About food in Japan

Okinawa, Momogami (百甕) to taste local distilled alcohol

Back to Okinawa series from the last post about "Consumption tax increase" in Japan, today we introduce a local restaurant run by a local brewing company in Naha.

Momogami is situated in the heart of the most popular Kokusai dori in Naha. The name Momogami is not familiar even for Japanese locals but the letter (Kanji) 百甕 a hundred of crock (pot to store sake or any liquid) implies large volume of alcohol.

Accessing from the ground floor of Kokusai street, the local restaurant occupies two floors, the 2nd and 3rd floor of a building. On the upper floor, on evening a few times a day, live local music performance is provided. If you would, ask a table to enjoy the entertainment.
On the second floor, it has several seats beside a counter. The space will be more comfortable for sole diner or a couple. Wherever you are seated, you will find some crocks or bottles as clues of sake along corridor and walls as decoration. You will feel sure that the restaurant is a right place to taste nice local sake.

As Okinawa’s local alcohol, awamori (泡盛) is widely known distilled alcoholic drink. It is said that its producing technique was introduced from Thailand in 15th century. Then the main ingredient of Awamori is long-grain Thai rice (Indica) not Japanese rice like many other Japanese sake. When Awamori is aged for 3 years or longer, it is called “Kusu” (old alcohol 古酒). The liquid looks like water from the clear color, but one of the main characteristics of Awamori and Kusu is strong alcohol from 20% to over 40%. It is often taken with ice cubes.

Momogami offers several choices for each type of alcohol, Awamori, Kusu, beer and cocktail with Awamori. Especially it provides 3, 5, 8 years old Kusu and tasting set at Yen 1000. Cocktails at Momogami are unique and Okinawa’s local products such as Siikwaasaa, guava is used. But please be careful because of Awamori’s strong alcohol degree.

For food menu, as we can imagine, Momogami offers all kinds of Okinawa’s specialty such as rafte (simmered pork), peanut tofu, mozuku (seawee) etc. (Local food of Okinawa, also check out previous post.)

 

We chose two typical local dishes especially well match with Awamori Kusu.

Fried Tebichi (pork foot)

Brown color, well-roasted oil flavor comes from the outer layer and inside it is rich in collagen

 

Fried Mozuku tempura

Mozuku (seaweed) is often taken with sour sauce or dashi stock soup rather than heated.

We found Tempura is also very good way of cooking for Mozuku.

 

On the ground floor, down stair of Momogami, you will find a casual bar called Helios Pub. That is also operated by the same brewing company. If you do not have time to enjoy local alcohol beverage and dishes for longer time at Momogami, you will also be able to taste some Awamori and Kusu at the British style pub.

 

In further post of Okinawa series, we will also feature Awamori brewery visit to know more about the local bevegrage.

 

Restaurant name : Momogami (百甕)
Address: 2nd floor 1-2-25 Makishi, Naha-city, Okinawa
Website (gournavi) in English: http://r.gnavi.co.jp/f051601/lang/en/

Consumption Tax increase from 1st April 2014

Today we bring a small tips that will be helpful for those who are going to stay in Japan on the night of 31st March 2014 and who have a night out plan for the evening. 

From 1st April, we will have a big(probably) change in Japan. Consumption Tax will be increased by 3% to 8%. Consumption Tax increase is the first time in Japan since 1997.

As you can imagine, we have many types of services provided until late night after midnight or even round the clock. We wonder how service providers will manage to handle the tax change around mid-night on 31st March?!

 

The answers are different company by company. Here are some examples.

* Convenience store chains

Most of major convenience store chains are ready to organize the cash register program to apply appropriate tax %(5% or 8%) from appropriate timing(1st April). It means that tax % will be applied depending on the time when the first purchasing product is "scanned".  

 

* Train

In central part of Tokyo and other major cities, public commute trains and subways run even after midnight. Their tariff will be replaced for the new tax rate once after the service was finished for 31st March. The new rate with 8% tax rate will be applied from morning on 1st April.

 

* Izakaya, Karaoke studio where they open until late night

Many will take the same way with train operators. The older price will be applied until their service ended on the night of 31st March (though it is more precisely on 1st April), while 8% tax will be charged from service started on 1st April.

 

* 24H service restaurants etc

Some family restaurants who provide round-the-clock service  will exceptionally close their units once before midnight in order to set up new menu card with new tax rate. Others will once close at least the cash register after they make sure that all transactions made before 1st April are settled down. 

Some fastfood restaurants each set up the timing to change the tax rate by own decision. For example, McDonald will change the prices from 5a.m. on 1st April.

 

 

It might be amazing to experience the moment to change the tax rate?!

Just remind you that Japan government plans to increase consumption tax rate again from 8% to 10% on October 2015 18 months after the next raise. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Okinawa, Noren Ichiba (農連市場) ending Showa style food market

This is the third post introducing food market in Naha, Okinawa, following last two about Kosetsu Ichiba and Sakaemachi Ichiba.

Noren Ichiba(農連市場), founded in 1953, is situated in south east part of Naha central town. It is a bit far from any of Mono-rail station but is about 15minutes walk from Kosetsu Ichiba and Kokusai-dori or 10minutes from Yachimun (pottery) street. Otherwise public bus runs from Kencho-mae(Prefecture government office). For those who are interested in local food markets, it will be worth taking 15 minutes walk to go/from. 

 

 

We visited Noren Ichiba in very early morning, a bit late from 6a.m.

The market opens from 1a.m. in the morning and serves mainly to professionals such as restaurant operators until around 5a.m. After 6a.m., the market targets more widely to public, general consumers. 

 

The vast area of Noren Ichiba is similar size with a baseball stadium. The flat building looks rustic with thin roof and wooden flames in some parts. However the building was designed well to let wind out from all four dimensions and it remains since the foundation over a half century ago by managing to survive in several typhoon hit every year. The appearance was not changed since that time. Because of that, the market was filmed even for a popular drama “Churasan” by NHK(Japanese national broadcasting station).

   

Unfortunately, from 2014, this year!!, the market will be demolished block by block for re-development. So if you are interested in viewing this Showa style old-day market, just hurry up!!

 It won’t be difficult to walk around inside the market even without a map, while finding local agricultural products, sweets etc.

 

Here what we found there are..

Shima-Tofu (島豆腐Tofu in Okinawa local style)

Tofu in Okinawa has less water (75%), compared with ordinary one (82%) sold in mainland of Japan. Due to the harder solid characteristic, Shima-Tofu is often used to fry with vegetable etc, like Goya-chanpuru the most popular local specialty of Okinawa.

 

 

Kubu Irichi

(クーブイリチー kobu kelp and DaikonJapanese radish sautee)

Fried Kobu and Daikon is popular dish in Okinawa. It can be often seen as a side dish of set menu in local restaurants. Kobu kelp is not produced in Okinawa but is “travelled” from Hokkaido, the most north of Japan. It is brought as the result of Okinawa’s former position, a trading hub in East Asia a few hundreds year ago in Edo period.

 

Moyashi (soy bean sprout)

We have never seen such large volume of moyashi.

 

Place : Noren Ichiba (農連市場)

Address: 2-4-1 Okegawa, Naha-city, Okinawa

Close: Sunday

Okinawa, Sakaemachi Ichiba (栄町市場), a place to find a piece of local life

As a series of Okinawa report, following our last post introduced the most popular local food market Kosetsu Ichiba, here we show another food market in Naha, the capital of Okinawa.

Sakaemachi Ichiba (栄町市場), founded in 1949, is situated a minute walk from Asato(安里) station on mono-rail. It is known that the market remains un-changed since the beginning just after the World War II and it shows us the life of Showa period over decades ago. 

Sakaemachi Ichiba is a kind of local shopping arcade. Under the covered semi-transparent roof, we can find food grocery shops, delicatessen (if we express in modern way), restaurants & bars and kitchen goods store etc. It’s a great chance to see a piece of local people’s life.

 

 

 

In some parts, we can find the iconic scenes of local markets in Okinawa. Local farmers sell vegetables on the road, while working and preparing bean sprout. 

 

 

 

 

 

On January, some cakes for Chinese New Year event are on the shelf.

 

One of the most famous local restaurant,

Urizun (うりずん) is also accommodated in Sakaemachi market. 

 

On the visit, thanks to recommendation by a local guide,

we visited a restaurant which provides very unique local food.

 

Manpu (万富) is casual local dining with several seats along a counter. Its specialty is called “Muji-jiru”(むじ汁). We, the ones come from Tokyo, have never heard the word, muji, apart from the well-known variety store MUJI. Here “muji” represents leaf of taroimo (a kind of yam potato). At Manpu, muji is carefully prepared through several process to cook and freeze it once in order to make the taste better. 

 

Muji-jiru, thick soup in a big bowl is almost filled with the fibered vegetable.

 

Thanks to the great effort by the cook or restaurant owner, the texture is very soft and no strong perfume nor bitter taste. After having muji-jiru, I felt warmer and healthier by myself. It should be good especially in winter.

 

Two different side dishes, both home-made recipe.

The madam of the shop owner proudly told that sometimes she welcomes even guests from abroad. The restaurant was recently featured by national TV network, NHK.

 

 

In addition, a new face of Sakaemachi Ichiba is “Bistro Le Bon Gout” is located near the East Gate.

The cute sign of gray goat on the orange color background implies something good for us, even though it had not been opened yet when we visited late January 2014. It provides goat meat, one of Okinawa’s specialty as well as sophisticated Western food made from fresh Okinawa’s local ingredients. Next time we are looking forward to visiting it!!

Facebook page of Bistro Le Bon Gout: https://www.facebook.com/Bistro.Lebongout