Charcoal Making

One of the little pleasures that Masako and I have (living as we do on an extremely frugal budget) are our weekend rambles into the Toyota countryside, randomly taking little roads, going hither and yon.  It’s a great chance to enjoy the scenery and unwind, and we are also constanly rewarded by finding things like this.

We saw a group of older folks hard at work and stopped to chat.  They make charcoal the old-fashioned way, and host their neighbors for charcoal-making parties once or twice a year.  It’s a great excuse to get together, and a way to keep a traditional art alive.  The photo above is a charcoal kiln, made of earth, with the smokestack running out and being supported by the tree.

A closer view of one of the kilns.  The charcoal is made from slim sticks and halved bamboo, and is useful for firing up your hibachi, deodorizing your home, or even decorative uses.

I didn’t get a photo myself, so here’s one I swiped from the web.  Pretty neat, huh?

Another project was this strange collection.  I had seen assemblages like this and wondered what they were for… drying out the wood?  A primitive enclosure for something?  Nope.  It’s a mushroom farm!  They let us pick some…

There was also this giant pot of something that smelled really good…

…which turned out to be wild boar stew!  Delicious, especially with homemade pickled daikon!

In a little building was this very nice irori, an indoor fire pit that used to be the center of every Japanese home.  Alas, times have changed.  It’s true that there are far fewer house fires as a result, but still…

There was also a little spring to supply water.

In the end, we learned about days past, got some mushrooms, bellies full of stew, and some charcoal… all through serendipity, and the kindness of strangers.  We were very happy to have met them, and very thankful for their hospitality.  They invited us back for the next charcoal party, and we plan to attend.

Until next time…