Let’s prepare a shojin-ryori meal using the elusive Sugita Plum, and learn history! Why don’t you bring your family and friends and experience cooking shojin-ryori?
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This is an experience plan associated with the Sugita Plum Grove and Sugita plum trees in Sugita, Isogo Ward, which was once the most popular ume viewing spot in the Kanto region. At Hitorizawa Terrace, a restaurant located 50 minutes from Yokohama in a farm, participants will experience Japanese food culture through "miso making," "vegetarian cooking by a renowned chef," "medicinal Chinese cuisine using Japanese ingredients," and "harvesting winter vegetables in Hitorizawa and a meal of rice balls and tempura. In the "Yokohama Traditional Culture Workshop," participants will enjoy meditation and sutra chanting at Myohoji Temple, where the Sugita plum tree still remains, a tea ceremony and Nodate experience in the temple grounds, singing and dancing by Yokohama geisha, and a kaiseki meal using Sugita plum trees. We are looking for 3 pairs of trial tour for each course for the following experience in Yokohama for foreigners living in Japan. Please apply via Google Form. Please do not cancel your application after you have been selected. ◆trial tour 1.Life with Sugita Ume: Cooking with Sugita Ume ①January 11 (Thu): 【Shojin-ryori (vegetarian meal) Workshop】A life with Sugita Plum Shojin-ryori and Sugita Plum (3 pairs) ②January 13 (Saturday): 【Yakuzen Workshop】 A life with Sugita Plum Yakuzen Chinese cooking and Sugita Plum (3 pairs) ③January 14（Thursday）:Temae-miso making workshop(3 pairs) ④February 6（Tuesday）: Winter Vegetable Harvest, and tempura and rice-ball lunch in Hitorizawa, Yokohama (3 pairs) 2. Yokohama Traditional Culture Workshop January 27 (Saturday): Japanese Traditional Culture Workshop in Isogo, Yokohama ＜Group Plans／Evening Program＞ (3 pairs) ◆Number of applicants 3 pairs for each course (English-speaking guides will accompany each pair) ◆Entry requirements (1) Foreigners living in or visiting Japan who are 16 years of age or older (If there are 3 or more foreigners, the accompanying Japanese person will also be invited free of charge) (2) Those who can spread the official Instagram and post a video of their experience on their own SNS. Those who are willing to fill out a simple questionnaire on the web. ◆Application Deadline 3 days prior to each tour date If there are too many applications, the participants will be selected by lottery. Please apply as early as possible. ◆Application Method Please apply from the following https://forms.gle/Xtq7uvwZYkDRhHYz9 ◆For inquiries, please contact Sugita Plum Grove Executive Committee for "Ume no Machi Sugita" (Plum Town Sugita) Email: sugita.umematsuri@gmail.com ◆Related URL Official Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sugita.plum.groves/ Official HP (English): https://shunsaika.yokohama/en/
What is Shojin Ryori?
We hear about diets such as macrobiotics,vegan, and vegetarian recently. However, in Japan, there is such a thing calledshojin-ryoji, which came to Japan with Buddhism and is eaten by Buddhist monksas a part of their training. There is not only the idea of not killing animalsincluded in these meals, but also the concept of using the entirety of theingredients: Ichibutsu-zentai. Thereis also the concept, shindo-fuji,which means to eat the food harvested or caught in the area, when they are inseason. These philosophies are needed the most now. We will invite theworld-renowned Mari Fujii, and learn how to use Sugita Plum products as theyare used in the shojin-ryori dishes.
Mari Fujii
Born in Hokkaido in 1947. Graduated fromthe Department of Education, Waseda University. Lives currently in KamakuraCity, Kanagawa Prefecture.
Her husband, Sotetsu Fujii (passed away in2006), experienced tenzo, a practicewhere one learns how to cook for Zen priests, for 10 years during his time as amonk in training. He wrote many books on shojin-ryori based on theseexperiences. After requests, Mari started teaching shojin-ryori, and has beendoing so for 40 years.
Currently, she opens her house up forshojin-ryori lessons, and holds lectures and workshops all around Japan, and inParis, London, Berlin, Northern-Europe, The U.S.A., South-East Asia, and such.She lightly touches on the essence, and the Buddhist ideas surrounding thecooking, which were learned from her husband or priests she knows.
She considers informing women, who protecttheir family members’ health, of the knowledge of shojin-ryori in an accessibleway her mission in life.
Published books: “Shun no Zen Gohan”(Seibundo-shinkosha), “Shiki Oriori no Iwai Zen” (Kawade Shobo Shinsha), “TheEnlightened Kitchen” (Kodansha International), etc.
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