Ontayaki, the Mountain Village Home to Japan’s 300-Year-Old Pottery Tradition
We’re finally starting to see the first glimmers of autumn here in the Japanese countryside. Kids are back to school. Rice is harvested, and the appearance of the higanbana spider lilies signals that familiar, comforting seasonal shift back into autumn. If you’re new here, welcome. If you’re returning visitor welcome back. We’re Canadians living in this once akiya, one of Japan’s many abandoned homes. I’m Mika. This is Jesse, and this is our dog, Pancake. Whenever this time of year comes around, it brings a wave of nostalgia, taking us right back to the very first months of living in Japan. Before moving to our current abode, our first Japanese home was a barebones apartment in Oita Prefecture on Kyushu Island. The first mission was getting set up with everything. Getting the major appliances, furniture, and most importantly, stocking the kitchen with essentials like plates and mugs. To find the right pieces, We drove our first k-car to the historic pottery village of Onta where we loaded up on their distinctive chatter-marked pottery to start our new lives here in Japan. And since then it’s survived countless meals, moved with us to a new house, and now it’s time for another restock. So we’re going to take a road trip back to Onta. And of course, Pancake is coming along. As we wind our way back to our old stomping grounds, the biggest question isn’t what’s changed? It’s how do we even get there? You know the feeling. Wandering aimlessly, constantly searching for one flickering bar of signal for some half decent wifi. So when you’re out trying to navigate those remote backroads The last thing you want to do is lose your signal and end up wandering around aimlessly hunting for spotty Wi-Fi. and in times like these, having a dependable travel companion is invaluable. And that companion is today’s sponsor, Saily. Sally is an affordable, easy to use eSIM that gives flexible mobile and internet connections from anywhere around the world. Sally automatically connects you to the best local providers in over 200 countries, with endless plan options which you can select all from your app. and no roaming charges. If you’re traveling soon, Sally gave me a special MAIGOMIKA discount code, specially for my viewers, which will get you 15% off your plan. You can either go to Saily.com/maigomika or just download the app. Just make sure to use my code MAIGOMIKA at checkout So you can get that 15% off your plan. Saily works with all iOS and Android devices. Just make sure your device is unlocked from your current provider. So if you’re planning on traveling this year and you want to stay connected, then be sure to check out Saily.com/maigomika You can also download the app. Just be sure to use my MAIGOMIKA code to get your 15% off on your first plan. Happy travels! And thank you again to Saily for sponsoring this video. After three hours by ferry from Shikoku to Kyushu, we drove deep inland to the mountains of Onta. But the first thing we notice when we arrive isn’t the scenery, it’s the sound. “Welcome to Onta” That rhythmic echoing clunk is the kara-usu, a slow moving water powered hammer Ontayaki, a pottery tradition dating back to the early 18th century, relies entirely on local materials, with clay harvested right here from the surrounding environment. Since the traditional pottery methods were introduced to the area over 300 years ago, the artisans here still continue to use those same methods. You can recognize this pottery by its signature rhythmic textured pattern. Created by gently holding a thin notched stick to a leather-hard clay as it spins on the hand-spun wheel. The techniques and knowledge are passed down from parent to child. And today a handful of families still continue this craft. But the real story begins long before the wheel. The water powered hammer harnesses the rivers’ flow rhythmically, pounding the earth into a fine powder. This powder is then dissolved in water repeatedly filtered, and finally laid out on a dewatering platform where it rests for several days. The raw clay is turned into pottery clay and handed over to the artisan to be further kneaded and molded, This commitment to the long traditional process harnessing the power of the river using only local clay and carried forward by family knowledge, is why this village is recognized as a Nationally Designated Important Intangible Cultural Property. Before calling it a day, we took a slight detour Hita City. The main attraction here is Mamedamachi a district that beautifully preserves its Edo period streetscape. Hita was historically a vital transport hub and feudal domain in northern Kyushu. And this is where the history lives on. This soy sauce soft serve tasted like toffee! One of my favourite details here is the intricate plasterwork called kote-e, or “trowel art.” This handcrafted art form is created entirely by using just a trowel to sculpt decorative reliefs onto the building façades. Finally, we head back to a rental that is thankfully dog friendly. Pancake is a bit of a cat-dog; he doesn’t like change and needs time to get used to his surroundings. On the other hand, this 100-year-old house is lovely, still showing off its exposed beams. But we won’t have much time to admire the house, yet. “Let’s go outside.” Back home in Shikoku. We carefully unpacked our new Ontayaki pieces. These handcrafted pieces will serve as an enduring symbol marking this new chapter in our lives here. To celebrate, what better way to inaugurate it than to make one of Oita’s own regional soul foods? Unlike other regions in Japan, Oita’s geography made rice farming challenging, leading to a thriving culture of flour-based foods using grains like wheat. Historically, dango-jiru was a vital meal eaten during times of rice shortages. Unlike the round dango-like balls in Oita, they’re pulled into long strips by hand. They’re much chewier than your standard noodles. A texture that really holds up in the barley miso based soup. It’s packed with vegetables like gobo, daikon, carrots with some green onions to top it all off. Going back to Oita was like reconnecting to the very start of our lives here in Japan. Our Ontayaki may eventually chip age and eventually break. The memories they hold always remind us of how we started anew in a country we now call home. As always, a big thank you to our amazing subscribers Thanks again to Saily for sponsoring this video. And check out my special MAIGOMIKA discount code for 15% off your eSIM for your next trip abroad. If you’d like to see an extended voiceover free version of this video, you can find it and other videos like it on my Patreon. We’ll see you next time. Bye. They’re after me. They’re after my delicious Canadian blood. Oh wait. I can’t have my towel in my hand. Sorry. One more time, sorry Pancake. Bye. Thank you. Back to the show. Back to the Pancake show. Okay.
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We revisit some of our old haunts from our time when we first settled in Japan, in Kyushu’s Oita Prefecture. We revisited Onta Pottery Village, which is our favorite pottery in Japan (plus probably one of the prettiest villages in Japan), and Pancake got to explore some Kyushu countryside roads, plus we made dango-jiru soup (a regional Oita cuisine) when we got back home!
📖 Read about Onta Village: https://www.maigomika.com/ontayaki-pottery-village/
🧑🍳Dango Jiru Recipe: https://www.maff.go.jp/j/keikaku/syokubunka/k_ryouri/search_menu/menu/dangojiru_oita.html
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📖Chapters
00:00 Intro
00:54 Our first year in Oita, Japa
01:59 15% off your eSIM
03:56 Shikoku to Kyushu
04:27 Welcome to Ontayaki
06:29 How Ontayaki is Made
08:39 Udon and Soba
09:04 Mamedamachi Edo Town
10:30 Old House Rental with Pancake
12:05 Unwrapping Ontayaki
12:53 Dango Jiru
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29 Comments
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素敵な街、器♡かつおTシャツ気に入ってるんですね🐟だんご汁美味しそう！
New subscriber and lover of Japanese country side .How about more of simple Japanese pottery ❤❤❤🙏
yay, new video!
Que vídeo INCRIVEL 🤧👏🏻💕 daqui do Brasil eu amo cada minuto de todos os vídeos, simplesmente maravilhosa a narração e as gravações, transmite um conforto imprescindível 👏🏻👏🏻💕💖
great video
Great video, it went by so quickly. Loved seeing the different villages and learning about them. Beautiful shots of seeing the water working the hammers, the layout of the stream. Many thanks for sharing your journey with everyone.
大分県！小鹿田焼！ この食器のファンです。
映像を見て、訪れたい場所になりました！
Thank you for always including insects. It always makes me smile that you show care for the little things. I loved that hawk moth!
Thank you for sharing the adventure. And the Onosato cameo! New era for everyone it seems!
Wow you guys bought some beautiful pieces of pottery. Look like a wonderful trip.
Watching this on Thanksgiving Monday 🇨🇦
Why is Jason Bateman in this video?
8:34 What I love most about Japan is the unique sort of way the elevations and natural features (roests, rivers, hillsides etc) features and buillt environment (houses, roads, paths, drainage, farms etc) all sort of "fit" together in this unique combination of natural and human crafted. I'm amazed at the tendency to depopulation of rural Japan.
Here in the UK, where, if I do say so myself, we also have some of the world's nicest countryside and rural villages, they're the most desirable and high value places to live, and people are desperate to escape the cities and "move to the country"), but they simply can't afford to. Meanwhile most Japanese seem desperate to move to a megacity, live in a shoebox apartment and work 80 hours a week.
Я видимо пропустил, вы остаетесь в этом доме навсегда? Вы ж раньше искали новый дом.
Time to try cooking dango jiru
Beautiful!
Such a beautiful place. I hope to visit rural Japan someday soon. I love that Pancake gets to tag along. That food looks delicious.
Those noodles looked おいしいいいいい
Big win for Onosato!
A great adventure you both had capturing everything so well 😊.
The nature and old powered water mill from the stream/river.
Beautiful pottery adding some nice 👌 handpainted items for your own use.
Thanks for having us along Simon and Beth watching from England 🏴💚👋💚
Hello 🙋♀️ miss you so much 💗 😘 💖💖🇯🇵🇹🇭
My daughter is a potter too so as you might understand she made us a few bowls throughout the years and out of all the stuff she made us I think only two is broken. So either you need a to take dishwasher class lol or they got to do something wrong there.
The way Pancake looks back to check on you, if you are catching up, is so adorable 🥰 Also I'm new to your channel & thoroughly enjoying your videos while having my morning cup of tea ☺
Also a former Oita resident now living in Shikoku. I am glad someone is giving ontayaki the time it deserves.
Come for the video stay for pancake
日本語の字幕版お願いします😢
It would be really interesting to find out about how you moved to japan as foreigners, what sort of visas you applied for and generally how you made this move
Beautifully told story👌