A gourmet food project and a webpage are underway

Members of Oshima's meeting continue to work on the planning and development of information, products and services based on the theme of Anko-san. This report introduces the gourmet food project to allow people to get to know Anko-san through food and the efforts related to the Anko-san special webpage (under construction).

First, the gourmet food project. Meeting members are working on product development, hoping that it will be an opportunity for the younger generation on and off the island to get to know Anko-san in a casual way.

An ice cream store in Motomachi created the Anko-san Ice Cream, made with Oshima Milk and other ingredients from the island. In developing the ice cream, the store asked children from the island to taste the ice cream and were encouraged by such as "It's so delicious," or "When will you start selling it?"

The ice cream has been well received since it went on sale in December. When sold to people outside of the island, it appears that it is triggering conversations about Anko-san and the history and culture of Oshima. "Anko-san is a word used in Oshima to refer to an older woman...," and so the conversation would start. It seems that the ice cream can act as a way for visitors to learn more about Oshima, as it had been hoped during the development of the product.

In addition, as a second gourmet food project, a professional bartender was asked to create a cocktail inspired by Anko-san.

The bartender who collaborated with the project works at a hotel restaurant in Shibuya. Having made drinks for several events at Oshima, he came forward to help with the development of the cocktail. Two cocktails were created aiming to "use ingredients that are related to Oshima" and to "allow one to imagine Oshima when drinking it." The plan is to provide the recipes of these cocktails to restaurants on the island so that they may be casually enjoyed on the island.

The next topic is the Anko-san special webpage. The page will be used to share various Anko-san related contents, including the aforementioned gourmet food project, the Anko booklet introduced in the previous report, and the development of Anko-san products and services.

Examples include "A stroll in Motomachi," presenting the Motomachi neighborhood where Anko-san used to live, and behind-the-scenes stories about the making of these contents. It is also planned to post information on stores that offer products and services. The webpage will continue to be updated with new contents so that it may become a platform for sharing the charms of Oshima.