The other day I found myself with some time on hand in Shimada City and took advantage of it to visit a rural area I hadn’t visited yet, namely Ooka/相賀, deep in rural land at the foot of the mountains north of the city.
One can board a bus (every hour only) leaving from Shimada Station North Exit next to the Tourist Information Bureau going for for Ooka. It also serves as a community bus and therefore is very cheap. Only 200 yen!
Bus Terminal at Kami Ooka/上相賀, although the orad continues through the mountains till Okabe.
I just leisurely walked back and took on the sighs.
Ingenious water wheel!
Daikon/大根 laid to dry under the sun before pickled as “takuan/沢庵”!
“Kuchinashi/梔子” flower pods used to colr the takuan a beautiful yellow color!
Chinese cabbage/Hakusai/白菜 being dried under the sun before being pickled!
What are these beans laid to dry under the sun!
Soybeans/Daizu/大豆 being dried before being turned into miso paste!
What are these?
Daikon/大根！
And how about these?
Turnips/kabu/蕪!
Love those small white vegetables!
Very fine cabbages/kabetsu/キャベツ!
Enormous praying mantis/kamakiri/蟷螂! Loved by the farmers for their cannibal habits. Loves to eat evry insect in view!
The last kiwi fruit of theyear?
Loquat/biwa/枇杷 tree! Flowers coming out soon!
Quaint Buddhist figures!
Harvested rice paddies!
Sweet potatoes/satsuma imo/薩摩芋!
Carrots/ninjin/人参!
Broccoli/ブロッコリー!
Red chili peppers/tougarashi/唐辛子!
A small Buddhist shrine!
With a red cap and apron!
A large variety of persimmon/kaki/柿! They will have to wait until February before being eaten!
This is green tea land!
Ginger/shoiga/生姜!
A typical Japanese farm house!
Leeks/negi/葱!
The last tomatoes of the year?
Taro/sato imo/里芋！
Plenty of flowers around, too!
A variety of small chrysanthemums/kiku/菊!
Marguerites?
The last fig of the year?
Bonsai/盆栽/Miniature trees!
From a different angle!
Another small Buddhist shrine!
Winter orenges tree/Fuyu mikan/冬蜜柑!
A fruit Shizuoka Prefecture is famous for!
Mandarin oranges/mikan/蜜柑!
Where shall I go next?
RECOMMENDED RELATED WEBSITES
So Good Sushi Restaurant in Nice France
Navigating Nagoya by Paige, Shop with Intent by Debbie, BULA KANA in Fiji, Kraemer’s Culinary blog by Frank Kraemer in New York,Tokyo Food File by Robbie Swinnerton, Green Tea Club by Satoshi Nihonyanagi in Shizuoka!, Mind Some by Tina in Taiwan, Le Manger by Camille Oger (French), The Indian Tourist, Masala Herb by Helene Dsouza in Goa, India, Mummy I Can Cook! by Shu Han in London, Pie
rre.Cuisine, Francescannotwrite, My White Kitchen, Foodhoe, Chucks Eats, Things that Fizz & Stuff, Five Euro Food by Charles,Red Shallot Kitchen by Priscilla,With a Glass, Nami | Just One Cookbook, Peach Farm Studio, Clumsyfingers by Xethia, PepperBento, Hapabento, Kitchen Cow, Lunch In A Box, Susan at Arkonlite, Vegan Lunch Box; Tokyo Tom Baker, Daily Food Porn/Osaka, Only Nature Food Porn, Happy Little Bento, J-Mama’s Kitchen, Cook, Eat, Play, Repeat, Bento Lunch Blog (German), Adventures In Bento, Anna The Red’s Bento Factory, Ohayo Bento,
Must-see tasting websites:
-Sake: Ichi For The Michi by Rebekah Wilson-Lye in Tokyo, Tokyo Through The Drinking Glass, Tokyo Foodcast, Urban Sake, Sake World
-Wine: Palate To Pen, Warren Bobrow, Cellar Tours, Ancient Fire Wines Blog
-Beer: Another Pint, Please!, Beering In Good Mind: All about Craft Beer in Kansai by Nevitt Reagan!
ABRACADABREW, Magical Craftbeer from Japan
-Whisky: Nonjatta: All about whisky in Japan by Stefan Van Eycken
-Japanese Pottery to enjoy your favourite drinks: Yellin Yakimono Gallery
Non gastronomy must-see sites by Shizuoka Residents
HIGHOCTANE/HAIOKU by Nick Itoh in Shizuoka City
SHIZUOKA GOURMET 
I have just found your blog, and am going to spend a long time exploring your archives! I love your farm pictures, and one of them answered a question I have about making takuan! I saw that the farmer had cut the daikon lengthwise, and I had been wondering if it was OK to do that, as the daikon I was given is a big fat one!
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Dear friend!
Greetings from Shizuoka!
The fact is especially if it is a fat daikon, it is better to halve it along its length so that to cut along its fibers, thus enbling a more efficient drying and pickling!
Wher in Tokyo are you?
best regards,
Robert-Gilles
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I am in Otsuka, Bunkyo-Ku. My son’s in-laws live in Amagi!
I know that takuan is usually made in large quantities, but I am going to experiment with 一本の大根！I am really interested in fermented food.
Elisabeth
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Really nice posting. I loved that Buddhist figure with the little cap and apron. Sent so many vegetables that are the same as ours is a friendly feeling. I like turnips as well, cooked, raw in salads or of course, pickled. Seeing such a huge mantis was great. I like them a lot. I liked this farm trip much ly as I am always interested in farms and their produce. Thanks for this posting my friend!
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You are always welcome, my dear friend!
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