High School Students Revive Jomon Pottery as Parfaits; Specialist Museum Hosts Event to Showcase Local Charms

The Yomiuri Shimbun

11:21 JST, July 25, 2024

FUEFUKI, Yamanashi — Shakado Museum of Jomon Culture, a specialist museum displaying artifacts from the Jomon period (around 10,000 B.C.- 300 B.C.), held an event in which high school students made parfaits modeled after Jomon doki earthenware in Fuefuki, Yamanashi Prefecture.

The event was aimed at showcasing the charms of the area, where an abundance of ruins and relics from the period have been discovered.

The vice director of the museum spearheaded the parfait-making project, hoping people would become familiar with the ancient wares through sweets prepared with local delicacies and fruits. The event was held at Marusa Marche on July 3, a local cafe that sources ingredients from its own farm.

Students from the prefectural Fuefuki High School participated as part of their studies. Over 15 third-year students tried making parfaits in the image of the Suienmon pottery piece excavated at the Shakado ruins, which straddle the cities of Fuefuki and Koshu in the prefecture.

Based on designs they made in advance, the students finished off the dessert with pudding made from peaches and tea from Nambu, another town in the prefecture, as well as sweets and other ingredients.

“It was difficult to follow the design blueprint, but it was fun to learn about Jomon,” said student Ayane Miura, 18. Miura said she tried to reproduce the color of Jomon pottery using jelly.

The museum wants to sell Jomon pottery-inspired parfaits based on this trial and hold another parfait-making workshop at the cafe possibly in August.