Nihon Chomiryo Tabi
What Umajimura's Yuzu no Mura is
- A ponzu from Umajimura (馬路村), a village of about 800 people deep in the mountains of Kochi. Forest covers 96% of its land.
- A village that once lived on forestry reached a crossroads as that industry declined, and chose to turn the yuzu growing on its slopes into products.
- "Ponzu Shoyu Yuzu no Mura," born in 1986, sits at the center of that gamble.
- Yuzu juice rounded out with katsuo dashi (bonito stock) gave the village a name known across the country.
Some bottles of ponzu open onto the landscape of a single village.
Deep in the mountains of Kochi Prefecture sits Umajimura (馬路村), a village of roughly 800 people. Forest covers 96% of it. What made this small place known across Japan was a bottle called "Ponzu Shoyu Yuzu no Mura."
A forest village bets on yuzu
Umajimura once lived on forestry. As that industry declined, the village found itself at a crossroads over whether it could survive at all.
The path it chose was to turn the yuzu growing on its slopes into products. Gather the fruit from across the village, press the juice, put it in a bottle. "Ponzu Shoyu Yuzu no Mura," born in 1986, sits at the center of that gamble. Yuzu juice rounded out with katsuo dashi (bonito stock) made a plain, unadorned taste that came straight out of mountain village life.
Grand prize at the 101 Villages of Japan fair
The turning point came in 1988.
At the "101 Villages of Japan" fair held at the Seibu department store, Yuzu no Mura took the grand prize. The name of a village nobody had heard of spread all at once, and orders poured in from around the country. The story of Umajimura, told everywhere as a case of village revival, began with this one bottle of ponzu. Turning a local resource into value with the whole village involved is still held up as a model for regions building products of their own.
A bottle from the Umajimura Agricultural Cooperative
Yuzu no Mura is still made by the Umajimura Agricultural Cooperative.
The scent of yuzu lifts off it, and the taste is so round and free of edges that you could almost drink it. It is gentler than the sharp, acidic ponzu most people know. Behind the bottle lies the life of a village ringed by forest, and the road its people chose.
How to enjoy Yuzu no Mura
- As a dipping sauce for hot pots: yudofu, mizutaki
- Poured generously over seared bonito, the specialty of Kochi
- Mixed with grated daikon for grilled fish
- Over gyoza or karaage, to clean up the finish
- In place of a salad dressing, where its mildness works
Start with the hot pot. The scent of yuzu comes first, and with it a mouthful of a village far up in the mountains.
Frequently asked questions
What is Umajimura's ponzu, Yuzu no Mura?
It is a ponzu shoyu made by the Umajimura Agricultural Cooperative in Kochi Prefecture, blending yuzu juice with katsuo (bonito) dashi. Released in 1986, it is known for a rounded taste that lets the scent of yuzu come through, and it became the emblem of the village's revival.
What kind of village is Umajimura?
A village of roughly 800 people in the mountains of Kochi Prefecture. Forest covers 96% of its area, and when forestry declined the village found a way forward by turning the yuzu grown on its slopes into processed goods. Yuzu is what put its name on the map.
What dishes does this ponzu suit?
It suits hot pots such as yudofu (simmered tofu) and mizutaki, and seared bonito. Mix it with grated daikon for grilled fish, or pour it over gyoza and karaage. Because it is mild, it also works in place of a salad dressing.
