#tsubamesanjo

A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to take a trip to Tsubame-Sanjo, two cities just south of Niigata City. It’s only 20 minutes by Shinkansen or about an hour by local train if you want to take the really cheap route. But don’t let Google Maps trick you: the Shinkansen is only 1,600 yen from Niigata City if you get a non-reserved seat, almost half of the reserved seat price they show. Whatever route you choose, though, a trip to Tsubame-Sanjo is definitely worth it as there’s plenty to do.

Tsubame and Sanjo are known for their metalwork. Flooding in the area made farming difficult, so residents took to making nails to compensate. This work eventually led to more of the crafts we got a chance to see, the first of which was tsuiki copperware at Gyokusendo. After finding copper in nearby Mount Yahiko, Tsubame artisans started crafting copperware. At Gyokusendo, we got a tour of the workshop where they still make pots today as well as a special chance to make a copper plate. Unfortunately, while the tours are open to anyone, the crafting experience isn’t–at least, not yet. For now, it’s only for special events, but it might one day become something you can add on.

However, just the tour itself was fascinating, as you can learn about the history of Gyokusendo and the artisans’ process for making pots. If you’re interested in knowing more, I have an article on the Edge of Niigata website that talks more about copper making, its history, and its present. (https://edge-of-niigata.com/blog/3493/)

After all that hammering, next on the schedule was lunch. At Kamameshi Shogetsu, we were treated to the traditional dish of their name, kamameshi (literally, “kettle rice”). As the translation suggests, the central dish typically includes rice and seafood cooked in a kettle. Cooking it this way burns the bottom of the rice a little, which adds a crispy texture to the dish. This type of meal used to be eaten by groups out of the same pot, but at Kamameshi Shogetsu, you get a serving all to yourself, which is good because you might not want to share. On top of that, it comes with sides ranging from the more typical miso soup to egg custard and some very good sashimi.

The next two stops on our trip to Tsubame-Sanjo had us taking a look at iron metalwork. While Tsubame is known for copperware, Sanjo leans more towards ironwork. Our first stop, the Tojiro Knife Factory, was still in Tsubame, but it was a good introduction. We talked to their main blacksmith while he worked before checking out parts of the factory. In the end, the blacksmith showed us some engraving, the hardest part of knife-making at Tojiro since one mistake could ruin the product. He even made us each a souvenir metal keychain with our names. The only downside was parts of the factory were closed and not many people were working because it was the weekend, so definitely go on a weekday if you can. 

After that, we finally made our way across the tracks to Kaji Dojo in Sanjo where we made a letter opener from a nail. Kaji Dojo has several different forging experiences, of which paper knife making is the most expensive, but that's not saying much since it’s only 1,000 yen. While we were a little short on time and the forgers didn’t speak much English, they were very helpful and made sure we all got a nice final product.

Our day ended with another copper experience, this time including some engraving. the instructor had us practice with scrap copper before moving on to the real thing: a leaf chopstick holder. We each got a small flat copper leaf that we first engraved with a chisel to make veins, then used a rubber hammer to bend it just so to make it stand. Surprisingly, I found the engraving to be one of the hardest things we did that day. It took me nearly all of my practice pieces to somewhat get it down, and even then the first few lines on my leaf were shaky. However, I did manage to hammer mine so it wasn’t too wobbly without much help, though the instructor still made a few adjustments. The final step included bending the stem and tip of the leaf up slightly so that your chopsticks don’t go rolling off.

My trip to Tsubame-Sanjo was an unforgettable one. Not only did we get to experience the rich history of metalwork in the two cities through tours and firsthand experience, but by the end of the day, I had a nice collection of souvenirs to take home too. I still don’t know what to do with them all, but I’m happy to have them to simply decorate my new home. And the best part of all these places is that they’re mostly along the Yahiko line, so they’re not too hard to get to.

My souvenirs:

If you’re thinking about a trip to Tsubame-Sanjo, here are links to all the places mentioned:

Gyokusendo- https://www.gyokusendo.com/en/ 

Kamameshi Shogetsu- https://goo.gl/maps/y6k3tDoq5uTv2LQ1A

Tojiro Knife Factory- https://www.tojiro-japan.com/open-factory/ 

Kaji Dojo- https://kajidojo.com/ 

20数年前に札幌に住んでいたころ、それぞれどのお店も美味しかったのですけれど、近所に合ったからと言うだけでなく、個人的に札幌で一番美味しいと思っていたラーメン屋さんがあって、なぜかそのお店にあった「ラーメン発見伝」というマンガを読んで知った燕三条背脂ラーメンを、ようやく食べることができました。 個人的にお気に入りだったそのお店は、どれも美味しかったのですけれど、個人的に好きだったのはしょうゆ系のラーメンだったので、札幌ラーメンなのかどうかは微妙ですけれど、いろんなバランスがとれたラーメンだったと今でも思うし、また食べたいなぁと思うこともあるけど、もうないみたいです。残念。 さて、燕三条背脂ラーメンと言えば杭州飯店が元祖らしいのです。ラーメン発見伝でも登場したのも、杭州飯店です。 ラーメン発見伝で読んだ記憶ですが、杭州飯店のある燕三条は鉄加工産業が盛んで、働く人たちの好みに合わせて濃…