by Cecilia Luzi
After visiting a market that was organized by urban-rural migrants, I was keen to learn more about local markets. So on a Sunday morning in late November, I went to the revitalization center (kasseika sentā) in Iwaya to visit the “Small truck market” (keitora ichi). The market was held in the large parking lot across the street from the center. The green tourism group I pick vegetables with once a week ran a stall at the market where they cooked soup in a huge cauldron, and made soba balls (soba dango) and mochi with anko. The last time I worked with them in their field, they asked me if I could help at the market. Their booth was located outside the side entrance of the revitalization center and while my partner and son enjoyed a day off, I shaped flat soba dango which were then cooked and added to a soup. The members of the green tourism group were hectic, and the only one who remained calm was a man speaking a dense dialect. Every time I encountered him, I had difficulty understanding even two words in a row when he spoke to me. But he had a nice, peaceful smile on his face and exuded a sincere serenity. At the market, he sat on the side porch of the revitalization center in front of the two fountains, steaming rice for the mochi. He monitored the intensity of the fire and kept an eye on the cooking time.
Steaming rice for mochi
Copyright © Cecilia Luzi 2022
After a shared lunch, the group began to prepare the mochi. At the stand where the soup was cooking, men and children took turns pounding the rice into the stone container. Once it was ready, the dough was pushed to the next table, where the women formed beautiful round, flattened balls with their hands, which were white with potato starch. This reminded me of the making of mozzarella. The preparation process is similar, including the speed with which the balls are formed, the precision with which the mixture is worked, the texture of the dough and the color. I couldn’t help but think of my favorite cheese. As soon as the mochi were ready (half of them were filled with anko), they were sold out. At the first strike of the wooden hammer on the stone, people immediately lined up at the stall, and as soon as they were formed, the mochi were immediately sold in packs of three for 350 yen. After the mochi were sold out, we started making sweet potatoes, fried in oil and sugar and sprinkled with black sesame seeds (my next task). These also sold out in no time, but I also kept eating while weighing them out to put in the containers.
Mochi hammers
Copyright © Cecilia Luzi 2022
From our stall, I could observe the customers, who were mainly locals and elderly people, but also families who came with their children for the kagura performances (a form of music and dance dedicated to Shinto gods) or the junior high school mochi sale. The stalls in the market mainly offered local fruits and vegetables. There was also a flower and plant stall, a wood craftsman, a woman who sewed and embroidered, and a tofu sale. In addition to our green tourism group’s booth, there were also three other food stalls that sold Buzen’s specialty Onimen (spicy noodles with locally produced chili peppers), Karaage and donuts. A small stage was set up to the side of the main entrance, where Kodomo Kagura (Kagura by students from various local groups) was performed from the beginning to the end of the event. Overall, there was a pleasant autumn atmosphere at the market. Maybe it was because the day was still warm, maybe it was the chaotic nature of the event, but I could feel the Sunday air. Children played on an old toy boat that looked like it had been abandoned for decades and climbed a memorial stone.
Children playing on a memorial stone
Copyright © Cecilia Luzi 2022
A couple of days after the market, I asked one of the members of the green tourism group how long they had been organizing this market. To my surprise, she replied that this was only the second time. The first time was in the spring of 2022. I am very curious to learn more about these types of events, especially markets that seem to exist in large numbers and pop up everywhere every week. As I’ve already found out during my digital research, markets can vary greatly in terms of customers, booths, location and size. After visiting the two markets I have described here and in my previous blog posts, I visited four other markets. The only thing they had in common was that people gathered to sell things they had made themselves. Markets are fascinating places to study the relationships between members of a community while learning about people’s work, life choices and everyday lives. I hope to learn more and write about how to prepare and organize a local market soon.