Shimenawa rope making activity & irori cooking experience with the “strawcraftsman” that oversees the making of Japan’s sumo ring rope boundaries
Since ancient times, Japan has had a rice farming culture. The straw that comes from the rice after it has been cut is used in a wide variety of ways, including rituals to pray for good health, as well as in everyday life. Straw handcraft is one of Japan’s important traditions. Iijima Town, located between two of Japan’s alpine ranges, has a climate and water supply perfect for rice farming. During the Edo Period , the town was under direct shogunate government control, and was a collection site for taxing rice from surrounding areas. Local straw handcrafts have been passed down through the generations, but in recent years, with Japan’s aging society, less and less people are learning and passing these traditions on. Yuji Sakai, a straw craftsman who makes sumo rings for the national sport, is trying to ensure that these traditional crafts will not be forgotten. During this special activity, you can learn about the techniques of straw crafting while listening to stories from Mr. Sakai himself.
Culture
・Make your own “shimenawa rope” under the instruction of Mr. Sakai, a sumo ring craftsman. Write your wishin your rope and pray at a shrine for it to come true. Your rope will be burned during the annual “Donto-yaki”ritual, which can be watched via social media.
・The building used for the activity is a recreation of a magistrate’s office of the Edo Period. You can feel thehistorical presence of samurais, magistrates using the study, criminals being sentenced in court, and daily lifefrom the past.
・Prepare your own meal, a traditional Japanese set lunch, cooked in a historical Japanese kitchen on an irorihearth, with local women. Try tasting traditional natto wrapped in straw!
6 to 18yrs : 13,700 JPY~
19yrs and above : 14,200 JPY~
Heartland Japan
10:40/15:10
10:40 Meet and greet at Iijima Station
10:40-10:50 Walk to the Iijima Town History and Folklore Museum, “Iijima Jinya”
10:50-11:00 Lunch preparation: prepare rice and ingredients
11:00-11:20 View the museum
11:20-11:40 Lunch prep: start stove fire with flint
11:40-13:00 Straw crafting with Mr. Sakai
13:00-13:20 Lunch preparation: final steps
13:20-14:20 Lunch around an irori hearth
14:20-14:25 Walk to Umeto Shrine
14:25-14:45 Shrine visit and praying for straw craft
14:45-15:10 Walk to Iijima Station (visit sake shop)
15:10 Finish at Iijima Station
JR Iijima Station (JR Iida Line)
South Shinshu Rice Bales Preservation Society
Iijima 1470,Iijima Town
[Parking: Available]
Late-April ~ Mid-November
6 yrs and above
14 days prior
Minimum 4 Maximum 15
Comfortable clothing (skirts not allowed)
2
Activity includes about 30 minutes in total of walking on a flat, paved path.
2
Straw crafting requires some dexterity of the fingers, but the guide will help you with all the steps.
English guide fee, straw craft activity, facility usage fee, lunch ingredients
Transportation to/from the meeting point, insurance (please purchase travel insurance in your own country), anything else not specified in “what is included” above.
(The bank transfer fees are responsibility of the participants)
-Participants with an allergy to gramineae may not participate in shimenawa ropemaking. Please inquire in advance.
-The program content may be changed due to the situation of COVID-19.
[Cancellation at customer’s convenience]
-2 – 7 days prior 25%
-Day before 50%
-Same day/No show 100%
[Cancellation at the discretion of the organizer]
-If stormy weather is forecasted, the activity may be canceled. In this case, contact will be made by
the evening of the day before and there will be no cancelation fees.
-If stormy weather occurs during the activity, the visit to the shrine may be canceled and your straw
craft will be delivered by the provider to the shrine in the following days.