１.area
Known for its cultural assets such as Byodo-in Temple and Ujigami Shrine, which are also UNESCO World Heritage Sites, and special products such as Uji tea, it is the second most populous city after Kyoto City.
By the way, the “maggot” of “Uji” is the rabbit’s path = Todo.
In addition, it is said that U-naru-michi（ウなる道） = Unamichi = the best road.
In the history of Uji City, (maggot) means (house), and the north, east, and south of (maggot) are surrounded by mountains, and the west is blocked by Ogura Pond. It is said that it came to be called Uji).
I have been taking a walk in Uji City.
２.Visit・experience
This time, I visited “Shoen Kumihimo（『昇苑くみひも』）”.
In a quiet residential area, there is a shop with a pot and a kumihimo Japanese miscellaneous goods shop with a warm atmosphere.
When you enter the store, the first thing you see is a tree object with many kumihimo.
Next to it, Japanese zodiac animals (12 zodiac signs) made of kumihimo are on display, which made me very excited from the beginning.
By the way, next year 2021 will be the year of the ox.
Further to the right is a Japanese-style room where you can experience making kumihimo, and a loom for making kumihimo is installed there, and you were drawn into the world view just by looking at it.
Currently, due to the influence of the coronavirus, the experience is limited to weekdays, but you can usually experience it every day.
Next time, I would like to come to make only one kumihimo in the world.
If you go further, you will see a very colorful and beautiful scenery, and many kinds of kumihimo are on sale.
Do you know what “Kumihimo” is in the first place?
Due to the introduction of Buddhism, it was introduced as a decorative string for shortages of Buddhist tools, scriptures, and scrolls.
In the Nara period, it was popular as a formal dress for men and women, such as a braided obi made of fine colored threads.
The beginning was decorated at the time of the ceremonial occasion.
３.Food
For lunch, I visited “Ito Kyuemon Uji Main Store（伊藤九右衛門 宇治本店）”.
Until now, Itohkyuemon has been through, changing with the times.
One is to continue pursuing the quality of tea unique to Ito Kuemon.
The other is to constantly introduce new sensations in order to widely convey the appeal of Uji tea.
We are continuing to propose ways to enjoy Uji tea more casually, which suits modern lifestyles, rather than the style of brewing in a kyusu.
I was able to feel that the ingenuity that can be enjoyed by men and women of all ages, rather than just enjoying tea, is serious.
As you can see in the photo, we continue to develop a wide range of products such as desserts, cakes, Daifuku and cappuccino.
All the products had a taste of moderate bitterness and sweetness.
The atmosphere inside the store was very clean and it was a calming store that firmly expressed “Japanese”.
5.Impressions
Kumihimo was a fusion of the past and the present, which is not inferior to modern ornaments.
We improved a wide range of items such as straps, bracelets, class cords, shoelaces, card cases, coasters, etc. and sold them as new products.
I realized that what is really nice is that there are no words.
Speaking of Uji, it is tea, but at Itohkyuemon, you can get authentic tea soba, and at the matcha parfait ice bar, which is only available here, you can simply eat tea and Japanese sweets together, and you can enjoy azuki beans in a bit of astringency. The sweetness spreads and it may be the way of enjoying modern tea.
If you would like to experience the production, or want to eat tea soba or matcha parfait popsicles, please contact me directly!
Let’s feel happy together!!
Next time preview
Thank you for reading to the end!
Also, I would like to post some interesting points about Kansai in Japan.
Then, have a good trip from now on!!
コメント