What is Kyumusashi? A journey to experience the simple charm of Japan

• Table of Contents
• 1. What is "Kyumusashi"?
• 2. Highly recommended!! Experience cooking delicious rice in a traditional Japanese stove (the luxury of eating the staple food of Japan, rice)
• 3. You can also experience life in Japan, both now and in the past.
• 4. Various events. Monthly and seasonal.
• 5. Introduction of exhibits. Various old tools.
• 6. Basic information about "Kyumusashi"
• 7. To make your experience even more enjoyable...(^^♪ Nearby information

1. What is "Kyumusashi"?

This is an old townhouse located in the townscape of Unomachi (designated as an Important Preservation District for Groups of Traditional Buildings).
It is called "Kyumusashi" as a remnant of the shop name "Musashi(ya)" that was used during the Meiji period.
Currently, it is used as a facility where you can experience life in the past, and is loved by many fans.

2. Highly recommended!! Experience cooking delicious rice in a traditional Japanese stove (the luxury of eating the staple food of Japan, rice)

From chopping firewood and cooking in the hearth to cleaning up using rice water instead of detergent, the "Stove Cooking Experience" allows you to experience the old-fashioned lifestyle unique to the rice-growing Uwa Basin.
The appeal of cooking rice in a kamado is that it uses firewood and cooks over an open flame, so the heat is strong and the rice tastes delicious!
The experience fee is 500 yen per person, which is also attractive.

3. You can also experience life in Japan, both now and in the past.

Doing laundry using a well and a washboard

The experience fee is 200 yen per person. You can experience traditional washing (handkerchiefs, socks, etc.) using a washboard.

Carrying a baby on your back

Traditional firewood chopping experience

4. Various events. Monthly and seasonal.

The first Sunday of every month is "Furatto Kamado Day"

The first Sunday of every month is "Furatto Kamado Day" and we provide free rice balls cooked in a kamado as a welcome gift.
*Depending on the month, the contents may change to different foods.

May Golden Week

During Golden Week, a longer holiday that includes Children's Day, we will be offering snacks made with a kamado that children will love.

August: Kyumusashi Summer Festival

The summer festival, held in August, is a day for people to relax and enjoy old-fashioned summer festival foods and games.
Parents and children, or friends can enjoy themselves in a relaxed and affordable atmosphere.

September: Moon viewing party

The moon viewing party held in September is a gathering to admire the beautiful full moon.
Moon viewing dumplings will be on sale, and musicians will hold mini concerts to match the moonlit night.

November: Rice cake making

The rice cake pounding event will be held in November, ahead of the New Year, and will be held earlier than anywhere else!
The glutinous rice steamed in the hearth is pounded to the sound of shouts.
Freshly pounded rice cakes are delicious 😊

December: Making New Year's decorations

The New Year decoration making class, held in December, involves participants making their own New Year's entrance decorations under the guidance of an instructor.
After the work was finished, all the participants enjoyed a meal together over the stove.

5. Introduction of exhibits. Various old tools.

You are free to open, carry, and touch the items on display in the main building of the Kyumusashi.
This is a once in a lifetime opportunity.
Please try to experience it as something close to you.

Hinoshi Charcoal Iron

A hinoshi is a tool that has a round part where burning charcoal is placed and the heat is used to remove wrinkles from cloth.
A charcoal iron is a tool that you open the lid, put in burning charcoal, and use the heat to remove wrinkles from fabric.
It has a chimney to let out smoke and gas.

Work apron

Kappogi is a garment worn to prevent a kimono from getting dirty when doing housework.
It is said to have been invented at a cooking school during the Meiji period.

Hakozen (box meal)

A box-shaped meal tray contains one person's worth of tableware.
You turn the lid of the box upside down, place your dishes on it and eat.
When you've finished eating, clean the dishes with tea or something and put them away in the box.
Each member of the family had their own box lunch box.

Low table

A chabudai is a four-legged low table used in Japan for dining.
We all eat together around one dining table.
Also, the round shape of the chabudai table means you can sit wherever you like.
The legs can be folded up, making it a highly functional piece of furniture that can be easily stored when not in use.

Ice refrigerator

An ice refrigerator is a refrigerator that uses the coldness of ice to cool the inside.
New ice had to be added every day.
The inside is lined with tin and other metal plates, with insulation in between, making it difficult for cold air to escape.

Izumi

An Izumi is a container used to keep rice warm in an ohitsu (rice container) during the cold winter months.
It is made from rice straw.

Fly screen

A fly screen is a piece of furniture used to store cooked food and plates of leftover food.
This shelf prevents flies from getting close to the food and also provides good ventilation.
However, it was not suitable for long-term storage and was only used for overnight storage.

6. Basic information about "Kyumusashi"

Old Musashi

797-0015 229 Uwamachi 3-chome, Seiyo City, Ehime Prefecture

It is called "Old Musashi" because during the Meiji period, the business was called "Musashi (ya)." The shop offers experiences of life in the past, such as a "stove cooking experience" where you can cook rice using old household tools and a hearth, and a "laundry experience" where you can do laundry using a well and a washboard.

Hotels near Old Musashi

Daiichi Business Hotel Matsuya

Ehime Prefecture > Seiyo

4.2 /5

Very Good

7 reviews

$40～

Address: 229 Unomachi 3-chome, Uwa-cho, Seiyo-shi, Ehime Prefecture Prefecture Contact: 0894-62-6700 (Uwa Sentetsu Memorial Museum)
access
5 minutes by car from Seiyo-Uwa Interchange on the Matsuyama Expressway
8 minutes walk from Unomachi Station on the JR Yosan Line

7. To make your experience even more enjoyable...(^^♪ Nearby information

We will introduce some recommended spots in the town!!

Uwa Sentetsu Memorial Museum

4-327 Uenomachi, Uwacho, Seiyo City Ehime Prefecture 7970015

In the permanent exhibition introducing the great men and women of Uwa Town, you can experience making and wrapping medicine as Siebold's daughter, Kusumoto Ine, the first Japanese female doctor. The seasonal exhibits for traditional Japanese events such as Hinamatsuri and Tango no Sekku are a must-see. You can see gorgeous Hina dolls, palace decorations, and a giant 8-meter carp streamer. In addition, painting exhibitions, calligraphy exhibitions, and art exhibitions are also held. Rental spaces (Japanese-style room, citizen gallery, and second floor exhibition room) are also available.

Hotels near Uwa Sentetsu Memorial Museum

Daiichi Business Hotel Matsuya

Ehime Prefecture > Seiyo

4.2 /5

Very Good

7 reviews

$40～

Uwa Rice Museum

797-0015 2-24 Uwamachi, Seiyo City, Ehime Prefecture

This rice museum is a relocated and preserved version of the "former Uwamachi Elementary School building." The "mopping experience" that takes place in the 109m long wooden corridor is popular. The old classrooms are also used as a shared office and meeting rooms.

Hotels near Uwa Rice Museum

Daiichi Business Hotel Matsuya

Ehime Prefecture > Seiyo

4.2 /5

Very Good

7 reviews

$40～

Straw Mammoth

232 Iwaki, Uwa-cho, Seiyo City, Ehime Prefecture, 797-0026

Straw mammoth art is located a three-minute walk from Iyoishijo Station in Uwacho, Seiyo City. This straw mammoth was created in 2011 as a collaboration between Musashino Art University in Tokyo and local volunteers to liven up the lotus flower festival. With the cooperation of local residents, the mammoth's straw is replaced every year from March to April. In spring, it can be seen against the lotus flower, the city's flower. In summer, against the green rice paddies where rice has grown. In autumn, against the rice fields where the rice has been harvested. In winter, it is lit up with straw groves. You can see the straw mammoth in all four seasons. Every year during the lotus flower festival on April 29th, the place bustles with activity and has become something of a symbol of Uwacho.

We especially recommend the "Straw Mammoth."
The Straw Mammoth Art, located a 3-minute walk from Iyoishijo Station, is the symbol of the town.
The Straw Mammoth was created in 2011 as a joint project between Musashino Art University in Tokyo and local volunteers to liven up the Renge Festival.
In spring, you can see the lotus flowers of the city. In summer, you can see the green rice fields with growing rice. In autumn, you can see the rice fields after the rice has been harvested. In winter, you can see the straw groves lit up. You can see the straw mammoths in every season.
Every year on April 29th, the park is bustling with visitors during the Renge Festival, and now you can enjoy taking commemorative photos however you like, whether you approach Uwa Town and take photos looking up at the view, or take photos from afar with the fields and mountains in the background.
There's no admission fee! It's just a rice field.