GASTRONOMY- Usuki City, Oita Prefecture -Table of Contents• Usuki City Overview• Usuki’s Water• Miso and Soy Sauce

2–4
6
7–10

• Fermentation Technology Innovation at a Laboratory

11• Sake Brewing

12• Local Dishes

13–14• Supply of Local Produce as School Lunch Ingredients22• Progress in the Fishing Industry

23• Conservation of the Seabed Environment and Fishery Resources24• Branding Locally Produced Fish
• and Promoting Local Food Production and Consumption

25• Open Lab

26• Buddhist Vegetarian Cuisine

15• International Exchange

27• Honzen Cuisine

16• Forest Cultivation for Water Source Cultivation

28• Kabosu

17• Creative Tourism

29–30• Puffer Fish Cuisine

18• A Small Town Young Japanese Want to Live in

31–32• Mature Compost

19• Usuki’s Attempt to Become a Creative City of Gastronomy• through Fermentation and Circulation• Original Certification System• of Organic Agricultural Products

20• Ordinance Concerning Sustainable Food and Agriculture

21• Usuki Creative City of Gastronomy Promotion Council

33
34–36

1

Usuki City Overview
Kunisaki Peninsula
and Usa Region,a site of the Globally
Important Agricultural
Heritage Systems: CCNJ member cities(including Oita Pref.)Beppu and Yufuin,international hot spring resorts
Beppu City

Yufu City

Oita City(Prefectural
capital)Taketa
City

Usuki
City

Usuki City
Population: Approx. 36,000

Area: 291.20 km2
Major industries:
Fermenting/Brewing, agriculture
and shipbuilding

Sobo, Katamuki and Okue
UNESCO Biosphere Reserve2

Usuki City Overview
Usuki City is known to have one of the major castle towns in Oita Pref. Old town blocks that appear inan old map from the Edo period still remain and serve as city blocks, and many buildings from those days
stand there, including merchants’ houses, warriors’ residences, temples and shrines.

Map Comparison in the Area around Usuki Castle (Ruins)

1640s

Today

3

Usuki City Overview

Scenic Spots in the Castle Town
Usuki Castle Ruins (Oita Pref.’s designated historical site)
Usuki Castle was built in 1562 by Otomo Sorin, a famous Christian feudal lord.
It was once surrounded by the sea. Now retaining only two turrets, part of agarden for a shoin reception building, and some stone walls, the castle ruins
serve as a place of rest and relaxation for citizens as Usuki Park.

Nioza Historical Road (“Nioza Rekishi no Michi”)
This historical road has been cleared through a hill of tuff, into which volcanic ash
from Mt. Aso hardened.
Designated as one of the top 100 urban landscapes by the Ministry of Land,
Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, the path is lined with many temples and warriors’
residences and provides a historic streetscape of the castle town, entertaining the eyesof visitors.

Three-story pagoda (of Ryugenji Temple)(a tangible cultural property designed by Oita Pref.)This pagoda, where Prince Shotoku is enshrined, is in Ryugenji Temple (built in1600), a branch temple of Jodo Shu head temple Chion-in.
Takahashi Dannai, a master craftsman born in Usuki, developed an idea for thispagoda, and his pupils gave shape to the conception. It took them 10 years from1848 to build the pagoda, which was completed in 1858. This is one of Kyushu’s
only two existing wooden three-story pagodas from the Edo period.

4

Usuki City Overview
Otomo Sorin’s encouragement to bring in European andChristian culture has nurtured Usuki’s local dietary culture
Otomo Sorin is a famous Christian feudal lord in the mid-16th century. In the
midst of the Warring States period, Sorin was based in Usuki, Bungo Province(today’s Oita Pref.) and ruled his vast domain in today’s east part of Kyushu.
Sorin actively introduced Western medicine, education and food. With the influxof European and Christian culture, his domain grew into one of Japan’s mostadvanced areas. Usuki, Funai (today’s Oita City), and other neighboring towns
saw a spike in Christians. Usuki enjoyed great prosperity as one of Japan’s
leading ports for trade with Spain and Portugal. With many trade ships coming
and going, the town was brimming with an air of exoticism in all terms, including
food, clothing and housing.
Ohan (“yellow rice”), Usuki’s local specialty, reportedly originated from paella,
which foreign missionaries cooked as their own local dish. Historians also saythat pumpkins, now enjoyed daily in Japan, were introduced to Bungo andspread there in Sorin’s times. These examples give a glimpse of Sorin’s policies
of actively introducing European and Christian culture into food local dietary andother customs.
5

Usuki’s Water
A huge coral reef that formed a calcareous shell some
300 million years ago under the sea has risen due tocrustal movements and many other factors into
mountains with a lime deposit in Usuki.
Usuki’s groundwater, which runs through thelimestone layer, boasts a good balance of minerals andmeets the requirements of “tasty water.”

Usuki’s groundwater

Clear stream in the upper course on Kaizoe’s side,
Kaizoe district, Usuki City

Calcium ion: 26 mg/L
Hy d r o g e n c a r b o n a t e i o n : 87 mg/L
Source:Shirabete Wakatta Oita no Mizu no Kao (the Oita Pharmaceutical Association)

Usuki’s tap water
Usuki City’s waterworks consist of seven water purification plants and use groundwater as thesource of the city’s water supply.
A highly stable quality of the groundwater spares most of these purification plants from filtering thewater; they just need to chlorinate it.
6

Miso and Soy Sauce
Start of the local fermenting industry
Records show that Usuki’s fermenting industry dates back to 1600, when Inaba Sadamichi was transferred from Mino
Province (today’s Gifu Pref.) to the Usuki domain as its head. Kani Magoemon (the father of the founder of Kani
Shoyu) accompanied the lord as a purveyor to Usuki and started fermenting miso there .
One of the factors behind the prosper of Usuki’s fermenting industry is the availability of top-ranked water in terms of

quality and taste. Also, successive local lords protected and fostered fermenting, growing it into a major industry inUsuki.

Three leading manufacturers of miso and soy sauce in the city
The city once had many miso and soy sauce factories, from large to small. Today, three local leading producers arein the city center: Kani Shoyu, Fundokin Shoyu, and Fujijin Shoyu .

Kani Shoyu(Established in 1600)
Kani Shoyu is said to be Kyushu’s
oldest producer of miso and soy sauce.
W hile carrying on the company’s
tradition and history, the 12th head ofKani Shoyu actively develops productsthat are conscious of a modern senseof taste. Kani Shoyu retains traditionalf ace-to-face communication as its
major style of sales and has manyf ans in and outside the city.

Fundokin Shoyu(Established in 1861)
As Kyushu’s largest producer of
miso and soy sauce, Fundokin Shoyu
has a research institute f or productdevelopment and multiple f actories in
the city.
W hile constantly employing the mostadvanced technologies, the company
cherishes the traditional
manuf acturing process. Particularly,
Fundokin Shoyu boasts the world’s
best soy sauce f ermented in wooden
barrels and pursues an authent ic taste.

Fujijin Shoyu(Established in 1883)
W hile being loyal to the traditional
manuf acturing techniques that areover 100 years old, Fujijin Shoyu
makes every ef f ort to employ newtechnologies and has acquired twopatents f or a soy sauce manuf acturing
process.
Also, the company is actively
engaged in community activities
centered on culinary culture,delivering dietary lectures inelementary schools in the city.

7

Miso and Soy Sauce
Cooperative associations
Along with Japan’s rapid economic growth, an increasingly fierce competition with large -scale companies in thesame industry caused small -, mid- and tiny-sized businesses to drop out of the competition. Under the guidance of thenation, improvement in the organizational structure of small - and mid-sized companies led to cooperation andcollaboration between companies in Oita Pref.
In Usuki City, four cooperative associations were formed between 1972 and 1984: the Niho Miso Cooperative
Association and the Niho Soy Sauce Cooperative Association; and the Oita Miso Cooperative Association and the Oita
Soy Sauce Cooperative Association.
These cooperative associations have many member companies of small, medium and tiny size in the industry in Oita
Pref., and Usuki City has become a focal point of the fermenting industry in the prefecture.
Factories separately produce each member company’s products, producing a wide variety of items in small lots.

Associations (and the numbers of their member companies as of May 2021)
Niho Miso Cooperative Association (formed in 1972)

Niho Soy Sauce Cooperative Association (formed in 1980)

Number of member companies: 19

Number of member companies: 18

A miso-producing cooperative association led by
Fujijin Shoyu

A soy sauce-producing cooperative association
led by Fujijin Shoyu

Oita Miso Cooperative Association (formed in 1984)

Oita Soy Sauce Cooperative Association (formed in 1974)

Number of member companies: 10

Number of member companies: 19

A miso-producing cooperative association led by
Fundokin Shoyu

A soy sauce-producing cooperative association
led by Fundokin Shoyu
8

Miso and Soy Sauce
Oita is one of the largest (miso) producers in Japan
Rank

Prefecture

Production

1

Nagano215,524 t

2

Aichi

40,324 t

3

Hokkaido

24,302 t

4

Gunma

23,566 t

5Hiroshima

17,436 t

6Oita

16,646 t

7

Fukuoka

10,902 t

8

Aomori10,446 t

9

Kyoto

10,206 t

10

Toyama8,029 tProduction (Usuki City)

Approx. 16,440 t(Usuki City accounts forapprox. 99% )Source:• National rankings
Statistical Charts on Industry 2019 (figures for 2018) by the Ministry ofInternal Affairs and Communications and the Ministry of Economy,
Trade and Industry• Proportion of Usuki City’s production in Oita Pref.
A survey by Usuki City (inquiries among companies in the city)9Miso and Soy Sauce
Oita is one of the largest (soy sauce) producers in Japan
Rank

Prefecture

Production

1

Chiba

259,101 kl

2

Hyogo

145,926 kl

3

Aichi

68,151 kl

4

Gunma

52,220 kl

5Kagawa47,352 kl

6

Fukuoka

31,169 kl

7Oita

25,802 kl

8Mie

23,700 kl

9Hokkaido

20,503 kl

10

Aomori

20,337 kl

Production (Usuki City)

Approx. 23,130 kl(Usuki City accounts forapprox. 90% )Source:• National rankings
Statistical Charts on Industry 2019 (figures for 2018) by the Ministry ofInternal Affairs and Communications and the Ministry of Economy,
Trade and Industry• Proportion of Usuki City’s production in Oita Pref.
A survey by Usuki City (inquiries among companies in the city)
10Fermentation Technology Innovation at a Laboratory
Fundokin Shoyu Co., Ltd.
Fundokin Shoyu is Kyushu’s leading manufacturer of seasoning, which Oita is proud of. The company develops,
manufactures and sells a wide variety of seasoning from miso and soy sauce to barbecue sauce, dressing andponzu sauce.
Established

1861

Employees

500

Production

Miso: 15,000 t,
soy sauce: 17,500 kl

Food science laboratory◼

For product development and quality verification, Fundokin Shoyu conducts theanalysis and bacteriological testing of raw materials and products at its ownlaboratory.

◼

The company launches four or five new products a year, and for each of them, thelab conducts prototyping about 100 times.

Halal products◼

Fundokin Shoyu’s halal soy sauce that appeared on the market in 2019 wasdeveloped jointly with a team of 11 undergraduate and graduate students
from seven countries studying at Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University. This
product has been certified by the Japan Halal Association.

◼

As part of its future overseas business, Fundokin Shoyu is also planning todevelop a new project in Malaysia and launch it in 2022 or later.
11

Sake Brewing
Four sake breweries in Usuki City
Today, the city has four sake breweries. They jointly hold a storehouse -opening event every year. This year, they
produced an original blend of the four breweries’ shochu liquor, actively striving to nurture sake brewing culture.

Kotegawa Shuzo (established in 1855)

Kuge Honten (established in 1862)

As the precursor to Fundokin Shoyu, Kotegawa Shuzo
has still continued to produce hand -brewed sake. In a
150-years-old white-washed storehouse, where thisbrewery has been located since its founding,
Kotegawa Shuzo lays barley shochu liquor down inlarge pots, which is a rare method in the prefecture.

Aiming to become a brewery that promotes a societyoriented to the recycling of local resources, Kuge
Honten actively uses agricultural products grown in
Oita Pref. (especially in Usuki City). This brewery
continues to contribute to the local society through aclose collaboration with farmers, the cultivation ofeating and drinking culture, and eco -friendly actions.

Fujii Shuzo (established in 1872)

Akamine Shuzojo (established in 1872)

W ith the spirit of wajo ryoshu (“great harmony among
brewers makes great sake”), Fujii Shuzo uses high quality water and raw materials from a rich naturalenvironment to make shochu liquor, especially barleyshochu liquor with barley produced in Oita Pref. In
1999, this brewery obtained OCPP certification andstarted to produce organic barley shochu liquor. Fujii
Shuzo launched “organic barley shochu liquor laid
down in sealed pots in a cave” in 2006, striving for
further technical innovation.

Akamine Shuzojo carefully brews sake for eachbottle, with almost the whole brewing process
conducted by hand. W hile valuing tradition, thisbrewery pursues sake brewing that goes with thetimes, developing liquor with the residue of organic
ginger produced in Usuki (its juice squeezed out tomake a local brand -name confection) and producing
liquor with fruits grown in Usuki.

12Local Dishes
Usuki City has many local dishes that date back to the Edo period.
In the late Edo period, the Great Tenpo famine struck across Japan. Historians say that many domains in the country
implemented financial rehabilitation reforms, many of which failed. Under such circumstances, the Usuki domain issued
Tenpo no Kaikaku, an original thrift ordinance that obliged Usuki people to live a simple frugal life. Their wide variety ofefforts ended up leading this reform to success.
One of the keys to the success was the spirit of simplicity and frugality, a temperament that characterizes Usuki
people. Some local dishes of Usuki have their source from this spirit.

Here are three typical local dishes that the citizens of Usuki still love and enjoy today:(1) Ohan(2) Kirasumameshi(3) Chadaizushi

Typical local dish 1: Ohan
Ohan is rice cooked with yellow water dyed with gardenia fruit dipped in water.
Ohan is paired with Kayaku, simmered white -meat fish, vegetables and tofu
(similar to kenchinjiru, a soup loaded with vegetables).
Some experts say that this yellow rice was originally cooked as a celebratory
dish that substituted for red rice, which was too luxurious in the simple frugal
life. Others say that ohan was inspired by paella from Europe and is a relic of
the introduction of European and Christian culture in the Warring States period.
Many houses in Usuki City have a gardenia plant in their gardens. On festive
occasions and at the end of a year, people used to pick gardenia fruit from theirgardens and cooked ohan with it. Today, ohan is served at school lunch andrestaurants in the city and loved by men and women, young and old, as apopular local dish.
13

Local Dishes
Typical local dish 2: Kirasumameshi
Kirasumameshi is an economical dish. Leftover sashimi or fish meat
scraped off the bones is coated with okara (a by-product of making tofu) toincrease the volume.
People say that kirasumameshi was named after kirasu (“okara”) andmamesu (“coat”) in the Usuki dialect.
Kirasumameshi has been popular as a home -cooked dish since the Edo
period. Today, it enjoys entrenched popularity as a local dish and is always
available at restaurants and the deli section of supermarkets.

Typical local dish 3: Chadaizushi
Chadaizushi is a traditional hospitality dish that used to lend charm to thedinner table of each household in the city when wisteria bloomed and bamboo
shoots came in. This sushi is characterized by commonly available ingredientson top and bottom of the rice.
Despite the use of vegetables and other ingredients far from luxurious, thislocal dish is designed to look gorgeous, suggesting a simple and frugal
temperament of Usuki people.
A generally accepted theory is that chadaizushi was named after its
resemblance to a refined chataku (“saucer for a teacup”) used by a lord. Today,
chadaizushi is served at restaurants in the city.
14

Buddhist Vegetarian Cuisine
Buddhist memorial services and Buddhist vegetarian cuisine
Usuki’s Buddhist vegetarian cuisine, which follows in the wake of Kyoto cuisine, is indispensable to local traditions on
the occasion of a Buddhist memorial service.
Usuki’s unique traditions that take place before and after a funeral are accompanied by Buddhist vegetarian cuisineoffered to its participants.
The city has many Japanese -style restaurants that serve Buddhist vegetarian cuisine . Usuki people have fostered theculture of always offering and being offered minutely -specified Buddhist vegetarian cuisine in face of the death ofsomeone close to them and sharing their memories of the deceased over the meal.

Usuki’s unique traditions concerning Buddhist memorial services (examples)
OdetateA simplified Buddhist vegetarian cuisine served before a funeral, over which close relatives and friends
bid farewell to the deceased together

To r i a g e

A meal that includes meat and/or fish and alcohol served after a funeral

Seigetsuan’s Zenmi Ryori
Zenmi Ryori is a Buddhist vegetarian cuisine made by Ekun Ando, a Buddhist priest in
charge of Kenshoji, a Zen temple that stands in the castle town. This scrumptious meal,
known to those in the know, is available only at Seigetsuan, a Buddhist vegetarian cuisine
specialty restaurant run by Mr.Ando himself. His cuisine combines traditional dishes handed
down over 800 years at Zen training halls with his own ingenious recipes. It tastes is so
special that Mr.Ando is asked by many temples of the Myoshinji school around Japan to takecharge of meals served at large -scale Buddhist memorial services and rituals that celebratea new Buddhist priest’s coming to live in his temple.
Zenmi Ryori highly values a sense of the season and uses commonly available seasonal
ingredients except animal -derived ones. The primary policy of this cuisine is to make themost of the flavor of each ingredient and cook with great assiduity. Cooked with five cooking
techniques, five views of the universe, and five seasonings, Zenmi Ryori is savored with thefive physical senses (sight, sound, smell, taste and touch) and the mind (heart) .

15

Honzen Cuisine
People say that in Japan, there are now only three places where you can taste an authentic honzen cuisine, anoriginal form of Japanese cuisine. The honzen cuisine that has survived in Usuki City is of samurai type (bukehonzen) with which domain lords entertained their guests on festive occasions and Buddhist services , and can besaid the prototype of honzen cuisine.

Honzen cuisine handed down in Usuki City
In Usuki City, you can savor honzen cuisine at Kiraku -an, a fancy Japanese -stylerestaurant established in 1878.
This restaurant has many traditional recipes from those days and has served honzen
cuisine.
W hile always cherishing the traditions handed down from previous generations,
Kiraku-an makes a simplified version of the traditional cuisine to adapt to the changesof the times, work on activities to further enhance public recognition of honzen cuisine,and pass the tradition on to the next generation.

Arrival and transmission of honzen cuisine
The honzen cuisine handed down to Kiraku -an originated in the Inaba clan (the Usuki
domain), which was transferred from Gujo Hachiman, Mino Province to Usuki, Bungo
Province.
The origin dates back to the Edo period, when the Usuki domain brought the elementsof honzen cuisine from Edo. Later, the second head of Kiraku -an, who had been trainedby the Usuki domain’s kitchen chef, was allowed to learn and share this culinary art andstarted to serve it at his restaurant.
Today, Chairman (the fourth head) of Kiraku -an takes the lead in cooking honzen
cuisine there and has been giving guidance to the current (the fifth) head of therestaurant to hand honzen cuisine down to future generations .
Local citizens used to have honzen cuisine often at wedding receptions and Buddhist
memorial services, but opportunities to enjoy this traditional cuisine have been
decreasing with the march of the times. In recent years, the city collaborates with theprivate sector to pass on this gastronomic culture to the next generation .

16

Kabosu
Sour citrus fruit that originated in Usuki City
Kabosu is a local specialty of Oita Pref. Researchers say that this sour citrus
fruit originated in today’s Usuki City and that its cultivation started in the Edo
period.
In Usuki City, there once was an over 300 -year-old kabosu tree recognized as* A s ur vey c onduc ted by O ita Pr ef . in
Mar c h 1976 c onf irm ed that this s pec if ic
tree was c ertainl y the or igin of k abos u,
and the pref ec ture des ignated the tr ee as
its s pec ial protec tion tr ee.

the “origin” * (the third generation of this originator propagated by grafting is in
the city). The oldest surviving kabosu trees are around 200 years old.
Oita Pref. accounts for over 90% of the national production of kabosu, andUsuki City is the largest producer of this fruit in the prefecture.
Kabosu is said to accentuate the flavor of ingredients and dishes, and Oita Pref.
has a deep-rooted culture of sprinkling some kabosu juice on various dishes.
For kabosu lovers to enjoy this seasonal fruit all the year around, processed
goods are actively produced in Usuki City, including bottled kabosu juice, kabosu
sake, and kabosu sweets.

Production (FY 2018)
Rank

City

Fully ripened yellow kabosu

Production (t)

1

Usuki

1,060.0

2

Taketa948.0

3Bungo Ono

910.0

4

Kunisaki

532.3

5

Bungotakada

481.4

Although unripened green kabosu, which
tastes mildly sour, is widely known in Japan,
Usuki people have preferred and enjoyedfully ripened yellow kabosu, which havemore juice and tastes less sour since oldtimes. In the mid -Heisei era, Usuki City

marketed yellow kabosu as “Usuki-colored(pronounced the same as “light yellow”)
kabosu” and started to distribute yellow
kabosu around the prefecture.

17

Puffer Fish Cuisine
Japanese pufferfish cuisinecharacterized by thick slices of very fresh sashimi
Generally, puffer fish fillets are left overnight and thus can be sliced thin. In
Usuki City, however, they are sliced on the day when the fish are caught,
without being left for hours. Fresh fillets are so firm that they cannot be sliced
thin. That is why puffer fish sashimi served in Usuki are in thick slices.
These thick slices of puffer fish sashimi are so fresh and rich in taste that thissignature cuisine of Usuki is loved by people in and outside the city. Some ofthem in the Kanto region take a day trip all the way to Usuki to savor the cuisine.

Many restaurants serve puffer fish cuisine,and some of them do so in summer, too
Usuki City has over 30 restaurants that serve puffer fish cuisine. Although Japanese
pufferfish is known nationwide as a winter treat, some of the restaurants serve a Japanese
pufferfish course meal even in summer and have customers all the year around who comefor Japanese pufferfish cuisine.

Homemade kabosu ponzu sauce
Each restaurant that serves puffer fish sashimi uses locally produced soy sauce andkabosu to make their original kabosu ponzu sauce, which goes perfectly with puffer fish
sashimi. You can enjoy different tastes of homemade sauce at different restaurants.

18

Mature Compost
Usuki City Compost Manufacturing Center
In 2012, to vigorously promote agriculture of environmental conservation
type and organic farming based on the preparation of good soil , Usuki City
established the Usuki City Compost Manufacturing Center to manufacture
mature compost similar to leaf mold .
A compost manufacturing facility run by an administrative organ toprepare soil is rare in Japan , and the center has many visitors from in andoutside the prefecture, including from overseas.

Number of visitors: 1,078** Based on aggregated data from 2014 to 2020

Usuki Yume Taihi (“Usuki Dream Compost”)
Usuki Yume Taihi’s major raw materials areplants (80%). They are mixed with pig feces (20%),and the mixture is stirred daily to cause
fermentation. It takes six months for the mixture toturn into mature compost best for soil preparation .
Similar to leaf mold , this compost improves thebalance among soil components, boosting
microbial action.
The center stably produces 1,600 to 1,800 tonsof compost every year and supplies it to farmers
and citizens. Recent years have seen an increasein demand, and the facility is wanted to produce
more compost.

Usuki Yume Taihi

Compost in thefermentation process

19Original Certification System of Organic Agricultural Products
As one of its efforts to encourage local food production and consumption, Usuki City has a system of giving
certification by the mayor to organically cultivated local produce as Honmamon Agricultural Products .

Three features of Honmamon Agricultural Products(1) Organic
Agricultural products grownwithout synthetic agrochemicals
or chemical fertilizers in fields
whose soil has ben prepared with
Usuki Yume Taihi or other maturecompost, in an attempt to provide
the natural (authentic) taste ofvegetables(2) Grown with Usuki
Yu m e Ta i h i(3) Certified

A mixture of plants and pig feces (in theratio of about 4:1) is fermented for six
months to make this mature compost
similar to leaf mold.
This product is manufactured at a
publicly run compost center establishedto prepare good soil, which is rare in
Japan, and is sold only for farmland in
the city.

The Usuki City mayor certifies
agricultural products that have
proved no use of synthetic
agrochemicals during thecultivation period based onscreening by an organic JASregistration and certification body(including a production process
record examination and an onsite inspection).

20

Ordinance Concerning Sustainable Food and Agriculture
Land of Vegetables with Authentic Flavors: Usuki City Ordinance on Food Production
and Farming with Concerted Efforts of All Concerned (enforced in 2010)
Goal

To enhance citizens’ understanding of food and farming , achieve a stable supply of safe and secure food, andestablish farming that sustainably develops in natural circulation , thereby contributing to building an affluent
and livable, local community

Basic principles① Establish a system that stably produces andsupplies saf e and secure f arm products

Example of actions taken: Health promotion using Honmamon(“authentic-flavored”) Agricultural Products grown with Usuki Yume Taihi
Manufacture Usuki Yume Taihi

Distribute it to farmland in the city

② Ensure that citizens understand the importanceof f ood and f arming③ Establish a f arming system that securesagricultural resources, including agriculturalland, water and workers, and helps f armers self sustaining and continuously develop

Supply Honmamon Agricultural
Products to school meal service centers

Supply Honmamon Agricultural
Products to supermarkets

Cook school lunch with the
Honmamon Agricultural Products

Consume the Honmamon Agricultural
Products at households and restaurants④ Promote organic f arming that harmonizes with
the natural environment⑤ Promote local f ood production and consumption
f rom the viewpoints of f ood saf ety, agriculturaldevelopment, and reduction in environmentalload⑥ Help f arming communities suf f iciently f ulf ill theirmultif aceted f unctions, including theconservation of national land, the cultivation ofwater sources, the f ormation of excellent
scenery, and interactions with urban areas

Supply it to allotment gardens

Promotion of citizens’ health through food21

Supply of Local Produce as School Lunch Ingredients
The Grow Vegetables in School Lunch Fields projectIn this project, Usuki City, about 50 farmers in the city, and the Japan Agricultural Cooperatives (JA) work as one tosupply locally grown agricultural products to be used for school lunch.
The project started in 2000 when Usuki City changed the school lunch system so that the school meal service centerswould cook school lunch instead of individual schools, in an attempt to turn the centers into the best in Japan. This was
one of the most pioneering projects in Japan, aiming not only to promote local food production and consumption but also
to improve the quality of school lunch.
Use of fresh and safe, locally grown vegetables for school lunch contributes to the sound development of students andfosters their understanding of agriculture and their attachment to the local community. Today, the project actively uses
Honmamon Agricultural Products (Usuki City’s original local brand of organically cultivated agricultural products) toenhance food safety and also offers children with opportunities to harvest Honmamon Agricultural Products, proactively
conducting dietary education.

Usage Rate ofLocally Grown Agricultural Products
50

40.1

40

37.9

38

43.2

40.5
34.7

40

30
20

50

30
34.4

10
9.8

36.5

34.6

34.4

11.9

12.3

11.9

20

38.9

31.9
11.5

14.6

0

10
0

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

Percentage of those from school lunch fields (to all)
Percentage of Honmamon Agricultural Products (to products from school lunch fields)
Percentage of those grown in Usuki City (to all)22

Progress in the Fishing Industry
Usuki City faces the Bungo Channel and has a rias coast. Because of these geographical advantages, the fishingindustry is prosperous in the city. The coast is dotted with 11 fishing ports, and fishers catch fish with a wide variety ofmethods. Pole-and-line fishing of scabbard fish is especially popular. These fishing ports provide such fresh and highquality fish that the average price of fish from Usuki per kg is more than double that from Oita Pref . Tsukinbo-ryo,
Usuki’s traditional fishing method of spearing fish with a harpoon, started in around 1955 and is still used now.

Breakdown of fish production
Usuki City produces a wide variety of fish. Among them, its
production of scabbard fish is the largest in Oita Prefecture .

Breakdown of Fish Production in Usuki City (2019)
Fish

Production(kg)

Scabbard fish

188,583.8

Yellowtail

127,296.7

Horse mackerel

55,328.8

Turban shell

39,949.0

Blackmouth croaker

28,228.2

Project for fostering the pillar of the fishing industry
To secure human resources who will lead the next-generation fishing industry amid the aging offishers and a decrease in the number of successors, Usuki City supports new fishers in the initial
phase of their career. The project produces one or two successors in fishing business every year.
23Conservation of the Seabed Environment and Fishery Resources
Usuki City strives to preserve fishing grounds in collaboration with Oita Pref., Usuki Branch of the Oita Fisheries
Cooperative Association, and fishers in the city.

Seabed cultivation (2001–)
Usuki City has cultivated the seabed to remove accumulated trash (e.g.,plastics) and sludge.
Cultivation sends oxygen in the ground, improving seawater quality and making
the sea more friendly to fish. This project has increased fish catches, helping
fishers with management stability.
Cultivated area: 252 ha (FY 2020)

Seabed cultivation (trash being collected)

Project for Helping the Fisheries Industry Exercise
Multiple Functions (2016–2020)
Fishers and the Oita Fisheries Cooperative Association took a lead mainly inpreserving seaweed beds and mudflats, cleaning bedrocks (to remove Diadema
setosum), and installing mother algae to recover and maintain the environment
and the ecosystem.
Project for Helping the Fisheries Industry
Exercise Multiple Functions(Diadema setosum being removed)

Seedling release
Usuki City releases seedlings of certain species into fishing grounds to preserveand increase resources.

Seedlings released in 2020
Seawater surface• Prawns• Red sea urchins• Marbled soles• Japanese abalones and disk abalones

River• Ayu • Chinese softshell turtles• Eels • Mitten crabs
24Branding Locally Produced Fish andPromoting Local Food Production and Consumption
In 2014, to expand the consumption of locally produced fishery products and increase fishers’ income, Usuki City
established the Usuki Umi no Honmamon Fishery Promotion Council, which consists of the Oita Fisheries Cooperative
Association and food and beverage establishments . This organization makes various efforts toward the following two
major goals: build a brand of fish caught in Usuki and promote local food production and consumption .

Efforts to build a brand
The council brands fish caught in Usuki City as Usuki’s Local Fish in an attempt toenhance their prices.
✓

Mak e “Caught in Usuk i” stick ers and distribute them so that they are affixed to Usuk i’s Local
Fish sold at supermark ets and fish stores✓

Mak e banners, posters and other promotional goods and place them at supermark ets✓

Mak e awareness -raising goods (Usuk i’s Local Fish plastic file folders) and distribute them to all
the elementary schools in the city

“Caught in Usuki”
stickers

Promotion of local food production and consumption
The council promotes local food production and consumption among the citizens of Usuki City and conducts various
awareness-raising activities in the city, including the following:✓

Developed the Usuk i’s Local Fish Restaurant certification system (and certified 33 restaurants in the city where dishes of
Usuk i’s Local Fish are always available)✓

Developed a pamphlet to familiarize tourists and local citizens with certified Usuk i’s Local Fish Restaurants, helped theserestaurants develop new recipes with locally caught fish, held a locally -caught-fish cuisine fair, and provided the storeswith promotional goods✓

Conducts the Usuk i’s Fish Day awareness -raising campaign (an awareness -raising activity at supermark ets on the fourth
Friday of every month)✓

Conducts a campaign to encourage the consumption of seafood caught in Usuk i✓

Introduces how to enjoy Usuk i’s Local Fish (dishes) in city reports (six times a year)✓

Holds lectures by fishers on how to cook Usuk i’s Local Fish and how to cut and trim a fish✓

Holds an early-morning open seafood mark et at a fish mark et concurrently with a seafood serving event where Usuk i’s
fresh seafood can be enjoyed (on every Saturday)

25

Open Lab
Usuroku Open Lab
The Usurok u Open Lab is a laboratory freely available to citizens. This equipment wasestablished to promote the agricultural and fishing diversification of Usuk i City.
The lab is housed in Sala de Usuk i, a facility established in 2002 as an information base.
W hen Sala de Usuk i was revamped in 2016 into a complex facility featuring food with theconcept of Usuk i’s k itchen , a section of the complex facility turned into the Usurok u OpenLab, a food processing and development facility available for product development tocitizens, including people engaged in agriculture, forestry, fishery, and food and beveragebusinesses.
The lab is equipped with a wide variety of processing equipment, including a sharp
freezer and a food dehydrator, helping visitors develop new products and recipes andembark on a new business. The lab also holds food tasting events and opinion exchange
meetings through which participants can share and polish their ideas, which has led to thedevelopment of many processed products.

Data for FY 2019
Open Lab usage: 55.2％

Tsumami Kitchen
Tsumami Kitchen is a conference room that has an adjoining open kitchen. As a place to get together ( tsudou),
learn (manabu) about food, and horn ( migaku) skills, this facility housed in Sala de Usuki is used for dietaryeducation activities, including cooking classes and food tasting events.

Usuki City branding support projectThis project supports the development, commercialization, and sales channel expansion ofprocessed products that use local resources and as few additives as possible, and theintroduction of equipment for such purposes.

Usuki City brand certification system Usuki’s Local Produce
Usuki City certifies processed products that use local resources and as few additives as
possible and display Usuki’s charm as the city’s specialty goods. This certification has been
granted to 82 items (produced by 20 business operators), and they are used as gifts in returnfor hometown tax donation and also sold at tourist facilities around the city.

26

International Exchange
Sister city and Friendly city
Kandy, Sri Lanka(Sister city since 1967)

Buddhist culture, which Usuki and Kandy have in common, has led to a sister city
relationship between them: Kandy is a sanctuary of Sri Lanka Buddhism, while Usuki has
Usuki Stone Buddhas. In recent years, Usuki sent officials to Kandy to learn about Sri
Lankan culinary culture, agriculture and forestry. Kandy also sent theirs to Usuki to learn
from its soil preparation activities. Usuki City has provided students with opportunities tobe exposed to Sri Lankan culinary culture through school lunch and cooking class.

Both Usuki and Dunhuang have a group of old stone Buddhas and share a stone
construction culture, which has caused the cities to form a friendly city relationshipbetween them. They once interacted with each other in the fields of tourism andagriculture. Especially regarding the latter, Usuki admitted trainees in agricultural
engineering from Dunhuang and offered training in agriculture of environmental
conservation type and soil preparation activities.

Dunhuang, China(Friendly city since 1994)

Internship program
In FY 2019, at the request of the University of Cambridge, Usuki started to offer internship opportunities to its
students majoring in Japanese Studies in the Faculty of Asian & Middle Eastern Studies.

Partner companies in the city⚫

Sake producer: Kuge Honten Co., Ltd.

⚫

Miso and soy sauce producer: Fundokin Shoyu Co., Ltd.

⚫

Organic green tea producer: Takahashi Green Tea Co., Ltd.

Number of interns admitted (FY 2019):
One at Takahashi Green Tea

Goals

Admissionofinterns

Adopt Cambridge’s
perspective anddevelop a higher-valueadded city
Promote and continue
exchange with
Cambridge
27Forest Cultivation for Water Source Cultivation
Usuki City is a community where a water cycle completes within itself: when it rains in a forest, the rainwater isabsorbed by the forest ground, from which mineral -rich water flows through rivers into the sea, soaking cultivated fields
and the sea. Exploiting this advantage, Usuki City aims to build a society where resources are recycled within the area.
For that purpose, in 2012, the city developed the Usuki City Forest Maintenance Plan and launched the Project forDeveloping a Model of Growing Forests for Water Source Cultivation, aiming to have 100 -year-old forests.

History (examples of past activities and incidents)→ T o ac c um ulate f unds required f or water

1986

Enacted t he Usuki Cit y O rdinance for Funding Forests as W ater Sourcess ourc e c ultivatio n, inc luding af f or es tation and f ores t m aintenanc e

2011

Suf f ered a s er ious lac k of water ( drink ing and agric ultural water) due to s c anty rainf all
Es tablis hed the Us uk i City T as k Forc e on W ater Res ourc es Surve y at the c ity as s em bly
Is s ued the Rec om m endation on Bus ines s Deploym ent T oward the Sec uring of W ater Res ourc es

2012
Developed the Us uk i City For es t Maintenanc e Plan
Des ignated a Model Ar ea f or Maintain ing and Enhanc ing W ater Sourc e Cultivat io n Func tions
2016

Es tablis hed the Counc il Conc er ning Us uk i’s Honm am on Ingredients and the Regional Circ ulati on of Energy Res ourc es

2018

Conduc ted a s ur vey to develop the Us uk i City W oody Biom as s - bas ed Sm all Cogeneration Sys tem Introduc tion Plan

Project for Developing a Model of Growing Forests for Water Source Cultivation• Development of a business plan by a regional council consisting of residents inthe area• Subsidy payment for expenses the mayor approves to be covered for the area

Promotethinning▼ To fulfill these objectives…

Shift toenvironmental
forests

To consider an effective use of ligneous resources and guidance
toward a shift to environmental forests

Grow
understory
vegetation

•

Goals
Maintainartificial
forests

To maintain 60 ha of forest per year

Artificial
forests withhigh-function
water source
cultivation

Objectives•

28

Creative Tourism
Usuki City has a wide variety of old and new cultural resources. Through creative tourism that combines themwith the local gastronomic culture, Usuki City will publicize itself as a creative city of gastronomy.

Usuki Stone Buddhas, a historical resource and national treasure
Researchers say that Usuki Stone Buddhas were carved between the late Heian period andthe Kamakura period .(in the 7 th and 13 th centuries)
Seven to eight out of ten stone Buddhas in Japan, including those carved into rock walls,
are in Oita Pref ., and f ive to six out of those in the pref ecture are in Usuki City. Usuki Stone
Buddhas are a leading group of stone Buddhas in Japan in terms of scale, the number ofstatues, and carving quality. In 1995, the government designated 59 out of 61 Usuki Stone
Buddhas as a national treasure, making them the f irst stone Buddhas carved into rock walls
to join the ranks of national treasures and also Kyushu’s f irst sculpture to join them . Today,
all the 61 f igures are under the designation.

Usukiyaki, pottery that was once extinct
Usukiyaki pottery, which f lourished f or only about ten years in the late Edo period,has been revived by young potters in Usuki City with a modern twist .
They open their ateliers to the public not only to promote Usuki City through theirceramics but also to publicize the local gastronomic culture and pass it on to the next
generation, exploring new approaches in the f ield of craf t.

Movies featuring organic farming in Usuki City
Usuki City supported the production of A Dialogue: Living Harmony , a movie (released in 2014) thatf ocuses on organic f arming promotional activities, hoping that the citizens of Usuki would share thef ollowing vision and make it come true: each citizen sits at the table with their f amily members to enjoy
the taste of homemade dishes cooked with saf e and f resh, local ingredients and stays healthy f or the
rest of their lif e, creating the f uture of the city. There is another movie set in Usuki City: A Sower ofSeeds (2012), which f eatures organic tea cultivation there.

29

Creative Tourism
The Way of Gourmet Cooking in USUKI
Usuki City has branded its local cuisine and launched a project to create awide variety of local gastronomic culture and pass it on to the next generation.
The city has produced The Way of Gourmet Cooking in USUKI , a set of videos
that promote the eight facets of Usuki’s gastronomic culture, and has them run
on TV as a commercial and posted them on YouTube.
Produced with the catchphrase “A city’s local cuisine tells you much about thecity’s culture,” these eight videos on the following topics are viewable: local
cuisine, Buddhist vegetarian cuisine, puffer fish, locally brewed sake, soy sauce,miso, vegetables with authentic flavors, and honzen cuisine.

The Way of Gourmet Cooking in USUKI

Search(https://usuki-syokubunka.com/bishokudo.html#english)

Green tourism
In Usuki City, about 50 farmers are involved in green tourism mainly byaccommodating tourists at their villages. Guests have a hands -on experience
unique to a farming village, for example, doing some farming with the farmers,cooking in a group, and enjoying the meal together.
In recent years, over 1,000 guests come every year. They are mainly
Japanese students on an educational trip, but overseas guests, including thosefrom Asia and Europe, account for nearly 50% of all the guests.
30

A Small Town Young Japanese Want to Live in“The Best Rural Areas to Live in” rankings
Inakagurashi no Hon (published by Takarajimasha, Inc.), Japan’s only monthly magazine that introduces country
living, releases these rankings every year.
This magazine conducts a questionnaire, asking municipal governments that actively encourage people to move into
them and settle there 220 questions about relocation assistance measures, healthcare, parenting, the naturalenvironment, job assistance, and the number of people who have moved into their municipalities. Based on answers
from over 600 local governments, the magazine quantifies the advantages of living in the countryside and show thequestionnaire results in the form of rankings.

In first place three years in a row
In the “Areas the Younger Generation Wants to Live in” category
Usuki took first place in the “Areas the Younger Generation Wants to Live in” category three years in a row from2018 among small municipalities (with a population of less than 100 thousand).
Usuki also took first place in the “Areas the Senior Generation Wants to Live in” category in 2019 and 2020. Rich inresources and relocation -encouraging measures, Usuki enjoys a high reputation.

Changes in the number of
those who moved in (all ages)

Changes in the number of those who moved in (age breakdown)
2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

30s

40s

50s

60s

70s

80s

80
266
172

220

203

255

231

60
40
20

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

0

0-4

5-9

10-15

16-19

20s

31

A Small Town Young Japanese Want to Live in
An increasing number those who have moved into Usuki City are engaged in organic farming or a restaurant business.

Usuki Farmer’s Market “Hyaku-sta”
On the first Sunday of every month, in a park in front of Usuki Stone
Buddhas, this early-morning market sells organic agricultural products,
processed goods made of them, and breakfast.
This market, led by an organic farmer who has moved into Usuki City,
started in 2017 with the concept of “an early -morning market to discover
new value like a story of produce going from soil (farmers) to the dining
table (customers).”
This early-morning market has grown into a very popular one that
attracts many customers from in and outside the city.
(“Hyaku-sta” means hyakusho’s (“farmers’”) standards.)

French restaurant mikanguraThis French restaurant named mikangura is housed in arenovated 50-year-old mikangura (“mandarin orange
storehouse”) that stands in a farming area of Usuki City.
A family, who has settled there hoping to live in a peacefulvillage near a forest, opened the restaurant in 2020.
The restaurant serves original dishes cooked with local
ingredients, most of which are Honmamon Agricultural Products.
It has been so popular since its founding that one cannot
readily make a reservation.
32

Usuki’s Attempt to Become a Creative City of Gastronomy
through Fermentation and Circulation
New attempts

While strategically integrating projects for water and soil circulation and strongly promoting them, Usuki
contributes to the UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN) and the SDGs through international cooperation.
To strengthen measures toward sustainable development and activate global partnership17.14 To enhance consistency between the policies for sustainable development
17.17 To encourage and promote effective partnership between public organs, between the government and the people, and in civil society.
To make urban and inhabited areas inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable
11. 3 To promote comprehensive and sustainable urbanization, strengthen plans for participative, inclusive and sustainable habitation,and enhance the capability to control such habitation
11. a To support good connections between urban, suburban and rural areas from economic, social and environmental perspectives

Current projects

Sustaina
ble forest
management

Mountainous
areas
Forestcultivation forwater source
cultivation

Sustainable
management of waterand hygiene

Timber fromforest thinning

Sustainableeconomic
growth and thepromotion ofdecent work

Promotion ofsustainableagriculture

Resilientinfrastructuredevelopment,sustainable industry,
and innovation
expansion

Securing
opportunities forinclusive, fair andhigh-quality education,and the promotion ofopportunities forlifelong learning

Distribute food products

and consumption

FarmlandRaw materials

Fermentation

Organic farming
Agriculture ofenvironmental
conservation type

Fermented food industry(miso, soy sauce, sake)

Oita Pref., Kyushu
and across Japan(Overseas in the future)

Local food production
and consumption

Historical identity

Fermentation

Rivers and groundwater
Raw materials

The fermented food industry has
grown due to the simple frugal
dietary culture that originated in
the Edo period and rich sourcesof high quality water

Preservation
and use of theocean andmarineresources

Original certification system

Mature compost

Local food production

CompostManufacturing
CenterTo be achieved
through amembership in
the UCCN

Urban areas(e.g., the castle town)

Branding of local fish
Local food production and
Supply local
consumption
produce to beConservation ofused for school
the seabedlunchenvironment andfishery resources
Gastronomic culture, e.g.,
local dishes, honzen
cuisine, Buddhist
vegetarian cuisine, andOcean
puffer fish

33

Usuki Creative City of Gastronomy Promotion Council
Council overview
EstablishedFebruary 24, 2021

President

Goro Nak ano(Usuk i City Mayor)

Secretariats

The Usuk i Creative City of Gastronomy Promotion Office and other relevant departments

Vice President

Kyoji Kotegawa(President of the Usuk i Chamber of Commerce and Industry)Members

Usuk i City, business communities in Usuk i City, food and beverage establishments, breweries, agriculture - andfishery-related organizations, educational institutions, and tourism -related organizations [20 organizations in total]

Advisors

The Oita Association of Corporate Executives, Ritsumeik an Asia Pacific University, Beppu University, a historicalculinary researcher, a product advisor, and (two departments of) Oita Prefecture[ Seven people in total]

Working group

Those engaged in the fields of brewing (miso, soy sauce, and sak e); organic farming; fishery; research in creative
cities; a food and beverage business; culture; industry and commerce; and gastronomy[ 10 people in total]

Goal

For the promotion of Usuki City as a creative city of gastronomy, develop Usuki City’s basic policies
and plans and, through a membership in the UCCN, build creative industries by creating a wide variety
of gastronomic culture and passing it on to the next generation, and partner with cities in and outside
Japan, thereby attempting to promote and develop local economy, academia and culture.
(1) Handle affairs concerning an application for joining the UCCN

Activities(2) Develop the Usuki Creative City of Gastronomy Promotion Plan
(3) Conduct the Usuki Creative City of Gastronomy Project(4) Conduct promotional projects
34

Usuki Creative City of Gastronomy Promotion Council organizational chart
U s u k i

C r e a t i v e

C i t yo f

G a s t r o n o m y

P r o m o t i o nBusiness communities

Fermenting/Brewing industries• Usuki Chamber of Commerce and Industry• Miso and soy sauce producers in the city

• Notsu-machi Commercial and Industrial Association• Sake breweries in the city

• Usuki City Shopping Street Federation

C o u n c i l

Usuki City
• Usuki City Hall
• Usuki City Municipal Administration
Advisor• Junior Chamber International Usuki

Educational institutions

Ag r i c u l t u r e - a n d f i s h e r y - r e l a t e d o r g a n i z a t i o n s• Oita Prefectural Marine Science SeniorHigh School

Ad v i s o r s• South Div., J A O i t a• Oita Prefectural Usuki High School• Oita Association of Corporate
Executives• Usuki Branch, the O i t a F i s h e r i e s C o o p e r a t i v e
Association

Tourism-related organizations• Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific
University• Usuki Tourism Association• Beppu University• Machidzukuri Usuki Co., Ltd.

• FUKUO Ltd.

• Usuki City Liaison Council of W omen’sO r g a n i za t i o n s i n F i s h i n g a n d A g r i c u l t u r a lVillages• Honmamon Agricultural Products Promotion
N e t wo r k
Food and beverage establishments• Usuki City Restaurant and Bar Union• Food and beverage establishments in the city

W o r k i n g

g r o u p

Those engaged in the following fields (one person each):• Fermenting (miso)• Research in creative cities• Fermenting (soy sauce)• Food and beverage business• Brewing (sake)• Culture• organic farming• Industry and commerce• Fishery• Gastronomy• Hitoneru Academy

Others• Usuki Dietary Habit Improvement
Promotion Council• Council Concerning Usuki’s Honmamon
Ingredients and the Regional Circulation ofEnergy Resources• Oita Prefecture Central
Promotion Bureau• Oita Prefecture Art, Culture andSports Promotion Div.

S e c r e t a r i a t s ( U s u k i• Deputy Mayor

C i t yH a l l )• Secretary and General Policy Div• Policy Supervisor (responsible for the• Hospitality and Tourism Div.
promotion of the Creative City of Gastronomy • Agriculture and Forestry Promotion Div.
project)• Culture and Cultural Properties Div.
• Policy Supervisor (in charge of general• School Education Div.
affairs and planning)• Creative City of Gastronomy Promotion
Office, the Industrial Promotion Div.

35

Usuki Creative City of Gastronomy Promotion Council FY 2021 Action Plan
Aiming to promote Usuki City as a creative city of gastronomy by making use of its wide variety of gastronomic culture, thecouncil plans to conduct pioneering projects in collaboration with agricultural, f orestry and f ishery workers, f ood processin gcompanies, f ood and beverage establishments, tourism organizations, and educational research institutions.

1

2
3
4
5

The Usuki Gastronomic Culture Archives project
To organize information about Usuki’s fermenting/brewing culture, local dishes, and honzen cuisine into archives and widely disseminate the information
through brochures, webpages, and exhibition

The Expanded Consumption of Honmamon Agricultural Products and Usuki's Local Fish project
To hold fairs and hands-on tours to expand the consumption of agricultural, forestry and fishery products produced in the city at food and beverage
establishments

The Usuki Gastronomic Culture Hands-on Experience Program project
To develop and conduct hands-on programs on the themes of gastronomic culture, the SDGs, and organic farming

The Usuki Gastronomic Culture Film Festival project
To hold screenings of a movie themed on Yamagata’s heirloom vegetables and a movie featuring Usuki City’s activities centered on food; and related events

The Promotion of the Use of Usuki Local Pottery project
To develop a leaflet that contains information about the pottery industry in the city and provide its copies for food and beverage establishments

The Organic School Lunch project6

To have all the schools in the city use 100% Honmamon Agricultural Products for school lunch and promote dietary education

The Marriage of Food and Local Sake project7

To organize information about Usuki’s brewing culture, local dishes, and honzen cuisine into archives and widely disseminate the information throughbrochures, webpages, and exhibition

The Usuki’s Stories of Gastronomic Culture project8

To develop guides who can speak a tempting gastronomy of Usuki City to its citizen, tourists, and so on.

9

Symposiums in the city and promotional activities in the Tokyo metropolitan area36