Today is Monosasu village's harvest festival.
The 12th anniversary party will also be broadcast live!

Hello. This is Nakaniwa, the editor-in-chief.
The Monosus Founding Anniversary Party is here again this year.
Thanks to you, we are entering our 12th anniversary!

The theme of this year's party is "Village Harvest Festival."
We are not just a group of people who come together to work and earn money, but we are like a village, sharing some of the everyday chores and little hassles.
This party is filled with our hope that we can build relationships with all of you we invite that go beyond mere working relationships; they are relationships in which we can all live together.

In fact, around this time last year, the Monosasu website had just launched. We started off without much thought, but we have now safely reached our first anniversary.
We would like to deliver this day, which marks such an important anniversary, in as raw a state as possible.
So, just like last year , I'm going to continue this year with an "almost" real-time commentary style!

The night before the never-ending party, with endless ingredients to choose from and endless game plans to play

This is the glass building that was just completed recently.
Despite the chill of early winter, preparations for tomorrow's feast have begun.

The food for this year's party will be prepared mainly by members of the Food Hub Project .
The Food Hub Project is a project launched by Manabe of the Produce Department to promote locally produced food in Kamiyama. By cooking and eating locally grown food together, it aims to foster relationships within the community and pass on Kamiyama's agriculture and food culture to the next generation.

BOOM!!
Look at this huge piece of pork shoulder!
Now we're going to cut this open so that it's about one centimetre thick.

I was asked to help out, but unfortunately I am just an amateur. It was my first time to see and hold such a large piece of meat.
Food Hub's head chef, Mr. Hosoi, patiently answered my anxious questions as I asked him a series of questions.
Thanks to this, I think I am improving more and more with each session.

Once you've cut it flat, you cut along the tendons of the meat. Every time you hit the right spot, you hear a "crunch, crunch" sound, which really gets your appetite going!

Once the meat is tender, sprinkle lightly with salt and roll into balls.
Tomorrow they'll sandwich some herbs into it and bake it. Ah, just hearing about it sounds delicious...

There is also some kind of soup made with chicken skin and delicious rice.
The scent of Kamiyama sudachi citrus gently spreads throughout the glass building, filling the air with the smell of hunger...it's hard enough to resist the urge to snack.

This year, the dishes provided by Monosasu, which are well received every year, have been commissioned to FHP (Food Hub Project).
Please enjoy the even more delicious Monosasu Party food!
(11/10 23:16 Tanaka)

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Meanwhile, Onogi, head of the design department, is in charge of creating the annual blackboard signs.
The sign design, based on this year's theme "Village Harvest Festival," will be printed on blackboard-sized paper and the design will be transferred to the blackboard. This year, there are many thin lines, so it will be difficult to make the edges sharp with chalk. I'm looking forward to seeing the finished product.

As the night deepens, the lights are still lit on the desks where the three party committee members are sitting. It seems they still haven't finished preparing for tomorrow's game. Will they make it in time?

While the party committee was busy, Yamauchi was having fun drawing four-panel comics by himself.

It's the night before the party, and there's a lot of activity going on... Will the party be able to finish safely tomorrow? The rest will be posted tomorrow!
(11/10 23:40 Courtyard)

The party day!
A group of foodies has arrived from Kamiyama!

The day of the party has finally arrived!
Unfortunately it was raining, but the rain cleared up in the afternoon.
Since the event will be held outdoors, I was a little worried about the weather, but it looks like it will be fine.

11:30 AM A group of people carrying large luggage arrived.
Yes! You are the Food Hub members who will be cooking for the party!
He woke up at 5am and rushed over from Kamiyama, Tokushima Prefecture.

We are currently in the midst of preparing the food! Everyone is preparing with a smile on their face.

Meanwhile, chalk painting has begun on the blackboard party signs! Just like last year, Iwaki and Imai are also participating.
It's a race against time, will we make it in time?
(11/11 14:00 Courtyard)

As usual, the head chef of Tamsui came to visit us! This is his third year.
He comes every Friday night, closing the shop.
Thank you always!

The chef is cutting up a squid. He wears a Monosus T-shirt every year.

We brought lots of delicious drinkable water from the freshwater lab and poured it into a stockpot.
So is there anything that can be done?

I'm also curious about the millstone next to it. What on earth is going to happen next?!

(11/11 15:15 Courtyard)

There it is! My delicious meat

"My Proud Delicious Meat" is back again this year.
"My proud, delicious meat" refers to chunks of meat that our meat maestro, CEO Hayashi Takahiro, has personally seen, picked up and selected with his own eyes.
This year too, one after another, heavy pieces of meat are placed on Hayashi's chopping board.

First, you start by being unarmed and having a one-on-one conversation with the meat.

Checking the distance, he picked up the knife and cut it roughly in one go.

During the session, I had a meat meeting with the chef. It seemed like this meat was more difficult than usual.

While I was doing some reporting at another location, they sent another messenger to deliver a message that "some amazing meat is about to be served," so I hurried to the kitchen, where I found an incredible sirloin!

The battle continues at the crematorium!
(11/11 16:40 Courtyard)

Buzz buzz buzz...
The venue begins to move one after another.

Meanwhile, the venue was gradually ready.
I wondered what the lights were like last year, so I checked the article on the Monosasu website about last year's party while I was setting them up.

The moment it is lit up is a special moment.

The harvested rice will be displayed all over Monosus.

Decorate the entrance with a curtain

And as usual, it's time for the great migration.
The floor where the coding factory is located will be the main venue, so everyone's computers and belongings will be moved there one after another.

Ah, I wonder if I'll make it in time? I'm a bit nervous, but I'll try again later.
(11/11 17:30 Courtyard)

0 minutes before doors open!
Just in time? Signboard delivered!

We started making the signboard last night. Under the direction of Mr. Onogi, the head of the design department, five people from the production and design departments were applying chalk from the morning, but they still weren't done even though there was only an hour before the opening! They were already working on the thinnest lines, which are the most difficult part.

I was nervous as to whether we would actually make it in time...

Manager Onogi checking the balance of the hanging position

There, the production master, Manager Onogi, will meet the deadline in order to retain the creators.
Just in time, the signboard was delivered safely just in time for the opening.

The "Village Harvest Festival" sign featured illustrations of the mountains and rivers that represent Kamiyama, as well as rice cultivation, the theme of this event. It became the face of the party.
(11/11 19:00 Courtyard)

Village harvest festival,
It has finally begun!

At 7:30 pm, the Village Harvest Festival finally began!
First, a greeting from Monosasu Village Mayor Hayashi.
I explained the theme of this year's party, talked about the Food Hub Project, and talked about our company's rice cultivation. ( You can also find more details about rice cultivation in this article .)

Would you like to share your struggles with us? We are currently looking for people to join us!

Today we also introduced the Food Hub members who came from Kamiyama for the party.

Now that the greetings are out of the way, cheers to the delicious treats that await!

Dishes prepared by Food Hub using ingredients from Kamiyama

This year, we had many guests attend, and there were so many people that the venue couldn't accommodate them all.
There were even some cute little guests accompanied by their moms and dads... You might be surprised by how many people there are, but have fun!

He was accompanied by other members of the bar and showed off his bartending skills today as well.

We were looking forward to the food, but we also wanted some drinks. So Gou from BAR dAZE , who is also Gou from our company cafeteria, came to be our bartender!
Even so, his daytime face and his nighttime face are completely different! ( Click here to learn more about Go's daytime face )
(11/11 19:45 Tanaka)

Where's all that meat?
Sparks fly in the second round

The second round of the "My Proud Delicious Meat" that I introduced earlier is finally about to begin.
The determined look in the eyes of the chef at Tamsui as he stands at the grill says it all.

As the gong rang to start the fight, my delicious meat was mercilessly placed on the hot grill. You could tell by looking into the chef's eyes how serious this fight was.

In a flaming ring. No words needed.

The meat, cooked to perfection, is placed one after another on the cutting board and quickly makes its way to your stomachs.
The delicious meat that I'm so proud of was delicious.
(11/11 20:30 Courtyard)

Rice, rice, rice...
Today, Monosasu Village is a rice entertainment

To celebrate Monosasu Village's good harvest, the rice cake pounding begins!
The mortar in the courtyard was also intended for this purpose!

A mochi pounding event for both Monosus members and customers!

In addition to this, there was also a threshing experience, and to be honest, there were so many other things that I can't keep up and write about them all...
And while we were talking, it was time for a game in which everyone could participate.
I'm off!
(11/11 21:00 Tanaka)

You can also experience threshing.

While Tanaka was busy covering the game, the Food Hub members made us rice balls using freshly cooked Monosasu rice! They also served us some fish ball soup that the chef from Tansui had been simmering in a stockpot earlier.

Agriculture chief Shirato is smiling broadly as he holds a rice ball.

The people who are rolling the freshly made rice cakes into rolls to make the nori soy sauce rice cakes are Gen, the head agricultural instructor, and Hirotaka, a dancer from Kamiyama who helps out at the Food Hub.

It's truly a rice festival, with so much rice to enjoy!
Among the many delicious treats on display, some people said that the rice balls were the best. It was a fun rice festival that really made us realize how amazing rice really is.
(11/11 21:30 Courtyard)

Everyone who wants rice can participate!
Monosasu Village Quiz Tournament

"Everyone! It's game time!"
The host has to be this person!

Kitajima is a former Monosasu staff member and is now a restaurant manager!
He was in high spirits wearing two glittery bow ties. His witty talk really got the crowd excited.

Badges were handed out to guests at the reception.
Guests holding badges with "Wild Boar," "Trout," and "Kettle" badges gather around a guest holding a badge that says "Village Chief." Then, staff members wearing "Hazekake" badges join them, and they form one village to compete in a multiple-choice buzzer challenge.

However, there is one rule here.
Since the questions are all "related to Monosus," the Hazekake badge staff are not allowed to tell the guests the answers even if they know them.
Instead, there was a five-minute period before the quiz began where guests were given the opportunity to interview the Monosasu staff.
"Where is Monosasty?" "Have you ever been to Kamiyama?" "Does anyone on the Monosasty staff have an amazing background?"
These five minutes are crucial. The staff members sometimes get stuck but do their best to answer your rapid-fire questions.

And now the problem begins!
It was a multiple choice contest with a quick press, and the top five villages were awarded luxurious prizes, so the guests and staff, all grown adults, were totally serious about it...
They cheer when they win, feel frustrated when they lose, and get excited when they see the name of their village on the score ranking that is displayed for each question.
The excitement was high right up to the last question, number 10.

Congratulations to everyone who won this fierce battle and took home the amazing prizes!

This cute little winner was presented with a 15kg bale of Monosasushi rice by representative Hayashi.
Eat lots, grow big, and come visit us again next year!
(11/11 22:50 Tanaka)

To everyone who came,
thank you very much!

The games were over and the party was in full swing, but before we knew it, it was time to close.
Finally, we took a commemorative photo.
With nearly 200 people in total, including staff, the photographer Takeda was wondering how to fit everyone in and how to capture them all, while taking the photos while saying, "The atmosphere, the atmosphere."
Apologies to everyone who couldn't fit into the camera's field of view!
For this group photo, we focused on capturing the atmosphere.

As they left, we gave each person a serving of rice.
All the members gathered together the day before to pack the rice, and each was individually labeled. We hope you enjoy it at home.

The photos in the background show the process of planting and harvesting rice together with local children.

This concludes this year's Monosasu Village Harvest Festival.
Thank you to all the guests who came!
I hope we can celebrate a good harvest again next year.
(11/13 Courtyard)