Through the Kitchen Window: A Town Living with Water [Harie, Shiga] - 15 Minutes

lake biwa is the largest body of fresh water in japan on its northwestern shore there's a town with a constant sound of water canals run throughout the town surrounding each house all the water wells up from underground local people have created something unique to this area it serves as an outdoor kitchen for centuries the flowing water has been an important part of their lives let's listen to the story flowing from this kitchen [Music] the district of hadiyah is home to 650 people local resident chiyoko fukuda was born and raised here [Music] this kitchen has been passed down through generations in her family the water is drawn from 20 meters below ground first it flows into a stone pot people use it for drinking cooking and other purposes the water overflows into a pool which is used for things like washing vegetables and dishes this pool is also home to several carp just [Music] foreign people use the spring water and the fish keep it clean this system is called kappata the water flows out of the kapita into a small channel outside each house in this town has a capita and they are all connected through a system of canals have been using kapita for more than three centuries there are still 110 of them left chiyoko and her family also pump water from their capital into their house for everyday use the town has a separate sewage network to keep domestic waste water from flowing into kapita for chioko hadier's water is an everyday ingredient she's preparing a classic winter dish hot pot she dissolves miso bean paste in the spring water and then boils vegetables and tofu kabata water has enriched local people's lives in many ways [Music] [Music] [Music] a mountain range lies to the west of lake biwa rain and snow in these mountains eventually becomes the water that flows beneath harie this shop uses the spring water to make a local specialty it's a tofu store that's been in business for 120 years [Music] tadao uehara in his workshop he only uses water that comes from his kabata [Music] tadal soaks soybeans overnight then he mashes them in the morning and brings them to a boil in a pot when the beans are boiled he strains them with a cotton cloth to squeeze out soy milk a solution of minerals extracted from seawater this solidifies the soy milk he keeps an eye on how clear the liquid is to determine when the soy milk is on the verge of solidifying [Music] when the timing's just right he pours the soy milk into a wooden mold [Applause] he covers it with a lid and drains the [Music] water water plays an important role in all the stages of making tofu this block is thick and large but its shape has not changed in 120 years tadao makes no more than about 50 portions a day that is key to preserving the taste of his tofu [Music] i dig my stuff he soaks the freshly made tofu in the kappa this chills the tofu but not too much the pure water helps to draw out its natural flavor as if she's been waiting for him to finish a batch a customer arrives hey [Music] [Music] so people in hadiya use their kabata water carefully as it eventually reaches a river that runs through the town in this river you can see a type of water weed that grows only in a clean cold stream this plant is called vicamo meaning plum blossom algae the river's water eventually flows into lake biwa the lake is an important water source for kyoto osaka and other cities in western japan it's also home to abundant fish there's a dish that chiyoko makes every year it's a traditional local specialty that uses a type of carp native to lake biwa she lets it ferment naturally in steamed rice this dish is called funazushi [Music] it is said to be the oldest kind of sushi still made today filled with fish roll it has a rich flavor and a unique aroma chiyoko shares her funazushi with her neighbors it's her winter customers [Music] the natural cycle of water from the mountains to the lake has enriched the lives of the people of harie their time-honored wisdom of keeping it clean rewards them with a variety of delicious fish from lake biwa serves as a tour guide for visitors from japan and abroad through the eyes of others she's gaining a new appreciation [Music] [Music] my [Music] [Music] you

Channel: NHK WORLD-JAPAN

Views: 1,592,452

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Id: _rwxsjzjDhs

Length: 15min 5sec (905 seconds)

Published: Sun Dec 27 2020

Reddit Comments

[u/[deleted]]

Accurate lol