On Feb. 16, Tuesday, we took part in the “Joyo Food Business Meeting” held at the Tsukuba International Congress Center.
Many businesses and shops related to food had display booths. It was a great opportunity to learn about their trade and to also introduce our Kamado Project activities.
We hope that the experience will lead to some kind of collaboration with the people we met.
(Tanji, 4th Year at School of Art & Design)
Category Archives: Kamado project
Kamado Project “The Autumn Hojo Market”
The Autumn Hojo Market was held on Nov. 1. Although it is getting colder by the day, we were blessed with good weather and got off to a good start!
This time, the Kamado Project workshop attempted to make one’s own kamado, “my kamado”. At first, everyone was like, “What do you mean by my own kamado? But as we got started, we ended up making many charming kamado, as people were absorbed in making their own unique shapes and fixing stones and colorful bricks to their original kamado. The shaped kamado is normally dried under the sun for 2 or 3 days, but this time for faster drying, we used a large earthen charcoal-burning kiln. The children, who also took part, watched with great interest their kamado being fired like a pizza.
In the evening after the Hojo Market was over and everything cleaned up, the Kamado Project team and the members of the Hojo Commerce and Industry Association and the Development and Promotion Bureau got together for a social and friendly dinner. It was an opportunity for the new members of the Kamado team who joined us this year to formally meet the people of Hojo. We heard stories about the beginnings of the Kamado Project, when they started working in Hojo, and about the tornado, which was why the project started in the first place. We had a very enjoyable time with delicious dishes and good sake. We hope to continue our activities with the blessings and favors of the Hojo people.
(Machinaga, 3rd Year at School of Art & Design)
(日本語) 竈プロジェクト「グッドデザイン賞」受賞
The Kamado Project won the “2015 Good Design Award”.
Both the fact that by gathering around the kamado (cooking stove), awareness about disaster prevention, food and community was raised and the system of the Kamado Project itself were recognized and approved.
For details, please click the link below. (Akagi)
Kamado Project “Good Design Show”
Kamado Project: “Dozo (Earthen storehouse) Restoration Workshop”
Over 3 days, July 10, 11, 12, a workshop to restore a dozo (A storehouse with earthen walls.) was carried out at “Tsuchida-san chi (Tsuchida-san’s House)”, the center of the Kamado project’s activity.
The dozo at Tsuchida-san’s house is a huge and handsome structure, but it was not in use because the roof had been damaged. So, with the support of local carpenters and tilers, we fixed the roof so that the dozo could be used in many ways. We also took part by cutting the logs and experiencing “sugi-yaki”, which is the scorching of the surface of the cedar woods. “Sugi-yaki” is carried out to increase the durability of the cedar woods.
The workshop continued over a few days, and we were able to serve the carpenters lunch that we cooked on the kamado.
Although the weather was extremely hot, we would like to thank everyone who helped us.
(Tanji, 4th Year at School of Art & Design)
Kamado Project’s ”Kamado (cooking range) Day”,
Last week, on the 21st, ”Kamado (cooking range) Day” event was carried out at Tsuchida-san’s house.
The weather was a major concern of the day, but luckily, it did not rain!
At the ”Kamado (cooking range) Day” this year, a workshop to make curry with high school and elementary school students and a “Talk Café”, organized by the Vacant Properties Team, to talk about the future of Hojo were held. Four high school students and 3 elementary school students came and took part.
What was different from the previous workshops was that we did a rehearsal with the high school students so that they would know how to use the Kamado (cooking range) and how to cook the curry and would be able to instruct the elementary school students on the actual day. At the event, the elementary school students were very lively and the high school students, in their position as instructor and feeling the responsibility, looked confident.
Two kinds of curry, one for the adults and one for the children, were made, and they were both very tasty!
At the “Talk Café”, organized by the Vacant Properties Team, together with the parents of the elementary school children that took part, we discussed about Hojo while eating pancakes made of rice flour. Everybody spoke actively and willingly and we heard some surprising stories. It was time very well-spent! (Machinaga, 3rd Year at School of Art & Design)
Kamado Project takes part in “Reconstruction: Hojo Spring Market”
On May 6, the Kamado Project took part in “Reconstruction: Hojo Spring Market”. It has been 3 years since the tornado hit the city. The weather turned out to be nice and more people came out than last year.
This year, we conducted a workshop to cook rice on the kamado (Cooking stove) with the students of Hojo Elementary School and Tsukuba High School, and we also sold chimaki onigiri (Bamboo wrapped rice balls), which were cooked on the kamado.
Six elementary school and 5 high school students participated in the workshop. The elementary school pupils were very excited to see a kamado for the first time and had fun starting the fire. Local people also took part on the spot, and some delicious rice was cooked as everyone smiled and had a good time around the kamado. The chimaki was all sold out, and it turned out to be a fulfilling day, and, hopefully, people became more familiar with the kamado. (Touda, 3rd Year at School of Art & Design)
Kamado (Cooking stove) Project Team “The Spring Hojo Market”.
On May 6, 2 years ago, a tornado swept through Hojo in Tsukuba-city. The Spring Hojo Market was held on the 6th and the Kamado Project Team carried out a workshop. Based on a map created by the “Project to strengthen the ties of the local shopping area”, which was organized by the Tsukuba City Society of Commerce & Industry and the Japan Shopping District Support Center and conducted between January and March, the team asked people, who had come to the market and taken part in the workshop, to draw their vision of Hojo 10 Years from now. (Hara)
We would like to thank everyone who came to the workshop, ”The Future of Hojo Shopping Center: Let’s Draw My Town, Our Town!” Thanks to all your efforts, a wonderful map has been created! Although there was a delay due to some problems, we are very glad we were able to make the ohagi (Bean cake) and serve them to the local people, too. A mobile kamado was introduced for the first time. Since it was cold, the kamado also acted as a heater. (LOL) This time, we boiled water for the tea, but next time, we would like everyone to try the rice, which will be cooked on the kamado BIKE!! We are very glad that we were able to connect with many people through the Hojo Market. Thank you very much. (Tanji, 3rd Year at School of Art & Design)
”Kamado (Cooking range) Day” in Hojo, Tsukuba city.
On Nov. 30, the students organized the ”Kamado (cooking range) Day”. Out in the open, 3 hagama (broad-brimmed cooking pot for rice) were arranged on the kamado (cooking range) made of stacked bricks, and new rice (the first crop of rice of the year) was cooked.
Pizza was also baked in the kamado made of L-shaped steel and bricks, and kenchin-jiru (Japanese tofu and vegetable soup) and sumitsukare, a local specialty, were also served to the locals.
The reconstruction support attempt by this Food Culture Team won the Semi Grand Prix at an international design competition, the Tokyo Designers Week 2013. It was a remarkable achievement in that their activity, which brought about events and situations in the disaster stricken areas, was recognized by the design world. (Osaka)
Tokyo Designers Week 2013, School Exhibition: Wins the Semi Grand Prix!
The CR team won the Semi Grand Prix at the Tokyo Designers Week 2013 Asia Awards School Exhibition. The activities of the Aizu team
and Food Culture (Hojo) team and their proposals of lifestyles after the earthquake were highly evaluated. Two and a half years have passed since the earthquake and at the Tokyo venue where the memory is gradually fading, the presentation and winning the prize were significant in promoting our activities. (Iida)
Tokyo Designers Week 2013: Upload of Team Introduction Images, Order of presentation announced.
The Aizu team
and Food Culture (Hojo) team created introduction videos for the Tokyo Designers Week 2013. The videos have been uploaded on You Tube. Please take a look.
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The Aizu team
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Food Culture (Hojo) team
On Nov. 3 (Sunday), 9:00-12:30, the presentation order of the exhibiting schools was announced, and the University of Tsukuba, Creative Reconstruction Project will go on 28th among the 30 schools. The venue is in the TDW dome. Please come to this event, too. (Hashimoto)