Miteri - Convenient Indian-Nepalese restaurant near Washizu Station

Before I went to Sakichi Toyoda Memorial House last Saturday, I had lunch at Indian-Nepalese Restaurant Miteri located only a few minutes walk from Washizu Station. It was on the second floor of a building,

and they had stairs outside.

During the lunch time, the restaurant provided two set menu items suitable for vegetarians: Mix Vegetable Curry and Dal Curry. I chose Dal Curry. As you can choose between naan bread and rice, I chose rice because I thought it went better with bean curry than naan bread. For drink, there were many options including Mango Lassi and Rose Lassi that provoked my curiosity. However, I chose chai as I always do in Indian restaurants.

While waiting, I saw weather forecast on TV installed at a high place near the entrance. It was rather unusual for an Indian restaurant to have one though it may be welcomed by some customers. The restaurant provided free Wi-Fi as well and many takeout menu items. I wanted to have pakora and samosa for dinner at home but gave them up as I was on my way to Sakichi Toyoda’s birthplace.

After a while, salad was served. It was made of cabbage, lettuce, carrot and corn. The dressing contained sesame.

This is Dal Curry. Unlike bean curry I had seen before in other restaurants, it had chopped green onion and a spiral on top. Bean curry and its name seemed to have variations depending on restaurants. In this blog, I use the name and spelling written on the menu of each restaurant. In most cases, the menu items of Indian restaurants are written both in Japanese and English.

The hotness of the curry was selectable from 0 to 5, and I chose 3. It was medium hot, but I felt soon that my body was warmed up. Though the weather was cool enough to wear a long-sleeved shirt, I began to sweat. The curry was so appetizing that I asked for a second helping of rice. They provided free refills of naan bread and rice, and many people asked for them.

Then I had chai. Chai in Indian restaurants is often served with stick sugar, but I don’t usually use it. I remembered sweet chai in the South Indian restaurant in Nagoya and wondered if it’s better to put sugar in chai. However, I drank it as it was. It was good even without sugar.

When I left the restaurant, they asked me if I wanted to have a stamp card. If I had lived in Kosai, I would have answered “Yes” to come there repeatedly. Their service was very good.

Miteri was not only near the station but also Lake Hamana. After visiting Sakichi Toyoda Memorial House, I dropped in a second-hand book chain BOOK OFF on my way back to the station and then got lost for a while. When I came back, the weather had become fine. I enjoyed the view of the lake before I returned to Hamamatsu.

Indian-Nepalese Restaurant Miteri
Address: KANEKI Building 2F, 529-3 Washizu, Kosai-shi, Shizuoka
Tel: 053-575-1112
Open hours: 11:00 - 15:00
            17:00 - 22:00
Closed: Mondays

Birthplace of Sakichi Toyoda (2) - Farm in old days

Sakichi Toyoda Memorial House has large premises, including the hill behind the buildings.

In this place, you can not only learn about the life of Sakichi but also enjoy the atmosphere of an old farm in western Shizuoka Prefecture. This is a rain cape hung outside of the barn where Sakichi worked on improvement of the loom.

On the opposite side of the path, there was an orchard of mandarin orange trees. The fruits seemed to be ripe enough for eating.

When I walked further toward the hill, I could see persimmon trees as well.

In another place, there were other kind of persimmons. They are bitter and cannot be eaten as they are, however, they can be used to make dried persimmons.

On the foot of the hill, Sakichi made a facility to purify spring water for drinking by using leaves, pebbles, and sand.

I climbed up the hill to get to the observation area.

From the top, I could see Lake Hamana and Hamamatsu beyond it. If it had been fine, Mt. Fuji might have been visible from this spot.

Unfortunately, it looked like rain, so I climbed down the hill soon. However, I was glad to come there just on that day because fragrant olives on the premises were in full bloom. They were planted near the buildings and sent out a sweet aroma.

In fact, I like fragrant olives best of all the blossoms. Every year, when I notice their aroma in the air, I feel glad and relieved. It is a sign that autumn has really arrived. I like dry fresh air in autumn and winter rather than humidity and heat in summer. I often wonder if it is possible to use fragrant olive blossoms for sweets. I have heard that they have fragrant olive tea in China. It sounds delicious!

Autumn is the season of harvest. In the house of Sakichi’s birth, you can see tools used in farms in old days. There was a wooden fanning mill, which was also seen in my grandparents’ house near Lake Hamana when I was little.

This is a cooking stove.

The rooms looked spacious. The house was built in a typical style of a farmhouse in Kosai in old days. The room with hibachi or a heating appliance in the middle was used to bring in crops or make things out of straws, or for visitors, etc. The room behind it had a scroll with the name of Akiha Shrine (known for the deity for fire protection). It was the most important room and used for annual events and guests.

This is a two-storied house Sakichi built for his parents in 1907 when he was forty.

In Enshu or western Shizuoka Prefecture, many detached houses have windbreak fences made of podocarp like this. This area is very windy in winter. In our dialect, we call the plant "hosoba" that means a narrow leaf.

Even on that day, it was blowing a little, and I was worried it would rain. Before leaving Sakichi Toyoda Memorial House, I looked at his parents’ fine house again and then hurried to the train station that is 30-minute walk from there.

Sakichi Toyoda Memorial House

Address: 113-2 Yamaguchi, Kosai-shi, Shizuoka

Tel: 053-576-0064

Open hours: 9:30 - 17:00 (April 1 - September 30)

                    9:30 - 16:30 (October 1 - March 31)

Closed: Wednesday (except national holidays, in which case the following Thursday will be closed)

               January 6 - 8, December 26 - 31

            Monday and Tuesday immediately before the last Wednesday in February and those

            immediately before the first Wednesday in September

Birthplace of Sakichi Toyoda (1) - Ambitious young man from humble family

After I visited the Toyota Commemorative Museum of Industry and Technology last weekend, I felt like visiting the birthplace of Sakichi Toyoda, the founder of Toyota Group. It is in Kosai, a neighboring town of Hamamatsu. Yesterday, I went there by train and got off at Washizu Station. In front of the station, there was a board introducing Sakichi Toyoda and his son Kiichiro who started the automobile business. They are the pride of this town.

Unfortunately, the bus service is very limited, so you have to walk or take a taxi to his birthplace Sakichi Toyoda Memorial House. I walked there because I had once worked in Kosai and still remembered how it looked like around the house. But I would recommend taking a taxi. It takes about 30 minutes on foot.

Sakichi Toyoda Memorial House is in a rural area filled in nature. The admission is free. This is the gate.

You can see a bust of Sakichi made by his wife when you step inside.

The first building on the right is the exhibition room where you can learn about the life of Sakichi with pictures and explanation in Japanese, English, and Chinese, as well as with a video of reenactment of his life. I found the video realistic and interesting. Sakichi was born in 1867. His father was a carpenter, and Sakichi started to help his father after finishing four years of elementary education. Besides the work, he read books and magazines and was inspired by Self-Help by Samuel Smiles*, especially by the episode of the English inventor Richard Arkwright. He wanted to do something that would contribute to the world and people. When the Monopoly Patent Act was established in 1885, Sakichi found his mission to become an inventor.

Western Shizuoka Prefecture have been a major production area of textile. Sakichi’s mother used to weave cloth in addition to doing farming. Sakichi stayed in this barn and worked hard day by day to improve the loom so that the burden of work would be reduced. His father expected Sakichi to become a skillful carpenter, so he opposed to his devotion to the loom. Even people in the village thought Sakichi was strange as he worked on a women's work tool.

Inside of the barn looked like this.

In 1890, Sakichi completed his first invention Toyoda Wooden Hand Loom. In the lounge beside the house of his birth, you can experience weaving with this loom by referring to the instructions on the wall.

It allows you to weave cloth only with one hand. The shuttle moves automatically from one side to the other as you pull the reed quickly toward you. I tried for a while. It was difficult than I thought. However, this loom increased the productivity by 40 - 50% compared with a traditional loom and improved the quality of the cloth at the same time.

This is the house where Sakichi and his son Kiichiro were born. It was rebuilt in 1990.

From the front side, you can see Sakichi and his mother. She was the only supporter for Sakichi and wept for joy when he completed his loom.

Sakichi obtained more than 80 patens for invention in his life. The exhibition room exhibits Non-Stop Shuttle Change Toyoda Automatic Loom, Type G in 1924 that had the best performance in the world. Sakichi sold the patent for the loom to an English manufacturer Platt Brothers & Co., Ltd. for one million yen, which became the capital for development of automobiles.

Beside the loom, there was a big kite. I heard that Sakichi had liked to fly a kite. Even now, we have kite festivals in Hamamatsu and some other towns in western Shizuoka Prefecture. It seems that kite flying has been a common passion among people in this area all the time.

*The Japanese translation of Self-Help by Samuel Smiles was published in 1871 and became one of the bestsellers of the Meiji period (1868-1912). When I learned that Sakichi was a big fan of this book, I felt a sense of familiarity because it was my favorite book when I was a university student. I still remember the phrase “Heaven helps those who help themselves” and believe it.

Holiday in Nagoya (5) - Birthplace of Toyota (Part 2)

In 1921, Sakichi Toyoda’s son Kiichiro joined his father’s company Toyoda Boshoku (Spinning and Weaving) Corporation (present Toyota Boshoku Corporation). During his business trips to the US and Europe, he was very impressed by the popularity of automobiles and thought of the great potential of the automobile industry. In 1933, he established the Automobile Division in Toyoda Automatic Loom Works, Ltd. In the Automobile Pavilion, you can see the scene of trial production of the Model A1 passenger car. It must have required advanced craftmanship.

In 1936, their first passenger car, the Model AA was released. It looked gorgeous. Next year, the Automobile Division became independent, and Toyota Motor Company Ltd. was established.

The pavilion exhibited the flow-type mass production system in the Koromo Plant during 1938-1942. It could produce 2000 units per month.

The seats were made by using a sewing machine. I was very interested in this old sewing machine made by Singer because my grandmother also had a similar machine of the same manufacturer in the attic of her house.

If you are a car lover, this museum is a must to visit.

Some old vehicles looked nicer than modern ones. I liked the design and color of Toyoda Model G1 Truck made in 1935. When I saw it on the site, I imagined somehow that it had been used in farms. The color reminds of me of a green pepper.

This is Corolla Sprinter in 1968.

Camry is a long-seller model. This one was made in 1982.

The color of this Corolla Tercel (1980 US Spec) is nice.

There were also PRIUS PHV in 2017,

and a main body assembly automatic welder for PRIUS in 2015.

I learned later that they also exhibit electric vehicles, but I think I missed it. The pavilion was large and had a lot to see. Some areas were under renovation and forbidden to enter until December 28, 2019.

Outside the pavilion, there was a group of Toyota Partner Robots. They played musical instruments at the Expo 2005 Aichi. Though they don’t play any more in this museum except the one that plays the violin (not in the picture), you can see in youtube how well the trumpeter robot can play the trumpet. If you are interested in these robots, search with “Toyota Partner Robot.”

The museum shop had many interesting goods such as original spanner spoons & forks.

I didn’t have time to visit, but Toyota Commemorative Museum of Industry and Technology has Technoland where you can experience the fun of manufacturing. I think children can have a very good time there. The museum has a website in multiple languages: Japanese, English, Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, Korean, and Thai. It is quite informative.

Holiday in Nagoya (4) - Birthplace of Toyota (Part 1)

After lunch, I took a train on Meitetsu Line to Sako, the next station from Nagoya. From the Sako Station, it was only a few minutes walk to the final destination of the day, Toyota Commemorative Museum of Industry and Technology. Toyota is one of the most famous automobile companies in the world. The founder of Toyota Group is Sakichi Toyoda (1867-1930) who invented the first power loom in Japan and established spinning and weaving business. The automobile company was started by his son Kiichiro Toyoda (1894-1952). This museum introduces the history of these two fields of manufacturing by utilizing the building of Sako Plant of Toyoda Automatic Loom Works. Ltd.

On that day, you could get a discount on the admission fee if you showed a leaflet of Nagoya Festival at the reception counter. One of the receptionists kindly showed me where to get the leaflet in the entrance lobby when I asked about the discount. The admission fee was reduced to 400 yen though it usually costs 500 yen. Near the entrance of exhibition hall, there was a bust of Sakichi Toyoda.

The first section was the Textile Machinery Pavilion. First, I saw a short film about the history of their textile machinery business. I heard two people talking in Finnish behind me. In this museum, I saw many visitors from abroad, and some staff in the museum explained the mechanism of machines in English. As for the film, the language seemed to be switchable by pressing buttons near the screen.

These are cotton flowers. Sakichi Toyata was from Kosai, a neighboring town of Hamamatsu. Western Shizuoka Prefecture including Kosai and Hamamatsu was one of the major production areas of cotton flowers in Japan, and women in farms wove cloth with their cotton. Sakichi’s mother also worked hard with her loom at home, which gave him an aspiration to invent a better loom.

This is Non-Stop Shuttle Change Toyoda Automatic Loom, Type G invented by him in 1924. It can supply weft yarn by automatically changing the shuttle and stop automatically when the warp breaks. The loom consists of various automatic, protective, and safety devices based on more than 50 inventions. It had the best performance in the world.

His efforts and achievements were introduced in an elementary school textbook published in 1937.

In this pavilion, you can see not only machines after industrialization but also the history of spinning and weaving. This is an old spinning wheel in Japan.

And this is a charkha from India. I remembered a picture of Mahatma Gandhi spinning yarn.

These are traditional fabrics in Japan.

Fabrics from abroad were more colorful.

I think I have never seen a loom like this before. It is an old type and called a back strap loom.

This hand loom was originally invented in China for silk fabrics and introduced to Japan. It was modified for cotton fabrics around 1800.

Sakichi Toyota modified the above hand loom and invented Toyoda Wooden Hand Loom in 1890 that improved the productivity by 40 to 50%. Unfortunately, the replica of the loom wasn’t exhibited on that day because of adjustment, but there was a replica of Toyoda Power Loom, the first power loom in Japan invented in 1896. Its productivity was as 20 times as much as that of Toyoda Wooden Hand Loom.

In this pavilion, you can hear noise from machines and feel the atmosphere of a manufacturing site. Aichi Prefecture is a kingdom of manufacturing. Though Sakichi Toyoda may be unknown to the world compared with his son's automobile company Toyota, he contributed greatly to this area, as well as to industrialization of Japan.