🍱 Yuki no Tsuyu

Arita, Saga Prefecture, is known as the birthplace of porcelain, and porcelain production began in the early 17th century with the discovery of ceramic stone, the raw material for magnetism, at Mount Izumiyama in Arita. One of the people who found the potter's stone at this time was a Korean potter, Sanbei Kanagae (a.k.a. Sampei Lee), who is known as the creator of Arita-yaki porcelain.The "Touzan Shrine", built around 1658, has Emperor Ojin as its main deity, and a monument to Sampei Lee was erected on the site. On the evening of New Year's Eve, "Arita Bowl Lantern Festival" will be held at "Touzan Shrine", which is well known among the local people as the "God of Pottery". About 1,000 porcelain lamps are used to illuminate the area between the "Tsuji-no-fuda" intersection at the central intersection of the Arita Pottery Market Street and the shrine grounds. The festival begins around 23時30分 on New Year's Eve and continues until around 02時00分 on New Year's Day, when "Yuki no Tsuyu," a local dish, is served. "Yuki no Tsuyu" is a soup of grated daikon radish roughly grated with a bamboo grater called "Oni Oroshi," and baked rice cakes or thinly fried tofu in a miso soup. Since kiln workers had to stay at the kiln all night long, it is said that "Yuki no Tsuyu" was eaten as a nighttime meal because it warms the body even on cold nights and is easy to eat and keep one's stomach full.