Santa Claus has come!

Yesterday some Santa Clauses came to our office.


A little bit hasty, though.

I chose the one with very cute strawberry cap, topped with whipped cream, whose body was filled with strawberry flavoured pudding (right).

Wish you happy Christmas!

Hot Springs Encyclopedia

After the first snow, we had little snow and the blanket of snow has gone.

But still it's winter and I can't be away from the heating... A good season to visit hot springs now.

The other day Jiyujin's extra number, Onsen Zukan (Hot Springs Encyclopedia) , was released.
This issue features "Nigoriyu," a type of hot springs with clundy colour.

"The Secrets of Cloudy Colours of Hot Springs"

There are great variety of hot springs in Japan.
Different smells, tastes, temperatures, benefits for the human body...
Colours, or visual effects, are also valued, as Japanese people enjoy hot springs by bathing.


The variety of colour is amazing.
White, brown, green, gray, blue, black.....
These waters are not trasparent but cloudy, whitish, mysterious colour.

Gray? Blue?
Colours often change day by day

I like blue ones. Isn't this colour like a mixture of the sky and clouds?

Michelin-starred chef's choice

Last spring we had a guest from Michelin's three-starred Japanese restaurant "Kanda."
Chef Hiroyuki Kanda visited Uonuma, seeking for "the best rice in Japan" to serve in his restaurant.

Chef Kanda studies in the field

Uonuma is well-known for good Koshihikari rice. But the area which produces "Uonuma Koshihikari" is vast and the tasted of rice differs by fields because of natural conditions.

He met three producers we recommended, visited their rice fields, and tasted the rice. Consequently, he chose the rice produced by Mr. Kiyoshi Suzuki (Kiyoshi-san), saying

"It was moving. The taste was just like Kiyoshi-san, clear, straight..."

Kiyoshi-san with his wife

Last week, we had a good news from the Michelin. Kanda won the Michelin's three stars this year again.

Congratulations!!

Kanda in Moto-Azabu, Tokyo

First Ride of the Season!

Ski and snowboard season has begun around Uonuma. Kagura ski resort in Yuzawa (next to Minami Uonuma City) opened on 21 November. Our company's ski and snowboard lovers (team?) went for the first ride of this year. Although not much snow left at the bottom of the mountain, there was enogh upper on the ski slope.

around the parking lot

on the ski slope

Another mission of this day was to distribute fliers of coming ski and snowbord events. We just published back country ski and snowboard magazine "Spray" and are planning to hold a series of workshops about funs and dangers of a backcountry ride. (language : Japanese only)

fliers of the events

Thanks to people who were so nice to stop by and receive these fliers!
See you at the workshops!




Reported by Hirasawa

Winter has come!!

Yesterday, we had the first snow in Uonuma.

Only the mountain-top of Mt. Hakkai was snow capped in the morning

It was sunny in the morning, though the cold north wind was getting stronger.
The weather suddenly changed in the afternoon.

Rain? Sleet? Sleety rain continues

It was rain at first, then sleet, and finally white snow continuously falling on the town!

In front of the office

After one night of snow... The town was covered with a blanket of snow.

Autumn Photo Gallery

Uonuma has distinctive four seasons, in which I like autumn the best.



In early autumn, rice fields turn to gold and farmers start harvesting rice. Sometimes we can see unique landscape of "Hazagake" (traditional way to dry rice under the sun)



When harvesting ends, leaves starts to turn to red and yellow from the mountaintops, gradually down toward village. Perssimon trees with ripe orange fruits are heart-warming.


But Uonuma's autumn is very short.

Mountaintops will soon be covered with snow. The first snow last year was in November...
Soon there will be white snow all around.

Harvesting Rice

The end of october, the end of the month of farmwork...

These four weeks, we harvested six middle-sized rice fields.

It's been three years since Jiyujin has started rice farming in Minami Uonuma.
Year by year, we made new attempts to grow organic and delicious Koshihikari rice with little agrichemicals. We've been trying traditional harvesting style of "Hazagake." Reaping rice, making sheaves and drying them naturally under the sun.

Of course, sundried rice tastes better than machine-dried rice.



Some of our Koshihikari rice (precisely, the rice which we helped for sundrying) is on sale at Jiyujin Club (Japanese only).

To begin with

I guess not many people (or maybe none?) outside Japan know this small Japanese town.

Uonuma, among Japanese, is famous for the rice farming of "Koshihikari" brand, but thought to be that's all. Even the Japanese don't really know about the beauty of the pastral landscape and the unique country lifestyle in this region.

Uonuma has a lot more. Seasonal country landscape, fresh air, organic food, lots of green, lots of snow...

Little by little, I would like to introduce big and small excitments in this town.


Uonuma is located in the middle of Honshu island (the biggest one) , in the southeastern area of Niigata prefecture. This area is known for the heavy snow fall, which is accumulated up to three meters in winter!

Obviously, it is a place of great fan for skiers and snowborders (and for us!)