Junior and senior high school students from Fort Worth, Texas, visit Nagaoka City, Niigata Prefecture! Experience fermentation culture with FARM8 at SETTAYA, a fermentation town that has been around since the Edo period.
On 28 June 2023, FARM8 Corporation (Nagaoka City, Niigata Prefecture / CEO Atsushi Kabasawa) invited 14 junior and senior high school students (including 11 junior and senior high school students and 3 leaders) from Nagaoka’s sister city, Fort Worth, Texas, USA, to the brewing town of SETTAYA, where their shop is located, and took them to the Settaya area, where there are sake breweries, miso and soy sauce breweries, saffron Guided them around the SETTAYA area, where fermentation culture remains, including sake breweries, miso and soy sauce breweries and saffron. We spoke about the history and culture of fermentation in Japan and its future prospects.
The visit was part of the friendship and exchange activities between the cities of Fort Worth and Nagaoka, with the various Nagaoka officials providing the opportunity to stay in Nagaoka for a week and see various places, this time in the Settaya area, where they learnt about the fermentation culture and its history, including sake cellars, miso and soy sauce cellars and saffron sake.
FARM8 CEO Kabasawa explained the history and culture of each of the breweries and streets while walking around the town with the students, who were young and energetic and asked many questions. We hope that the fascination, profundity and history of fermentation culture will be conveyed to them.
Below is part of the schedule of the group’s visits in Nagaoka City.
23 June (Arrival in central Nagaoka City)
– Visit to the Deputy Mayor of Nagaoka City
– Visit to the Nagaoka War Damage Museum
– Visit to Nagaoka Otte High School
26 June (School exchange in the city)
– Visit and exchange at Nagaoka Higashi Junior High School
– Visit to Nagaoka Deaf School
27 June (Yamakoshi area)
– Visit to Nakayama Tunnel, the longest hand-dug tunnel in Japan
– Visit to the Nagaoka City Yamakoshi Branch Office ORATARU Earthquake Disaster Exhibition
– Talk on Nishikigoi and visit to an alpaca farm
– Visit to the Nagaoka Fireworks Museum
28 June (Town of fermentation, SETTAYA area)
– Visit to Hoshino Honten, a miso and soy sauce brewery
– Talk on brewing and fermentation culture by FARM8 Kabasawa and tour of SETTAYA area
Japan’s fermentation culture is attracting attention worldwide. FARM8 hopes to continue to actively guide visitors from all over Japan and abroad and promote Japanese fermentation.
Guide
FARM8 Co. Ltd
3662 Raigo-ji Maeda, Nagaoka City, Niigata Prefecture
Established Feb 2015
CEO Atsushi Kabasawa, President
https://farm8.jp
The shop LIS SETTAYA in the brewing town SETTAYA sells sake liqueurs and fermented foods, as well as artworks by local artists, old folk tools and selected books.
https://lis.farm8.jp/
