🍱 Oyama no tofu ryori

Oyama, located 1,252 meters above sea level and part of the Tanzawa Oyama National Park, is famous for its tofu, which makes use of the good quality water of the Tanzawa mountain range. Tofu is very soft with high water content and has a light flavor. Because it can be easily combined with any ingredients, a variety of tofu dishes are served in local households, but the two most popular are "chilled tofu" and "yudofu," which allow the flavors of the ingredients to be enjoyed as they are. Because Mt. Daisen receives steam from Sagami Bay and is prone to rain, it is also called "Mt. Since it was possible to make a round trip from Edo (Tokyo) in three to four days without passing through a barrier, many commoners visited the mountain during the Edo period to pray for rain and prosperous business. When the population of Edo was 1 million, as many as 200,000 people visited Oyama in a single summer. Daisen's tofu was first made using soybeans donated from various places and local fresh water. There is an anecdote that in the old days, visitors to Mt. Oyama during the height of the hot summer would slurp tofu in the palm of their hands as they walked around the mountain. Tofu dishes were also served to worshippers at nearby inns, where they were greatly appreciated and eventually became a local specialty. In 2016, the Agency for Cultural Affairs recognized the " Oyama Pilgrimage" as a Japanese Heritage Site, and tofu cuisine is one of the components of the Japan Heritage Site.