peninsula, using natural materials found in our daily lives, such as mountain clay, ocean sand, thinned wood, and rice husks.

It took about three and a half years and a lot of hard work to get it into shape, but I was able to maintain it myself and make it functional. For example, the thatch in the walls helps to insulate the building. He looks back on how his own experience of building with natural materials made him rediscover the qualities of Japanese traditional houses.

The “Back to the Soil” store sells organic dried fruits, nuts, spices, and herbs, as well as breads and baked goods made by Akuri.

Giving Value to Substandard Foods

Kimishima-san recommended Abyssinia, a dried fruit made from apples grown naturally in Aomori Prefecture without pesticides or fertilizers, which is one of AMBESSA’s staple products. It is characterized by its delicate, sweet flavor and the rich nourishing taste that comes out with each munching.

The dried apples used for this product are originally small and flawed, and are considered out of standard in general distribution. Even though they are out of standard, the taste is certain. We buy such fruits and vegetables that cannot be distributed in the market and dry them to increase their value. Processing them into dried products is also a part of our efforts in this regard.

Dry processing of selected ingredients

In 2010, AMBESSA began importing dried fruits and other agricultural products from overseas and distributing them to natural food stores and restaurants in Japan. In principle, products are grown without pesticides or chemical fertilizers, and are limited to those without additives or preservatives.

In recent years, in addition to tangerines, blueberries, raisins, prunes, and other fruits grown by the Kimishima family, the company has been increasingly using fruits from farms connected through acquaintances. These domestically grown fruits are dried in a dryer in his atelier.

The best moisture content is around 15%, but if the fruit is too dry, it will dry out and almost disappear, and if it is not dry enough, it will become moldy,” explains Kimishima. But if it is too dry, it will dry out and almost disappear, and if it is not dry enough, it will get moldy.

AMBESSA’s essential dried fruit is the date (jujube palm). In fact, it was a date that Mr. Kimishima encountered on a trip to North Africa that inspired him to start importing and selling dried fruits.

Bringing Dried Fruits to Japan

Mr. Kimishima was born in Fukagawa, Tokyo in 1977. When he was in his 20s, he worked part-time and whenever he had enough money saved up, he traveled around the world as a backpacker.

During his travels, he tasted dried dates from Tunisia and was surprised at how delicious they tasted. “At the time, there were no high quality organic dried fruits in Japan,” he said, and seeing the potential for business, he decided to start importing them. At the same time, however, Mr. Kimishima was not interested in dried fruit solely from a business standpoint. At the time, Mr. Kimishima was eating a vegetarian diet, and his interest in dried fruits was growing.

Living in Harmony with Nature in Central America

This was before his encounter with dates. During his trip to Central America, Mr. Kimishima stayed in a Rastafarian commune (a religious movement that emerged in the 1930s in Jamaica, mainly among the working class and peasants), which influenced reggae music and vegetarianism, and the experience of living in harmony with nature there greatly influenced his own philosophy. This experience greatly influenced his philosophy.

I felt that a way of life with nature, as in the Rastafarian commune, could provide hints for gradually solving various problems that society faces. I had a vague idea at the time that I might be able to convey this through products such as dried fruits. I also wanted to acquire the power to live like the people who helped me at the commune,” he said.

On a subsequent trip to Ethiopia, the starting point of the Rasta way of thinking, Mr. Kimishima positioned Ethiopia as the starting point of his own way of life.

Practicing a Self-Sufficient Lifestyle

After returning from his trip, Mr. Kimishima started a new life in Minami-Boso, as Mr. Akuri’s parents lived in Chiba Prefecture. He renovated an 80-year-old traditional Japanese house, generating his own electricity with solar power and practicing natural farming without using any pesticides or fertilizers in the rice paddies and fields. He makes a living and earns his living with his own hands.

He grows rice such as Sally Queen, a variety that goes well with curry and paella. Rye is used to make the bread and Stollen that Mr. Akuri makes. Vegetables and fruit trees for self-sufficiency grow in the field behind the store, and after harvesting, he also picks seeds. She says, “We should increase what we can do for our own survival, rather than entrusting it to someone else through money. If we do this, I think our current society, which is difficult to live in, will become a little more enjoyable and in harmony with the earth.

Bringing the Joy of Living to the Next Generation

Mr. Kimishima also enjoys “fun” to the fullest. He even renovated a warehouse on his property and built a disco.

He says, “We use electricity generated by solar power to make sound, spin a mirror ball, and have dinner while drinking craft beer brewed by a friend of mine from our fruit. I play like that with my friends,” Kimishima says with a laugh. While trying to get people interested in AMBESSA’s efforts through its products, Kimishima hopes to “convert this into something fun and open up opportunities to directly communicate our thoughts and ideas.

In the future, Kimishima’s vision is to promote community-supported agriculture, or CSA, in which producers and consumers in the same community work together to reduce food loss and purchase and support produce. What we are doing is also for the sake of future generations. It’s not a pretty word, but we have to leave a rich natural environment for our children. I would like to work together with others who share this vision.

Living in Minami-Boso, Kimishima’s daily life makes him realize that he is alive today. Through delicious food, Mr. Kimishima and his colleagues provide us with an opportunity to think about what is the fundamental joy and pleasure of being human.

The post Yuya Kimishima of “AMBESSA & CO” puts his passion for the power of life into organic dried fruits / Minami-Boso City, Chiba Prefecture first appeared on NIHONMONO.

While there are many well-known companies that have their roots in the Omi merchants, there may be few that are still based in Omi, despite their national recognition. We visited Masahito Yamamoto, CEO of the Taneya Group, which aims to recreate the beautiful original landscape of the surrounding water villages and greenery and to create products that “learn from nature,” and asked him about his thoughts.

From a lumber merchant to a Japanese confectionery shop. A long-established wagashiya in business for 150 years

Taneya was founded 150 years ago. Taneya began as a lumber merchant in the Edo period (1603-1867), later became involved in the sale of grain and other seeds, and started a small confectionary shop in 1872 (Meiji 5).

The company was founded in Omihachiman City, Shiga Prefecture, located on the east side of Lake Biwa. Perhaps it was the disposition of the Omi merchants who were once active in this area that led them to change the form of their business one after another in accordance with the trends of the times. Even though the products handled changed from seeds to confectionaries, the name “Taneya” remained familiar to people, and the name “Taneya” continues to be used today as an important name given to the business by the local people.

Started manufacturing Western-style confectioneries in the sixth year after the war

Taneya, which had focused on Japanese confectionery since its early days as a confectioner, began producing Western-style confectionery because of the presence of architect William Merrell Vories, who was known as “the blue-eyed Omi merchant. At that time, when Japanese-style living was still the mainstream, the Vories’ family across the street from the store would set up a table in the garden and hold tea time at 3 o’clock in the morning. Everyone worked hard during the day, but they would relax on the lawn and eat cakes and cookies. It was an unthinkable scene at the time, but as he learned about American culture through his interactions with the Vories, he realized that this might be the future, and in 1951, soon after the war, he began manufacturing western-style confectionery.

Later, the Western confectionery division became independent and “Club Harrier,” known for its baumkuchen, was born. Taneya for Japanese confectioneries and Club Harrier for Western confectioneries. The two brands established a firm foundation and stimulated each other to create the unique taste of the Taneya Group.

Confectionery production must be rooted in the community

In Omihachiman City, the traditional fire festival “Sagicho Festival” is held every year in mid-March to herald the arrival of spring. Taneya sells “Take-Yokan”, a type of take-yokan made of water yokan poured into fresh green bamboo, only during this time of year. Take-yokan is available for only two days in a year. It is certain that it would sell better if the sales period were extended, but they do not intend to do so. The confectioner’s business is backed by history, tradition, and culture. More important than their own business is to blend in with the local community. Taneya’s traditions and thoughts are reflected in the sweets that are only available at this time of the year and the sweets that are served only at this time of the year, no matter how much time and effort it takes to make them.

The youngest person to receive the “Honorary President’s Craft Culture Award” after starting out as a bag-bearer.

The current head of the company is Masahito Yamamoto, the 10th generation. At the age of 24, he was the youngest person ever to receive the “Honorary President’s Craft Culture Award” at the National Confectionary Exposition. Born and raised in Omi Hachiman, I have a desire to offer the local taste of Omi Hachiman to the local people and customers before I want to make sweets. Craftspeople tend to focus on pursuing their own skills, but in order to continue, it is important to be recognized by customers and to be rooted in the community. It must be good not only for the seller and the buyer, but also for the world. We always keep this in mind as we continue to make sweets,” says Yamamoto.

There is no concept of preserving the taste of the previous generation.

Surprisingly, Taneya has no intention of preserving the taste of its predecessors. Whenever a new generation takes over, all of the products are basically renewed. The amount of ingredients and the method of preparation are reviewed from the very beginning, but if a long-time customer says, “It’s the same as before,” it disqualifies him as a craftsman. He says that being told, ” It tastes just as good as before,” is proof that he is a professional.

As the world changes, confectionery must also change. For example, a decade ago, tea and water were not sold in vending machines, but now they are commonplace. As time goes by, people’s palates and demands change. Taneya’s style is to preserve what is good, of course, but to change what needs to be changed.

La Collina Omi Hachiman, a place of connection with the theme of “learning from nature

Currently, the Taneya Group has more than 40 stores nationwide. The Taneya Group is now well known outside of Shiga Prefecture and in urban areas, and Mr. Yamamoto himself has been traveling to many parts of the country.

I started to think that I wanted to do something new in my birthplace after doing business outside of the prefecture, and that’s when I decided to create La Collina Omi Hachiman. By walking around the various areas with my own feet, like the Omi merchants of the past, I began to think about what could only be done in Omi Hachiman. I began to think, “What can I do only in Omi Hachiman?

The first thing he decided on was the theme of “learning from nature. Until now, we have been using nature, but from now on, we will learn from nature as a teacher. La Collina” means “hill” in Italian. The name was given by Michele De Lucchi, a leading Italian architect, based on the image of the original landscape of gently sloping hills in this area. If the climate changes due to global warming, rice and azuki beans, which were originally grown in the area, will no longer be available. This could make it impossible to continue making confectionery. This grand vision, which began with such fears, is imbued with a desire to return to the original landscape of the land and show how “life” can be lived together by people and nature.

Various specialty stores are scattered throughout the nature-inspired forest.

The site is the size of three Koshien Gardens. In the dream of creating a large forest in 50 to 100 years, acorns were picked up, grown into saplings, and planted all over the site. He even went to a nearby riverbed to collect native weeds and transplant them.

The main store, with its triangular roof covered with grass, was designed by architect and architectural historian Terunobu Fujimori, who is known for his buildings that successfully incorporate natural materials. The building was created by the architect and architect-historian, Terunobu Fujimori, who spoke of his desire to create a place where visitors can feel the winds blowing on the land and the changing of the seasons while gazing at the mountains stretching out in the background together. The Japanese confectionery sales floor features all of the products that Taneya currently makes. Chestnut Manju,” the only confectionery that has been made since the company’s establishment, has a moist and flavorful white bean paste with chestnuts chopped into it, and the dough that wraps it is fluffy and savory. The most popular item in the confectionery corner is “Baumkuchen,” which is synonymous with Club Harrier. This is another signature product that has been on the market for over 70 years. At the time, baumkuchen was usually made with a hard dough, but Club Harrier overturned the image of baumkuchen by creating a fluffy texture to suit the palates of local people.

Other surprises and delights, such as the “Chestnut Hyakubon” sponge cake store, where you can taste “Taneya Castella,” which is as light as a cloud, and the “gift store,” which Mr. Yamamoto calls “my treasure box,” are available everywhere you go, just like at a theme park.

Candy Farm,” a confectioner’s secret base

The “Candy Farm,” the company’s own farm, is located in an area of the vast site with even more greenery. This is a secret base for the staff of the Taneya Group. Wildflowers grown at the Candy Farm are potted and sent to stores nationwide to add natural color to their storefronts.

In the fields, which they started by cultivating the soil themselves, they practice rice and vegetable cultivation without using pesticides and as much as possible by human hands. In the spring, swallows come and build nests, and duck parents and their children, who have been living there for some time, live in a natural way.

Yamamoto says that circling the site helps him organize his thoughts, and that the creation of a place where he can be in touch with nature has increased the motivation of his employees.

What Nature Taught Me

La Collina has become a major tourist attraction, attracting more than 3 million visitors a year, thanks to the popularity of its nature-based, story-like worldview.

But what Yamamoto feels was the best part of all was that he was able to learn a lot from nature. One small seedling can grow into a magnificent tree more than a person’s height in 10 years,” he said. Even after the person who planted it is gone, the tree will live on in this place, becoming part of the landscape and being passed down from generation to generation. I have learned from nature that it is better not to try to produce results only in one’s own generation, but to do things while thinking that the seeds planted in my generation will bloom in tens or hundreds of years, ” he said.

Creating products that use every grain of rice and azuki bean with care

What is important to Naneya in making products is not to waste the materials produced by farmers. Always considering the amount of time and effort required to produce a grain of rice or a grain of azuki beans, the company has a system in place whereby the parts left over from one process are utilized in another process. The company’s goal is not to make products that are “beautiful” or “sophisticated,” but rather to create products that are “tasty ” when you eat them. This is what Taneya has always valued since its establishment.

Toward a future where people and nature can live together. Taneya’s Challenge Continues

According to Mr. Yamamoto, “We are only about one-third of the way through the concept. He has always had many things he wanted to do, but now that he has turned his attention to nature, he has even more things he wants to do. He says, “I can’t do anything new if I stay in the president’s office,” and he now enjoys visiting producers and places of interest throughout Japan to listen to their stories, and then taking the ideas he gets back home to try putting them into practice. He is now looking forward to taking the ideas he gets there home and putting them into practice. I would like to learn from the flow of nature as I carry on the tradition. Mr. Yamamoto, who says this while gazing at the beautiful original landscape of Omi Hachiman, and Taneya will continue to take on new challenges in the future.

The post From the Era of Using Nature to the Era of Learning from Nature What is the Future Aimed for by Long-established Wagashiya “Taneya”/Omihachiman City, Shiga Prefecture first appeared on NIHONMONO.

Birthplace of Kurikinton

Ena City is located in southeastern Gifu Prefecture, adjacent to Aichi and Nagano Prefectures. The city is rich in nature and history. In the past, the city prospered as a major transportation hub. Ooijuku, the 49th inn on the Nakasendo Highway, is the largest of the 16 inns in Mino. It is lined with the gates of a prestigious main lodge and the houses of village headmen with lattice doors, and was the place where the Emperor Meiji stayed when he made his pilgrimage in 1838. There are six “masugata,” or square-shaped gates, set up to prevent enemies from entering the inn, but only here in Oi-juku are there so many of them. This is the only place where such a large number of them can be seen. As an inn town at the intersection of the Namboku Highway, which carried salt and textiles to Shinshu and Kiso, and the Chuma Highway, which carried cocoons and firewood, it was very busy with travelers visiting Ise.

To entertain travelers, chestnuts from the mountains of the Ena region were boiled, squeezed out with a cloth, and served as a confectionery, which is said to be the origin of Kurikinton. A stone monument with the inscription “Birthplace of Chestnut Kinton” stands in front of JR Nakatsugawa Station, which is part of the Ena area, and free chestnut kinton is served in front of the station on September 9, “Chou-you-no-Sekku,” a festival to express gratitude. Although the town’s function as an inn town has shrunk, the elegant townscape remains, and many tourists visit the area for the chestnut kinton, which is sold only from early fall, when chestnuts are ready for harvest, until around January.

The charm of kuri-kinton is the flavor that makes the most of the ingredients. The elegant, yet nostalgic and simple flavor is addictive. Chestnuts themselves are rich in potassium, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, zinc, iron, and other minerals essential for human health, and they also contain many vitamins and dietary fiber. The process is quite simple. The chestnuts are carefully back-cooked, sugar is added, and then the chestnuts are formed into a tea towel. That is why the difference in ingredients and techniques is so noticeable, and the customers appreciate it very highly.

Kurikinton, a traditional and unique dessert at “Ena Jyuya”.

Enasuya ” is a long-established confectionery store that has been in business for more than 60 years, operating six stores in the Tono area, including Ena City, Gifu Prefecture, and Tajimi City, known as a pottery town. It is said that Enasuya was started as a branch of Nakatsugawa Suya, which was established in the Edo period (1603-1868). In the Tono region, many other Japanese confectionery stores are competing with each other to produce their own unique kurikinton (sweet made from chestnuts) using locally harvested chestnuts. The characteristic of Enasuya’s chestnut kinton is that while respecting the traditional method of production, the texture is arranged by cooking the chestnuts while leaving the chestnut grains intact. When you bite into a chestnut kinton, its rich flavor spreads softly in your mouth along with its rich sweetness.

Enasuya does not stick to Ena chestnuts, a specialty of Nakatsugawa City and Ena City, but carefully selects the best chestnuts of the year from all over Japan, and skilled wagashi craftsmen fine-tune the delicate flavor by assessing the conditions.

The Kannonji store, which is attached to the main factory about 10 minutes by car from the main store, is built in a traditional sukiya-style building, and its atmospheric appearance blends in with the beautiful surrounding scenery rich in nature. It has an eating and drinking area where customers can enjoy the view of the garden with its beautiful fresh greenery and autumn leaves, and is trying to match the skills of artisans with the needs of today by offering a “chestnut parfait” that makes the most of its know-how. The shop offers a wide variety of products that only a craftsman who knows chestnuts can produce, keeping customers coming back for more.

The skills and ideas that enable them to propose various ways to enjoy even a single chestnut make this a place where one can not only enjoy Japanese confectionery, but also naturally learn how to look at it. The area is also home to tourist attractions such as the ruins of Naegi Castle, a nationally designated historic site that is famous as a “castle in the sky,” making it a good place to take a break while driving around the area.

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The post Chestnut kumquat with a twist on tradition, Enasuya / Ena City, Gifu Prefecture first appeared on NIHONMONO.