This site echiwa.jp is a online media, telling various stories of local traditons and culture in Fukui (福井), where is situated in less than 200 kilometers (around 124 miles) northeast from Central Kyoto. If you are type of person who loves exploring something untouristy rather than ones like Michelin-starred restaurants in Paris, Fukui is the place that could offer unique experiences, cuisine made mostly from local fresh ingredients, such as vegetables and seafoods. You might also be able to discover Fukui as a great area of producing world-class crafts, e.g., Japanese Paper, lacquerware, pottery, woodwork and cutlery, that are made on the basis of traditional techniques succeeded from generation to generation for several hundreds years. People here are diligent and live their nature-rich life with mountains, forests, rivers and sea for a long time.
CONCEPT
November 20th, 2016
Local cuisine in the ‘Pompeii’ of Japan
Ichijodani - Asakura Zen (Fukui City)
Pierre Deschamps, the director of the documentary film “Noma My Perfect Storm”, pointed out that the aim of Noma, a two star Michelin restaurant in Copenhagen, is to promote the culture, nature, history and environment of a region “by way of a dish.” Many regions in Fukui have their own...
READ MORE
READ MORE
September 8th, 2016
A 430-year-old morning market built on face-to-face relationships
Shichiken-Asaichi (Ono City)
As the local food movement grows, the number of farmers’ markets has been increasing, especially in Europe and the North America. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), 8,268 markets were listed on USDA’s National Farmers’ Market Directory in 2014, an increase of 76% from 2008. At a farmers’...
READ MORE
READ MORE
November 18th, 2016
A Mossy 1300-year-old Shrine
Heisenji Hakusan Shrine (Katsuyama City)
‘A rolling stone gathers no moss’ is a common proverb in English. Coincidently, the Japanese have a similar idiom, ‘No moss grows on a rolling stone (転がる石に苔むさず)’. In Japanese, the meaning differs from the modern English interpretation of the proverb, suggesting that a person who does not settle in one...
READ MORE
READ MORE
November 18th, 2016
Traditional craftsmenship toward our sustainable future
Echizen Lacquerware (Sabae City)
A “Timber Pot” is a wood-turned flowerpot, made from wood “thinned” from sustainable forests. They are created by Yoshio Sakai, a Japanese woodturner in Fukui. As times goes on, these pots gradually change, as tiny scratches and cracks eventually turn them back into soil. Yoshio Sakai was given an award...
READ MORE
READ MORE
November 20th, 2016
Unique blend of tradition and innovation
Mikuni-Minato (Sakai City)
There is a huge demand for new buildings and houses in Japan. Traditional buildings and houses have been disappearing as owners and developers choose to replace them with contemporary properties, instead of renovating or remodeling them. However, Japan has an opportunity to turn many of the old ones into tourist attractions....
READ MORE
READ MORE
