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Masu Wooden Sake Boxes

Sayama Green Tea

Shichimi Togarashi

Yuzu Kosho Spice from Kyushu

Monday, May 30, 2022

常滑はトイレの町だった-Tokoname Aichi Prefecture

Old Toilets in Japan, Tokoname, Aichi Prefecture

84歳の私の母は大の緑茶好き。とりわけ急須にはこだわりがあり、常滑焼の急須を母の日に何度もプレゼントした。あの赤銅色のつるっとした肌合いの陶器で入れたお茶は、まろやかで香りよく、格別なんだそうだ。

常滑焼の急須、赤土で作られている

ということで、陶磁器で有名な常滑に行ってきました。駅を出て左に行くと、まず緩い坂道がある。有名な「とこなめ招き猫通り」。道沿いには39体もの様々な招き猫が並ぶ。

焼き物通りウォークはここからスタートして、つづら折りの狭い道を両脇に並ぶ焼き物屋さんや土管を敷いた庭などを眺めながら歩く。GWの真っただ中、快晴に恵まれたその日は家族連れも多く、にぎわっていた。お年寄りには格好のウオーキングコース、子供たちもあまりマスクを気にせず嬌声を上げている。

焼き物散歩道、土管を捨てずに再利用

Recycled clay pipes in the garden

歩き疲れたので休憩をして、高台から町を眼下に望む。レンガ色の煙突が澄んだ青空にニョキニョキと立っていて、「ああ、ここは古くからの焼き物の町なんだなあ」と実感。その先には青い海が広がり、窯炉で焼きあがった陶器はあそこから船で出荷されていたのだろうと思いをはせる。

煙突が立ち並ぶ常滑の町

焼き物散歩道を一巡りしたので、次は南へ足を伸ばして、INAXライブミュージアムへ。歩くこと約20分。結構疲れましたが、訪れる価値ありの場所でした！

ここで見学できるのは、まずタイルの歴史そしてトイレの歴史。世界のタイル博物館（１F）では常設展として「装飾する魂」が開かれている。タイルというのは木造家屋の多い日本ではあまり馴染みのあるものではない。生活を彩るオブジェぐらいに私は思っていた。でもあれは立派に「絵」なんですね、人々の憧れや信仰を表している。

たとえば、世界最古のエジプトのタイルは美しいオーシャンブルーに彩られ、王の再生や復活を願ってピラミッドに張られた。

偶像崇拝がタブーのイスラムでは、人物や動物は描けない代わりに精密な幾何学模様を生み出した。

産業革命時代のイギリスでは富を得た中産階級がアールヌーボーの様式美を生活の中に取り入れた。そして日本人は？

銭湯のタイル壁に富士山を描いたのです！

ピラミッドに残る世界最古のタイル

イスラームのタイル張りドーム天井

真骨頂は企画展示室（１F）で見られる古便器コレクション「デザイン性豊かな昔の便器」。そうです、INAXといえばTOTOと並ぶ日本の2大トイレメーカー。

青磁の古便器

暗い空間を華やかに彩った昔の小便器

人目をはばかる空間で昔は「ご不浄」とも呼ばれた日本のトイレ。江戸時代末から明治にかけて、便器はそれまでの木製から、衛生的で耐久性のある陶磁器製に変わっていった。染付で華麗に絵付けされたものや、青や緑の釉薬が縦に横に流し掛けられたものなど、焼き物として装飾が施された便器は、暗いトイレを華やかに彩る意匠だったようだ。

実は、うちの隠居にもそんな古いトイレがあった。懐かしいなー。あれは昭和40年代、祖父母の部屋の隣に青磁のアサガオ（小便器）が佇んでいた。孫の私は少し気味悪く思いながらも、その横を通り障子の部屋を開けたものだ。

INAXライブミュージアムには、非水洗式の大小便器、尿瓶やおまる、厠下駄など、陶磁器製のトイレコレクションが600点近くある。ぜひ一度のぞいてみて。

招き猫のご購入はこちらからGoods From Japan

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Monday, May 23, 2022

Sayama Japanese Green Tea

Hand-Picked Sayama Tea 手摘み狭山茶

by Johannes Schonherr

Shincha advertising at a Sayama Tea store in Tokorozawa, Saitama

In the Sayama tea area northwest of Tokyo, the harvest of the Shincha (新茶), the first tea leaves of the year, takes place in late April / early May. Among tea lovers, this is a highly anticipated harvest since those first leaves are especially tasty and aromatic.

Sayama Shincha is a Sencha tea, which means it is a tea sold in the form of processed, steamed leaves - unlike Matcha which is sold as a powder. About three-quarters of all Japanese green teas are Sencha teas.

Yamaka-en Sayama Tea field, Tokorozawa

Japanese Teas

The premium quality is picked by hand by a group of experienced harvest helpers who can decide within fractions of a second which leaves to take, steadily filling their baskets with the highest quality leaves.

Sayama is one of Japan's northern-most tea areas. Winters can be freezing. Tea plants need to be of varieties that can withstand such conditions. Yabukita, a plant originally from Shizuoka that proved to be able to adapt to the more northern climate, turned out to be the first choice for the hand-picked Sayama Shincha.

To withstand the cold of winter, the Sayama tea plants grow thicker leaves resulting in a profound flavor and a rich taste.

An old local minyo folk song, often sung during the harvest in old times, takes the comparisons to the other traditional Japanese tea growing areas lightly: the tea from Uji (near Kyoto), it says, is all about the scent, the tea from Shizuoka is all about the color but Sayama Tea is all about the taste.

Kyoto-Uji is certainly Japan's most famous tea area while Shizuoka produces the bulk of Japanese Green Tea. Sayama, producing tea since the times of the Kamakura Shogunate in the 1300s is up among them as one of the top three traditional Japanese tea production areas.

Yamaka-en Sayama Tea field ready for hand picking, Tokorozawa

The Harvest

To get a real feel of the tea, there is nothing better than actually joining the harvest. Take a Seibu Shinjuku Line train to Tokorozawa or Iruma City, walk around the tea fields in April and inquire at the adjoining farms if they need a harvest helper. In most cases, the answer will most likely be a happy "yes."

Yamaka-en tea harvest by hand, Tokorozawa

Yamaka Kasuya Tea Farm

At the Yamaka Kasuya family farm in Kita Iwaoka, Tokorozawa that is definitely the case. Their teas are known under the name Yamaka-en (Yamaka Garden).

Give them your phone number and you will receive a call back once the actual harvest days have been decided.

Arrive at the tea field in the morning. You might be a little surprised at the shape of the plants you are directed to. Those are not the neatly trimmed rows of tea plants you see so often in advertising. Those neatly trimmed rows are for machine harvesting. The hand-picking tea also grows in neat rows but the branches stretch out in a much more natural manner.

Wrapped-up shades hang over the tea field. Those have shielded the plants from intense sunlight during the growing period in spring, preventing the ultra-violet rays from damaging the taste of the nascent young leaves.

You receive a basket and are told which leaves to take - only the set of the freshest three leaves right on top. The classical set of tea leaves is often seen in print.

You work the bushes, clipping leaf set after leave set with your fingers. A typical group of harvesters consists of about 20 to 30 people. Many of them are elderly folks being part of other tea-growing families living nearby.

Unfortunately, they don't sing any minyo folk songs during work anymore. But there is constant chatter. The days of the harvest bring many folks together who don't see each other for the rest of the year. There is constant talk about whose children married whom, who had children, who died, and so on. For those folks, a tea harvest is a social event.

A perfect set of tea leaves

Tea Tradition

Frequently, the town hall sends young employees to the harvest as well, to let them experience the importance of the tea tradition in their town.

Since the plants are about 160 cm high, it's all rather easy work. You don't have to be afraid of back pains. If you like to squat on the ground for a while and take the leaves from there, it's perfectly okay.

At the end of the working day, usually at 4 pm, you receive an envelope with your salary of the day in cash.

Don't expect to finance your next trip around the world that way. Rather invest the cash in some really good tea by going to the farm shop to buy some top-notch tea about a week later.

By then, the son of the house, running a small tea processing plant right on the premises, will have turned the tea leaves you harvested into high quality Shincha for sale only at the tiny family tea shop on the family premises.

Hand picked tea leaves in a basket

Gomeicha

The tea available there is the one you picked by hand. It says Gomeicha (御銘茶) on the outer wrapping though nobody ever uses that word in a conversation. Gomeicha simply means "our best tea", "our flagship" or "signature tea" or something along those lines, indicating that it is the absolute top quality tea produced at the farm.

As with most Japanese green teas, prepare this tea with water heated up to about 70°C (158°F) for optimal taste. For a second brew, use the same temperature, for the third, however, use boiling water.

The Yamaka-en Gomeicha received an award for best Green Tea from the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fishery in 2016, 2018, and 2021.

Yamaka-en Gomeicha tea outer wrapping

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Calpis

Masu Wooden Sake Boxes

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Yamaka-en Gomeicha tea package

Thursday, May 05, 2022

Koinobori & Children's Day Japan

Koinobori & Children's Day 鯉のぼり

Jake Davies

Towards the end of April, large groups of koinobori carp streamers start appearing in readiness for Children's Day on May 5th

May 5th in Japan is Kodomo no Hi, Children's Day when the Japanese celebrate their children, and the most visible sign of the approach of Children's Day is the appearance from mid-April onward of the colorful windsocks known as Carp Streamers or Koinobori.

Suspended across a river is one of the more dramatic locations to see koinobori

Children's Day in Japan

Children's Day is the last of four National Holidays that fall at the end of April and early May that collectively are known as Golden Week, and with many companies giving their employees 7 to 10 days off, Golden Week has become the second biggest holiday and vacation time in Japan after the New Year holidays.

Children's Day, the last of the Golden Week National Holiday days was not established until 1948. Prior to that it was known as Tango no sekku, commonly called Boy's Day, and it was in that form that the association with koinobori began.

Colorful koinobori carp streamers celebrate Children's Day

Chinese Influence

Ancient Japan adopted the calendrical and numerological system from China, In this system specific dates were laden with symbolic meaning, and the 5th day of the 5th month was a seasonal court festival, along with the 1st day of the 1st month, Oshogatsu, New Year, 3rd day of the 3rd month, Hina Matsuri, the Doll Festival, 7th day of the 7th month, Tanabata, and the 9th day of the 9th month, Kiku Matsuri.

These festivals originated in rites of protection against evil, and among the common people these days took on their own meanings, with notably Hina Matsuri being celebrated as Girl's Day, and Tango no sekku as Boy's Day, and it was in this form that May 5th became associated with koinobori.

On May 5th families would celebrate their male children, putting up displays of Kintaro dolls, based on a legendary Heian Period samurai, Sakata no Kintoki, as well as Kabuto, samurai helmets and sometimes whole miniature suits of samurai armor. In the Edo Period banners bearing the image of carp were added to the displays.

Japanese koi kept in the canals of Tsuwano Castle town where they were used for an emergency food source.

Japanese koi kept in the canals of Tsuwano Castle town where they were used as an emergency food source

Carp

The carp is native to the waterways of Japan and was a prized source of food. In the former castle town of Tsuwano in Shimane, the drainage canals of the town were stocked with carp for use as an emergency food in case of siege, and today visitors can still see them.

Most people however, will think of the ornamental, multi-colored, koi that are a relatively recent development but which are now a common feature not just of traditional Japanese gardens but garden ponds throughout the world.

Symbolism

In Japan the koi has come to represent strength, courage, endurance, perseverance, and health, and these attributes gave been derived from a well known, ancient Chinese tale of a golden carp that swam upstream of the Yellow River, eventually swimming up a waterfall and being reincarnated as a dragon.

The qualities attributed to the koi were those most valued by the samurai and wished for for their sons.

One theory how the koi became associated with Boy's Day was that when the Shogun had a son, the news was announced by raising carp flags.

Koinobori flying at a mountain park

Displaying koinobori

The traditional way of displaying the koinobori was at the top of a tall bamboo pole. At the top would be the largest, black-coloured koinobori representing the father of the family fukinagashi (吹き流し).

Followed by a red koinobori for the eldest son of the family, followed by decreasingly sized ones in blue, green, purple, and orange, for any younger sons.

When Boy's Day switched to Children's Day the symbolism changed somewhat with the second, red, Koinobori coming to represent the mother, and often pink being used instead of red.

The other colors came to represent both sons and daughters. In fact, more and more these traditional meanings have been discarded and some families simply fly koi representing just the children of the family who are still at home.

The traditional method of displaying koinobori, now found mostly only in the countryside, is atop a tall bamboo pole

Nowadays the most common way to see koinobori is not in the single displays put up by families, but in large public and civic situations.

A very popular site is strung across a river, where when the wind blows it most looks like carp swimming against the current. Other popular spots include parks, strung between buildings, and increasingly at shopping malls and retail parks.

Dozens of large koinobori across the Gonokawa River in Shimane

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Purchase a selection of koinobori carp streamers from GoodsFromJapan

Sayama Japanese Green Tea

Shichimi Togarashi Seven Spices

Yuzukosho Spice of Kyushu

Friday, April 29, 2022

お豆腐レストラン Kitchen Soyaー茨城、つくば

Kitchen Soya, Tsukuba, Ibaraki Prefecture

コロナ禍でも絶対になくなってほしくない店というのがある。うちの近所のカフェがまさにそう。Kitchen Soya。カフェといったけど、本格的なお豆腐料理のレストランだ。

Kitchen Soya, Tsukuba, Ibaraki Prefecture

Kitchen Soya

The exterior of Kitchen Soya in Tsukuba

Soyaでの思い出と言えば、数々ある。子供が小学生の頃にオープンしたので、思い出は私自身の子育てともかぶる。よくママ友とあそこでPTAの打ち合わせをした。小学校の卒業式の後、6年間の労をねぎらって夜11時過ぎまで皆と飲み明かした。オーナーさんはカウンターの向こうで優しく微笑みながら、店を閉めず母たちの井戸端会議に付き合ってくれたっけ。

少年野球の試合の後、負けた悔しさや監督に対する不満をぶちまけあった（なぜかママだけ）。コロナが始まる前にはギターコンサートやヨガ教室も開かれていた。夕闇がとっぷり迫る店内で聞くアコースティックギターの音はロマンチックだったなあ。

久しぶりに会った幼馴染の男の子（東京、青山在住）を連れて行って、感動させたこともある。つくばにこんな美味しくて雰囲気のいいお店があるんだ！って。あの時、彼が食べたのは確かトマトソースの豆腐ハンバーグ。健康志向の彼は、メイン料理と一緒に提供されるショットグラスの豆乳をお代わりしていた。

Interior

The woody interior

Guitar

私がお薦めするSoyaの一押しメニューは、なんといっても「凍り豆腐のカツ」だ。他ではちょっと味わえない、オリジナル料理。

豆腐のトンカツ

『孤独のグルメ』風にレポートすると、

「なんだ、これは？こんがりきつね色に揚がった豆腐のトンカツか？長さ８ｃｍの拍子木みたいのがゴロゴロしているぞ。」

「おー、口に入れるとサクッと香ばしい。いい具合にソースが染みてるじゃないか。昔懐かしい駄菓子屋で食べたソースカツの味だ。」

「うまい、いくらでもいける。トンカツと違って胃にもたれなさそうなのがいい。」

どうですか、行ってみたくなるでしょう？　いい店にはドラマがあるんです。

ベジタリアンの友人がいれば、真っ先に招待するのはもちろん、ここ

Soyaのオーナーさんのご実家はお豆腐屋さん。おくらや豆乳など、原材料はそこから仕込んでいるらしい。

国産大豆100％、無添加自然食品のおからの購入はこちらから

Thursday, April 21, 2022

Masu Wooden Sake Cups

Masu 升

Japanese sake served in a masu

by Johannes Schonherr

Ordering a cup of cold nihonshu (sake) in any traditional Japanese izakaya pub, you will usually be served 1go of sake (180 ml) either poured into a wooden masu box or, more likely, an overflowing glass of sake placed inside a masu box, adding up to about the same amount.

In either case, it is a very particular and very Japanese experience.

Drinking sake from the wooden masu box is generally called 升酒 (masuzake), involving a glass more specifically called もっきり (mokkiri) style.

All this applies however only to cold sake - hot sake is never served this way.

Drinking Rules

This being Japan, there are of course various traditional rules going with the drinking style.

According to the expert chibasake website, when drinking directly from the masu, you are supposed to use only one hand holding the box. The four fingers other than the thumb go to the bottom of the box, supporting your movements. Place the thumb on the rim of the box for balance.

It may be easy to drink from a corner of the box but this is considered bad manners and thus an absolute no-no. Sip from a flat side of the masu - without making any noises doing so.

When it comes to sipping the last drops in the masu, though, skip the rule. Drink them from the corner or don't drink them at all. Trying to drink them from the side will get sake spilled on your shirt.

When drinking mokkiri style, with a glass placed into the masu, the glass will be filled to the point of overflowing. So, lift the glass a bit, tilt it and pour the excess sake into the masu. This way, you can drink from the glass without spilling any sake.

It is also perfectly acceptable to bring your mouth to the glass in the masu resting on the table and take a sip or two without touching the glass until you feel it will be safe to lift the glass without spilling.

Once you have finished the glass, feel free to pour the sake left in the masu into the glass or drink it directly from the masu the way described above.

You can watch here an English subtitled video detailing mokkiri serving and drinking ways, going a bit into the history of the style and including some interesting thoughts. Like, when a couple enjoys a sake together, the man should drink from the masu and the woman should drink from the glass - lipstick traces are hard to remove from a masu box.

If you use the masu to drink sake at home, you might want to put a pinch of salt onto a corner of the box and try licking it while drinking. This is said to greatly enhance the taste of the sake. You may also use your finger for licking the salt.

Sake served mokkiri style

History of Masu

Masu are square, open wooden boxes that were traditionally used to measure amounts of rice. Standardized nationwide by the Tokugawa shogunate in 1669, the smallest masu were to measure 1go of rice (ca. 180 ml).

Larger masu always measured in multiplications of go: 1sho = 10go (1.8 liters), 1to = 100go (18 liters), and so on. 1koku of rice (1000go = 180 liters) were considered to be the amount needed to sufficiently feed a working man or soldier for one year with three servings per day. The wealth of daimyo (regional rulers) in the Edo era was assessed by the number of koku of rice they could generate per year in their domain. Samurai were paid in koku of rice or their equivalent in money.

With the introduction of the metric system in Japan in 1886, those traditional Japanese measurements were largely abandoned. Sake however is still frequently sold according to the old measurements. Small bottles are often 1go (180 ml), family bottles are 4go (720 ml), large bottles used for ceremonies and at restaurants are 1sho (1.8 liters), good for 10 servings.

The masu boxes also survived the change to the metric system. Being beautifully crafted from fragrant cedar or cypress wood, the boxes were adapted for many new purposes. Storing things in them was one of them.

Masu boxes in the sake corner of a Japanese supermarket

Masu Today

The masu most popular today is the 1go box. Already in Edo times, they had become a serving box for sake. When served mokkiri style, the bar owner showed his generosity by serving the sake cup placed inside it overflowing.

This tradition has become deeply ingrained in Japanese culture - that is what you witness when being served a masu cup of sake in an izakaya bar.

Taking Care of the Masu

Masu are made of raw cedar or cypress wood, they, therefore, need some care to stay in good condition.

According to the experts at chibasake, wash the masu only with water, and don't use chemical detergents as they will destroy the scent of the wood. Do not leave the masu in the water for an extended period of time.

If you have to remove stains, rub the spots using baking soda or salt.

Never clean it in a dishwasher as that will dry the wood and make it vulnerable to moisture - which might result in mold.

After washing the box, wipe it with a cloth and let it air dry in a well-ventilated place. Make sure to always store the masu in a dry place away from direct sunlight.

Buy Masu from GoodsFromJapan

Drinking sake from a masu is a very unique experience. Still, you can try it in your home or with friends wherever you live. GoodsFromJapan works with traditional masu manufacturer Maruni in Gifu Prefecture, producing high-quality masu not only of the 1go sake drinking variety but also masu of many different shapes and sizes for many purposes. All are made of precious fragrant Japanese cedar or cypress wood.

Please feel free to contact us if you are interested in more detailed information on the variety of Maruni masu boxes available beyond the 1go sake drinking box.

Buy masu for your home or business from GoodsFromJapan

Printing and branding on the masu with your company logo or Japanese characters are also possible. Please contact us for further details.

Sayama Japanese Green Tea

Shichimi Togarashi Seven Spices