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Though the simple and versatile donburi rice bowl is a modern Japanese staple, the dish also reflects the historical currents of cultural exchange between Japan and countries overseas. In the first half of this section, we feature four Fukuoka donburi makers through their takes on some of Japan’s most iconic rice bowls, at once rooted in tradition and all their own. In the second half, NYC-based food writer Hannah Kirshner offers original donburi recipes inspired by Kyushu’s ceramics, along with an essay on how food is both shaped by travel and a way to experience it.

● Digging Into Rice Beyond the Bowl

・Oyakodon / Toriden (Fukuoka City)
・Kaisendon / Shima no Kaisendonya (Itoshima City, Fukuoka Prefecture)
・Ten-don / EMIUDON (Fukuoka City)
・Chukadon / Jishin (Fukuoka City)

● “Travel in a Bowl” by Hannah Kirshner (NYC)

・Breakfast Donburi
・Upside-Down Donburi

Sugar was first introduced to Japan from Portugal during the Warring States period (1467-1615) via the island of Hirado. Thanks to the encounter between nanban (European) confectionery made with plenty of sugar and wagashi (Japanese sweets) made with rice, Hirado developed its own unique style of confectionery. This section introduces the history of Hirado’s confections through rice sweets crafted by the unique, long-standing confectionery shops of the island.

About 150 sake breweries are scattered across Kyushu, with a majority concentrated in the north. In recent years especially, many young managers in their 30s and 40s have taken the reins of these breweries, creating sake bursting with individuality. This section looks at how sake is made at a Kurume brewery, Yamanokotobuki Shuzo, and how its 8th-generation owner Ms. Katayama is tackling challenges in innovative ways. After this spotlight, popular liquor distributors in Kyushu offer a selection of sake recommended with rice in mind.

In the southern areas of Kagoshima and Miyazaki Prefectures, there is a custom to pray to the Shinto god (kami ) of good harvest enshrined in stone statues affectionately known as Tanokansa. This story takes us to Kedoin-cho in Satsumasendai, Kagoshima, where many of these statues still remain. Conversations with locals offer a glimpse into life in this area, one that has coexisted with the kami of rice paddies for generations.