Shiga, Shigaraki's "Ogoya" kiln, which has been in business for 150 years Special Kaiseki Course with Sakuragawa, a famous restaurant with a star in a gourmet book, at "Shinonome", a Jyuwari Soba noodle restaurant Reservations for the special kaiseki course will be available from 11/5.

Experience a luxurious gastronomy tourism with ceramics and gastronomy!

2024.10.24 15:00

Ogoya Co.Ltd,.

Oghoya Corporation (2349, Tentaku, Shigaraki-cho, Koka City, Shiga Prefecture; President: Nobuyasu Okuda), a pottery company established in 1874 in Shigaraki, one of the six oldest kilns in Japan, has been producing innovative pottery in accordance with the times while inheriting the tradition of Shigaraki ware.

The Shinonome restaurant will begin accepting reservations for special dinner courses on November 5 (Tue.), the season for new buckwheat noodles. Until now, the restaurant has only been open for lunch, but with this special course, diners will be able to enjoy a special moment during dinner hours as well. (For reservations and inquiries, call 0748-83-2220.)

Image of the 37,950 yen course of "JYUWARI Soba Noodle Shinonome × Japanese Cuisine Sakuragawa - Feast of the Master Craftsman

URL: https://www.atpress.ne.jp/releases/413378/img_413378_1.jpeg

Soba noodles are served in traditional Shigaraki ceramics such as "Hi-iro" and "Beadlo". For dinner, the chef of "Japanese Cuisine Sakuragawa" (Kiyamachi, Kyoto), which has been awarded one star in the "Michelin Guide Kyoto/Osaka" for 10 consecutive years, will be invited to offer a high quality and luxurious course "JYUWARI Soba Noodle Shinonome x Japanese Cuisine Sakuragawa - A Feast of Takumi" (complete reservation required; 26,450 yen, 37,950 yen), which adds Japanese cuisine flavors from "Sakuragawa", Sake pairings (from 2 kinds) are also available. Rare local Sake from Shiga, Fukui, Kyoto, and other regions will be served along with an original craft gin made from fresh juniper berries harvested on the premises and rarely used in Japan.

The adjacent "Ogoya" exhibits and sells more than 10,000 pieces of ceramic art, and is recommended for groups and international visitors alike, who can try their hand at pottery making and painting at the pottery workshop, or relax in the pet-friendly café-restaurant. As a new base where visitors can fully enjoy Shigaraki gastronomy tourism (*), we hope you will stop by at the Osaka-Kansai Expo in 2025.

* Gastronomy tourism is a way of traveling while enjoying foods rooted in the ingredients, customs, traditions, and history nurtured by the local climate, and is promoted by the Japan Tourism Agency (Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism).

【The name "Shinonome" refers to the Japanese-style paintings and traditional craftsmanship.】

The restaurant name "Shinonome" was named by Japanese-style painter Rieko Morita and means "the morning glow rising in the eastern mountains, heralding the dawn. The flat plaque at the entrance was handwritten by the monk Hasegawa of Sangenin Temple of Daitokuji Temple in Kyoto, and the "Kyoto Soshiki Dyeing Dyeing Yoshi-oka" curtain that wavers in front of the store is a beautiful orange color, reminiscent of "morning glow". The white ceramic plates on the outside floor were fired in a snake kiln in the Ogoya and shine beautifully.

Flat plaque and exterior

Goodwill of "Kyoto Soshiki Dyeing Dyeing Shop Yoshioka

When you step into the store, you will see a high-grade noren made of clam shells from "Rise" in Kyoto and a single piece of wood "Tekitogi" (Tagayasan) sitting on a table for the customers. The high-ceilinged building was constructed by a temple carpenter over a year ago. The Daikoku-bashira (main pillar) and Ebisu-bashira (Ebisu post) are made of Ichii wood, which is considered noble from ancient times, and the walls are finished with a unique clay wall made of Shigaraki soil.

The beautiful ceramic boards used for the floor of the restaurant are also fired in the snake kiln of the Ogoya, and have a "white-silver ratio" of length and width, which is typical of Japan. The interior of the restaurant, with its abundant use of first-rate wood and cedar, is extremely elaborate in its pursuit of traditional Japanese architectural beauty, and as soon as you step into the restaurant, you will feel a special sense of space, as if you are surrounded by the serenity and Japanese beauty of a Zen temple.

Inside the store

Exterior (Photo by JIL STUDIO)

The buckwheat noodles are made with our original purified water. The meal begins with a taste of "soba gayu" (buckwheat gruel), which is cooked in our original earthenware pot specially designed for soba gruel. After warming the stomach and sharpening the senses of taste and smell, the soba is served. The first bite is served without any sauce, followed by the second bite with salt from Guerande to fully enjoy the aroma and flavor of the soba, and then with wasabi from Shizuoka to experience the change in flavor, followed by the soba noodles and the sauce.

For lunch, the restaurant offers 11 types of juwari soba menus (1,480 yen to 2,950 yen), which were revamped in November to make them even more appealing. In particular, the "Jyuwari Morisoba with Sesame Sauce" (1,580 yen) has an exceptional flavor. The special sesame sauce that goes perfectly with Shinonome's signature smooth Jyuwari Soba is an exclusive product that was perfected through repeated trial and error. One bite will give you an unforgettable taste.

From November, soba noodles made with jinenjyo (Japanese yam) from the local Shigaraki area, and from mid-November, soba noodles made with the rare purple yam will also be available for a limited time. A multilingual menu (English, traditional Chinese, simplified Chinese) is also available for foreign customers. For dinner, in addition to the two types of kaiseki course "Feast of Takumi" with Sakuragawa of Kyoto, we also offer a special menu tailored to "Sakuragawa" for 9,200 yen (reservation required).

Special Omi Beef Jyuwari Morisoba " for 2,950 yen. It comes with a dish of red konjak, a local delicacy.

Tempura Jyuwari Morisoba: 2,950 yen. It comes with a dish of red konjak, a local ingredient.

The sake lineup includes Shiga's local sake ("Matsu no Tsukasa" from the Matsuse Sake Brewery, "Nanabonryari" from the Tomita Sake Brewery, "Ninja" from the Seko Sake Brewery, "Daijiro" from the Hata Sake Brewery, etc.) as well as rare sake from Fukui's "Kuroryu, Muni, Ishidaya, Nizaemon, Shizuku" Kokuryu Sake Brewery, and "Tsukinokatsura" from the Tokubei Masuda Store in Kyoto*.

A large selection of rare Japanese sake

Original gin and whiskey also available

We also offer original craft gin and original whiskey made from juniper berries harvested on the Ogoya grounds. In addition, guests can enjoy wines selected by the "Académie du Vin" that go well with jyuwari soba noodles.

Ceramic artworks are displayed throughout the restaurant, including "ash-covered" pieces, which are very rare among Shigaraki ware, and all the vessels used to serve dishes are one-of-a-kind pieces made by Shigaraki artists for the restaurant. All of the vessels used to serve food are one-of-a-kind pieces created by Shigaraki artists for the restaurant. You can purchase your favorite vessels at the adjoining Ogoya.

Special dinners are sometimes held with sake brewers. From left: Nobuyasu Okuda, 4th generation owner of Ogoya; Satoshi Yamamoto, 3rd generation owner and chef of Sakuragawa; Naoto Mizuno, 8th generation owner of Kukuryu Sake Brewery

You can enjoy flavorful Jyuwari Soba noodles in a luxurious bowl made by a Shigaraki-ware climbing kiln artist for "Shinonome". You can purchase your favorite vessels.

【Ogoya also produced Taro Okamoto's "Tower of the Sun" for the 1970 Osaka World's Fair.】

Founded in 1874, Ogoya is a long-established Shigaraki pottery kiln that produced ceramic spinning pots used in the production of silk threads during the Meiji period (1868-1912). The silk spinning pots were also used at the Tomioka Silk Mill, which is registered as a World Heritage Site, and were exhibited at the 2nd World Exposition in Paris.

In the Taisho and early Showa periods, the company began manufacturing chemical containers, and in the postwar Showa period, it began manufacturing tiles as part of the industrial revival. He produced a wide variety of reliefs, including mosaic tiles for the exterior wall of the Tokagakudo Hall in the East Gardens of the Imperial Palace and the "Tower of the Sun" by Taro Okamoto for the 1970 Japan World Exposition (Osaka Expo '70).

In the Heisei Era, he exhibited wall greening ceramic panels at Expo 2005 Aichi, Japan, with an awareness of environmental issues. Ogoya was also involved in the development of the art ceramic panels for the Otsuka Museum of Art in Tokushima Prefecture.

The Ogoya opened on September 11, 1997, inheriting 150 years of Shigaraki's traditional craftsmanship, and is a two-story building on a 4,000 tsubo site with a tiled exterior that at first glance resembles a museum and a large gate. You can experience pottery making, and even bring your pets to enjoy pottery making and dining together. You can enjoy all the fun of a full day at this facility while feeling the great nature in each of the four seasons. The Shigaraki Forest Art Museum and other museums are also within walking distance.

Exterior view of Ogoya

Nobuyasu Okuda, President of Ogoya Co.

Many representative Shigaraki vessels. You can try your hand at pottery spinning.

Ogoya's original pottery "Moonlight" is also popular.

"Omi beef sukiyaki" for 5,040 yen

Pets are welcome in the café, can try their hand at pottery making (2,750 yen), and can enjoy the dog run (for no fee). Pets can also be carried in their carriages for shopping.

The stone oven bread boasts an aroma and chewy texture, and is a very popular item with many repeat customers. (Campagne 1,050 yen and up)

【Shinonome/Okoya Store Data】

Location ：2349, Tento, Shigaraki-cho, Koka-shi, Shiga (adjacent to "Oshoya", parking lot for 80 cars)

Access : <Car> From Shin-Meishin Expressway, exit at Shigaraki Interchange (5 min. toward Shigaraki City).From Meihan Route 25, exit at Mibuno Interchange and drive 25 minutes via Marunouchi.

　　　　　<Train> Take JR Biwako Line, get off at Kusatsu Station, get off at Kisogawa Station on the Kusatsu Line, and change trains.Shigaraki Kogen Railway, 17 min. walk from Shigaraki Station,35 minutes by cab from Ishiyama Station on the JR Biwako Line

　　　　　<Bus>Take Teisan Bus at Ishiyama Station on the JR Biwako Lake Line. 1 minute walk from the "Pottery Forest" stop.

【Jyuwari Soba Restaurant Shinonome】

Name ：Juwari Soba Restaurant Shinonome

Price per customer ： Lunch: about 1,500-3,000 yen, Dinner: 9,200 yen,

　　　　　　　Course: 26,450yen-37,950yen, negotiable

Business hours: 11:00 - 15:30, 17:00 - 21:00

　　　　　　　The restaurant closes when all soba noodles are gone.

　　　　　　　Evenings are by reservation only.

　　　　　　　　Business hours can be customized

Closed ：Friday, may be closed on an irregular basis

Size ：About 1,000 tsubo, 26 seats

Opening Date : April 1, 2024