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.

I don’t think there is anyone who lives in this area who doesn’t know about Lake Hamana. I think everyone has at least once gone out to collect clams, go fishing, or go for a drive along the shore of Lake Hamana. Lake Hamana is a very familiar place to us.

What would you say if someone asked you again, “What kind of place is Lake Hamana?” You probably won’t be able to give a good answer like, “Hmm. There’s nothing special about it…” I want to know more about Lake Hamana. With this in mind, I began creating this “Sea Lake Textbook”.

This book was originally based on a poster titled “50 Amazing Things in Hamamatsu and Lake Hamana”. This poster is intended to convey that there are many wonderful things to see in the Hamamatsu/Lake Hamana area. The “Lake of the Sea Textbook” is an even more in-depth study. Both were created for local elementary and junior high school students, and were produced as part of the “Lake Hamana Tourism Area” project, which is working to create a tourist area that encompasses Hamamatsu City and Kosai City. Normally, when we think of tourism, we think of inviting visitors from outside, but why local elementary and junior high school students? There is a reason for this.

Have you ever heard of the term civic pride? It means that citizens have pride and attachment to their region. In the field of tourism, there is now a need to foster this civic pride. So why does fostering civic pride lead to tourism?

When you feel pride and attachment to your region, you can’t help but want to share it with others. “Lake Hamana is an amazing place, so come and visit us!” When residents say these words one after another, they attract people from outside, and the residents want to convey the goodness of Lake Hamana to people who come from outside. It will be. And the goodness of Lake Hamana is passed on from person to person. This is the ideal form.

So what can we do to help residents feel civic pride? First of all, let’s let people know that Lake Hamana is amazing! With that in mind, I created 50 amazing posters. The first thing you need to do is stop and look at the poster. After that, I decided to create a textbook that would be more accessible and readable. First, by getting elementary and junior high school students interested, the children will pass it on to their parents, and the parents will also become interested. I want to create something that will lead to understanding the richness of Lake Hamana.

How was Lake Hamana formed?

When did it become connected to the sea?

What kind of creatures do the fish and shellfish live in?

It’s connected to the sea, but is it salty?

How deep is it?

Did you know that Hamamatsu ranks first among the 20 largest cities in Japan in terms of the percentage of households that own a pet dog? Since there are many dog ​​lovers, there are naturally many facilities that welcome dogs and other pets. This time, I would like to introduce spots around Hamamatsu and Lake Hamana where you can easily go and play with your dog.

This time we will be traveling with Mr. Iijima’s family who live in Hamamatsu City. My beloved dogs are Siberian Huskies “Ritaro-kun” (left) and “Kotaro-kun” (right).

Ritarou is a gentle and friendly dog ​​who plays well with all dogs. He loves chasing other dogs at the dog park and digging holes.

Kotaro is a spoiled and lonely dog ​​who gets angry and howls when his owner interacts with children. Even though he’s a Siberian Husky, he doesn’t really like walking and is sensitive to the cold.

By the way, both of them love bread.

Next, Jenne and her friends came to Nicoe, which is also located in Hamakita. This facility opened in July 2014 and is operated by Shunkado, famous for its eel pie. Based on the concept of “Hamakita Sweets Community, transmitting a new culture and style of sweets,” it is a facility that everyone from children to adults can enjoy. Of course, they also sell eel pies, and you can purchase most of the sweets made by Shunkado. That’s not all. There is also a different blend called Gokokuya, and there are also sweets that can only be purchased at Nicoe in Hamamatsu City.

On this day, Sea Lake HAMANA Jenne came to Hamakita Ward, Hamamatsu City. Hamakita Ward, which functions as Hamamatsu City’s sub-center and has a large population, has forest parks and rice fields, giving the impression of a lush cityscape. This area has the image of being more of a residential area and restaurants than a tourist destination, but there are many attractive spots.

In the Hamamatsu/Lake Hamana area, there are many people who share their enthusiasm through a variety of experiences. Is this a challenge that comes from a “Yaramaika spirit”?

Today, Sea Lake HAMANA Jenne and her friends came to the butcher shop “Tonkii” in Hosoe, Chuo Ward, Hamamatsu City. Just from the name, it seems like you can eat delicious meat.

This time, we started with a sausage making experience. After putting on an apron and getting ready to cook, the president first explained about Tonkii’s meat. The president enthusiastically tells us about the meat, what kind of feed is given to the pigs, and what kind of meat is produced from it. The idea behind this experience was that he wanted to share with the people who eat the food things that only those close to him knew about. Jenne and the others listened to his enthusiasm with serious eyes.

The place I booked for lunch that day was Funagiraso. Located right next to the Funagira Dam in Tenryu Ward, Hamamatsu City, it is surrounded by green trees, and you can enjoy your meal while looking out at the emerald green reflection of the dam lake.

Funagiraso, which used to be a Japanese-style inn, is now run by a third-generation chef as a French restaurant. It is a place with clean water, and the specialty of the inn at the time was carp dishes, which were said to be good for pregnant women. If you make a reservation, you can still choose carp as your main dish.