Harmony Between Forest and People - EKIBEN JAPAN

Culinary treasure troves packed with local ingredients. A uniquely Japanese food culture that's a delight for the eyes as well as the palate. Ekiben are typically purchased at train stations and enjoyed during train journeys. Let's explore Japan with Ekiben Japan. Today's journey brings us to the city of Hita in Oita Prefecture, about an hour or so by limited express train from Hakata Station. Riding past the downtown area sitting in a basin, we arrive at the entrance to a deep green forest. Forested land makes up more than 80 percent of Hita. It's known as one of Japan's foremost forestry regions and has a 500-year history of people living alongside the trees. The Ekiben created in this town carries a wish, to pass on the forestry practices nurtured by nature and people to future generations. Resting on top of the rice mixed with pressed barley is a piece of burdock root made to look like a log of a sugi tree known as Japanese cedar. Using the accessory saw to cut it feels almost like sawing through a real log. The idea is to give people a glimpse into the works and lives of those involved in forestry. It playfully lets you experience the work of sawing yourself. This light-heartedly conceived Ekiben is sold right by Hita Station at a long-standing restaurant with nearly a century of history. In the kitchen is the third generation owner, Sasaki Yoshinori. He takes extraordinary care into preparing the Ekiben's star ingredient, burdock root. To make them look like real logs, he uses thick burdock roots at least three centimeters in diameter. The burdock root is first boiled in carbonated water for exactly one hour and 20 minutes. The pieces are then soaked overnight in a special sauce rich with dashi. To finish them off, they're deep fried at 160 degrees. When heated, the burdock pieces temporarily puff up. Sasaki personally packs each side dish into the box, one by one. The bento boxes themselves are made from local sugi wood. Next to the rice and barley, he arranges locally grown carrot and konnyaku, then sweet and savory chicken, shiitake mushroom, and a soft boiled egg. It's an Ekiben packed with Hita's local produce and Sasaki's skills. This Ekiben story began 13 years ago when Sasaki met a rather unique group of people. They were a team of artists and forestry professionals who had come together to support Hita's forest industry. With ideas like recreating the former practice of transporting logs down the river on rafts, they had been promoting the appeals of working in the mountains through creative projects. Their next challenge was an Ekiben. This is the original sketch of the Ekiben. Makino Isao is a painter with a studio in Tokyo. 14 years ago, he came to Hita wanting to see one of Japan's major timber producing regions. As Makino became fascinated by the depth of forestry work, he also came face to face with the crisis affecting Hita's forests. Man-made forests account for over 70% of Hita's woodlands. For generations, people have cared for these trees, harvesting them for homes, furniture and fuel, while planting new seedlings for the future. In this way, life here has long coexisted with forests. But today, with fewer successors to care for the forests, branches and leaves become too dense, blocking out sunlight and causing plants and trees that support the soil to die off. When unusually heavy rains fall and the mountains are no longer able to absorb large amounts of water, major disasters can happen. One of the successors of forestry work in Hita that Makino was able to meet was Gobarumaki, a third generation caretaker of the forest nurtured by her ancestors. The Edo Shogunate developed Hita into an economic hub. Few areas in Japan could rival its vast concentration of timber resources. With a system supported by ample financial resources and river transportation, Hita's forestry industry flourished. Even today, Hita remains one of Japan's leading lumber regions. Gobaru manages about 1,300 hectares of forest. She mainly grows sugi, which is endemic to Japan. The desire to promote Hita's forestry industry is a core part of the Ekiben. The supporting star of this Ekiben is the shiitake mushroom. With only soy sauce and dashi for seasoning, the mushroom's deep flavor stands out. Its deliciousness is rooted in the power of Hita's forests and long-standing traditions. Zaitsu Masumitsu has been growing shiitake in the sugi forests for nearly 40 years. Beneath the sugi trees, sawtooth oak logs used for shiitake cultivation are arranged in rows. These logs require a year and a half before mushrooms can be harvested. This process is called komauchi. About 20 holes are made per oak log, each about one meter in length. It's a task that demands patience. Once the fungus has taken hold of the oak logs, they're set up beneath the sugi trees. Spring and autumn are harvest seasons for log-growing shiitake. Fresh shoots are sprouting from the stumps of the sawtooth oak trees used for the shiitake. Over a period of about 15 years, they grow to be able to provide new logs for future mushroom cultivation. Hita's sugi, its sawtooth oak, and the caring involvement of people together sustain a forest where life thrives in harmony. It's an ekiben born from a resonance between the forest and the dedicated local people who tend to it. Ekiben Japan. Where to next?