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Make your own delicious steamed buns with local fillings at a mountainside family farm in Shikoku’s Tokushima Prefecture
Nishi-Awa Tourism Association Sora-no-sato
Isogai Farm is one of several farmstays located in western Tokushima on the island of Shikoku, in the small village of Mikidochi, Tsurugi Town. The Isogai family is truly in touch with nature; surrounded by sweeping mountain peaks, they grow everything they use for daily life, to the point where they have no need to venture into town.
The family even cultivates their own ingredients for making “dango” (Japanese dumplings generally made from rice flour). Looking at the pictures, you might think these sweets look a lot like manju (steamed buns generally made with wheat flour) and indeed, they are much the same. Japanese sweets, however, tend to have their own culture and roots depending on the region, and according to Ms. Isogai, Tsurugi’s wheat-based manju have been called “dango” for generations. The idea of “countryside dango,”a delicious, huge steamed bun made with local fillings, soon became iconic in Nishi-Awa. Each region has its own flavor, so you really need to try them all.
During this experience, you can choose your fillings from seasonal ingredients, such as azuki beans, chestnuts, soramame beans, and potato jams. The dango are then steamed over fire, the old-fashioned way, until they are ready for you to enjoy fresh with a cup of the Isogai family’s homegrown tea.
How to get there
From Shin-Osaka Station, take the Sanyo Shinkansen to Okayama Station (around 1 hour and 10 minutes), then take the JR Limited Express to Sadamitsu Station (about 30 minutes).
109 Mikidochi, Sadamitsu, Tsurugi-cho, Mima-gun, Tokushima-ken
