Nice to meet you. I'm Gotanda from the Creative Department.
The last weekend of October, when the mornings and evenings began to feel chilly (October 29th and 30th).
I participated in an event called "Aru de naide Kamiyama ( Facebook page )", which was planned and held by Monosasu Juku students at Kobo Yamauba in Kamiyama Town, Tokushima Prefecture.
Event venue entrance
How I ended up joining Kamiyama...
This July, we were approaching the summer season, with weather completely opposite to now.
For the second Monosasu Juku, in which the Creative Department Operations Team was involved, we lived together with the students for about a month at the Ski Land Hotel in Kamiyama Town to give coding lectures.
Living together for a month. To an outsider, it may seem like only a month, but for me it was the most memorable event this year, filled with experiences and stimulation I had never experienced before in my life, and a series of new encounters.
Four months have already passed since then, and I thought that the students would have forgotten about me, when I received an invitation to come to an event planned by the students.
This time, I was participating privately and could only go on weekends, so to be honest, I was unsure about going at first. However, when I remembered the time I spent there four months ago, I realized that I wanted to see the students again, and I didn't know when I would be able to see them again until they graduated, so my doubts disappeared.
Lecture at Monosasu Juku in July I gave a basic coding course.
Visiting Kamiyama for the first time in 4 months. The event day
On the day of the event, I took the first flight out of the morning to Tokushima, drove from the airport to Kamiyama, and met up with Dojo (a Monosasu Juku instructor in August) and Saito (a first-term Monosasu Juku student), who had arrived the day before.
On the way to the event venue, Saito, who was a student of Kamiyama Monosasu School until last year and lived in Yamauba, the venue, so he knows the area well, invited us to take a shortcut. However, before we could meet the students, we were greeted by the sticky bugs...
The shortcut was the sticky path. It was a grand welcome (laughs).
Kobo Yamauba at the event venue
I was a little nervous at the reunion after about three months, but the moment I met the students, they greeted me individually with "Ohhh!" "It's Ige-san!" and "So you really came! Thank you!" and I felt like I was gradually going back to what it was like four months ago.
Then, one by one, we went around the venue.
Each booth had great attention to detail, and the staff provided attentive service and a strong desire to please visitors was apparent.
The venue was explained to us in detail at the reception.
The venue is divided into four areas, centered around the courtyard of Kobo Yamauba, and each area has its own theme: "Food," "Footbath," "House," and "Tea," and there is a wide variety of exhibits. You can enjoy food and products that are unique to Kamiyama.
From the reception desk, the staff gave detailed explanations about the venue to everyone who came, and it was impressive to see the students smiling, greeting and talking to people in each area.
The foot bath is "Re:Z" (top left), the tea is "Tamagotake" (top right), the house is "Dannai" (bottom left), and the food is "Re:kamiyama Foods" (bottom right)
Relaxing in a foot bath "Re:nZ" team
Homemade foot bath
While soaking in the footbath, the "Re:nZ" team grilled freshly picked local log-grown shiitake mushrooms and miso-marinated Kamiyama Sudachi Chicken on a charcoal brazier. The footbath fixtures themselves were handmade, and there were some issues with the waterproof boards along the way, making it difficult to operate. It was a bit chilly, but everyone felt comfortable warming up in the footbath.
The water used for the foot bath had to be carried from the Goemon bath, which was a little far away, so we all did a bucket relay. I helped out too, but I was exhausted after going back and forth a few times...
The Tamagotake team makes tea to relax the mind
The entrance to the teahouse. The original teahouse was borrowed and used.
The "Tamagotake" team welcomed us dressed in kimonos and enjoyed matcha tea in the tea room.
In the tea room, a student, Haga-san, who had been taught by the master for this day, carefully prepared tea for us. It was something I had never experienced before, so it was a fresh experience for me and I enjoyed it.
Students Sekido-san (bottom left photo) and Haga-san (bottom left photo) looked great in their kimonos.
Bamboo House is the live stage for the "Dannai" team
The live performance was a big success for all the participants.
The "Dannai" team has a building made of bamboo that stands out.
This is a handmade building that was constructed by bundling each individual bamboo stalk together and then standing the whole thing upright.
There was also a live performance by singer-songwriter Junpei Kokubo, and the venue was filled with excitement. The venue was filled with energy and everyone had a great time.
The Sudachi ginger ale and herb sausage were a perfect combination. The sausage container was also made of bamboo, and the toothpick was made from a cherry blossom branch.
Eating Kamiyama's local cuisine "Re:kamiyama Foods" team
The "Re: Kamiyama Foods" team enjoyed "Shishi Nabe" (boar hotpot) and "Oinoko Sushi" (sushi with rice and vegetables), all made with local ingredients, in the Yamauba House. We were able to enjoy warm food in an old-fashioned house, and it was a relaxing space that warmed both our body and soul.
Apparently the ingredients had been prepared since late at night on the day of the event, and every dish was delicious down to the last bite.
The sweet potato pudding dessert had a great sweet potato flavor and texture, a taste I've never had before, but I hope they'll sell it again somewhere. You can eat it even if you're full. (Photo on the bottom left)
After the event, they also held a welcome party for me.
A sumptuous homemade meal, mainly by student Omura. The meatballs in the foreground with meat sauce go great with rice.
After the event, the students welcomed me at their home in Agawa, where they live, and despite being very tired, they treated me to lots of delicious food and hospitality.
Over a meal together, I was able to have a leisurely chat with the students for the first time in a while and hear their thoughts and feelings about their current feelings and future plans. I feel like this was an opportunity for me to reexamine my own future.
Eating with everyone around the table. I usually eat alone, so eating like this feels fresh.
Having participated in this event, I was able to feel the warmth of the students' feelings once again. I think everyone felt glad that they came to Kamiyama for this event.
I'm sure it was a lot of work for the students, preparing for the event while they were in class, but I think the smiles on their faces while they were doing it and the heartfelt words they said afterwards, "I'm glad we did it!", say it all.
The students have just under two months until graduation, and I don't know when I will see them again, so I am really glad that I was able to be reunited with them at this event.
It was truly an event that embodied the message, "There are so many wonderful things in Kamiyama."
Bonus: Cafe Brompton Depot
A fantastical event venue with lights lit up in the pitch black forest at night
Although it was a different event to the "Aru de Naide Kamiyama" event, there was a live music event at Cafe Brompton Depot in the same Kamiyama town, and since some of the school students were participating, I decided to join in on my last day of stay.
The wooden deck of the event facility was all handmade. It was a space where people could enjoy the live music while drinking coffee or alcohol around a bonfire in the forest. It was a warm and inviting event, even under the cold night sky.
Due to the time of my return flight, I was only able to participate for a short time, but it was a moment when time seemed to stand still and I was able to reminisce about my memories of this trip.
We warmed ourselves by the bonfire and listened to the live music.
モノサスアーカイブ