Tokyo Weekender August 2017

[ PROMOTION ]
HE LISTENS
TO BACH
AS HE
WORKS
MORE
THINGS
TO DO
Steel yourselves – there's
more to Sanjo and
Tsubame than just metal
1. MEET SOME MISO
Perfect for foodies, Echigo Miso
does tours of their miso-making
process in an Edo period building.
www.echigomiso.co.jp
2. WHITTLE IN SOME
WOODWORK
Marunao is a company now in its
third generation – they started with
decorative adornments for shrines
and temples, moved to tools for
tradesmen, and they now focus
on chopsticks. www.marunao.com
view over the steps of green while sipping on
delicious fresh mountain spring water – straight
from the source.
We settled in for the night at a delightfully
secluded – and we mean secluded – ryokan
perched next to the Sumon River, called Rankeiso.
This roughly 100-year-old inn would fit
seamlessly into a Ghibli movie. There's nothing
like drifting off to sleep to the sweet sound of
silence...
(literally "back fat") ramen, our last stop for the
day was Gyokusendo, famed worldwide for its
hand-hammered copper kettles. While many
machine-made products are at their prime when
a customer receives them, copperware becomes
more beautiful starting the moment the customer
lays their hands on it. The lustre continues to
develop as it's used over generations. In a rustic,
100-year-old house-cum-workshop, we watched
a handful of artisans rhythmically beat sheets of
copper into shape. As one artisan melted some
silver in a fire, we took a moment to appreciate the
skill, time and dedication required for these beautiful
products we choose to place in our homes.
3. SHOP 'TIL YOU DROP
You’ll find wares made by all the
manufacturers we’ve mentioned
and dozens more at the Tsubamesanjo
Regional Promotional Center,
a mecca for all things locally
produced.
www.tsjiba.or.jp/en/shopping
4. DINE LIKE A NOBEL
LAUREATE
Only a few can nab a coveted seat
at the annual Nobel Prize Banquet,
but restaurant Messepia offers
diners the chance to at least enjoy
a meal with the same prestigious
cutlery used in Stockholm. (Located
inside the Tsubamesanjo Regional
Promotional Center, see above.)
TSUBAME: KNIVES AND COPPER
Starting the day at Tojiro Co., Ltd, we learned
that craftsmen here spend over 10 years perfecting
their knife-making skills. Some blades
are the sole responsibility of one lone artisan
and it takes them 30 to 45 days to make one
knife. The final touch is the name of the company
hand engraved into the blade – just like
sword makers did back in the day – leaving a
distinctive style so that the knife can be traced
back to the person who made it.
After tucking into lunch at Koushuhanten,
a popular local joint serving seabura