OpenTube

Tending the Fire, Baking Bread — Something We Were Losing | NOJI | Sourdough Bread in Japan

REIYA Watanabe | Japanese Breads

66,443 views

They left the city to begin again in the mountains.Tending the fire, they rediscover something they were losing.
Subtitles are available for a better experience.

【NOJI | Gunma】
Nestled in the quiet mountain countryside of Gunma, NOJI is a small bakery where each loaf is made by hand and baked over a wood fire, in rhythm with nature.
The owner, Aya Oshima, values her close relationship with local farmers, often visiting the fields and spending time where the wheat is grown.
After leaving her career in publishing, she opened a bakery in the city. Six years later, she chose to close it, moving to this rural landscape to reconsider what it means to live and work. This film follows their daily life as they begin again.

Types of Leaven
1. Sourdough

------------------------
Owner: Aya Oshima, Nobutaka Oshima
Shop Name: NOJI
Address: Kiryu City, Gunma Prefecture
Instagram: Instagram: noji_______
Website : https://noji-hi-bi.com/

---------------
Production, Filming, and Editing: Reiya Watanabe
Reiya Watanabe:
Representative, Reiya Watanabe Film Production
Born in 1988, currently residing in Okayama Prefecture. After graduating from International Christian University, he worked part-time jobs in the waste oil collection industry and at a fishing cooperative before beginning his career in video production. His directorial work, “My Place,” won the Runner-up Grand Prix and the Audience Award at the Tokyo Documentary Film Festival 2025.

-------------------------
Related Videos
-------------------------
If you like the video, please do [Like & Subscribe]!
https://cutt.ly/pJMVuwv
Please watch other videos!

Why He Keeps Baking — The Last 2 Days of Japan’s Top-Rated Bakery | Ayumu Iwanaga of Le Sucré-Cœur
Why He Keeps Baking — The Last 2 Days of J...

Japan’s Finest Sourdough & Artisan Breads, Crafted by a Masterful Female Baker
Japan’s Finest Sourdough & Artisan Breads,...

What Is the Ideal Bread? — Between the Work Cultures of Japan and Germany | Sourdough Bread in Japan
What Is the Ideal Bread? — Between the Wor...

Wild Yeast in the Town of Wine — Bread making: A Passion Without End | Sourdough Bread in Japan
Wild Yeast in the Town of Wine — Bread ma...

Bread That Inspires a Village — A Family’s Journey from the City to the Mountains | Bread in Japan
Bread That Inspires a Village — A Family’s...

Can Organic Wheat Farming Save Japan’s Dying Villages? | Farmers Supporting Bread in Japan
Can Organic Wheat Farming Save Japan’s Dyi...

When Bread Making Becomes a Force for Good | Sourdough Bread in Japan
When Bread Making Becomes a Force for Good...

The one and only wheat grown, loved by bakers all over Japan - Part 1 | Japan's bread culture
The one and only wheat grown, loved by bak...

A pioneer in rye cultivation, he finally found his calling after much struggle | Bread in Japan
A pioneer in rye cultivation, he finally f...

Gentle Hands Make Gentle Bread | Sourdough Bread Making in Japan
Gentle Hands Make Gentle Bread | Sourdough...

Influential Baker Speaks About Many Techniques of Today's Japanese Breads | Sourdough Bread in Japan
Influential Baker Speaks About Many Techni...

Quiet Space, Wood-fired Oven, and Baking | The Moon and Clown | Japanese Craftsmanship
Ancient Wood-Fired Methods Meet Japanese B...

Solo baker, 25 kinds of bread, a wood-fired oven | Sourdough bread making in Japan | Documentary
Solo baker, 25 kinds of bread, a wood-fire...

#sourdough #bread #japan #artisanbread #woodfired #slowliving #documentary

20 Comments

@reiyawatanabe Creator 5 months ago Pinned

撮影のはじめに感じたのは、あやさんたちの暮らしが、ひとつの完成形のように見えたこと。
けれど時間を重ねるうちに、ここに辿り着くまでの過程と、そして今もなお静かに続いている歩みが見えてきた。
—
At first, their life felt complete.
But as time passed, I began to see the path that led them here— and the quiet steps that continue even now.

@mosin9105 4 months ago

I love the traditional, wooden dough trough, the wood fired oven, and the use of local wheat! Truly an inspirational bakery! This video highlights some of the magic of bread.

@kangminsukcom 5 months ago

Hi Reiya, thank you for another superb video. Your work really inspires me to become a better person and baker. I've been following your channel for several years now. I can't help but wonder how these bakers in Japan are able to sustain themselves by baking sourdough without mixers and electric ovens in rural areas. I'm always amazed that there are consumers who would pay extra time and money for "better bread." I'm aware you're showcasing only the special cases in Japan, but I can't really think of a single bakery in Korea that would be able to survive without prioritizing efficiency and marketing. I've talked with a few bakers in Korea, and they all said consumers only look for sweets, not baguettes or campagne. It is my dream one day to rent a car in Japan and tour all the bakeries on your channel. Thank you for all the hard work.

@biibii65 2 months ago

Wow, all by hand… respect!!!!

@Otshelnik.A 4 months ago

Счастливые люди. На таких мир держится. Спасибо за видео!

@farmersdotter7 5 months ago

Thank you so much for this. I have a wood fired bakery here on my farm in British Columbia, Canada. Sadly after many years I’ve had to stop baking since my partner’s arthritis has become too severe. I can’t do everything myself so the oven is asleep. Watching this brought back many good memories. Maybe one day I’ll make bread again. I’d love to come to Japan one day and eat your bread, made with such calm energy and love. Keep up the good work, your customers will appreciate your hard work and would be very sad to not have your wonderful bread. ❤

@ここね-u8u 5 months ago

素敵なご夫婦、おいしそうなパンとかわいいわんこ
憧れの暮らし:hands-yellow-heart-red:

@user-xn4mu5fd7h 5 months ago

お取り寄せしています。美味しくて食べ応えもあって、表現が悪いのですが底の焦げた部分（薪独特の）が好きです。
作っている姿を見られて感激です。
以前、イベントに出店していたので、行ってみたら早々に売り切れ。
でも、店主の方の会えて素敵なご夫婦だったので安心して注文できると思い、今も食べ終わると注文しています。
勝手にご主人がパン作りしているのかと思っていましたが、奥様だったのですね。この動画のおかげでわかりました。

@KingdomArmor 5 months ago

Wonderful to see craftsmen at work.

@luxameepaibool2820 5 months ago

❤❤❤❤❤Thankfully for sharing her best bakery experience to inspire people 🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉❤❤❤❤❤

@IAMKURUMI74 5 months ago (edited)

謝謝，好有畫面與感慨。願我們都能活出自己的精彩

@parkslope0308 5 months ago

Thank you for sharing a glimpse of the passion and lifestyle of these genuine people.

@florbisagno 4 months ago

Thank you 🙏

@jimfranks1280 5 months ago

beautiful life
beautiful bread
beautiful dogs!

@thewholewheat5010 5 months ago

Hello Reiya san! This is a great episode. I really enjoyed it! I hope they continue to bake and open a store on their property soon.

I wish them luck

Thank you for making great content

@danieleiterer7468 5 months ago

Greetings from an amateur baker in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Awesome work

@animegirlhaven 5 months ago

I love bakery shops froma round the world how they made good taste and 😋

@YaoiMastah 5 months ago

Ah, a new Reiya Watanabe video. So I can spend the next 25 minutes dreaming of running a bakery in the countryside of Japan.

I see they have a Waldner stone mill. Good choice. I love to see more of bakers who mill their own flour. Like they have their own recipes and ideas for sourdough, they often have their own recipes and ideas for milling as well.
And of course, they have a Gueulard oven. These are the pinnacle of wood fired bread ovens. Like I said in a comment before, there seem to be more Gueulards in Japan than there are in France (or in the entirety of Europe for that matter). Although I see French bakers prefer side burning ovens nowadays.

@Cyber_Cochon 5 months ago (edited)

Beautiful video from Watanabe san as always, as a French living in Japan 20 years, I’m amazed to see our traditions expending in Japan like this country style bakery kneading sourdough using a manual « petrin » …..even in France this is getting rare !
Definitely will try their bread Felicitation !