A few days ago, I received a beautiful rice cracker (Arare in Japanese) from the president of "Kyoto Souzen", a venerable shop at Nishijin, Kyoto. One of Souzen's most famous products is the "Jowazamono Kame", a tortoise-shaped arare with a beautiful pattern on the shell and a detailed design of the belly bulge that differs between the sexes. I was amazed at how delicate it was! (The turtle with a flat stomach is a male, the turtle with a bulging belly is a female.)

The company's president makes each turtle by hand, and it takes him 7 to 10 days to complete each turtle. I was surprised to see the shape of the tortoise, and when I tried it, it was delicious, and I could feel that the arare were made with great care and care.

Ume konbu cha. You float the arare and have it. This tiny little arare also had a shape. It becomes fragrant to float this, and I love this konbu cha very much. 

Assorted arare.An assortment of rice crackers. What is a bit different is that the container is made of prawn crackers. So you can eat the container too.

It seems that this is the only place that can produce "Jowazamono" with such a high level of skill. The president of the company, who has such a unique skill, told me about Japanese culture, the story of how he got here, the arare, etc. I really felt that it is fantastic to be a person who has worked hard and mastered something. It was really cool to hear that. I also realised that I need to work harder and harder to change my life. I would like to learn more about the process of making arare and to make Kyoto more enjoyable with special okaki and arare. It was great meeting with a wonderful president who has a passion for the company.

Yuna