KIKAN KOCHI
季刊高知

Think & Action Magazine, Kochi. Spring, 2014 No.52

KIKO
C KIKAN KOCHI

cover art by keiko Shibata

Cool Shops in Kochi × Cool Guys

Under a Blue Sky
GIANT INTERVIEW
artistYukinori Dehara
Bicycle Trip along the Shimanto River

The scenery of thehottest town in Japan.

The English Version of KIKAN KOCHI.
It’s an abridged version.
I do hope you read our book.
It’s available for free.

The Photographer Ken-chan/
Capricious Photo Diary 35“Hazy Spring View”
I came up here looking for expanses ofcherry blossoms.
The mountainside is hidden in rain
clouds,The landscape looks different fromusual.
I hear the faint sound of cars.
Through my telephoto lens, I candimly see the national highway.
I randomly press the shutter button
again and again,
Somehow taking pictures. I can’t catchso much through the finder.
The only way to get this view is topress the shutter button
Rain of bliss

Shooting location / Takase, Niyodogawa-cho, Kochi Prefecture

Profile of Kenzo Nakajima
Born in 1959, in Kochi
Graduated from the Photography Department of Osaka University of Arts
Member of the Japan Advertising Photographer’s Association / member of The Japan Society for Arts and History of Photography
Photography of posters for Kochi tourism, a variety of advertisement brochures etc.
Working as a photography lecturer and conducting a seminar on photography abroad.
Currently living in Misono-cho, Kochi City

FEATURES03, 35Cool Shops in Kochi × Cool Guys

14

GIANT INTERVIEW

Under a Blue Sky
artist :67

Yukinori Dehara

Bicycle Trip along the Shimanto River

The scenery of the hottest town in Japan.

REGULARS
12

The Power of Vegetables : Bio-Kitchen-Tuturu Naomi Tanaka

19

From the Bibliomaniac’s Bookshelf : Hiroshi Kawauchi

20

Awesome Women in Kochi

21

Stylish Men-About-Town in Kochi

22

Mrs. Maple’s Surprise Report : Keiko Mimoto23

Tosa Notebook : Akemi Ikeda

24

Radio & Magazines

26

Short Short / New Devil’s Arts : Yuichi Mokudai

27

Shop Hara : Koji Hara

28

Fubun Isetsu : Shuhei Matsuoka

30

At the Wild Strawberry Field : Hirosumi Osaki

32

A Twitter from a Tough Guy : Takaaki Yorimitsu

34

Jottings of a Sixty-Year-Old Man : Mitsuhiko Ono

44

Kochi Sound Report : Kochi Concert Groups

49

DOKU-SO-GAN : Hidemi Taike

50

Memories : Masako Matsuda

51

Faraway : Shigeto Ohzawa

52

Developing Towns & Developing People : Kazuhiko Shimasaki

53

We Local People have the Power to Change Society : Kazunori Fujishima

STAFF
Publisher

yoshihiro nonami / cricket
junichi kusunoki / koubun

54

Kochi Art Scene : Norihito Matsumoto

Advertising

55

I’m Living in Kochi! : Akeo Machida

Editor in Chiefyoshihiro nonami / cricket

56

SKILL UP & EVENT NEWS

Editorsachihiko oouchi / cricket
yumi ito / cricket

takayuki mimoto / koubun

60

Messages from Readers

Design72

Designing Your Way of Thinking /a message from a man living on 47th St. : Makoto Umebara

Coverhiroshi kawauchi / plane

Cover Art

keiko shibata

74

Ayako Ishihara Talks about “Kochi Women in Kimono” : Ayako Ishihara

Photographer

75

The Photographer Ken-chan / Capricious Photo Diary : Kenzo Nakajima

mikiya kadota

Feature articles in this issue,
Kochi Guys the chief editor wanted to meet
showed up
At the Sunday Market, at the Organic Farmer’s Market,
At foods and art event under a blue sky,Pioneering Guys
are creating their own future.
Where are they going from here? I’ll never lose interest.
04 Marufuku Farm : Kenta Kusunose
08

Hanarebanare Coffee : Nobu Suzuki

36 BAR Baffone : Matthew Aono
40

SAIL atelier / swimmy : Hayata Yamasaki

Cool Shops in Kochi × Cool Guys

Under a Blue Sky

Cool Shops in Kochi × Cool Guys

Under a Blue Sky

Sunday Market × Marufuku Farm by Kenta Kusunose

He uses neither pesticide nor fertilizer.
A young specialist in herbs
Broadening the field of herb seedlings.

Getting a feel for the Sunday Market,
He boldly ties out new ideas.
Sunday Market is held on Otesuji Street in Kochi City – as the name suggests, on Sundays. Morethan 400 stalls are lined up along the street, selling fruits and vegetables in season, flowers,
trees, food, sundries, and so on. This is the best outdoor market in Japan.
Farmers arrange freshly picked vegetable from their own fields in their stalls.
As the harvest time is different depending on the area: in the city, at the foot of the mountains,
or in the mountains, the timing of goods arriving in the market stalls shifts little by little. I walkaround sniffing the seasonal fragrance that only vegetables grown outdoors have. It’s such fun!
Walking down the market, I found a stall close to the traffic signal near Otemon Gate, with manykinds of herb seedlings in stock. Kenta Kusunose, the owner of the herb shop Marufuku Farm, wasstanding in front of the stall. He activates the earth through carbon-cycle farming and grows herbs
without pesticide or fertilizer.
Five years have passed since he set up his stall in the Sunday Market. Nowadays, decorative herb
seedlings are sold at DIY stores and so on. However, it was rare to find places dealing in herbs atthat time, so herb lovers got together in front of the stall and enjoyed conversation.
"If you have a question about herbs, please come to the Sunday Market and ask me. I can answer
almost any question about herbs. If I don’t know, I’ll take it home as homework and answer you
later", Kusunose says earnestly. He tells people about seedling herbs he grows, listen to people’s
opinions, and gives advice. He thinks it’s important to communicate directly with people in frontof his stall.

Farmers change with the times.
The crops they produce,
Their way of managing their farms, too.
Marufuku Farm, which is Kenta’s home, is a second-generation business mainly growing edible
herbs, and wholesaling fresh herbs to stores and restaurants in Kochi. He has also started a
cooking class using herbs, and his stall features his handmade cookies, jams, herb tea, herb paste,
and so on.
Recently, on Fridays he’s been baking bread using domestically produced wheat and natural leaven,and herbs in season. He didn’t feel too much pressure when he took over the family business. “In
my case, it was different from taking over a traditional family-run craftbusiness like pottery-making. I think the farming business is more or lessthe same everywhere. Farmers changed their products with the times, andtheir management approach, too.
I helped my parents at first when I came back from Tokyo. But I couldn’t see
the future in the business without broadening the field. My father raised
edible herbs, so I learned about gardening and seedlings, and broadened
the business that way.

You can find a good variety of herb seedlings in DIY storesand so on. However, since the staff don’t have this kind of
specialized knowledge, people’s questions are often difficult
for them to answer. He said, “I want people to ask me a lot ofquestions at the Sunday Market.”Kusunose began to learn how togrow seedlings.
“It’s not going too far to say that
I did it just to fail at first.”
He looks back on those days
with a laugh.
“I still make mistakes. If the herbs
got eaten by insects, I thought it
was the insect ’s fault. W hen theseedlings got infected, I didn’t know
why either. I made one mistake after
another. I just had to learn throughexperience.
The reason why insects eat a plant isthat the plant itself has gotten weak.
Tot a l l y he a lt hy pl a nt s h ave t hestrength to protect themselves, sothey keep insects or infections fromharming them. Especially, as herbs
have the power to repel insects, if

W he n I i nt e r v i e we d h i m i n M a rc h ,Kusunose’s herb garden was covered withblooms. He a lso ta kes orders for herbbouquets.

Kusunose had worked for a company dealing
with dry herbs for aromatherapy and herb tea.
He learned all the methods of herb growing aftercoming back to Kochi. He uses the experience hegot studying with the "Flower Study Group" inFukui.

Herbs are so delicate that they will
die in three days if their environment
becomes bad, even with careful care over
two or three months. "Human beings
can’t survive for even three minutes
underwater, and neither can herbs." He
used this metaphor and convinced me.

they do get eaten by insects, thatmeans I’m going about things in thewrong way."

Herb seedlings, landscaping,
Herb bouquets,
Delivered all over the ChugokuShikoku region.
Soil and water, sunlight, ventilation,
well drained or poorly drained; there
is a suitable environment for eachherb. Because Kusunose understands
this, he is looking for a way to growherbs in partnership with nature. He
grows about 300 varieties of herbs
throughout the year now.
Herb seedlings, landscaping, herbbouquets and so on; he is steadily
expanding his range of activities.
As the next step, he wants to deliver
herb seedlings throughout the

Herb products, such as
cookies, jams, and herbt e a a re on s a le i n t he
Marufuku Farm's stall.
Bread is baked on Fridays
with natural yeast anddomestic wheat.

Chugoku-Shikoku region. He alsoplans to partner with a company in
Fukui-cho that produces seedlings
for flower beds and rents ornamental
pl a nt s; he i nte n d s to a r r a n ge a
production structure, and enhance
his business.
Products and management st yles
h ave to c h a n ge w it h t he t i me s.
Kusunose is creating his own future.
From doing this inter view, I felt
proud of the fact that there’s sucha deep -thinking and expert herb
farmer, who would be rare in all

44

Sun Shine ●SunShine
Fukui
Hukui

LAWSON
Kochi ●
Bank ●

Shikoku, right here in Kochi City.

■

Marufuku Farm
Kochi Gakuen Coll.

Asahi
StationAsahimachi-1-chome
Asahimachi-Itchome
Tram Stop

33

Marufuku Farm
512-1 Fukui-cho, Kochi City
TEL. 088-875-3826
Opening Hours / 11:00 - 17:00[set up in the Sunday Market on Sundays]
http://www.maruhuku.noen.biz

Cool Shops in Kochi × Cool Guys

Under a Blue Sky

Organic Farmer’s Market × Hanarebanare Coffee made by Nobu Suzuki

Freshness is the most important thing for coffee.
Some people really care about taste of coffee.

Although I’m just a small-scale coffee merchant,
I can compete with other large-scale coffee companies somehow.

At the organic farmer’s market
Enjoy a blissful cup of coffee
Having moved from the Saturday Market at Kochi Port to the Saturday Market at Ike Park, about
forty stores which open on Saturdays sell organic farm products, additive-free foods, local sea
foods fresh from the sea, and handmade craftworks. The eating and drinking stalls offer healthy
and healing food and drink. This "Kochi Organic Market" has now reached its sixth anniversary.
The Market moved to Ike Park, south of Kochi Medical Center. This is a spacious area that you canwalk around in a relaxed mood, enjoying the green leaves. Eating my favorite sweets, I buy organic
vegetables, feeling like I’m at a picnic. Tempted by sweet smell of coffee, I’ll order dark roastorganic coffee at Hanarebanare Coffee. There’s no way to describe the sense of happiness you feel
drinking full-flavored coffee under the blue sky.
Nobu Suzuki, a roast master, has been part of the organic farmer’s market from the start. He also
sets up his stall at a wide range of other events around town, including a natural art type event inKochi. There, he offers blissful coffee. However, he doesn’t have a regular café. You can only enjoy
his coffee here and at other events he goes to. His main job is roasting and selling coffee beans.

Fair trade and organic foods
That’s what brought him to coffee
The reason Suzuki got seriously into coffee was his interest in fair trade and organic foods. He
thought about how he could contribute to the movement himself, and he chose coffee, which
he already liked anyway. He began to sell hot coffee in pots ten years ago as a walking street
salesman. At first, he used coffee beans roasted by someone else, but he got dissatisfied with thequality and started roasting coffee himself. He told that he used a ginkgo gridiron when he began
to roast coffee.
He buys fair trade coffee beans from the producers' association, but the different producers’ beans
are mixed up together and there are variations in the quality. In addition, the truth is that fairtrade and organic coffee offer few options to choose from. He is trying to choose the best beansthat meet his requirements.
He had an opportunity to buy a coffee roaster around six years ago, rented his present shop, andset up Hanarebana re Cof fee. He
taught himself how to roast coffee
reading manuals on coffee roasting,while buying and tasting other shop’s
coffee beans.
During the interview, Suzuki wasworking busily in front of a coffee
roaster. T he heat i s s uppl ied bynatural gas. He checked the heatlevel and adjusted the heat flow byshifting the lid of the chimney atthe important points of the roastingprocess. He keeps low temperature
for a while at the start, and thenshifts to high heat, often checking
t he g a s - pre s s u re mete r a nd t hedigital thermometer.
"This machine is more for dark roasta nd it ’s pret t y old; t he t he r ma lefficiency is bad, too. The roastingtime is different for dark and lightroasts. It takes about twenty minutes
for a light roast, and thirty minutes,
for a deep one. You take out beansfrom the machine and cool themdown, and then you’re finished. Thismachine can’t cool beans down, so
I have to use an electric fan and myown hands to do that.
T he cooled beans are stored in
airtight sealed bottles. T he mostimportant thing for preserving thebeans is to keep the sealing tight andthe temperature low. The cooler,
the better. The beans are best within
ab o ut a we e k. T he re a s on I c a nmanage to keep running the shopis the fact that the most important
thing for coffee is the freshness.
S ome p e ople h ave a p a s s ion forcoffee. Thanks to such coffee lovers,
I can offer my coffee and competewith other large-scale coffeecompanies somehow."

Many people visit and order his coffee at theorganic farmer’s market.

In the future, I want to create a place where people can relishcoffee.
T he coffee industr y has made"Some people buy my coffee becauses t a nd a rd s for e v a lu at i n g cof fe eof the fair trade and organic angle,

beans, giving them scores according

but if the coffee was no good, they’dto sweetness, acidit y, and so on.

never become repeat customers. I’m a

However, high-scoring beans aren’t

fanatic; I just want to make delicious

always exactly what Suzuki wants

coffee. At first I thought it would beto create. Besides, right now there’s

hard to run a shop unless I made it aa boom for light roast, called “thecoffee shop with a counter. But all I

third wave,” as featured in various

can do right now is just roast coffee.

magazines.

I’m more or less getting by somehow

People say that deep roast ruins theby roasting coffee.

personality of coffee. “I like both”,

But I still have a dream to create asays Suzuki. “However, the f lavor

place where people can enjoy myof dark roasted beans with a deep

original coffee. I won’t let Star B***savor is one of the big things about

beat me! (laughs) "Hanarebanare coffee. Until I roast

Suzuki answered in a matter-of-fact

it, I can’t decide if it’s best for lighttone of voice but very honestly, androast or not. So I’m struggling to findhe had a charming, slightly self-

the best coffee beans.”

conscious smile.
Suzuki checks green beans beforehand and put
them into a roaster. The roasted beans are kept
in an airtight sealed bottle. Airtightness andkeeping the temperature low is important for
preservation. The colder it is, the better. You
should use up the beans within one week.

33
Masugata
masugata
Tram Stop

City Office
Gurando-dori South Annex
Tram Stop

Dairoku
Elementary
SchoolHanarebanare
Coffee■Kagami River

Organic & Fair Trade

Hanarebanare Coffee
Freshly roasted coffee beans. He’s going to turnon an electric fan from now and stir the beans byhand to cool them. While he’s doing this, the next
roasting is waiting to be prepared. He’s a busy guy.

2-2-19 Takajomachi, Kochi City
TEL. 090-7572-4199
Opening Hours / 16:00 - 19:00[set up in Ike Park on Saturdays](Closed on Wednesdays and Sundays)

Cool Shops in Kochi × Cool Guys

Under a Blue Sky

Tosa Aperitif Day × BAR Baffone by Matthew Aono

It has been 18 years since Matthew set up the restaurantin the center of Kochi City.
People gather in Matthew’s restaurantfor delicious food, liquor, and great conversation.

Aperitif Day and BAR Baffone: a Fascinating Pair
From five to ten in the evening, outstanding chefs create western-style cuisine, including Italianand French, at an outdoor event in Chuo Koen Park, Kochi.
I usually start with draft beer, but today I had wine poured into my glass. I sat around a table in thebooth with friends enjoying the chef’s finest hors d'oeuvres.
Feeling free and easy and having a fun time whets the appetite for liquor.
There was wine, champagne, and cocktails, too. The bands played relaxing music – musette,chanson, jazz and bossa nova. This is a scene from “Tosa Aperitif Day,” held on the first Thursday
of June every year.
This event is organized by Matthew Aono of Bar Baffone. He’s the go-to guy for fun Kochi foodevents. After the great success of “Tosa Aperitif Day” (Tosa is the old name for Kochi), he was at it
again with “Tosa no Okyaku” in March, and “Tosa Harvest Festival”
in October. “Aperitif Day” and “Bar Baffone” make a fascinating pair.

Legendary Genovese sauce
Matthew was born in Ehime Prefecture in 1960. When he was a student at Kochi University, he
was made manager of a coffee shop because of his good way with customers. Later, he became themanager of an Italian restaurant and showed his talents both in floor service and in the kitchen. In
1996, he started his own restaurant, BAR Baffone.
He says,“In Japanese, we refer to bars and cafés as coffee shops in Japanese, which is a kind of catchall term. But in Europe, the café is a place where people can get good food and drink, and it’salso a center of local culture. I like eating and drinking, so I created a café style where I cancommunicate with customers in a casual way in the restaurant.”
Matthew started cooking on a full scale after he went independent. His father was an English
teacher and his mother was good at cooking. He was brought up to have an international way of
thinking and his sense of taste was refined by his mother. He went from one notable restaurant
to another, not only in Japan, but in Europe, also and read many cookbooks. Finally, Matthew has
perfected his own cuisine in his own style.
His cooking has been featured in the trend magazine CASA Brutus. Takuro Tatsumi, known as agourmet, vouched for his linguettine (a type of ribbon pasta noodles) with Genovese-style sauce.
“The food at BAR Baffone is designed to go very well with liquor. That is the taste of Baffone,” hesays.

A dedicated mentor for younger chefs
The Aperitif Day is held around the world on the first Thursday of June, in dozens of places
including Paris, Tokyo, and several other cities in Japan. Kochi’s western-style restaurant scene isalso involved. Matthew has organized this event personally since seven or eight years ago. Hoping
to popularize the event throughout Kochi, he asked well known French and Italian restaurants tohold the event jointly.
“Six restaurants got together to hold this event five years ago. When we held it at the Harimayabashi shopping arcade, around three hundred people joined the event. This large number of people
enjoyed eating and drinking in the shopping arcade, so it was quite a mess (laughs). We moved theevent to Chuo Koen Park from the following year. The event has gradually become more and more

popular, and gotten bigger and bigger. ”“Nowadays, about twenty restaurants
join the event, and about 1700 people
visit. Kochi people seem to like openair festivals. The food we serve isn’t
the normal stuff you get at usual foodstalls. We serve from the regular menusof Kochi’s most outstanding western
restaurants. You can order wine by the
glass, and there’s nice music, too. The
next Aperitif Day will be held on June 5,
2014.”
Even now, after many years of practice,
Matthew makes careful preparations
for the event all by himself. The work
i nc ludes negot i at ion s w it h t he c it yadministration and the public healthcenter, getting advertisements done, andLinguettine with Genovese-style sauce (1,300 yen): pasta with a basil paste sauce. The sauce
is very creamy and fresh, and the color is so bright because Matthew makes it a fresh for every
order.

liaising with the media.
“It's not exaggerating to say that I’ma mentor for younger chefs. When theyounger chefs want get together to dosomething, I've got the age and position
to give them advice,” says Matthew.
His wealth of experience and positive
attitude are truly remarkable.

Finally, I asked him about his next
goal.
“Some people have asked me if I’d liketo run a restaurant in my birthplace,Matsuyama, or in Tokyo. Though that’s
one opt ion, I ’m t h i n k i ng how I c a n
actively work in various f ields whilestaying based at BAR Baffone.”“What I want to do is to help and giveadv ice ab out pro duc t de ve lopme nt,
such as ways of processing local Kochi
food materials. One more thing, I’d likechildren to get to know the importanceof eating and taste. Because I think thatnutrition education is a big issue for the

Heated vegetables with Bagna cauda (1,300 yen): a time-consuming dish using garlic boiled inmilk for around one hour, anchovies, and extra virgin olive oil; at the end, all the ingredientsare whisked so that everything is creamy and blended.

future, I want to cooperate in various
nutrition education activities.”I f you a re i nte re sted, v i sit B A R
Baffone and enjoy eating, drinking
and great conversation with Matthew
Aono himself.

A scene at "Tosa no Okyaku." Aono says that many Kochi people like open-air events. This picture shows that he is also one of the festival-lovers.

Otesuji St.

ShikokuBankLOUIS
VUITTON

Hasuikemachi-doriTram StopBAR Baffone■

Morita Bldg. 1F, 1-2-10 Obiyamachi, Kochi City
TEL. 088-822-3884
Opening Hours / 18:00 - 24:00 [Monday - Saturday]
12:00 - 24:00 [Sundays](Closed on Wednesdays)

BAR Baffone

Kochi Daimaru
Bld.
East Bldg.

32

Cool Shops in Kochi × Cool Guys

Under a Blue Sky

Village2014 × SAIL atelier / swimmy by Hayata Yamasaki

In a stream of craftsmanship,
Yamasaki is active in various different fields.

He is pursuing the flavor that mass-manufactured goods don’t have.

I’ve been a craftsman, now and ever.
Sota Yamasaki is the owner of SAIL atelier / swimmy in Harimaya-cho, Kochi City. There is anatelier in the corner of the shop and all the goods are his original products. He carefully makes
leather shoes, leather bags, wallets, key cases, accessories, watches, smartphone cases, etc.
“I use not only leather but various kinds of materials, such as wood and metals, etc. I cover thewhole field of craftsmanship. I don’t exhibit and sell works like an artist. I take an order from
customers and make goods that meet their needs. I’m Artisan Yamasaki”, he said with a smile.
Yamasaki's life as a craftsman is interesting. In 1998, he opened SAIL, which deals in overseas
antiques. Then, he was asked to join an Art Bazaar a friend had planned. He made small articles
with wire and displayed them for sale. He got a good feel for the area.
In 2001, he started selling wire-work goods in his shop. This was his first step in craftsmanship.
He explored a variety of materials such as cloth, wood, and brass. Leather is now the main material
he uses.
Initially, he started from small articles. Every time he bought tools and machines, he could makebigger items and increase his product lineup. In 2006, he opened swimmy.
He has organized events with other craftsmen for a long time. The Flea Market, collaboration ofgood food, secondhand goods
a n d m u s i c, h a d it s 10 t hanniversar y in aut umn of2013. Variety shops, cafes
a nd re s t au r a nt s joi n t heevent. T he various people
involved all have good tasteand do unique things. And
Village started business lastyear. (See p. 42 for details)
Cu s tome r s who v i s it t heevent like the atmosphere,
and they order shop plans
and interior design.
“Outside Kochi, I do
restaurant design. In Kochi,
I do restaurant inter ior
design, and as well as thatb e a u t y s a l o n s, a n d c a k eshops. I also make furniture,
give advice on furniture andinstall furniture, and I do
exterior decoration. We havec r a f ts-people work i ng i neach step of the process ofbuilding a structure.

W hen they’re getting their walls
painted, some customers prefer aflavor industrial products don’t have:such as a finishing touch with tracesof brushing intentionally remaining
on the wall. I really think that there
is such a demand. However, a skilledcraftsman may say, “I can’t do sucha thing.” To bridge that kind of gap
b et we e n t he c r a f t s m a n a nd t hecustomer is another part of my job,too.
For example, when a person saysat the Flea Market, “This is what
I want. Can you make one just likethis?”, or another tells me “I wantit done like that.” when they comet o t h e m a r k e t f r o m a s h o p I ’m
designing. That’s not my main job,
but naturally I’ll do that type of job
too. Everything is by word of mouth.
I won’t go against the flow. Where
there’s an order, there’s a job.”
Yamasaki is active in many different
f ields: managing his shop, doing
craftsmanship, organizing events forcraftspeople to meet together, doing
one-off store-interior decoration
jobs, furnishings-making, etc. He
really does go with the flow. Having
people like this active here and therearound town is one of the things thatmakes Kochi so interesting.

to JR Kochi Station
Otesuji St.

LOUIS
VUITTON

Hasuikemachi-doriTram Stop■swimmy32

to Harimaya-Bashi

swimmyYokoyama Bldg. 1F, 2-3-8 Harimaya-cho, Kochi City
TEL. 088-884-6601
Opening Hours / 12:00 - 19:00 [Monday - Saturday]
12:00 - 18:00 [Sundays and national holidays] (7days a week)
https://www.facebook.com/sail.atelierV illage 2 0 14
a Harmony of Crafts, Food, and Music at the Saturday and Sunday Market"The overall theme is ‘village’ – the concept of making a single village. Thereare craftspeople, sellers, and advertisers, workshops and installations, too. I’dlike to make this event like a village festival once a year.

Village is a meeting place, with artists in craftsmanship from a variety of fields, unique craft
shops dealing in goods from all around the world, and restaurants whose owners have a passion for
the ingredients and of cooking methods. These people come and show their works and interchange
ideas. In May, 2013, the first event was held in the old Shikishima spinning factory site, next to
AEON Kochi. Eight shops came together. A total of ten thousand people visited over two days.
Village started last year. I interviewed Sota Yamasaki, the spokesperson for the event’s executive
committee.
“One day, I said to some friends, “I want to create a space where craftspeople who take their work
very seriously, not as a hobby, can show their work.” Everybody agreed with me and the project
started. That’s the birth of Village.
Yamasaki’s friends, who are the general shop owners, designers, musicians, restaurant-related
etc., met together and put the plan into action very quickly, in two or three months since Yamasaki
had first talked about the idea. Each of them was so active in planning events and had a lot ofknow-how. “The planning period was long enough, but the preparation period was too short”,
Yamasaki said with a strained smile.
Yamasaki says that Village is a ‘place where craftsmen who take their work very seriously can show
their works.” He has a dream: by creating such a place, Village will become a high-quality tradefair, where many buyers and gallery people visit from throughout Japan, and where artists can finda job. Nice music, restaurants, handcrafts, art goods and artists meet together at one single venue.
Since Yamasaki wants to raise the grade of Village, he advertised publicly for participants. Some ofthe people he chose were from outside the prefecture.
He said, “Though the time for preparation was short, many people came over and made nicecomments, like “It was great fun.” “ I was surprised that the level of Kochi artists was so high.”
Many people told us that they hoped the meeting would become an annual event. There is a cultureof the street market in Kochi, including the Sunday Market. Kochi people are used to buying things
at the market. I want to make Village a village market place, not an event. ”
This year, Village2014: a Harmony of Crafts, Food, and Music at the Saturday and Sunday Market,
May 17 (Sat.) – 18 (Sun.) will be held at the open space called Midori-no-Hiroba by the Kagami Riverand on the grounds of Yamauchi Shrine. Around 120 stalls, including craft
shops and restaurants, are going to be set up. I want everybody to see theartists, to get to know the artists, and to buy something. Talking with the

Kikan Kochi

artists is good fun, too. I really hope a lot of people will come and visit us.

will participate
in "Village".

33
Gurando-doriTram Stop

Kencho-mae
Tram Stop
Kochi Prefectural
Culture Hall

Yamauchi ■ShrineVillage 2014a Harmony of Crafts, Food, and Music at
the Saturday and Sunday Market
Midori-no-Hiroba

Kagami River

Date: May 17 (Sat.) - 18 (Sun.), 2014
Enquiries: Village Executive Committee Office
http://village-kochi.com
https://www.facebook.com/village.kochi

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 :Mizuhoizuho Bank :15 min / once, 4th / day
Network: IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n
Kochi Prefectural
PoliceHeadquarters

Josei
Park
P
arrk
ro
k st Bank
Japan
Ja
aJJo
poaseieni Pa
PostPkcan usevarious cards

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.
“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, CACAD,
AD, GBP,P AUD,P,
AUD,
EUR,SGD, HKD
EUR,SG

Payment

Kochi Castle

Marunouchi
High School

Kochi
Literary
Museum

Kochi
Prefectural
Government

http://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.

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.

OtemaeHigh Scho

Kochi
Prefectural
Library

Kochi
Daijingu
shrineKochi City HallATM
Kencho-mae
Tram Stop

Kochi International
Association

HiromeMarketObiyamachi P
Kochi Honmachi

Kochijo-mae
Tram Stop

Ohashi-doriTram StopKochi
Station
Kochi Eki-mae
Tram Stop

Kochi
Police Station
Toyota Rent a Car

Orix Rent a Car
Nissan Rent a Car

Kochibashi
Tram Stop
Times Car Rental

Joto Parkool

Nippon Rent a Car

Otesuji Street
OtemaePark

Hasuikemachi-doriTram Stop

Obiyamachi Street
Police Box

Park

Chuo Park
Horizume
Tram Stop

Daimaru
Department
Store
East Bld.

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

KIKAN KOCHI
この夏、季刊高知英語版と電子書籍はじまります。

Free e-book magazine
The English Version of KIKAN KOCHI is free.
I do hope you visit our website.
Click to download.

Schedule
25 / July / 2014 – KIKAN KOCHI No.53
25 / October / 2014 – KIKAN KOCHI No.54
25 / January / 2015 – KIKAN KOCHI No.55
25 / April / 2015– KIKAN KOCHI No.56

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