Wow, I can’t believe it’s been more than one year since I last talked (briefly) about Onba Factory on the blog! Time to change this.
I guess the place has become so familiar to me that I’m starting to take it for granted. I shouldn’t, as you may know, it’s just a too awesome place to do such a thing.
In any case, the good news is that I was there just a couple of weeks ago (and will likely be back in another couple).
And for the few of you who don’t know what Onba Factory is yet, here are a few useful links:
- Onba Factory, general presentation
- Onba Factory and Works Onba
- Onba Factory and My Onba
- More about Onba Factory
Ok, now that you know almost everything, let’s get to this month’s batch of pictures and tidbits.
Onba Café is the ideal spot to relax and take a small break when you visit Ogijima.
Last year, Mr Oshima became a grandpa, so he built this Onba especially for his grandson so that he can he can use it as a “push onba” as he’s learning how to walk at the moment.
Lucky kid, having his own onba so young.
And as it happens quite often when I go to Ogijima and Onba Factory, interesting people are met and little things like the following one are not a rare occurrence.
Please, let me introduce you to Mr. Yamada, an Ogijima lover who likes to regularly visit the island, just like me and many other people I know. One difference though is that he can play the shamisen quite well and he often brings it to the island:
At first, he was a bit reluctant to allow me to publish this on youtube, more from modesty than anything else (and he kinda was peer-pressured into it by the people around who knew me), if you liked it, do not hesitate to “like” the video or drop a small comment (directly in youtube), who knows, he may see it one of these days.
That’s all for today, I hope you enjoyed this small virtual visit of Onba Factory and that you’ll experience it yourself one of these days (Onba Factory and Onba Café are open every week-ends and holidays from March to November, as well as every day during the Setouchi Triennale).
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We saw a few awesome looking onba ‘imports’ making their way around Megijima. Sadly we never made it out to the factory. Thanks to your article, it’s certainly on the destination list for next time!
Yes, there are a few onba on Megijima. One has been around since pretty much the beginning (the one with a couple of Oni on it), there are probably new ones since.
Also, on the day of the matsuri, some old bachan from Ogi came to Megi and they brought theirs.
Yes, next time you’re in the area, go to Ogi and Onba Factory. Mr. Oshima, who created the whole project has been one of the main engines of Ogijima’s revitalization since 2010.
I despise you. <– extreme jealousy, but not intended to be taken seriously in any way.
I miss Onba Factory. I miss being able to just relax in their space and enjoy a beer with some nuts. I only went once, but I intend to go again in the next Setouchi Triennale. That's assuming I can get out of work during the next Triennale.
I hope you get to be back here as soon as possible.
The dates of the next Triennale have been published (there may be come chances between now and then of course), they’re roughly similar as the 2013 dates, so you can already prepare your vacation days. 🙂