JaranyaPuifai

On March 12-13, 2025, Fai and her friends, totaling 5 people from APU, had the opportunity to go to Okawa City. This time, they will study about this city for 2 days and 1 night. In this activity, Fai will meet students from other universities such as NIU and NJC. So, it is an activity that Fai is very looking forward to.

Okawa: This time, we will study about this city for two days and one night. In this activity, Fai will meet students from other universities such as NIU and NJC. So, this is an activity that Fai is really looking forward to.

Day 1 December 3, 2025 We boarded the bus and gathered at Okawa TERRAZZA, the tourist information center for the area. There were many souvenirs on sale here, including "Okawa Chili Ice Cream," so I couldn't help but buy some and try it. It was just the right amount of spiciness and was very delicious, so I wasn't disappointed at all.

Shortly after everyone arrived, the official event began. We had a meal before walking around the town. There was fried chicken, inari sushi, sushi rolls, etc., and I realized once again that Okawa's specialty is fried chicken! It was really delicious.

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Afterwards, we head to a nearby site. The landmark Chikugo River Lift Bridge was built in 1935 to link Fukuoka and Saga prefectures, and has a lift section to make it easier for boats to pass through. I noticed a rope stretched parallel to the railing of the bridge and wondered what it was for. When I asked our guide, he told me that the rope was tied to the railing to prevent birds from landing on the bridge and soiling it. I never thought such a headache could be solved in such a simple way.

After that, we had a "craftsmanship experience." This time, everyone chose to make something different. Okawa city is famous for its furniture production, so there are chairs, key chains, kumiko crafts, and more. Some of you may be wondering what exactly kumiko is.

At first, I didn't know what it was, but in simple terms, it is a work of art created by cutting pieces of wood into the right size and shape and gradually combining them to form beautiful patterns without the use of nails, glue or other fasteners.

For this activity, Phuong chose a kumiko keychain because it's cute and easy to carry. Once you have your hammer and materials, you can start crafting. Making a keychain isn't that hard; you just need to sand it, oil it, and decorate it nicely.

But Kumiko-san secretly made it a bit harder because you had to choose the right pieces. When you use a hammer, you need to be gentle. Otherwise the wood might break. It takes a lot of concentration to do that. It's so hard, even with pre-made parts.

How hard would it be if you had to make it yourself from scratch, or make it into a larger piece with an intricate pattern?

Once that's done, Mr. Miyake said, "Let's get everyone to know more about Okawa City through an activity called 'Walking Around the City.'" It turns out that Okawa City has a very long history as a city that has flourished as a transportation hub since the Edo period.

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It is also the border between two former Japanese prefectures, Yanagawa and Kurume. It is very strange that two prefectures so close to each other have different ways of speaking. Furthermore, Fai also came across something called a "Uma Tsunagi." This literally means "horse tying." It looks very simple. It's a big, tall lump. And it has a hole for a rope to go through.

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It is said that in the Edo period, horse-tie boats played a role similar to modern-day taxis. Phong finds this very interesting. It seems that horses and boats were the main means of transportation for the Japanese in the past. Not only that, but because this place wasn't bombed in the war, our guide, Miyake-san, took us to important places from the Edo period, such as shrines and old furniture shops. Many old buildings still remain.

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Fai really loves this city, no matter how many years have passed. It still retains its traditional atmosphere. It really feels like you're walking through that era.

Before going to the hotel, we stopped at a vinegar factory in the city. Normally, Phuong doesn't eat vinegar. If you want to make him drink vinegar water, that's a no-go. But after learning how vinegar is made, what it does, and how to consume it, I've become more open-minded. You can also sample vinegar here. There are ginger vinegar, strawberry vinegar, yuzu vinegar, lemon vinegar, etc., which I tried and really liked.

So I bought three bottles to take home and I hope you all will try them too.

ay 2 March 13, 2025 Today is mainly a training trip to a kumiko factory and a furniture factory. So everyone has to get up early. And get ready to leave. The first factory is the kumiko factory. Yesterday, Phuong made a few small kumiko pieces. It feels like it took a long time even for that.

However, when I saw so many pieces of furniture that mainly use kumiko like this, I was really surprised. The person who did that is really amazing. All the pieces are handmade. During the Q&A session, Fai carefully raised his hand to take the opportunity to ask the factory owner various questions.

According to the information we got, this is the only factory that currently makes Kumiko. There are no schools in Japan that teach how to make Kumiko, and the factory does not accept students as part-time workers, as this requires advanced skills.

And the training takes a long time, and the most expensive kumiko is the largest and most delicate work, the partition, which costs about 25 million yen. Also, furniture with this kind of kumiko may look fragile. But in reality, this furniture can last up to 100 years. Phuong really respects everyone in the factory. This is really the best wisdom.

After that, we all headed to our next stop: the Marusho Furniture Factory. Here, anyone can see the process of how furniture is made from start to finish.

From the idea of ​​making each piece of furniture, Fon learned that it must go through good design to become the furniture we use every day. How much dedication must the craftsman put into it? The furniture manufacturing process here starts with the selection of suitable wood for each piece of furniture, then cutting the wood, polishing the wood (at this step, the factory usually adds special techniques such as making waves on the furniture to make it more interesting and give the furniture a better touch), and polishing and coating is the last step that Fon likes very much.

The factory has a showroom that simulates the finished furniture that customers can sit on and touch. During the question and answer session, Fai also asked the factory owner many questions. The information obtained is: The customers who come to buy are usually married people. or other companies And the most difficult step in making furniture is making the circular parts. But to be honest, the factory owner said that every step has its own difficulties. Even the process of designing furniture to meet the customer's needs is very difficult.

Before the activity ended, Fai learned a lot. And there was a presentation for everyone to hear about what he learned through the activity. And how to promote Okawa city to attract more tourists. From his experience, Fai believes that Okawa city will definitely become a tourist city one day.

It has many distinctive features, such as the Edo period atmosphere, furnishings, and unique vinegar. If I had known earlier that there was a town like this in Japan, I would have invited my friends to come here a long time ago. If you have the opportunity, please come to Okawa City!い！