Keiko Kudo and Mrs. Kawano from the Kaizen Centre and I went up to visit the Miyagis the other day to have lunch and also to talk to them about the Art in Kamiyama project. I'd heard of their Rakuon Rakujitsu events and festivals before, but it was my first time to formally meet the Miyagis and see their house.

The Miyagi house is really old – I don't know how old. They heat using a woodstove and cook rice in a big woodfired rice cooker just like the olden days. On the day we went, Mariko made her version of ramen for us. She said it's what she makes when her kids say they want to eat ramen. It's spaghetti in a sort of ramen-esque soup made of fish-based stock, shoyu, mirin, ground sesame seeds, grated ginger, and grated garlic. We also had some of their tasty locally grown brown rice, and some salad made with watercress from the Miyagi's garden. Yummy! I can't wait to visit again.