Cooking with Kaen-doki? Tokamachi Jomon Tours” invites participants to experience the Jomon Period（Tokamachi City, Niigata Prefecture）

2022.8.9

Tokamachi Jomon Tours, a premium tour that allows visitors to experience the Jomon Period in Tokamachi City, Niigata Prefecture, will take place on Sunday, September 11. Tour participants are currently being recruited.

This tour has been organized by the Tokamachi City Board of Education for the past three years.

This tour is designed to give visitors a sense that the art and culture rooted in Tokamachi City are closely connected to the local food, clothing, and shelter based on the natural background, and that they all began in the “Jomon” period (the Jomon period in the 8th century).

This tour has been held several times a year on an irregular basis.Last year, the tour won the “Shokukakeru Prize 2021” sponsored by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, which recognizes food experiences that provide in-depth knowledge of food and food culture in various regions of Japan.

This tour has been held several times a year on an irregular basis, and last year it won the “Shokukakeru Prize 2021” sponsored by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, which recognizes food experiences that provide in-depth knowledge of food and food culture in various regions of Japan.

The September tour is titled “Tokamachi Jomon Tours – Jomon Restaurant with Autumn Breeze” and will focus on Jomon restaurants without activities. On the day of the tour, participants will gather at the Tokamachi City Tourist Information Center, take a tour of the Tokamachi City Museum with a special commentary by the museum curator, take a mini-tour of the Sasayama Ruins Plaza where the national treasure Kaen earthenware was excavated, and then enjoy a special dinner at a Jomon restaurant.

The Jomon Restaurant is an open-air restaurant set up at the Sasayama Ruins. The menu was created under the supervision of Ms. Chisako Hori, the manager of the Kyoto ryotei restaurant “Kikunoi,” who also opened her own restaurant, and archaeologist Shinya Shoda, who has done research on the period.

Example of Special Menu

Visitors can enjoy special menus prepared to suit modern tastes using traditional natural and local ingredients such as acorns and other nuts, wild boar and other game species, river fish, and wild vegetables, as well as hot pot dishes cooked in a pit dwelling that is a testament to life in the Jomon period, using an elaborate replica of a flaming earthenware vessel.

Tour applications can be made through the website. Please check the website for detailed information.

Tokamachi Jomon Tours (Tokamachi City Tourism Association)

Tokamachi Jomon Tours – Jomon Restaurant in the Autumn Breeze
■Date and time: September 11 (Sun.) 16:10 gathering, 20:40 dismissal (tentative)
■Itinerary: Tokamachi City Tourist Information Center – Tokamachi City Museum – Sasayama Ruins Plaza and Sasayama Ruins Mini Tour – Jomon Restaurant
Fee: 20,000 yen per person (tax included)
Inquiries: TEL 025-757-3345 (Tokamachi City Tourist Association)
■Home Page: https://www.tokamachishikankou.jp/jomon-tours/