Ninohe City of Iwate, Japan, is pleased to announce a series of events during the second annual “Ninohe City Fair” in New York City!
The Ninohe City Fair in New York 2017 will be held in late October to introduce Japanese artisan crafts and sake from Ninohe City to New Yorkers.
The fair will feature two events:
Exhibition at the Nippon Club Gallery Seminar on Joboji Urushi and sake tasting at the Nippon Club Gallery
Ninohe City is a small town of 30,000 people in Iwate Prefecture in northern Japan that still offers a glimpse of traditional Japan.
Nanbu-Bijin is a sake producer that takes pride in using local ingredients, such as locally grown rice and fresh water from a prefectural park, to produce sake that is reflective of the abundant nature in Ninohe City.
Nanbu-Bijin won many of national and international sake competitions, such as the "best of class" award at the inaugural International Sake Challenge in 2007 and is now served on Japan Airlines’ first class international flights.
Ninohe City continues a long history of lacquer production and is currently the largest producer of lacquer in Japan, accounting for 80% of domestic lacquer.
The lacquer is harvested from Urushi trees grown by local farmers and transformed into beautiful traditional lacquerware by local artisans.
Known as Joboji-Urushi, the particular Urushi found in Ninohe City is renowned for its high quality and has been designated as the lacquer of choice in the preservation of World Heritage Sites such as Kinkakuji (the Golden Temple in Kyoto), Chusonji Konjikido (the temple of Iwate), and Toshogu (the shrine of Nikko).