The commercial cultural complex "umi-no-schole" in Nagahama, Shiga, is a spot you 'd definitely like to visit for Nagahama sightseeing, located just a short distance from Kurokabe Square and Nagahama Otemon-dori shopping street. We introduce the charm of the facility where the experience of shopping and learning that pays attention to "fermentation".

What is "umi-no-schole"?

Shiga Prefecture, where a variety of fermented foods take root in people's lives, including its specialty, Funazushi, Japanese sake, miso, and soy sauce. The people of the prefecture call Lake Biwa, which is also its source, "Umi" with familiarity. "umi-no-schole" was opened as a place where you can learn the wisdom of living transmitted to such Shiga.

The brewery, cheese workshop, and ripening depot are provided in the facility, and the staff itself is involved as a creator. It conveys the charm of products that can be understood only by working on yourself with a real feeling. In addition, because the distance from local producers is close, you can enjoy shopping and experience while feeling the rich story behind the product.

The space producer was Yukiko Ishimura, who is known for working on the popular cafe "Kurumi-no-ki" in Nara Prefecture, and the space was created using the keyword "fermentation". The facility with a soft atmosphere based on white is divided into a floor with a store, experience classroom, tea room, etc., and a floor with a library printing room and gallery, so you can have various opportunities to learn about fermentation.

First of all, the cheese workshop was specially visited with permission. The original cheese, which is made by the staff of Lake Skole, using raw milk from Shiga Prefecture, which is purchased from Ibuki Milk Farm Ibuki, is a lineup of about 10 types that incorporate the fermented culture and climate of Shiga.

"Miso Fromage" is a flavor that goes well with sake and wine, which is made with white miso from the Happy Taro brewery in the facility. The "bamboo charcoal fromage," which is made by dusting bamboo charcoal into the skin of the cheese, has a thick texture as it ages. In addition, "Fromage Blanc", which has a refreshing acidity and richness, can be eaten with the attached strawberry sauce to give you a deeper sweetness and richness.

Take a break at a cafe where you can enjoy fermented foods and Shiga ingredients

The tea room on the main floor offers a menu using cheese made in the cheese workshop and ingredients from Shiga Prefecture. "omi shrimp's thick shrimp pota-tantan udon", which is a lavish use of sea shrimp, is served by whisking a soup full of shrimp flavor, made of concentrated sauce and cashew nut paste with boiled shrimp heads and shells in kelp soup, in a potage style. Serve with shrimp minced meat, shrimp miso, onion, and komatsuna.

Sweets are also substantial. "Tsubutsubu rice koji cheesecake" is a popular menu that cooks rice koji from Happy Taro Brewery with sweet sake and fresh cream, and adds fresh skole cheese. "Happy Amazake Strawberry Smoothie" has a rich flavor made by the special Amazake of Happy Taro Brewery, combined with the strawberries of Yasu "ichigoya-hana"!

In addition, the street-facing take-out-style stand-cafe offers such things as "braised Omi beef and pickled Chinese cabbage in Shiga Sandwich." it features a simple, Japanese-style stewed Omi beef with a traditional dish of Nagahama, "Chinese cabbage pickled", and a mixture of leafy vegetables, onions and a sprinkling of powdered wadashi soup instead of a sauce. How about eating and taking a break in Nagahama?

Looking for souvenirs at the store where Shiga's great items is located♪

In the store, the products selected by "Kurumi-no-ki" fill the store of about 200 tsubo. Let's look for souvenirs unique to Shiga Prefecture from among them. The washi candle, which is made solely from wax extracted from rice bran, is characterized by a soft, beautiful flame wavering and low smoke. The rice bran candle, which was designed by "Omi Handzukuri Wa Candle Daiyo (Daiyo)" in Takashima, Shiga, is not only environmentally friendly, but also has less wax droop and oil smoke, so you can use it at home with peace of mind. Also pay attention to the cute package.

Located close to Nagahama City, Mount Ibukiyama has long been known as a treasure trove of medicinal herbs, and people in the area incorporate products using medicinal herbs into their lives. No-additive mogsabalm with wormwood extract is perfect for daily skin care. The wormwood soap recommended for people who are easy to dry is a 100% domestic wormwood soap that contains a lot of natural glycerin.

Bath salts that make bath time even more fulfilling are also perfect for souvenirs! In the lake Skole, in addition to the bathing agent "Nanahira sake lees bathing fee", which was worked on by a long-established sake brewery in Kinomoto-cho, Nagahama City, as well as the bath agent "Rizanyu" made by a long-established pharmaceutical manufacturer, it also sells bath salts produced by Nara's "Kurumi no Tiki".

Experience classes that open not only fermented foods but also various workshops

At the back of the main floor is an experience class with a kitchen that incorporates home appliances from the German manufacturer "Miele".

Here, you can learn how to get delicious soup, make cheese and miso, as well as cooking classes and lithographic printing workshops. There are also pre-order classrooms and events, so please check the official website of umi-no-schole for details.

This was followed by a library printing room in the Cultural Building. Here, in addition to the new books selected by the “MITTS Fine Book Store”, a book and general merchandise store in Hikone City, there are about 3000 books, including old books collected in the old book city of East and West, which can be picked up or purchased.

In addition, there is also a lithograph printing machine using rice ink made of rice bran oil that is environmentally sensitive, providing an opportunity to "experience the fun of conveying something with ingenuity" through the holding and exhibition of printing workshops.

A gallery will also be attached to the culture building to display works by Art Brut (Outsider Art), who was born at the "Yamanami Kobo", an art center & welfare facility in Koga, Shiga. Originally, in Shiga Prefecture, there is a history of focusing on the production of Earl Brut as an effort for local welfare facilities, and through this gallery, it is said that it is aiming to become a place for interaction with various areas and welfare facilities in and outside the prefecture.

A food culture called "fermentation" that the rich nature of Shiga fostered. "umi-no-schole", where you can experience its charm, is a facility that can be enjoyed by any generation from children to adults. A location that is easy to stop on the way of Nagahama sightseeing is also good. Please try to carry your feet by all means.

■ umi-no-schole

Address: 13-29 Motohama-cho, Nagahama-shi, Shiga
TEL:0749-53-3401
Opening hours: 11-18 o'clock (tea room is ~ 17 o'clock)
Closed: Tuesday
Access: About a 5-minute walk from JR Nagahama Station and about a 10-minute drive from the Hokuriku Expressway Nagahama I.C.

• This article is created based on the contents of "Rurubu Information Edition" or "Rurubu & more." "Rurubu +".
• The data listed are as of March 2025. Prices, business hours, regular holidays, menus, etc. may change or may not be available due to temporary holidays. Please check in advance when using it, as the content may change.
• The holiday of stores and facilities omits the year-end holiday, Obon holiday, Golden Week, and temporary holidays in principle.
• The fee for posting is in principle the fee including consumption tax that we have confirmed at the time of the interview, and the entrance fee is the adult fee if there is no special mention.
• In principle, the time to be posted is open (hall) to closed (hall). Please note that the last order or entrance (hall) time is 30 minutes to 1 hour before the normal closing (hall) time. The last order is denoted LO.
• For the spring quality and efficacy of the hot springs listed, manuscripts are prepared based on answers from each facility.