Kyushu is the third largest of Japanโ€™s main four islands.  Itโ€™s also the southernmost, and has about 14.5 million inhabitants, giving it one of the highest population densities in the country.  It also has important industrial infrastructure.  Along its eastern coast, two cities, Nobeoka and Saeki, have, since 2021, been working together to create a new economic and cultural area based on the keywords โ€œfoodโ€ and โ€œcooperation.โ€  Theyโ€™ve given it the title โ€œBasquification Plan for the East of Kyushuโ€ or โ€œBasque Initiative of Eastern Kyushu.โ€

And theyโ€™re going about it the right way from the start, as they are clear about the fact that the โ€œBasque Countryโ€ straddles both sides of the Pyrenees between France and Spain.

El este de la Isla de Kyuฬ„shuฬ„ (Japรณn) y El Paรญs Vasco
The Basque Country, straddling the Pyrenees, and the east of Kyushu Island, Japan

The reason for defining this plan as โ€œBasquificationโ€ can be found in a very graphic way, setting San Sebastian up as the best gourmet city in the world:

โ€œthe Basque region, which straddles the European countries of France and Spain, is famous for having achieved innovative and unique development in culture, food, and art, and Basque cuisine in particular is world-renowned. It continues to influence cuisine and is highly regarded. This is an attempt to create excitement in the area of โ€‹โ€‹East Kyushu, centered around Nobeoka, like this gastronomic town in the Basque Country.โ€

One of the tools that theyโ€™ve set out to achieving this position is the Nobeoka Gastronomic Societyโ€˜s reunion, which was held on Tuesday, January 23 in Shinbashi, Tokyo.  It was this that allowed us to discover this story thanks to an article by Koji Nakajima on the website BRAVO MOUNTAIN.

We imagine that on reading the name โ€œNobeoka Gastronรณmica,โ€ many of our readers will have recalled the San Sebastiรกn Gastronomika, which has been held there for over 25 years, which weโ€™ve mentioned on occasion.

The Nobeoka Gastronomic event is organized by food critic Masuhiro Yamamoto, who is an โ€œold friendโ€ of the San Sebastiรกn Gastronomika.   But in this case, the event was not held in the city or even region that organized it, but rather in the heart of Tokyo.

We never cease to be amazed by how Basque cuisine is a benchmark around the world, to the point that an area with amazing cuisine and ingredients wants to become โ€œmore Basque.โ€  They explain:

โ€œThis regionโ€™s climate, natural features, sea and mountain delicacies, and agricultural and livestock products are world-class. Letโ€™s polish and cook each sparkling raw stone, and share its deliciousness with the world. What we harvest here, we offer here. โ€˜From the land to the table, from the sea to the plate.โ€™  This is Kyushuโ€™s Basque Country, full of rich ingredients.โ€

Even the name of the public body itself states it: ๆฑไนๅทžใƒใ‚นใ‚ฏๅŒ–ๆง‹ๆƒณๅปถๅฒกๆŽจ้€ฒๅ”่ญฐไผš๏ผˆๆฑไนๅทžใƒใ‚นใ‚ฏๅŒ–ๆง‹ๆƒณๆŽจ้€ฒๅฎค๏ผ‰. That is, โ€œEast Kyushu Basque Concept Nobeoka Promotion Council (East Kyushu Basque Concept Promotion Office).โ€

The world never stops surprising us; this time, quite pleasantly.

Weโ€™ll leave you with the Bravo Mountain article about the Nobeoka Gastronรณmica event, and the website that explains the โ€œBasquificationโ€ plan for eastern Kyushu Island.

Bravo Mountain โ€“ 18/2/2024 โ€“ Japan

็พŽ้ฃŸใฎไผ้“ๅธซ ๅฑฑๆœฌ็›ŠๅšๆฐใŒใƒ—ใƒญใƒ‡ใƒฅใƒผใ‚น๏ผ ๅฎฎๅดŽ็œŒๅปถๅฒกๅธ‚ใŒๆŽจ้€ฒใ™ใ‚‹ โ€œ็พŽ้ฃŸใฎ่ก—โ€ ใƒ—ใƒญใ‚ธใ‚งใ‚ฏใƒˆใ€ŒใฎในใŠใ‹ใ‚ฌใ‚นใƒˆใƒญใƒŽใƒŸใ‚ซใ€ใใ—ใฆใ€Œๆฑไนๅทžใƒใ‚นใ‚ฏๅŒ–ๆง‹ๆƒณใ€ใจใฏ๏ผŸใ€็ทจ้›†้ƒจใƒชใƒใƒผใƒˆใ€‘

ๅฎฎๅดŽ็œŒๅปถๅฒกๅธ‚ใŒๆŽจ้€ฒใ™ใ‚‹ๅœฐๅŸŸๆŒฏ่ˆˆๅŠใณๆ–ฐใŸใช่ฆณๅ…‰ๆ–ฝ็ญ–ใฎๆง‹ๆƒณใ‚’ใŠๆŠซ้œฒ็›ฎใ™ใ‚‹ใ‚คใƒ™ใƒณใƒˆใŒๅ…ˆๆ—ฅ้–‹ๅ‚ฌใ•ใ‚Œใ€็งใ‚ณใƒผใ‚ธใƒผไธญๅถ‹ใŒๅ–ๆใ—ใฆใใŸใฎใงใƒชใƒใƒผใƒˆใ‚’ใ•ใ›ใฆใ„ใŸใ ใใพใ™ใ€‚

(Follow) (Automatic translation)

Goodeat Goodlife โ€“  โ€“ Japan

ๆฑไนๅทžใƒใ‚นใ‚ฏๅŒ–ๆง‹ๆƒณใจใฏ๏ผŸ

ไธ–็•Œไธ€ใฎ็พŽ้ฃŸใฎ่ก—ใจ่จ€ใ‚ใ‚Œใ‚‹ใ‚ตใƒณใƒปใ‚ปใƒใ‚นใƒใƒฃใƒณใ‚’ๆ“ใ—ใ€ใƒ•ใƒฉใƒณใ‚นใƒปใ‚นใƒšใ‚คใƒณใซใพใŸใŒใ‚‹ใƒใ‚นใ‚ฏๅœฐๆ–นใ‚’ใƒขใƒใƒผใƒ•ใซใ€ไนๅทžใง๏ผ‘ไฝใ€๏ผ’ไฝใฎ้ข็ฉใ‚’่ช‡ใ‚Šใ€ๆตทใƒปๅฑฑใƒปๅทใฎ่ฑŠใ‹ใชๆตใฟใ‚’ไบซๅ—ใ™ใ‚‹ๅปถๅฒกๅธ‚ใจไฝไผฏๅธ‚ใŒใ€ใ€Œ้ฃŸใ€ใจใ€Œ้€ฃๆบใ€ใ‚’ใ‚ญใƒผใƒฏใƒผใƒ‰ใจใ—ใฆๆ–ฐใŸใช็ตŒๆธˆใƒปๆ–‡ๅŒ–ๅœใฎๅฝขๆˆใ‚’็›ฎๆŒ‡ใ—ใฆใ€ไปคๅ’Œ3ๅนดๅบฆใพใงๅ–ใ‚Š็ต„ใ‚“ใงใใพใ—ใŸใ€‚

(Follow) (Automatic translation)

 

 

Last Updated on May 17, 2024 by About Basque Country


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