Cooking Experience at Kumagai House
Visitors to Iwami Ginzan can experience Japanese traditional cooking in the kitchen of Kumagai Family House. This house is the largest surviving Japanese-style house in Omori village next to the silver mine and has been designated an Important Cultural Asset of Japan.
The cooking menu includes rice, miso soup, a main dish such as grilled mackerel, and a side dish such as quick pickled vegetables.
You can cook rice and miso soup using Kamado, a traditional cooking stove using fire and chopped wood.
Before using the Kamado to cook rice and miso soup, we measured the amount of rice with a traditional wooden cup and rinsed the measured rice outside using pumped water. Then, we chopped wood to build the fire, and cut vegetables for miso soup and the side dish.
While cooking rice and simmering miso soup, we prepared the main dish. The menu changes according to the season. In the case of fish as a main dish, you can grill it with the embers of the fire from the kamado.
While cooking, the staff taught us about traditional cooking equipment. Then we got to enjoy lunch!
Every dish was so tasty and nutritious. Also, it was fun to cook in a traditional way. This is something difficult to experience in daily life. If you want to try cooking Japanese foods, feel Japanese ancient lifestyle or learn Japanese culture, this cooking program is perfect. You should be able to speak basic Japanese to take part in this experience or have an interpreter as part of your group. After the experience, you can observe other rooms of House of the Kumagai Family.
Access to House of the Kumagai Family
〒694-0305 島根県大田市大森町ハ63
八63 Omoricho, Oda, Shimane
Tel: 0854-89-9003 in Japanese only