If you were asked, “What snack goes best with beer?”, how would you answer?

Edamame, fried chicken, and potatoes. While there are many different dishes that come to mind, one that you must not forget is “gyoza”! .

“Hamamatsu Gyoza” competes with Utsunomiya Gyoza every year for the number one spot in Japan in terms of gyoza consumption. This time, we will be reporting on the “Introduction to recommended gyoza” held on YOUTUBE in conjunction with the “Hamamatsu Craft Beer Adventure” where you can enjoy craft beers from all over the country.

*What is Sea Lake HAMANA Jenne? A team of 12 women who are active in the area who promote the charm of the local area on SNS.

The rainy season is over and summer is in full swing. Supermarkets are busy selling “Doyo no Ushi” eel. For a long time, people believed that people should eat eel to get plenty of nutrients during the summer when people tend to get sick, and there are poems about eel in the Manyoshu.

We spoke to Mr. Masaaki Yamashita of Tenpo Co., Ltd. second generation Ikeban Co., Ltd., who runs an eel farm in Hamamatsu City, about eel, which Japanese people have a connection with and love.

Left/Mr. Shota Yamashita, 3rd generation pond keeper, Right/Mr. Masaaki Yamashita, 2nd generation pond keeper

If you are a citizen of Hamamatsu, you can name your favorite gyoza restaurant and say, “I love the gyoza here!”

“Hamamatsu Gyoza” is one of the local foods that cannot be overstated.

Currently, there are approximately 80 gyoza specialty shops in Hamamatsu City, and over 300 gyoza shops.

Hamamatsu gyoza is extremely popular all over the country.

The definition of “Hamamatsu Gyoza” is “made in Hamamatsu City” and “people who have lived in Hamamatsu City for more than 3 years”.

There are two examples.

What is the history of Hamamatsu Gyoza that is rooted in Hamamatsu City?

As I was thinking about this, I started to want to eat the original Hamamatsu gyoza.

In Tenryu Ward, Hamamatsu City, there is a 100% natural wine cellar made from a reused unfinished railway tunnel. The entrance to the cellar that suddenly appears in the midst of the great nature of Tenryu has a mystical atmosphere that makes you feel like you have wandered into the world of a story. “Hamamatsu Wine Cellar” is a place only known among wine lovers. .

I heard that a new initiative was being taken at this facility, and on that day I visited it with freelance announcer Minori Konuma, Umi no Lake HAMANA Jenne, Ogawa Ayano, and Okubo Yuna.

As people spend more time at home, more and more people are becoming particular about cooking. Perhaps because people want to show off their delicious food, tableware and cutlery designed to look good on social media are popular.

Did you know that in the mountains of Tenryu Ward, Hamamatsu City, cutlery is made that not only looks good on social media but is also comfortable to use? It has been recognized by world-renowned restaurant chefs, and was used to accompany the food at rival restaurant gaku in the fall 2019 drama “Grand Maison Tokyo” starring Mr. Takuya Kimura.

[At the workshop. Blue bean plate, cutlery (spoon and fork), new round plate]

This is the work of Mr. Roberto Jun Yuasa, who has a workshop in Tenryu Ward.

When I first saw it on Instagram, I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw the words “#woodworking” and “#woodcarving” in the tags. This was because it was so different from the warm image of wooden cutlery that I had until then. Although I had no interest in wooden tableware, I was fascinated by the quiet works that seemed hard and cold at first glance. This is because the photos showed spoons and forks that were so delicate and delicate that it was hard to believe they were carved from wood.

Actually, I’m conflicted between wanting to introduce him and wanting to keep it a secret. Because I haven’t been able to get one myself yet. On exhibition days in Hamamatsu City, more than 20 people line up from the morning, and the works are so popular that they sell out in seconds when sold online.

It’s been two years since I learned about him through his photos, but I had the opportunity to see his work in person for the first time.

I heard that there is a place in Harunocho, Tenryu Ward, Hamamatsu City that is called “Tenryu’s Karuizawa.” Once a month, you can enjoy freshly baked pizza made in a wood-fired oven. The name of the shop is Harubaru.

Blood thinning, fatigue recovery, constipation relief, and anti-aging. All of these are health words that you may be interested in.

There’s something about this health word that really hits home. Onions are a classic vegetable that everyone knows. You can boil it, stir-fry it, or have it in Japanese, Western, or Chinese style! It is a versatile ingredient.

I think many people are aware of the high nutritional value of onions, which have been featured frequently on health programs in recent years, but did you know that onions are sensitive to heat and water? It is said that eating raw is the best way to absorb nutrients more effectively. However, regular onions have a uniquely strong spiciness and are difficult to eat raw.

Therefore, I would like to recommend pure white onions from Shinohara, Chuo-ku, Hamamatsu City, which are less spicy. They are the earliest onions in Japan to be shipped early in the new year, and are delicious and can be eaten raw.

Harvested white onions from Shinohara with pure white skin.

Speaking of onions that can be eaten raw, “new onions” are in season from spring to early summer (March to May). Shinohara-grown white onions are faster than that. It will be available from January, right after the New Year. The Shinohara district is located in the south of Hamamatsu City, close to the sea. The region has been a thriving producer of onions since the Meiji era, with a warm climate suitable for growing onions, sandy soil with good drainage, and a high groundwater level.

However, rather than the typical brown onions with dry skins, the onions produced here are harvested with green leaves and are shipped immediately. It is shipped under names such as “salad onion,” “white onion,” and “white onion.”

I went on a touring tour using YSP Hamamatsu’s rental bike in the summer and it was so much fun and unforgettable that I thought I’d go touring somewhere nearby again! That’s what we talked about.

I decided to go on a touring trip with a theme, so I decided to go on a motorcycle trip with the title “Touring around the dragons of Lake Okuhamana.” I would like to introduce that situation.

Hamamatsu Craft Beer Festival is held every year at Solamo where you can enjoy unique craft beers from all over the country. This year (2020), in consideration of safety and security, the event at Solamo has been canceled and will be held online. Over the past few years, craft beer has become a common sight on the menu at restaurants, and it seems that there are many fans across the country. Many of you may be wondering how you can enjoy this year’s online event. I would like to introduce how to enjoy Hamamatsu Craft Beer Festival ONLINE 2020, which will be held this weekend. (This event has already ended)

The mornings and evenings are getting much cooler. It’s still hot during the day, but I think there are more and more people who want to go out but are worried about where they’re going and how they’re going to spend their time there.

This time, I would like to introduce a special plan that will make you feel like you are at a resort while eating fresh and delicious seafood caught at Lake Hamana in an environment that avoids crowds.

This year too, the delicious treasure grown in the forest, “Kicoro forest scented tea,” will be coming to town.

It is Kuromoji tea from Tenryu Forest, which was created with the idea of ​​being an “entrance to get people interested in the forest,” and is harvested only once a year in early spring.

I first encountered this tea four years ago. At a cafe in Tenryu Ward, a friend recommended it to me and said, “This Kuromoji tea is delicious. It’s made from wood.” When I asked her, “What is a tree? You mean the leaves on that tree?”, she answered that they were not actually leaves. When we think of tea, we think of green tea or herbal tea, which is made from soft materials such as leaves and flower petals. So when I was told that it was made from wood, I couldn’t imagine it.

What arrived on the table was a gentle pink tea with a very nice aroma that overturned the image of “wood”.

You may not be familiar with the “Kuromoji” tree, but you might know it as a sweet toothpick used to cut up Japanese sweets and bring them to your mouth.

Nowadays, many of them are made of plastic or other wood, but they were originally made from the Kuromoji tree, which has a pleasant aroma and antibacterial properties. It is well known that when Sen no Rikyu, a famous tea master, made tea for Oda Nobunaga and Toyotomi Hideyoshi, he offered them a freshly shaved fragrant toothpick from a branch of the Kuromoji tree in his garden. The scent of Kuromoji may have soothed the spirits of war-torn military commanders.

Japanese sweets and Kuromoji cutting sweets

Kuromoji is said to be an aromatic native to Japan, and its refreshing yet sweet scent is said to have antiviral and relaxing effects. It is said that it is also included in Chanel No. 5, and it is a tree that is like the savior of today’s times.

Kuromoji has been drunk for treatment and health since ancient times. A herbal medicine called Usho is made from the leaves and branches, and it is also brewed and drunk as a health tea. So, what is the difference between Tenryu no Mori’s Kuromoji tea and the health teas that have been drunk up until now?

The person who makes Tenryu Forest’s Kuromoji tea is Mr. Takeshi Maeda, who works as a “visible woodcutter” to connect the mountains and the city. Even though I don’t like the outdoors or the rain, I was selfish because I wanted to see the black moji tree. Then, on a rainy day at the start of the rainy season, Mr. Maeda showed me around Kikoro Forest in Tenryu.

As I spend more time at home, I find myself worrying more about what to do, especially on holidays. At that time, I happened to look at SNS and saw an experience that an acquaintance had introduced saying that there was something like this. It is a kit called “Shokunin-san” by Ganyudo.

Ganyudo is a long-established traditional store that was founded in the Meiji era, and each of its Japanese sweets are carefully made by craftsmen, and from the appearance to the taste, each one is overflowing with a sense of happiness that cannot be expressed in words. Ganyudo sells a kit called “Shokunin-san” by mail order, which allows you to make Japanese sweets like a craftsman, but how can you look at the samples without actually having the craftsman nearby? I guess I can get some advice…

With this in mind, I opened the “Shokunin-san” kit I had purchased out of curiosity. I felt a sense of excitement, like opening a gift box. The box had a nice photo of Ganyudo’s Japanese sweets, giving off the atmosphere of a strict, long-established Japanese sweets shop.