Kikan Kochi
Think & Action Magazine,
Kochi. Spring 2016 No.60

Giant Interview
Kochi Fighting Dogs COACH

Norihiro Komada

Features

The taste of handmade happiness,a Masterpiece春
S p r ing

Kenzo Nakajima
Born in 1959 in Kochi City. Lives andworks from Misono Town in Kochi City.
He is a Photographer for Tourism Posters
and Various Advertisements. He lectures
a Photography course and conducts
overseas photography seminars. He is a
graduate of the Photography Departmentof Osaka University of Arts. A member of
the Japanese Advertising Photographer’s
Association (APA) and The Japanese Society for Arts and History of Photography.
http://blogs.yahoo.co.jp/japan_kenzo

This is the English Version of KIKAN KOCHI.
It is revised in order to shorten its length.
We do hope many people will readthis free online magazine.

CONTENTS
02

Ken-chan’s fanciful photo diary: Kenzo Nakajima

04

DOKU-SO-GAN : Hidemi Taike

05

Features
The taste of handmade happiness,a Masterpiece

54

Giant Interview
Kochi Fighting Dogs COACH
Norihiro Komada

64

Designing Your Way of Thinking /a message from a man living in
the 47th prefecture : Makoto Umebara

68

Extra by Yukinori Dehara : Yukinori Dehara

70

Kochi Central City Map

Ken-chan’s fanciful photo diary No.43

FukuJu-so( Adonis ramosa )Picture:Minami-Daioh Otoyo Town, Kochi Prefecture

As the moon passes on the Lunisolar New Year (Chinese New Year)
A little flower pops out from the ground and shows its face
Also called the “New Year’s Leaf” or “the First Day Leaf”
It has been loved since ancient times
Although it carries no sweet nectar
It opens its lovely petals as wide as can be and bathes in the light and heat from the sun.
Raising the temperature of its petals
The helpful insects come and take its pollenWith snow covering all around, the FukuJu-so’s beauty stands out
With its warmth and colour it melts the cold winter snow away
The Great Sun, is this little flowers switch to shine bright.
2

STA FF
STAFF
Publisher

Yoshihiro Nonami / Cricket
Junichi Kusunoki / Koubun

Advertising

Takayuki Mimoto / Koubun

Editor in Chief

Yoshihiro Nonami / Cricket

Editor

Sachihiko Oouchi / Cricket
Midori Ueta / Cricket

Ttranslation Advisor Jeremy Edward Tan
Proofreader

Matthew Lester

DesignYumi Ito / Cricket

Cover

Hiroshi Kawauchi / Plane

Cover Art

Keiko Shibata

Photographer

Mikiya Kadota

3

The taste of handmade happiness,a Masterpiece043[ Archery ][ Climax of the Story ][ Returning Home ]At a party
Drinker
Middle ofthe Pack

Young
PersonWalking

Playing MusicIn that po.
Twang~!

So (Shio-Kosho) Salt andPepper and so on

Wh

aa

a

~
aa

~~

~~

~~

~
~~

~~

~t

ttt

!

Ding!

L et
’
clo s s sp e aker ~~~~ ~~~~~~
~ ~!!
!

Stab

Drinking"To Shioko there was
no Sky in Tokyo..."Pull it out~

out~
Pull it out
alreadyThat didn't
go so well;
Snore
Doubt
Sleeping

Bu~lls~ Eye~!

4

Oh! Well that makes sense.

5Not a single additive in every bread and cake
Handmade, and baked with organic, pesticide-free flour.
[Hatake-no-Ra-Yu] (Seasoning Oil) and[Pakuchi-Oil] (Coriander Oil)All made without a single additive.
Every single ingredient home grown andmixed using only tried and tested spices.
Each label for each jar is carefully drawn and placed by hand.
Furuyaji organics
As we talk to Mr. and Mrs. Omiya we can taste the happinesspacked into every single word.

From a Lily Farmer to a Vegetable farmer. A life changing decision made with conviction.

Chapter 1 ・ Kochi City

Tomo and Masayo Omiya, both born and raised in Kochi, met unexpectedly in Tokyo andwould later marry. After living together in Kanagawa prefecture in 2007, they came

フルヤジ オーガニックス

back to Kochi to takeover Masayo’s family business of cultivating lilies. Due to the

Furuyaji organics

economic downturn in 2008, the price of lilies took a dramatic turn for the worse. As
a result, and in order to survive, in 2009 they started to self-teach themselves how togrow home-grown, pesticide free vegetables and wheat on their spare land, whilst also

The taste of handmade happiness,a Masterpiececontinuing a small business in selling lilies. Additionally, Masayo wanted to give herdaughter, who suffers atopic eczema or AD, safe handmade bread and cakes. Her skillsin the kitchen and her cooking are highly praised by her family and friends.
A few years later, the Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami caused the cost of fuel and raw
materials to increase in price and further push down the price of lilies. In 2011, rather

67

In front of Furuyaji, ready to tread the wheat plants
Sowing wheat in the new year, the plants will start growing at the endof February. Tomo treading the wheat plants with his feet.
Due to being sown by hand, the wheat plants are slightly curved ina not unpleasant manner. Teaching the next generation, they havebrought children from the local nursery to help tread the soil.

than continuing to grow lilies, they decided to make cultivating and processing organicand pesticide-free vegetables their main business.
Tomo reflects on the events of the time; “We decided from the beginning that if wewere to choose vegetables as our main source of income they would be free of pesticides
and organic. We knew however, that if we went ahead our vegetables would be susceptible to disease and insect harm making them less beautiful and harder to compete with
North 5-chome of the Sunday Markets.
You will find their stand just a short walkeast from Hirome-Ichiba. Look for the Furuyaji sign. In front of boxes with lovely
bread and cakes, the lovely products andingredients are lined up next to each other with quaint handwritten signs.

produce from farmers growing with the usual processes. Consumers are influenced by
the appearance of vegetables. It would be difficult to compete on just selling fresh vegetables, so we decided our main focus to be processed and packaged products. Anotherreason for this decision was that Masayo enjoyed making these products. With thesupport from others, we started by setting up a stall at an organic market and sold Masayo’s popular and tasty bread. This was the start of「フルヤジ」(Furuyaji)”.

89The word “Yaji” is a colloquial andloved term amongst the local farmers
for the land and farmhouse. When a
new owner arrives and builds a newhouse, the older land and house iscalled “Furuyaji” this is where thena me「フルヤジ」( Fu r uyaji) comesfrom. We i nter viewed the couple
amongst the Furuyaji.

6 month-only limited, [Pakuchi-Oil] (Coriander Oil).

They have now set up stalls at Sunday Markets (from Hirome Ichiba , westward) in Kochi City and various other events, where they sell 8 different varieties of cake as wellas bread, all made with their home grown pesticide and herbicide-free wheat. They
also sell pizza made with great seasonal vegetables [Hatake-no-Ra-Yu] (Seasoning Oil)and [Pakuchi-Oil] (Coriander Oil) homemade oils produced by using their home grownvegetables, as well as jams made from seasonal fruits and other great products. They
have several returning customers as well as those who come from outside of the prefecture and have been introduced by their friends, just for the Sunday Markets. “I had tocome here if I visited Kochi!” and “I’ve come again to buy this!” are all said. Tomo and
Masayo smile and giggle as they serve their customers. “In summer, the bread doesn’tsell as well, so we also sell shaved ice (kaki-gori). Our flavours are all homemade syrups
using our home grown fruit such as Yuzu and Naoshichi (citrus fruits) that are not colourful. We’ve had customers ask, ‘do you have strawberry flavour?’ But customers who
buy the Yuzu and Naoshichi always tell us how delicious it is” giggles Masayo.
We just look slightly fresh… .

[Pakuchi-Oil] (Coriander Oil) is one the main products of「フルヤジ」(Furuyaji). It is
made with select ingredients, pakuchi(Japanese for coriander) and garlic from theirown fields, salt from Kochi, Fresh Olive Oil from Italy. Taking 3 years to grow before
their first harvest, the pakuchi shook their taste buds more than expected. The couple
thought, “Why don’t we make this into a product?” and so it was born. Freshly picked
pakuchi is washed with mountain water and is loosely cut. Next they fill a jar full with
cut pakuchi leaves, salt, chopped up garlic and pour in the fresh olive oil, then mix theingredients equally around with extreme care, as the most important process. Finally,slowly and firmly close the lid to keep the flavour in, place a label and complete theproduct. “We make each one by hand. The labels are also placed on the jars by hand.
Sometimes they look awkwardly sideways. (Laughs)” Tomo mentions of their bottling.
This method really brings out the flavour of the pakuchi. Just by lightly coating on fresh
bread, dadding it on freshly steam vegetables, dripping a few drops on your tofu withthe [Pakuchi-Oil] (Coriander Oil) each main ingredient is pulled to the next level. Fresh
10

11

Only need what is needed,
And make only
as much as the scope allows.

pakuchi with roots can be bought from the [Tosa-no-Sato] foods market. The pakuchi

Their popular product, [Hatake-no-Ra-Yu] (Seasoning Oil) (60g/684 JPY, 120g/1728 JPY) is madefrom home-grown ginger, garlic, and herbs and uses
Kochi-made Japanese pepper, salt, canola oil, sesame oil, fresh chillies and sesame. Not actually hotor spicy, and child friendly, there are entire families
that are fans of the oil. [Pakuchi-Oil] (Coriander Oil)
.60g for 864 JPY.

is only available from the end of November till late May, so is a limited 6 month only
product.
“How we choose what to plant, is important for what Masayo will be producing. We
also plant chestnuts and fruit. We think「フルヤジ」(Furuyaji) should continue like this.
We are really happy that our customers have come to love the taste of our Chilli andCoriander Oils, but we don’t intend to build our own market or place our products indepartment stores. We also don’t plan to sell our bread wholesale. We think it is alrightto supply the scope that we can guarantee to provide for.”We started of our own will to go organic, to tend to pesticide-free fields, and harvest

Furuyaji organics

the best seasonal fruits to make great products. An abundant lifestyle is right in front

https://www.instagram.com/furuyajiorganics

of us. Masayo smiles, giggles and expresses her lifestyle, “Isn’t it quite usual to hearfarmers and their wives who live in the mountains and would make their own mocha(rice-cake) from their own mochi-gome (Glutinous rice)? It’s just that normal. The difference is that we aren’t making mochi but baking bread and packaged products, so wejust look slightly fresh…”
12

The[Hatake-no-Ra-Yu] (Seasoning Oil) and other products
can be found in select places such as [kruh] Café inHarimaya Town, Kochi City, at [Hakuza] Kochi Store in
Obiyamachi and several other places. Some select stores
outside the prefecture also stock their products; pleasecheck their instagram and website.
13

The Tofu sold in supermarkets is also Tofu.
Differing varieties of Tofu make Tofu interesting.
Instead of being made the same way, it’s better with different
Chapter 2 ・ Shimanto City

ways to make it.
I have my own style. I only know this style.

まぁ坊 豆 腐 店

MaaBOUDOUFU-Ten
The taste of handmade happiness,a Masterpiece
14

States Masanori, as he gently places soybeans into the millstone and turns it slowly.
As the soybeans turn into paste he puts them into a linen
pouch and hand presses it.
まぁ坊豆腐店[MaaBOUDOUFU-Ten]’s tofu making process

has a rule that each and every step is to be done by hand.
15

From Soybean to Tofu, the flow of nature.

In November 2015, together with a café まぁ坊豆腐店[MaaBOUDOUFU-Ten] opened
its doors at 6-chome Ohashi Dori, Nakamura, Shimanto City. With glass windows allaround, customers can see tofu making happening inside. The store is run and owned
by a lovely couple, Masanori and Tomoko Shiji. An interestingly long story for the couple to reach this far; let’s continue the story here.
At the age of 19, Masanori left his hometown of Osaka by invitation of an acquaintancethat he had previously helped. Arriving in Kochi time he started working at a Yakiniku(BBQ Meat) restaurant. Eventually, he started to strongly think about going into agriculture. He left his job and started growing rice and soybeans. 8 years later he started
making tofu in his own style and ever since has been stuck and engrossed in tofu making.
Masanori enters his workspace at 4 AM to begin making
tofu. It takes roughly 2 hours for each mill and press. He
will complete 2 mills from the morning. After that he will
work on processing the tofu, but on busy days he would do
another 2 mills.

“To go full scale into farming, one needs to have a vast amount of land and facilities.
I found this did not fit my personality or ideas. Also, to sell your own produce it also
takes a lot of work as it is, so I thought I would process my produce into goods and sell
it myself. After reading a book about farming, I found out that soybeans could be grownon neglected or wild lands. If I was going to grow the beans and process them, it would
have to be miso or tofu. I thought it would be interesting to try at least once to maketofu. I was surprised to find out tofu making is so much fun!”
Normally, Tofu is made at home, using Japanese grown soybeans and on special occasions use home-grown soybeans. Selling to order, his current style of using a millstone
and hand pressing the paste was something he put into practice after wanting to try itafter reading an article. He mentions, “I don’t exactly have a teacher, I can only learn
and remember through trial and error.” This is the result of his continuous effort andtrials, which became his obsession to do every single step of the process by hand.

16

17

Hand milled, hand pressed.
That’s why it’s great.
After starting this store, Masanori
has turned to only Tofu making.
He uses soybeans from Mie andHokkaido prefectures. Soybeans
are delicate and are sensitive totemperature. Masanori mentions
how i n su m mer he has to pay
special care when working to drastic changes in the temperature.
Difficult times abound during thechange of seasons.

Milling and pressing are all reliant on the touch of the hand.

The lower the temperature of the weather, the slower the water permeates through thesoy. Then, after the water bath it is usually left in a fridge for roughly 2 days. Because
tofu contains protein, the main point in tofu making is to bring out the flavour from thetofu, mentions Masanori. Softly place the soybeans and the water that the soybeans
were sitting in into the millstone and turn, this crushes the soybeans and mixes theminto a paste.Collect the paste into a cloth pouch and then wring and press the pouch.
Repeat several times. Here you are separating the fresh tofu and the lees. Next you boil
the fresh tofu and then cool it down to 70℃, before mixing with [Tosi-no-Shiokara] brine
and shaping the tofu. At this stage you also get Yosetofu or fresh tofu.
During the interview, Masanori was just constantly milling with the millstone, crumpling and squeezing the pouches. “I’m quite bad with machines; this type of hard handwork really suits me. It’s because it’s done by hand, I can really focus on the detailed
parts. It feels like I only make each day’s worth of tofu. I think by using machines,
you’ve got 100 more steps to deal with. Yet, this is the only way I know how to do it. I
trust and believe in myself and my hands” he says as he constantly repeats each step.
We ask Masanori about what taste is he aiming for, “I am not aiming to make a tofu
that fits everyone’s taste buds, but rather I want to make a tofu I think is the best. I
have an ideal image of my tofu. It is soft and smooth, really kind on the throat as itgoes down, and has a firm flavour.”The glimmering Tofu-don.
まぁ坊豆腐店店[MaaBOUDOUFU-Ten] is a place for coffee, tea, rice, snacks, and of course,

Tofu. Everything apart from making the Tofu, Masanori’s wife Tomoko covers with heramazing skills. The daily lunch is a deal with its great volume but its healthy focus onvegetables is kind on the ladies as well. Fresh Tofu, dried sea lettuce and tofu soup, andthe rice dishes are part of the 9 dishes on the menu. Tomoko created each and every
dish. The glimmering Tofu-don was so popular that our team did not get a chance totry. “We will be sure to come back and eat it” was the occurring thought after.
18

19

The delicious and scrumptious food continues on to their cakes, such as the Soy Gateau

MaaBOUDOUFU-Ten 		

Chocolate made with tofu and the Matcha and Dainagon Azuki Cake. Their sweets are

6-6-25 Ohashi Dori, Nakamura, Shimanto City, Kochi Prefecture.
TEL: 0880-34-8202
Open from 10 AM to 5 PM
Lunch available from 11:30 AM to 2 PM. (Closed if sold out)
Closed on Sundays
Parking Available (4 slots)

also interesting and smart that change with the seasons, such as the Tofu and Tapioca
Ozenzai. Once again all these are handmade by Tomoko. “The lunch menu is really dependent on the vegetable season. I think about it at the time. Living in Kochi is interesting as everything is a challenge. We’ve put our livelihood into this store (laugh) .We
think that if our job can help other people, that is all that matters. We want to make まぁ坊豆腐店[MaaBOUDOUFU-Ten] into a store that those living in Nakamura would appre-

ciate and enjoy” Tomoko says as smiles and serves customers.
With fresh tofu and such great food, it’s natural. We found another taste of handmade
happiness.
20

●

333

■
MaaBOUDOUFU-Ten

TOSA KUROSHIO
RAILWAY

439

Apia Satsuki ●Shimanto River
中村駅

As lunchtime arrives, the store fills up with people in a blink of an eye. Who can doubt?

City Hall 439
346

https://www.facebook.com/maboudofu/

Nakamura

Menu
Fresh Tofu/150 JPY, Firm Tofu/300 JPY
Matcha and Dainagon Azuki Cake/300JPY
Soy Gateau Chocolate/300 JPY
Soybean Lees/50 JPY
Today’s Lunch/900 JPY
Tofu-don/600 JPY
21

Lovingly prepared Oki-Urume fish, carefully placed side-by-side
Chapter 3 ・ Kochi Cityひ も の

干 魚のやまさき

Himono-no-Yamasaki
The taste of handmade happiness,a Masterpiece

Spread out along the nets by hand
Mesmerised by the soft and careful handlingWith Mimase fishing harbour nearby,
Along the road the Oki-Urume nets are spread next to each other
With fish glistening to the morning sun
Such a sublime moment to encounter
Fish, Salt, Water and the blessings of the Sun and Wind
People and nature together, as the dawn breaks
Welcome to the beautiful gems of Himono (Dried Fish).

2223

Delicious and full of great essential oils of the Mehikari, you can easily fry or grill it and the taste is
sublime.

Never did I think I would have to prepare fish.

Hiromasa Yamasaki preparing Fuka (Shark) for a Mirin-Boshi
in the back room. He has great knife skills.

cooperative selecting fish. It was at this time I felt troubled, “Should I continue doing
this?” I thought. By chance, I was invited to visit a local dried fish store.”

Mimase, Kochi City, a fishing town famous for Himono or dried fish. Hiromasa Yama-

After the visit, and after seeing how the store was run, Hiromasa deeply considered thesaki started [Himono-no-Yamasaki], a store for dried fish. Whilst his father was a fish-

fact that it was not his job to raise the price of his catch and made a decision to starterman from Mimase, Hiromasa left for a technical college in another prefecture after

his own dried fish store. He trained for 2 years and in 2013, he started his own store.

graduating from high school. After graduating he joined a travel company in Kochi Pre-

Every morning at 3 AM he wakes up and makes deliveries to the markets and starts

fecture, for whom he worked for about 10 years. However, when his father became too

preparations for the day’s drying and marinating of the fish in sea salt. He has twobusy with work and called, “Come over and help with the family business” Hiromasa

young members of staff working with him and they both start at 4 AM.

could not refuse. Until that time he had no connection to the sea.
“I was on the fishing boat for 2 years. One time, the cruise liner that I used to travel on

Spread and stretch each fish’s backbone.

[the Asuka], came into Tosa bay. It came right next to my boat and passed right by. At

24

that moment, I thought ‘Whoa~!’ Fishing is always decided as a result of many differ-

Primarily the veteran ladies, who have been doing the job for years, are the ones who

ent factors such as the currents, weather etc. From then I knew, no matter how much I

hang the fish for drying. They are greatly skilled so that there is no waste in their beau-tried I was not going to be able to change anything. I was confident that I was not suit-

tiful movements. Sometimes, you will see buckets underneath the nets with Oki Urumeed to this job. After I stopped working on the boat, I started helping with the fishery

set aside, unwanted. This is actually for arranging the sizes. They set aside fish that25

The Blessed Sun is power to the flavours of the Himono.

Oki-Urume glistening while drying in the Sun, beautifully spread and arranged
along the roadside. The Sun’s rays and wind are indispensable to great Himino.

are different in size. These sizes are so minute that it would be hard to notice even if

mer the humidity is high whilst in winter it is very low, so we will monitor the drying

you were to stare at all the fish arranged, yet these women make that decision in a split

conditions of the fish all day and adjust as needed. It’s experience rather than sense or

second. Further, they ever so slightly pull on the backbone of the fish to stretch themintuition.”and arrange them neatly on the nets. This is to make the completed project look nice. “If

Himono-no-Yamasaki dries, Oki-urume, Mehikari (Round greeneyes) and Surume-

you just place them and arrange them on the nets some will be curved and it will lookika (Japanese common squid) all year round. They also dry other seasonal varieties ofbad. We do our utmost to carefully handle the fish, to make them look their best. Therefish. Often found drying in winter are Yakedo (Darkblue headlightfish), Aji (Japanese

is no real knack or secret to doing it. You have to get used to it” states Hiromasa.

horse-mackerel), different types of Karei (Right-eye flounders) and other great winter

Oki-Urume dried fish are dried from first light and taken in after sunset. At night theyfish.

are dried with a blowing fan and, by next morning, they are ready.
“Because the boats arrive back here in Mimase in the evening, we start washing theEverything is a masterpiece,

fish straight off the boat. Next we soak the fish in salt water, but depending on the sea-

Especially delectable are the 1-day dried squids.

son for the fish, the species of fish, their size and condition, the duration of the soak

26

will change. Next we wash and dry the fish again. The delicious taste of the dried fishFrankly, amongst the [Himono-no-Yamasaki] selection of fish, the Surume-ika andis thanks to the blessing and power of the Sun. [Sun-drying] is our store’s specialty.

Mehikari taste the greatest. The Surume-ika is cooked and smoked over a flame until it

We decide the duration to dry the fish based on the humidity and temperature. In sum-resonates a salivating smell. It is meaty and tender to the bite. As I talk about it, Hiro27

●34

Minami
Post
OfficeNagahama
Hospital ●●●MimaseFishery
Cooperation■
Himono-no
YamasakiNankoku
Supermarket

278

●

Urado
Bay

Ferry
waiting
area

Himono-no-Yamasaki
masa teaches me about the trick, “We dry Surume-ika for roughly 3 hours. If we completely dry it, the squid becomes crunchy and cracks and with that the meat wears thin.
We dry it just enough to be dry and finish it whilst it is a bit soft.” The Mehikari is also
meaty and the meat just crumbles in the mouth. An elegant flavour and delectable oil
fills the mouth. One would love a great drink to have this as an accompaniment with.
His brother is now in charge of the boat. When his stocks are gone or if there are any
special orders to fill, he would request his brother, “Can you catch this fish for me?” It

Mimase, Kochi City (In front of Mimase Fisheries)
TEL: 088-855-4173
Open from 8 AM to 3 PM
Days Off: Irregular, closed during bad weather
Oki-Urume: 1200 JPY/Kilo (Mid-size around 30-40 fish,
Large-size around 20-25 fish)
1-day dried Squid: 300 JPY/squid
Mehikari: 2500 JPY/Kilo (Mid-size around 60-70 fish)

is a tag team. Additionally, by locally hiring 2 young men as permanent employees, Hiromasa has brought energy to the Mimase fishery area. “I want to keep the fire strong
for Mimase as a town renowned for its Himono” mentions Hiromasa as he speaks withfervour.
28*Please mention your price and we will match the amountand volume to your price.
*Depending on the season, stocks of fish may change
and products may vary, so please check beforehand.
29

“Salt making is dependent on the sun, the wind and the sea.
We have a natural sense of being helped by mother-nature”
states Takumaru Yoshida. He looks at the condition of the salt
and so adjusts his stirring and mixing.

Chapter 4 ・ Kuroshio Town, Hata-gun
ソルティーブ 土 佐の塩 丸

Salteve Tosa-no-Shiomaru

The skin on his palms is unusually thick.
With 2 salt works to manage he has over 190 crystal boxes.
With care and love he mixes each and every box with his hands.
In summer, he each would need 4 mixes.
He laughs as he says, “It is as if I am using my hands to grind sandpaper.”

The taste of handmade happiness,a Masterpiece
30

Through time, his fingerprints start to fade away.
Yet he loves his work too much to quit
This is the story of the salt made by the Sea, Wind, Sun and one man’s hands.
31

There are samples of the crystal sizes of the salt at the salt works.
Here you can also compare the taste of each salt.

I’ve been watching salt making since I was a child.

Saga, Kuroshio Town, is famous for a unique style of fishing Katsuo (Bonito Tuna) witha single pole. After deciding to move from Osaka to Kuroshio, Takeshi and Kazumi
Yoshida became salt artisans [100% Sundried Salt, Tosa-no-Shiomaru] with a commitment to make organic, natural salt with only the power of the sun, wind and the powerof nature. The next generation, and to continue the art, is their son Takumaru. In his
youth, Takumaru witnessed his parents receiving a letter of gratitude from a customer.
Together inside the package were cakes and snacks using Shiomaru salt made by thecustomer. He saw his parents very happy and talking, “Making salt is truly a wonderfuljob!” and it encouraged him to pursue salt making. Each time he graduated from Middle
School and High School, he told his parents, “I want to make salt” but they refused tolet him and said, “You better go to university.” Reluctantly, he continued on towards
university. Following that, at university and right before he was to graduate, doubts
started arising, “Can I make a living from going back to Kochi and making salt and in
this condition without major skills?” After careful deliberation, he applied to work fora diving company. As a diving instructor, Takamaru dived the world’s ocean and gained
confidence from working for 5 years. “If I ever need to I can make a living through32

33

diving” Takumaru remembers. In 2009, at the age of 27, he returned to his father
Takeshi’s side as his apprentice. During this his apprenticeship, he developed anotherseparate salt works in Kuroshio Town, along route 56. He developed this salt works
with the concept of allowing the public to gain access to the products and to learn and・Tosa-no-Shiomaru (Salt)
650 JPY for 200g
1620 JPY for 500g

experience the skills of salt making.
Making the effort, spending the time.
Seawater Brine
540 JPY for 360ml

In winter, Takumaru’s day starts at 7 AM. He travels between the two salt works, mixing and stirring the crystal boxes, harvesting and bagging the salt, and preparing the
packages for shipping. When he returns home, it is straight to checking e-mails fororders or sending out estimates, it is administrative duties. You might think, “Thatshould be it” but in the 2 salt works there are around 190 boxes. It is very laborious
to ensure the consistent growth of all the salt and to stir it carefully. He has to tend tothem twice a day, this raise to four times a day in summer.
“We let the seawater flowing from the ceiling, thanks to the Sun and Wind, evaporate
the water and raise the salt level. Then we place the water in the crystallization boxes and sit them inside the salt works house covered in F-Clean film (a thin membraneused for greenhouses). It is still in a liquid form at this stage. Inside the house there
are wooden pillars and crates, and due to the shade, to control the humidity inside eachof the boxes it is important to stir them. After a while, a powdery substance or the
infant stage of salt appears. In this stage it can also be called calcium. If left alone thesalt will stick to the boxes and it would be difficult to remove, so the mixing technique
is important, so you must carefully scoop the salt up while mixing to manipulate thepowder inside. Strangely, the salt starts to grow and expand; even in areas of the box“Tosa-no-Shiomaru” is sold all around the Hata-gun area at; Michi-no-Eki, Nabura
Tosa-Saga, Michi-no-Eki Biosu Ogata, Sun-river Shimanto etc. It can also be foundin Japanese Sundries stores in Kochi City, Honiya, Kida Alcohol Store, Jyosei-Market, etc.

where I have set aside the salt there will be new salt growing. That’s why I do my best
to move the already dried salt into the middle and make a little mountain. As quickly
as possible, I try to maintain and control the younger crystals in their growth. If I don’t
pay attention and quickly move the salt around in the earlier stages, as the salt begins
to grow and dry the sodium chloride levels begin to rise and the batch is wasted.
I always try to keep an eye out on daily changes in the growth of the salt and so cancontrol the situation. As I work I often talk to the salt, ‘Ah, only this much has changed
and grown’ or ‘this is different from yesterday.’ By growing and experiencing, through34

35

my palms and touch I can feel ‘I should do

I believe ‘Sweet, Savoury, Bitter and Sweet’

this’ as I hear what the salt is trying to tell

are the best steps to taste. I strive to consis-me.”tently make this kind of salt.”

At the time of the interview in winter, thechange in the salt was very slow and little.

Salt for Onigiri, the same through 3 generations.

Depending on the weather each year condi-

The shape, the size and the exposure to the sun,affects the finished salt. “If the house is too big,
it is hard to raise the humidity inside. Once it iswarm it is hard to lower the temperature. Viceversa, if the house is too small it heats up andcools down too fast and the change is too severe.
The efficiency is not as comparable, but I think I
prefer to use bigger houses” mentions Takumaru
about his salt works.
36

tions do change but in general, in winter theCurrently, 80% of Tosa-no-Shiomaru’s cus-salt sits in the salt works for about 1 month

tomers are direct private clients from acrosswhereas in summer it would only take 10

the nation. In addition, there is a long run ofdays. Those 10 days in summer require a highperiodic orders from over 3000 restaurants.

level of concentration every day. Addition-

Takumaru mentions that he had declined lim-

ally, the heat in the salt works is about 50

ited offers from several big wholesale com-

to 60 degrees Celsius. Such is the heat thatpanies. There is a big hit to the business with

Takumaru has to step outside the house every

losing just 1 customer.

15 minutes to catch his breath, lick some salt

Takumaru recalls a story about a customer

and rehydrate during the mixing and stirring.

saying, “I have always used salt from Shioma-

Takumaru explains the working conditions of

ru. I passed it on to my daughter to use as

his job, “The mixing and stirring of the salt iswell. Further my grandchild said, ‘I wantsimilar to using your hands as a file to grind,

Shiomaru Onigiri.’ The entire family uses it.”after a while your fingerprints disappear.

Takumaru mentions how proud he is, “I am(Bitter laugh) Also, even if I wore sunglasses

extremely happy to hear that 3 generations

during the summer months, the reflection of

are using our salt and I hope it passes on to

the sun from the crystals would still negative-

the next generation.” He also mentions cus-

ly affect my eyes.” We wonder what Takuma-

tomers that would visit Saga from outside theru thinks is the ideal salt.

prefecture for the salt. He is always bubbling“I think a great salt does not start with thewith joy on those days.

saltiness instantly coming, rather a slow de-“When people talk about Kochi prefecture,

livery of sweetness, then a mild saltiness as it

Sakamoto Ryoma, Bonito Tuna and Katsuo

further melts within your mouth. Next comes

Tataki come to mind. I hope that it would bea hint of bitterness and finally ending with

nice for people think of Shiomaru salt whensome umami. I learnt that a person’s taste

they next think of Kochi” as Takumaru visua-

lasts for about 4 seconds from first taste, solises his dream for Kochi.

Salteve Tosa-no-Shiomaru
49 Saga, Kuroshio-cho, Hata-gun, Kochi Prefecture
TEL: 0880-55-3226
37

Chapter 5 ・ Tosa Town, Tosa Gun
いく農 園

IKU FARM PICKLE
The taste of handmade happiness,a Masterpiece

All done by one person, from cultivating the land
No pesticides, no fertilizers, a no-till farming approach
Selecting the best vegetables for the weather and area, softly and caringly.
Freshly harvested vegetables in the morning
Straight into salt to be pickled that day.
The lifestyle and philosophy of the Kawatani couple is elegant.
For the taste and to raise the quality of pickles
They strive to raise the quality and level of the vegetables so they’re indispensable
The couple smiles.

38

39

All grown on open fields. Soil made withthe local grass and trees.
Next to the fields where soil is prepared, assorted
small trees and timber has been stacked together for
6 years. For these trees and timber to go into the soil,
they are left to sleep on their sides until they are in
the perfect condition. Piling and spreading mowed
grass across the field, there are a variety of methods
to prepare the land.

Plant, Raise, Harvest and package

ricultural co-op in Gunma and Nagano. “I cherish seeing the reality and the charm bytalking directly to managers and owners” As Ikumi reflects on his past.

40

One, I bit into a delectable and exquisite fruit of perilla, [Hojiso no Pickles] that was

After graduating, Ikumi worked under Kazuho Yamashita and helped on his organictightly packed into a lovely jar. Biting into the head of the seed, the feeling of my teeth

farm “Yamashita Plantation” for 6 years. In 2008 he started his own plantation. He

popping it open is satisfying. It is said that to bring out this food texture, the fruit andhad a concept that, “produce is to be raised not to be made.” With that conviction heseed must be harvested in just 3 to 4 days a year. I visit Ikumi and Miki Kawatani tocommitted to have a no pesticide, no fertilizer, and non-tilling farm. Soil preparation

learn more as they share about their “IKU FARM PICKLE” and about their pickles.

would be with no extra effort and use mowed grass, fallen leaves, pruned twigs, bam-Ikumi Kawatani was interested in agriculture from his younger days. During his firstboo and other organic methods. Ikumi mentioned that he needed 5 years from when heyear of high school, he worked part time for 2 months at a farm in Hokkaido during his

started preparing the soil until he was able to collect his first vegetables.

summer holiday. This is where he thought; “I want to make a living from agriculture

Ikumi started with leasing a farm plot in Motoyama Town and an old Japanese styled

in the future”. He saw his own future and proceeded down his path. Whilst studying inhouse in Tosa Town in the Reihoku area. Whilst working on the side, he started grow-humanities at university, he started a new adventure working in agriculture. To learn

ing and pickling his vegetables. He would later marry his wife Miki. Working diligently

about running a farm, in his fourth year, he participated in an internship with an ag-

and selling at organic food markets eventually his pickles started picking up attention.
41

These pickles are from land where they worked hard to prepare the soil, grow, harvest,

Raising the quality of the vegetables is everything.

and with their own two hands package and pickle the produce. Why did this couple look42

towards pickles? By talking to the couple, we find the union between Ikumi and Miki

Because they grow their own vegetables and pickle them direct, they can come up withand the beauty they see in their work together.

ingenious plans to bring the best flavour out of the vegetables for their customers.

“Home grown vegetables, by fermenting and ripening through pickling, hold a greaterFirst, by harvesting fresh vegetables, they can instantly prepare them for pickling andand richer flavour. A major reason that I picked pickles was because the initial invest-

within the same day salt and pickle. They are also ingenious in their bottling. Each andment is very little. We can use household fridges and don’t need special fridges to store

every product has its own shape. As such, whatever the size of the harvest, however

vegetables. Additionally, these are processed goods that have value added to them andbig a bottle or jar, they think of the most efficient and beautiful way to fit it perfectly.

that can also be stored at normal temperatures. Pickling is a simple cooking method

It looks beautiful. Not only that, because they consider the process of the pickling andthat also keeps vegetables fresh for a long period of time” mentions Ikumi about hisbottling, they can focus on limiting the amount of pickling solution needed to ensure it

reasons. Miki then chimes in with additional reasons, “Because it stores well at room

does not go sour and the vegetables true flavour can be preserved. The key to presenta-

temperatures, restaurants, cafes, department stores, and shops easily take our prod-tion and beauty of the pickling solution is Mirin (Hon-mirin) states Ikumi, “By using Mi-

ucts and the market for our products widen. Even when we ship our products, we don’trin (Hon-mirin), the pickles fit very easily with many dishes. In a year, we harvest 25

need to use refrigerated shipping which helps us in lowering our costs.”

different species of vegetables to pickle. Amongst all that, we only use salt in 2 of our
43

The true taste of
the vegetables,
Is the way of great
tasting pickles.
To ensure the freshness of the vegetables,
dur ing summer theybring cooler boxes tot he f ield s ; en su r i ng
freshly har vested
vegetables are kept at
a cool temper at u re.
Then they are quickly
brought to the preparation room to prepare
for pickling.

From Hokkaido to Kyushu, IKU FARM
Pickles are sold all around the country
in restaurants and shops. Hoping thatpeople who run their own shops will
come to love their pickles and want tosell them at their own shops, gradually
growing widespread.

44

ginger variants of pickles. We try to not use any salt to ensure the vegetable’s natural

this house. For our pickles to havesweetness can be tasted by everyone.”the best taste, we will grow and

Making a living by growing their own vegetables, processing them and then sellingwatch carefully over our ingredi-

them. Aren’t there many people who would admire such a lifestyle? Ikumi says, “I cut

ents, the vegetables. I believe that

down trees from the forest behind the house to make firewood, we use it for our wood

this way of thinking is extremely

fired stove, heater and for our wood-fired bath. This house gives us a fulfilling life-

crucial to the creation of pickles atstyle.” Miki continues, “How you choose where to live, the lifestyle you wish to live

IKU FARM Pickles. We will raise ouraffect the money required to live. We make our living from vegetables and pickling, but

agricultural skills continuously andeven then we have a limit to what we can grow. It is vital when we price our pickles. It

focus on celebrating the best vegeta-

affects where our products are sold. When we have to decide a new product’s price, webles, simple.”agonise a lot before deciding. Yet, we need only very little for this lifestyle. For now,

The couple radiate a strong will to

we don’t need a lot to live and we like that.” (Smiles)

live and continue their lifestyle here.

When we asked the couple about their future plans, Ikumi gallantly smiles and replies,

They gave us an abundant and plen-“We will continue to care and do our best for the fields, and to continue this lifestyle intiful time for such a great interview.

IKU FARM
http://ikufarm.com/
Within Kochi Prefecture, you can purchase
IKU FARM Pickles at, JOKI COFFEE, Otaguchi Café, Oyama-no-Yado Michi-tsuji,
terzo tempo, Amekaze Shokudou, kruh,
Tosa-Washi Kougei-mura QRAUD(Tosa
Washi Paper art village QRAUD), Blossom(Inside Hotel Nikko Kochi Asahi Royal),mama marche and various places; all soldin limited numbers. Online purchases areavailable and please check the website forstores outside Kochi prefecture.
45

Special Feature Spin Off
The taste of handmade happiness,a Masterpiece
One man who connects them all
Chapter 6 ・ Kochi City
株式会社ローカルズ
市吉秀一さん

Locals & Co. K.K.
Shuichi Ichiyoshi

Working for a publisher in Kansai
To pursue his surfing hobby, Shuichi Ichiyoshi would travel
down to Kochi’s beaches almost every week.
At this time he became obsessed with the charm of thelocal agriculture and its produce.
Through his publishing work, and by luck of an acquaintance, he met an agricultural producer and, before long, hewould be living in Kochi.
Discovering the high quality of Kochi’s ingredients, andwanting to produce them.
Thus now, politely sharing the story of each product.
Within Shuichi Ichiyoshi’s smile lies a power to bring happiness to everyone.
46

47

Eating with the season isliving together with nature.
Told, each poster or pamphlet iscarefully drawn and created by
Shuichi Ichiyoshi.

48

From a trend setting company to the charms ofthe team growing a small field to begin re-eating delicious food all year long. Embarrass-ing on a large scale using pesticides and was

the ear th and land.

search for the project.

ingly, I only understood that eating food fresh

always worried, “Is this really the farming

Shuichi remembers the start of the project;in the correct season is best at the ripe age ofthat I want to do?” Shuichi proposed a plan,

Shuichi Ichiyoshi worked at a famous“Firstly, we bought a book on how to raise40.” This experiment of growing their food“Why don’t we invite our readers and, for atrend-setting publishing company in the Kan-vegetables. We then borrowed a power shovel

was a chance to rethink the concept of eating.

trial, grow and plant some rice fields without

sai region of Japan that covered travel, gour-and started cultivating the land with ridges

When a farmer read the articles, he contacted

any pesticides?” The two completely hit it

met food, fashion and lifestyle. However, heto grow the vegetables. Every action was justthem, “Your methods in the fields are a com-

off and worked closely together. With theirwould almost every week visit the Toyo-cho

watching and copying. I think, at the time, I

plete mess. Come over and I’ll teach you,”readers, they harvested the rice, cooked it inand Hata-gun areas to go surfing. In thosenever went to the office and was stuck in thehe said. Shuichi then visited the man anda stone pot and made Onigiri (rice ball). The

days, he just went back and forth from Kansai

fields. (Laughs) I was hooked. I think I was

followed him as he taught Shuichi in various

atmosphere was electric, with participants

and Kochi’s beaches.

hungry to touch the field and soil again andfields across Kansai. Eventually, he found out

all smiling and laughing. Shuichi really trea-

Before long, whilst working on a project foragain.”

that growing delicious vegetables is a journey

sured this moment and discovered what, hethe [Meets Regional] magazine, he started dis-He shares how he felt inspired about buying

with nature. Thanks to the priceless encoun-felt, was a most important experience forcussions to have a feature for, “The Delectable

the seedlings at a local hardware shop andters and experiences, Shuichi’s interest into

people.

Vegetable Restaurants.” The project started

how delicious the taste of the vegetables fromagriculture deepened and grew.

In 2011, due to the Great Tohoku Earthquakewith an innocent remark from Shuichi, “Let’s

his first harvest was. “Aa… to eat vegetables

After that experience, Shuichi met with aand Tsunami, the world changed radically.

get everyone growing vegetables.” It started

in season, it feels as if you are one with na-

rice farmer who was of a similar age to him

Shuichi left the publishing company thatthe ball rolling for a continuous feature withture. It was labelled as working although I wasin Shiga prefecture. The man had been farm-

year. Relying only on a network of people49

Shuichi Ichiyoshi : Profile
Born in Osaka. He relocated to Kochi in May 2013 and set up [KOCHIGOOD FOODS] as a bridge for vari-

ous events to connect Kochi’s farmers
and consumers, and introduce Kochi’s

who he’d been introduced to, one by one hethe farmers, about wasted vegetables they

visited farmers’ fields and worked to bring

couldn’t sell, “The vegetables were no dif-vegetables, fresh fruits and citrus, andthe vegetables and products to sell in Osaka.

ferent in taste. The only difference was theirents.

Thanks to that, these farmers also connectedshape and looks. Some were bent or grew dif-to each other. Shuichi started to return to visit

ferently and some had slight bruises. That’s

Kochi again, but this time not for the beaches

all. It was regrettable to see these vegetables

but for the farmers and their fields.

that people put their blood and sweat in to
growing being thrown away,” Shuichi remem-

A n impor t an t r ole in connec ting Kochi’s gr eat

bers. He mentioned his idea, “Wouldn’t it beagriculture.

interesting to use them to make dried vegeta-other selected products and ingrediFrom April 25th for 1 month, he ispromoting “Kochi Fair” to various
restaurants and various select shops

in Tokyo. June 4th, “KOCHI natural
MARKET vol.7” will be opened in
Osaka.

Kochi Prefecture Special Tourism
Ambassador.

bles?” By drying the vegetables, the nutrition“I had previously met Reiko Yokoyama andof the vegetables would still be present. Also,

her Kusaya farm when I had interviewed her

it brings forth easy storage. “We had to do a

for an article, and from her I was introduced

lot of trial and error to get the drying process

to Masayo Nagasaki of Farm Vejico. I visitedright before we were pleased with the results.

to be guests to introduce the shows. Current

to have friends who have given me so many

Farm Vejico and met with Masayo. Their main

A food director from the “eatrip” film, Yurischedules are in February to have the Sundriedvarious ideas and hints. It took us 1 full year

produce is cucumbers. I don’t actually like eat-

Nomura, discovered our project and invited

salt makers Tanoya-Enjirou from Tano-Town

to help Kusa-ya develop their “Kusa-ya Orig-ing cucumbers, but her cucumbers are differ-

us to, ‘make an event using these ingredientsas guests and in June to have Japanese Sake

inal Anchovy” and finally put it to market. I

ent. I could eat a whole cucumber by myself.”from Kochi.’ I really enjoy the opportunity to“Bunkajin” makers Arisawa Distillery as

think an interesting part of my job is to dis-

From Masayo Nagasaki, he was introduced toshare Kochi’s great food with people of otherguests. (Arisawa Distillery was featured in Ki-

cover great ingredients and make them into a

the next farmer and then the next as he went

prefectures. I am always consciously thinking

kan Kochi 56 in our special feature.) His daily

product” smiles Shuichi as he shares his expe-

back and forth from Kochi and Osaka over theabout my role to be the bridge and connect

activities and projects revolve around trav-

riences.”period of a year.

people with Kochi.”elling between restaurants in Osaka, Tokyo“I aim to politely share and spread the story

and agricultural producers in Kochi to connect

to, convince the buyer who made the prod-

At the time, with his network of farmers in
Kansai, he would periodically set up market

Politely sharing the ar tisan’s stor y and back-them and at times assist farmers develop

uct, how safe the product is to purchase, theevents, so he started introducing Kochi’s veg-

ground.

products and goods. “After the earthquake, arelationship, and the behind the scenes pro-

lot of friends who were cooks and chefs wereduction of each product. It is not about simply

whilst visiting his friend, he mentioned about,

The “KOCHI natural MARKET @ OSAKA” isworried about the quality of the ingredients.

getting a product from one place to another,“My next life would be nice in Kochi.” As suchalso one of his projects. Every 3 months, fresh

They were really pleased and impressed withand passing it from right to left. A vital parthe came to start living in Kochi.

vegetables, fruit and other products are soldthe quality and taste of Kochi’s ingredientsof my job is to ensure that the market, chefs

He shares a story of his travels amongst

to the public and farm producers are invitedand used them right away. I am really blessedand cooks, truly understand the backgroundetables. Before long, he met his now wife and50

51

of those making the ingredients and products. The people I connect with have thesame thoughts. Of course it is a truly different taste of joy from when I was working as a
Salary-man. I’ve made connections with people who can share our hard times together. I

Kochi is self-reliant and self-help,
That unsullied pride is great.
Open every 3 months in Osaka city is the“KOCHI natural MARKET @ OSAK A.”
Each year bringing in bigger crowds,
Shuichi selects each year’s products
and items with the farmers to share thecharm and story behind.

am thankful everyday to have come to Kochi.
(Laugh)”Finally, how does Kochi look to your eyes,
Shuichi ?
“In Kochi with the beaches and plentiful nature, it’s truly interesting to see how people’sconnections get deeper every day. Warm andkind, they have their own culture. If you visit Takamatsu and Matsuyama, cities on thesame island, they look similar to Tokyo. Boutiques, fashion, and stores are all the same.
As if they were just a ‘mini-Tokyo.’ Because
it’s Kochi, its self-help and self-reliant. Thereis so much originality and they don’t heed
Tokyo. I think that mindset is really great
to feel. When I had my first, ‘Dai-Okyaku’ inKochi, I thought to myself, ‘is this really Japan?’ It has a Latin vibe as if it is in southern
Italy or Spain. I think it matches my lifestyle.
‘Rather than focusing and worrying about
everything, people who enjoy and take careof each day as they come are the winners,’ is
one way to put it.”
We know happiness will continue to shine,wherever Shuichi is with his smile.
52

Locals & Co. K.K.
http://www.kochigoodfoods.com/
53

Kochi Fighting Dogs COACH

Norihiro
KomadaNorihiro Komada was asked to join the Kochi
Fighting Dogs, by Head Coach - Takenori Emoto,“Why don’t you try coaching here in Kochi?”
As a professional player, his record is impressive with careers at both the Yomiuri Giants andYokohama Baystars.
The man heralded as, “Grand Slam Man” isstanding on Kochi grounds in 2016.

54

55

Changing myself. That’s the starting point.
When Coach Emoto invited you to come to the Kochi Fighting Dogs (FD), what did you think?

“To be honest, I was quite surprised, but I saw it as a chance. Yet, I knew if I was to takethis job, my yearly income would greatly decrease and my lifestyle would change. Basically, I rarely turn down requests of help from other people. On this occasion, I was struggling really hard to make a decision about this job as it was not as good as what I alreadyhad.” (Smile)
Yet, was there a reason that brought forth the change in decision?

“First, I talked to my wife and she replied, ‘Shouldn’t you give this a try?’ A senior announcer at my workplace Nippon Cultural Broadcasting also mentioned, ‘This work andbeing a coach for FD, why can’t you continue both?’ Everyone around me had agreed
to the position. After hearing all the support, I made up my mind. I thought to myself, ‘Ishould be able to make do for a living.’” (Laugh)
A truly captivating interview that captures his care forthe players, capturing his keen eye on each of them,
you can hear it in his voice. Coach Komada is truly asincere person, as he smiles, “That was a lot of heavy
discussion today.”

Since the end of training Camp, from February 1st you began fully taking over. How are you training yourplayers?

“I think the best method is to ‘try your utmost at every step.’ I know it’s easier said thandone, it’s not easy to be always working with all one’s might in life. For example runningfor 10m, at 9.5m doesn’t let your energy fail you! Push with every drop of life with fullstrength. I won’t forgive any irresponsible behaviour and I don’t need unserious players.”*Interview was conducted on February 26, 2016 at the
Kochi Fighting Dogs, Baseball team office.

Norihiro Komada :：Profile

Is it a condition that can be understood just by looking at practice times?

Commercial High School in 1980. Second“We’ve always looked at practice attentively. I know players are now all tense and nervous by the warm-up stages before practice. From that, just by walking by the players,
each player starts to judge themselves for ways to improve.”to the Yokohama Baystars. In 2000, he be-

The players understand the coaching policy quite well.

2000 games. He retired in the same year.

“At the first press conference, I stated specifically to the players, ‘You are free to try anddo it your own way.’ To be free is actually to be thrown into the deep end and is veryharsh. You cannot lose concentration on anything, even one ball. This becomes the catalyst to improving skills, to be conscious of one’s own thoughts, and a chance to change
their own self. It brings out the player, to question why they aren’t in professional baseball and that they are in this position because they haven’t changed themselves. For
example, they were great batters during their high school days and proved very well,

Born in 1962, Nara Prefecture. GraduatedNara Prefectural Nara Informational anddraft of Yomiuri Giants. In 1994 he moved

came the 29th person to hit 2000 hits andIn 2005, he became coach for the Tohoku

Golden Eagles through baseball commen-

tating. In the 2009 season, became battingcoach for the Yokohama Baystars. In 2016,
he became coach for Kochi Fighting Dogs.

56

57

yet when it came to high level games they couldn’t get a hit. On the other hand, players
who can hit, start to be mindful and start to wonder if their current condition is a wasteof time. These players, who join this unique league with Kochi FD, at most stay for 2 to
3 years. Can you change yourself in such a short period of time? That’s the problem totackle. I think the first step is to start by not allowing one’s self to compromise.”
The player’s personal feelings are important there.

“Not exactly. If there is no support and backing to their skills, even if they have the feelings it’s worthless. A professional isn’t weak to be batting a ball with his feelings. So even
if he has skills to bat, if he has no support, it is impossible to bring out the results. So it’s
tackling the stage before the support, the step before that. It’s an awareness that theyneed to have a conviction and be pitting their best to new challenges. I think that withthis change it connects with improving their own skills, don’t you agree?”
It isn`t easy to improve one’s skills in such a short time. What are your thoughts?

“I think there are extremely easy parts and extremely difficult parts. I believe that if theplayers change their mindset and their methods in doing things, it can be a catalyst forchange. I know it is possible to hop and fly to many steps from their current level inskills. For that catalyst, all I can do is keep hitting them straight on. For example, youcome and ask advice from the coach, ‘That's strange; I think I was told the same advice
two years ago.’ If they feel that, it is proof that the person has not improved in the past 2
years. Yet, if their mindset is ‘Alright, let’s try this from now on’ and they execute the action to improve, their skills will suddenly feel as if they have improved. The best opportunity is when the players have done their best and cash into the chance to change. I’m
not afraid to say that there are people who will or have never cashed in to their opportunity. ”
So it could be reliant on the instructor at the time, perhaps.

“It is up to the players and what words they react to. On the opposite side, even if they
don’t ask there are things that must be said, ‘Alright, how about trying to do it this way?’
We can just mutter along and the words might just pass their ears. Things that must be
said, even if it enters the players head or even if it just ends up being misheard. The players that I am instructing now, all these words I tell them today, it's impossible for us to
ask them to do it correctly today. They won’t go any higher than they are at the moment.
Even if I tell a player ‘Try this from today’ and they reply, ‘Yes, sir.’ After 10 minutes, they’llstop when they reach a bump and think ‘maybe I should stop, since I’m not getting itright’,‘I can’t throw the ball correctly, and I’ll just stop.’ At the end of the day every player
has their own original style that they are most comfortable with, so it is understandable
when they don’t want to change. But, if they don’t change, their skills won’t get better58

and after a year they maybe would be looking at leaving or retiring. It’s important forthem to feel the sense of urgency in their own skin.”
You seem to be a harsh coach.

“Behind me saying,‘Give it your best shot,’ there are parts that I know cannot be fixed byjust glossing over.” (Strained laugh)That’s right. In any event, there is no point if they don’t become a professional player. Isn’t that the pointof Kochi FD?

“Winning is also very important. However, if we think individually amongst the players,
if there are players with even the slightest possibility to enter the professional game, I
want to create as many chances as possible. Most often, those players are the ones that
don’t put in the miles for practice. Talented players tend not to put in the effort. For
those players to reach the next level they need to feel sub-par and only when they start
to realise, ‘This is not good’ they put the effort in, and then they succeed. The reason I
yell, ‘Concentrate!’ is because I aim it specifically at those players, to keep them puttingin their best effort.”

The team and local people working together.
How about yourself, during your days as a player, you must have received a lot of instruction for coaches. Are you applying principles that you have learnt from those days to your coaching and instruction?

“Yes. Ever since I entered into professional baseball, I’ve been blessed with an instructor
each and every step of the way. For example, when I entered into the Giants squad, for 4
years Sadaharu Ou was the head coach. I am extremely grateful for his harsh instruction
and training, especially as this is the most important time in a player’s career. Following
that, Motoshi Fujita became coach. He accepted all my trials and errors and made me
forget my own style of baseball, although he did not reject my ideas. He used my abilities
within the team to best bring out the possibilities. Mr. Fujita gave me the opportunity tobe free yet guided me.”Is freedom, when you don’t cut corners?

“Completely not letting your guard down. In the severe and harsh practice Mr. Ou gave
to us, even when the instructor changed, and until I retired from the professional league,
I was not allowed to cut corners. We had John Turney as our training coach. When he
was training us at the Giants, he would watch all the young players practising. He had
59talked about me to other coaches, ‘Norihiro doesn’t cut corners one bit. Once he sets aline or a cone, he won’t let himself slip even one bit before the end.’ After I heard that,
I was really happy and thought, ‘someone is really looking at me and in detail at how I
am doing things.’ My training style is not really instruction. [To look harshly, specifically,
at one’s skills to continue to get better towards the next step]. Perhaps practice towards
creating a habit for self-improvement.”“There are times that I prepare my own foodand also times where I go out and eat. Our teamalso grows their own vegetables, Kochi Vegetables are great.”Whilst instructing the Kochi FD, are you still continuing
your baseball commentating and lecture activities?

Just from this season, and looking at their practice sessions, do you see any promising players?

“Of course there are. From the pitchers, Taira’s balls have his own style and charm attached to every ball. From the fielders, Kawada has the makings of a great player and I
am playing close attention. Yet, those players are still naive. (Bitter smile) They are still
not good enough. Why? Players who enter into Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) practice day and night. So what are the chances of these players entering the NPB withoutthat much practice and entering the regular squad? That’s why they need to practicemore. Even when we aren’t pushing them to practice, mind you.”
The Kochi FD are very closely involved with the people and participate in events and open baseball classes, and many more events.

“Professional baseball is similar. There are franchised teams and they are loved by the locals, they come to watch the games and help the business to operate.The teams compromise with that and meet the locals and I think it’s a given to help the people who takecare of them.”
We come and watch the games, deeply moved and get really excited.

“The players in the match don’t have any intention to impress and excite. But they put
their utmost effort to practice and become professional baseball players. These players
are also extremely happy to be inspiring young children that look at them, ‘Baseball iscool. I want to be in that world.’ ”“This was one of my conditions when I joined
the team. To only focus on coaching, I cannot
escape life’s struggles. (Laugh) I do not want mychildren and wife to financially suffer. The teamunderstands my conditions. However, my job asa Coach is my first priority. So we’ve come to anagreement that once or twice a month I headto Tokyo to do all my work in one fell swoop
and rush back to Kochi.”Finally, can you provide the fans of the Kochi FD a message?

“There is no doubt; we want to win our matches. However, we don’t know what will happen.
I want the fans to realise, ‘The Kochi FD players
are doing their utmost to play the best theycan. They are enjoying it. They do it because
they love it.’ It is because the players love doing
what they are doing, we want to give our bestin matches to let everyone watching enjoy thegame as well. To do that, our daily practice has
to be disciplined and harsh.”
The team seems to be on the offensive.

To raise and care for the skills and the stars of tomorrow.

“I was born into a rural part of Nara Prefecture, It’s just perfect.”“That’s right. If we lose by one point, ‘Stupid,
we could have won by 2 points!’ or ‘Boys! GO
practice more!’ (Laugh) Not a ‘defensive baseball’ that regrets by 1 point, but an ‘offensive
baseball’ that goes for that 2 extra points.”

What do you think of the food?

The spectators will also feel excited and have fun!

What do you think of your life so far, living together with the players in Sakawa Town, Kochi Prefecture?

60

61

“That’s right; I believe it will be fun to watch. At this stage, I am sure that the players
have the ability but I want to polish the stars from their own rough. It’s because apartfrom being a sport, Professional Baseball, is also a form of entertainment. So it is extremely important to raise both their skills and their star chances.”
Can you raise and grow their chances?

“I believe it is possible. The environment is what best affects the star power. Morestrength can be brought from the players that have their star chances as they become
more positive and try to do their best. At this stage it’s probably impossible to say. We
can’t raise any stars without those qualities, players who become brave and not afraid of
punishment when we yell at them for slacking off. Players who are able to stand at thefront of the pack and eat in the middle of the table. Not players who eat at the corner ofthe dining table and hurry home. ”

Kochi Fighting Dogs. Match Schedule(May, within Kochi Prefecture.)
13 May, 18:00 PM/ Kochi Baseball Stadium / VS Tokushima Indigo Socks
14 May, 13:00 PM/ Ogata Baseball Stadium / VS Tokushima Indigo Socks
26 May, 18:00 PM/ Kochi Baseball Stadium / VS Kagawa Olive Guyners
29 May, 18:00 PM/ Kochi Baseball Stadium / VS Tokushima Indigo Socks(Pats the chest) Players with a heart right?
*Schedule as of March 2016. Dates and times may change, please check

62(Pats the chest) “That is because this is where it all starts.”

Kochi Fighting Dogs Home page.

Thank you so much for today!

http://www.fighting-dogs.jp/63※Forestry Co-operation CO2 Absorption
Certification System; Companies that par-A Message from a Man Living in the 47th prefecture

Designing Your Way of Thinking

ticipate in the [Environmentally conscious
companies and forest Nursing Project]

Will be assessed by the prefectural government and be awarded official CO2 Absorption Certification.

Makoto Umebara

DesignerMusashino Art University, Visiting Lecturer

Episode 14:[Hachiyon Kanbatsu Karigakoi(84 Felled Tree Fencing)] Productcertificate. Thanks to this, over 60 companies are now working together in co-operation.
As a matter of fact, during this period, I learned a very interesting fact, [84% of
Kochi is covered in forest and this is the highest percentage in all of Japan.]
From an agricultural perspective, mountains are often impractical and have a tendency to be seen negatively. But, if you consider that these forests are “Giant CO2
absorption machines” then they are Kochi’s treasure.
Let’s all name these forests of Kochi “84材（Hachiyon Zai (84wood)）”. Let’s laughaway all the troublesome things. The governments, companies and people should

Giant CO2 absorption machine.

just be amused with the 84 (Hachiyon).

To protect the forests and woods and help they grow, thinning and felling of trees

Let’s use these woods, Japan.

is indispensable. Tree thinning costs money. Ten years ago, the prefectural gov-

64

ernment started calling companies to work together to provide this service. I was

The [ 84木づかいサイン (84 Hachiyon wood consider sign)] was my idea.

called by the prefectural governor to assist and be part of the [Unity Forest Nurs-

The idea is to use wood on parts of metal signage. Parts where it has to be visible toing Project].

the public, such as text, would still make use of metal however other parts would be

During those days the majority of people did not see a need or the importance of

made using wood.

thinning and felling. As a result, many of the companies we designated to pro-

By combining the metal and wood, the signs bring out a softer and warmer look.

vide the operations did not come together to meet. with us due to disagreements.

By re-using the wood from felling and thinning of the forests for these signs, theTheir position was that “It is not good to cut down trees.”

forests can have some space to grow and be strong. The landscape of Japan will

As a result, the Kochi Prefectural government created a CO2 Absorption Certifi-change. Using the [ 84木づかいサイン (84 Hachiyon wood consider sign)] as a base, I

cate. These were then awarded to the companies that cooperated. For example, on

proposed another, [ 84カンバツ仮囲い (84 Hachiyon Felled Tree Fencing)] product.

the certificate it would state, [Thank you for helping absorb 80 Tons of CO2]. The

I was really impressed and surprised when I went to France as I knew that woodcertificate would have a specific numeric value printed upon it. In short, the Com-was used for the fencing while they were repairing the Arc de Triomphe. It is notpany’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) would be made “visible” through a

uncommon to see wooden fencing in France.
65

To the French, their artistic sense would not allow for quick, easy metal fencing forareas that many tourists would be passing by and seeing, even for a short periodof time. Yet, in Japan, in places like Ginza, near the imperial palace, in Kyoto of allplaces and all around the country all the fencing would be metal.
Shouldn’t Japan, compared to France, “the country with vast forests” hold more relevance and importance for our artistic sense towards our forests and environment?
And by chance and timing, we had a visit from GeoSystems, a company in Osaka
whose designs use cultivated and recycled wood from forests for the greater goodof people. It seems my original plan and book for [ 84木づかいサイン (84 Hachiyon
wood consider sign)] caught their attention.
However, to the company my concept for signs was a small idea. But, what about
fencing?
“Nice Idea!” with black.

Thus the [ 84カンバツ仮囲い (84 Hachiyon Felled Tree Fencing)] product started to
move. With assistance from the prefectural government, last year on December 25,
the first one was set up around the building of the new prefectural public hall near
4-chome Honmachi Kochi City. There are also expectations to use the fencing in Mieand Hiroshima Prefectures. But, Kochi is the first project. No.1. Kochi prefecture is84% covered in trees. As such it was named, [84 Kanbatsu Karigakoi].
I believe it is an internal message to the Japanese people, “A building site by thecountry of forests, Japan.” I want them to think, “Japan has a great artistic sense”
to spread the image to be further “Ki-zukai”, or wood conscious, towards their environment.
For example, I would encourage people to write “Like” on the surface after looking
at a [84 Kanbatsu Karigakoi] fence. I would not get angry or think, “What is thisGrafitti?!” but rather I’d be happy. “If you are going to draw on this, use big blackcolors so people can see!” (Laugh)
A new city and prefectural public hall. Just behind these signs,

the new government hall for Kochi prefecture and city is being
built. Would it be nice to see [84 Kanbatsu Karigakoi] fencing
cover all around just like the moat of Kochi Castle.....

66

I want it to be a free board of expression. To enable another person to see the message and think, “I want to draw here too” and share the great experience. One day,just thinking how these fences will be completely covered in messages from black
markers, makes me excited. Everything starts from a daydream.

67

Extra by Yukinori Dehara

第七回

Episode 7. [ Oh~ Hangovers ]Let’s talk hangovers.
Firstly, hangovers are a road that must be passed by anyone who is a “drinker”. The person I
specifically describe as being a “drinker” is a person who does not stop drinking when others
are drinking. These people are trustworthy. Obviously, it would be for the best for them toknow their own limits and have a reasonable pace. Nevertheless, it is difficult to predict how
much to drink and when to finish at drinking parties. Further, often it is at the after party andafter-after party that partygoers are more frank towards one another, discover new things andmake new friends. These people who know the joy of the connection between people andalcohol inevitably hit the wall of the hangover. There is just no other way. The acetaldehydethat stays within the body makes it painful even when you are lying on your side, and makes it
impossible for a person to work. The person starts to be sensitive to odours, such as perfume
and tobacco, and will feel sick just by looking at an advertisement of beer or alcohol. Nausea,
headaches, stomach-aches, and fatigue disable the person from bodily control, as if genuinely© DEHARA YUKINORI

ill. Regret overtakes the person, “Why did I end up drinking that much…?” With horrendous
shame they even think, “I won’t drink ever again.” However, since the beginning of mankind,
there has not been one person who has not recovered from a hangover. Yes. No matter how
tough or painful one suffers there is no endless night. Also, days when they laugh and smile
while drinking will surely come again. It just seems, for Kochi people at least, that could be thesame day as the hangove…
I always think like this; a hangover is a story of destruction and regeneration. It is because it ispainful that one thinks, “Let’s stand up. Let’s move on.” One recollects, “This pain right here is
proof of the fun times I had yesterday. Why? Because it was fun, I forgot the time and I drank. ”
This is the divine revelation that the Gods have given me through the hangover.
68

Yukinori Dehara
Born in 1974 eating bonitos in Kochi and raised with beer.
Yearly consumption of beer = 300 Liters. Designed「きの山さん」(Kinoyama-san) of popular Japanese candy,「きのこの山」(Kinoko-no-yama), as well as various others for Nike, NEC, Tower
Records Asics Europe etc. Creates about 300 figurines a year andis a Tourism Ambassador for Kochi Prefecture.

69

How to use it$¥

Requirements
1. Over 18 years old
2. Japanese Driver's License or
3. International Driving Permit (IDP)

1. access “DoSPOT-FREE” on device
2. open browser
Kind of a currency
3. accept “use policy”
4. input your mail-address
handling
5. receive a message
Shikoku Bank : USD, CAD, GBP, HHF, AUD, 6. input “authentication code”
NZD, HKD, DKK, NOK,
7. it’ s available !
Kochi Bank :Ehime Bank :Mizuho Bank :Kochi Prefectural
PoliceHeadquarters

In japan, there’re more than 26,000
Japan Post Bank ATMs available inlocal Post Office, shopping center andstation. You can draw Japanese Yen
in cash by a card published abroad.

http://www.jp-bank.japanpost.jp/access/access_atmcd.html(link at Japan bank instituion of partnership POST BANK)

NoticeSome Maestro cards with IC chips
are temporarily unable to makewithdrawals at all ATMs locatedin Japan.

70

Kochi Eki-mae
Tram Stop

Kochi Castle

Kochi
Police Station
Toyota Rent a Car

Marunouchi
High School

OtemaePark

HiromeMarketHasuikemachi-doriTram Stop

Obiyamachi Street

Kochi International
Association

Police Box

Obiyamachi Park
Kochi Honmachi

Chuo Park
Kencho-mae
Tram Stop

Nippon Rent a Car

Otesuji Street
Kochi
Daijingu
shrineATM

Kochibashi
Tram Stop
Times Car Rental

Joto Park

OtemaeHigh School

Kochi
Prefectural
Library

Kochi
Prefectural
Government

Kochi City Hall

Orix Rent a Car
Nissan Rent a Car

Kochi
Literary
Museumhttp://www.jp-bank.japanpost.jp/en/ias/en_ias_index.html(link at International ATM Service-JAPAN POST BANK)You can also use any of several Japanbank cards which have partnerships
with Japan Post Bank.

Kochi
Station15 min / once, 4th / day
Network: IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n

Josei ParkJapan
Post Bankank
can usevarious cards“VISA, VISAELECTRON, PLUS,
MasterCard, Maestro, Cirrus,
American Express, Diners Club, JCB,
China Unionpay , DISCOVER”

can be made by credit card or
sometimes by cash

Notice

SEK, SGD, EUR, KRW

USD
USD
USD, CAD, GBP, AUD,
EUR,SGD, HKD

Payment

Kochijo-mae
Tram Stop

Ohashi-doriTram Stop

Horizume
Tram Stop

Daimaru
Department
Store
East Bld.

Kochi Harimaya
Harimayabashi
Elementary
SchoolHarimayabashi
Harimayabashi
Tram Stop
Dentetsu Terminal
Bld. Tram Stop71