Ontayaki, the Mountain Village Home to Japan's 300-Year-Old Pottery Tradition

We're finally starting to see the first glimmers of autumn here in the Japanese countryside. Kids are back to school, rice is harvested, and the appearance of the higanbana spider lilies signals that familiar, comforting, seasonal shift back into autumn. If you're new here, welcome! If you're a returning visitor, welcome back! We're Canadians living in this once-Akia, one of Japan's many abandoned homes. I'm Mika, this is Jessie, and this is our dog Pancake. Whenever this time of year comes around, it brings a wave of nostalgia, taking us right back to the very first months of living in Japan. Before moving to our current abode, our first Japanese home was a bare-bones apartment in Oita Prefecture on Kyushu Island. The first mission was getting set up with everything. Getting the major appliances, furniture, and most importantly, stocking the kitchen with essentials like plates and mugs. To find the right pieces, we drove our first kei car to the historic pottery village of Oita, where we loaded up on their distinctive, chatter-marked pottery to start our new lives here in Japan. And since then, it survived countless meals, moved with us to a new house, and now it's time for another restock. So we're going to take a road trip back to Oita. And of course, Pancake is coming along. As we wind our way back to our old stomping grounds, the biggest question isn't what's changed, it's how do we even get there? You know the feeling, wandering aimlessly, constantly searching for one flickering bar of signal for some half-decent Wi-Fi. So when you're out trying to navigate those remote backroads, last thing you want to do is lose your signal and end up wandering around aimlessly hunting for spotty Wi-Fi. And in times like these, having a dependable travel companion is invaluable. That companion is today's sponsor, Saili. Saili is an affordable, easy-to-use eSIM that gives flexible mobile and internet connections from anywhere around the world. With Saili, there's no physical SIM card, so all you have to do is download the app, top it up from there, and then you're instantly connected. Saili automatically connects you to the best local providers in over 200 countries with endless plan options, which you can select all from your app and no roaming charges. If you're traveling soon, Saili gave me a special Maigo Mika discount code, especially for my viewers, which will get you 15% off your plan. You can either go to Saili.com slash Maigo Mika or just download the app. Just make sure to use my code Maigo Mika at checkout so you can get that 15% off your plan. Saili works with all iOS and Android devices. Just make sure your device is unlocked from your current provider. So if you're planning on traveling this year and you want to stay connected, then be sure to check out Saili.com slash Maigo Mika. You can also download the app, just be sure to use my Maigo Mika code to get your 15% off on your first plan. Happy travels and thank you again to Saili for sponsoring this video. After three hours by ferry from Shikoku to Kyushu, we drove deep inland to the mountains of Onta. But the first thing we notice when we arrive isn't the scenery, it's the sound. That rhythmic echoing clunk is the kara-usu, a slow-moving water-powered hammer. Ontayaki, a pottery tradition dating back to the early 18th century, relies entirely on local materials with clay harvested right here from the surrounding environment. Since the traditional pottery methods were introduced to the area over 300 years ago, the artisans here still continue to use those same methods. You can recognize this pottery by its signature rhythmic textured pattern, created by gently holding a thin notched stick to a leather hard clay as it spins on the hand-spun wheel. The techniques and knowledge are passed down from parent to child, and today a handful of families still continue this craft. But the real story begins long before the wheel. The water-powered hammer harnesses the river's flow, rhythmically pounding the earth into a fine powder. This powder is then dissolved in water, repeatedly filtered, and finally laid out on a dewatering platform, where it rests for several days. The raw clay is turned into pottery clay and handed over to the artisan to be further kneaded and molded. This commitment to the long traditional process, harnessing the power of the river, using only local clay, and carried forward by family knowledge, is why this village is recognized as a nationally designated important intangible cultural property. Before calling it a day, we took a slight detour to Hita City. The main attraction here is Mameda-machi, a district that beautifully preserves its Edo-period streetscape. Hita was historically a vital transport hub and feudal domain in northern Kyushu, and this is where the history lives on. Finally, we head back to a rental that is thankfully dog-friendly. I wonder how old that house is. It's so super sizable. Back home in Shikoku, we carefully unpacked our new ontayaki pieces. These handcrafted pieces will serve as an enduring symbol, marking this new chapter in our lives here. To celebrate, what better way to inaugurate it than to make one of Oita's own regional soul foods. Unlike other regions in Japan, Oita's geography made rice farming challenging, leading to a thriving culture of flour-based foods using grains like wheat. Historically, dango-jiru was a vital meal eaten during times of rice shortages. Unlike the round dango-like balls in Oita, they're pulled into long strips by hand. They're much chewier than your standard noodles, a texture that really holds up in the barley miso-based soup. So in place of Prime Minister Ishiba, we had a Deputy Cabinet Secretary, Mr. Aoki, handing the emperors cup. It's packed with vegetables like gobo, daikon, carrots, with some green onions to top it all off. Going back to Oita was like reconnecting to the very start of our lives here in Japan. Our own toyaki may eventually chip, age, and eventually break. The memories they hold always remind us of how we started anew in a country we now call home. As always, a big thank you to our amazing subscribers. Thanks again to Saily for sponsoring this video and check out my special Maiko Mika discount code for 15% off your ISIM for your next trip abroad. If you'd like to see an extended voiceover-free version of this video, you can find it and other videos like it on my Patreon. Oh, I'm so glad you are so good with that. We'll see you next time. Bye! Wait. One more time, pancake. I'm so sorry. Bye. Thank you. Back to the show. Back to the pancake show.