ShinshuBrand Awards 2020 Special FeatureShinshuA gem of a great product that supports the brand

Nagano "We select and award outstanding brands that are nurtured by the natural and climate unique to the prefecture.ShinshuBrand Awards. As part of our activities to broaden the circle of brand building, we started in 2004 and follow the theme set every year.Shinshu"Happiness" is acknowledged to brands that contribute to improving the value of the brandShinshuDepartment" and Nagano There are two categories, the "NAGANO GOOD DESIGN" category, which recognizes designs that lead the prefecture's level up design. This is the 17th timeShinshuThe future award won at the Brand Awards 2020ShinshuWe will introduce initiatives that will shape your brand.

President Kureha Hideki. "Shinshu"I want more people to know about the appeal of fruit apples," he said on April 29th, opening "Apple Frit and Bake," a service offering apple parfaits filled with freshly fried, fluffy apples, next to the Azumino main store.

President Kureha Hideki, who grew up in Obuse Town, surrounded by fields of chestnuts and apples, loved the scenery of his hometown, where white flowers bloom in spring and bright red apples that had harvested in autumn, spread throughout the area. I studied photography and design overseas since I was in high school, started my business and went back and forth between Japan and abroad as a creative director, and one day I was shocked to learn that most of the Japanese apples sold overseas under the name "JAPAN FUJI" are from Aomori Prefecture. There "Shinshu"We want to spread delicious apples around the world," he set up a company that exports fruits and vegetables, but soon after, the Great East Japan Earthquake occurred. Although they faced export restrictions, they were not discouraged by adversity and said, "If the fruits and vegetables are not good, make unregulated processed products.ShinshuLet's share the deliciousness of the apples."ShinshuWe have begun developing sweets using fruit apples. A delicious and beautifully-looking dessert that came to mind was the rose-shaped apple pie we saw in America.

Open the petals one by one with tweezers, which require delicateness. Just like a real rose, the tart is packed with 13 petals, with the desire to "have something closer to nature."

The manufacturing process, which pursues beauty while making full use of the deliciousness of the apples, is truly craftsmanship. First, thinly slice carefully selected AAA class apples together with the skin, lightly compote, then arrange 13 of them, just like the rose petals, and roll them round them to make buds. Then place it on a tart stand filled with puree made with locally grown eggs and red balls, and open each piece with tweezers to make rose buds bloom. This tart was created by hand, saying that it has a beauty that can only be produced by human hands, and the fresh texture and sourness of the apples combine with the rich almond cream and puree to create an exquisite taste.

The shop is lined with a variety of sweets made with apples. Afternoon tea (reservations required) can also be enjoyed at the attached cafe space.

In 2019, the store opened in Scramble Square in Shibuya. It is a genuine tart packed with apples, but its delicate design, which focuses on the same structure as real roses, has been recognized, and won the highest ranking Grand Prize in the NAGANO GOOD DESIGN category.
"We are currently selling mainly domestically, butShinshuWe continue to pursue our dream of making delicious apples a global brand. Many people from all over the world are saying that this tart is a place where people from all over the world have come to expect.ShinshuI hope this will be an opportunity to visit the venue," said Kureha. Apple & Roses Company Japan is steadily moving forward towards realizing its dreams.

Yasuda and his family.

Yasuda, who worked part-time at a bicycle shop in high school and studied metal crafts at the University of the Arts, decided after graduating, "Can we make more interesting bicycles?" and decided to go to Italy, a country of arts and the home of bicycle manufacturing. I made the first wooden bicycle, "Kinopio," to serve as a business card in an unknown land. When he was a student, he saw a wooden Italian bicycle and thought, "I want to make a bicycle like this," which led him to make a friend in Italy and was once helped by someone interested. He has acquired manufacturing techniques in the real world for about 10 years, and after getting married, he is now home to his wife Soko.ShinshuMoved to. The deciding factor in choosing Minowa Town was because it resembles the scenery of Trent, Italy, where I lived. Surrounded by mountains, the Tenryu River flows and the apple fields spread out, the scenery of the town was a torrent for Yasuda.

The origin of Yasuda's wooden bicycle manufacturing and the name of the workshop is that Yasuda misrepresented the Italian children's literature "Pinocchio."

I have two dreams for the future. The carbon fiber used to enhance the strength of a wooden bicycle is made from Okaya silk. Then, on that bike, the family traveled slowly, crossing the Eurasia continent with their family, enjoying their journey to Italy. “Made in ShinshuYasuda's eyes are filled with excitement as he imagines a wooden bicycle running through Italy.

Processing of the lamp part.

The Suwa area is a thriving industry of precision equipment. A culture of manufacturing is ingrained in division of labor, and while each company has high technical capabilities, they often don't know how the parts they manufacture are shaped or what they have final products. Meanwhile, Oak Manufacturing Co., Ltd. had the desire to "develop products that could broadly spread Suwa's technical capabilities as a contribution to the community." We empathize with the philosophy of "SUWA Premium," a new local brand that will add value by collaborating with designers to create products created through Suwa's technical capabilities, and have decided to work on creating products for the general consumer that brings together the skills of local companies and the skills of craftsmen.

"I hope this lamp will bring you a little more calm and warmth in your life," says Serizawa (right) and Kobayashi (left). The light from the lamp has a 1/f fluctuation, which is said to provide healing.

"We were able to complete the project with the support of other companies, including our lack of design and planning and proposal skills. We have gained confidence that we can create amazing products with our own technology, and it has led to a re-recognition of the value of the work we work with every day," says Serizawa Izumi, head of the Basic Research Department. The fact that it is a handmade product that brings together the technology of the Suwa region and its beautiful and sophisticated designs were highly praised, leading to this award. Kobayashi Tsuyoshi, a member of the Basic Research Department, also has great hopes, saying, "As the product concept is to create a clear air like glass with pure ozone, we hope that we can provide clean air and peace of mind to our daily lives during the COVID-19 pandemic."
A light from the 13 companies gather from Suwa to the world is emitting light.

Nakai Samurai Village is dotted with private houses in tea fields that stretch along a steep curved road called "Seven-Magari".

In Nakai Samurai Village, in addition to being surrounded by mountains on all sides, the fog that rises from the Tenryu River naturally blocks sunlight in the mornings and evenings, suppressing the production of tannins that create bitterness, and soft tea leaves with a sweetness like gyokuro grow, and "we want you to drink delicious tea with confidence," so the cultivation is free of pesticides.

Nakai Samurai's famous tea leaves are beautifully blooming. One of the features that makes it possible to steam extremely shallow.

Furthermore, the processing process "steaming," which is said to be that "80% of tea production is determined by steaming," has a unique feature of "Nakai Samurai Meisha." The mainstream is "deep steaming", which is usually steamed for 1-3 minutes, but "Nakai Samurai Meisha" is "shallow steaming" at an extremely short period of 20 seconds. This is a manufacturing method that can only be achieved with soft, high-quality tea leaves. Another characteristic of the tea leaves is that they are maintained in a solid shape, and when hot water is poured, the tea leaves open gently. The pale yellow-green tea has a scent of young leaves, and the bitterness and astringency that is typical of tea is modest, and the soft sweetness remains in the aftertaste.

Harada Yukifumi, head of the Nakai Samurai Producers Association and his wife Hamako.

Maeda said, "I hope this will lead to an opportunity for people to learn that they are cultivated with such beautiful scenery in the prefecture."ShinshuApply for the Brand Awards 2020. "Happiness with nature" is the themeShinshuThe award for the "Category" category brought new hope to the small village.