About food in Japan

Origami x Sushi

One day we were very excited with a product sold at a major stationery shop, ITOYA, in Haneda International airport. That is not edible but related to the most famous Japanese food, SUSHI.

 

Origami (Japanese traditional folding paper toy) set for SUSHI

We had no way but to buy and bring it to our home. 

Opening the Origami pack, we found several different types of origami papers and an intruction guide in Japanese for each different origami.

 

    

 

Can you imagine? this paper will become a piece of TUNA!!

 

Seeing many straight and diagonal lines drawn on Origami papers, we felt it difficult to make Sushi pieces by our own hands. But it was not right. It was not so hard as we imagined. 

 

 

Finally we made several pieces of SUSHI with Origami!!!

  
Look yummy?!

We wish so...

 

Origami Sushi set is available at a branch of ITOYA (a stationery store) in International flight terminal, Haneda International Airport and at its flagship store in Ginza.

 

Shop name: ITOYA (Haneda Airport)

Location: 4th floor Edo Market,  International flight terminal of Haneda Airport

Website: http://www.haneda-airport.jp/inter/en/premises/tenant/5200100012600000/index.html

 

Shop name: ITOYA (Main store, temporary location)

Address: 3-7-1 Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo (just behind Matsuya Department store)

*Until 2015, the flagship store has been under renovation and it is currently operated in temporary location.

View Larger Map

Chopsticks with gold foil at New year party, Hakuza Nihonbashi

 At the beginning of a new year with full of happiness, we introduce a product that must be matched with such feeling.

New year is the biggest traditional event for Japanese. We celebrate a new year arrived with family and relatives in general and we wish a happy year by visiting a shrine and share cups of sake etc. We have some icons of New Year, such as traditional decorations, rice cake, new year post cart etc.

If we say in color, "gold" is a color often used for celebration of New Year. It may be same at some other countries. The most gorgeous color is often placed on celebration items.

 

We found an interesting product with gold and also related to food.

Called "Pakkin Bashi" (ぱっきん箸)

 Pakkin Bashi is a pair of chopstick produced by Hakuza (箔座), a gilder from the origin of gold leaf, Kanazawa (金沢), Hokuriku region.  

From the package of paper cover with stlipe lines in red, we are not able to find how Pakkin Bashi is different from others. 

The unique feature of Pakkin Bashi can be seen on a moment when we split apart a pair of the chopsticks. 

It's a very short time and

was too difficult to express it with a photo actually...

 

When the chopsticks were splitted,

small pieces of gold foil came down from the chopsticks.

We saw the remain sticked on a stick end.

 

These pieces of gold foil are "edible", no harm. Gold foil is traditionally used to decorate food and sake (Japanese alcohol) for celebratory feast. By gilders' sophisticated technique, thin and tiny pieces are put on food or drink, additing brilliant flavor. 

In same way, Pakkin Bashi brings us a joyful moment by splitted apart the chopsticks and decorating food before us with gold foil come down.

It's very delicate presentation with tiny pieces.

 

As for the name, "Pakkin Bashi" does sound strange? You may wonder how it comes from.

"Pakkin" implies the sound made when we split apart a pair of chopsticks. And it also comes from a word "gold leaf" in Japanese, "hakukin (箔金)". Bashi is same with hashi (箸, chopsticks). We could not imagine such elegante moment of using the chopsticks from the name with amusing sound. 

Pakkin Bashi is available at Hakuza boutique Nihonbashi, Tokyo as well as Hakuza flagship boutique and craft studio in Kanazawa. 

It will be good to celebrate your special moment with Japanese traditional gold foil decoration on food. 

 

Hakuza official website: http://www.hakuza.co.jp/english

Hakuza Nihonbashi, Tokyo

Address: Coredo Muromachi 1st floor, 2-2-1 Nihonbashimuromachi, Chuo-ku, Tokyo 

View Larger Map

 

Hakuza Honten (flagship store), Kanazawa 

Address: 1-30-4 Moriyama, Kanazawa-city, Ishikawa prefecture 

View Larger Map

Japanese Tea Salon - Higashiya, Ginza Tokyo

At Ginza, the best known luxury shopping district in Japan, it is not easy even for locals to find a cozy place for tea break during exciting shopping hours.

Higashiya, locating on the north part or 1-chome of Ginza, is one of such options, very sophisticated oasis. The "Japanese Tea Salon", as it calls itself, is on the second floor of POLA Ginza building, a property by the established Japanese cosmetic company.

Like the cosmetic brand on the ground floor, the space of Higashiya tea salon looks both peaceful and beautiful with arts placed on the wall, modern lighting and warm wooden tables and chairs. It is also quiet and people enjoy their own "tea ceremony" without any kind of noisy disturbance.

 

It offers fantastic selection of Japanese tea in term of the number of options and quality of listed products as well as Japanese traditional sweets. Otherwise choose the tea set at just over Yen 1000. Then you will have small pieces of seasonal Japanese sweets and again seasonal recommendable tea.

 

 

Don't forget bringing a book or someting to read instead of your moile phone to talk with someone. That is what is the best way to spend time and fully to enjoy at Higashiya, Japanese Tea Salon, we believe.

     

 

Lastly, we also recommend that you "pay a visit to the toilet" without fail.

It is the best and the most comfortable toilet that I have ever seen in Japan and in the world. I visited ladies' room only of course. Sorry for gentlemen, as we do not know how it is for you. 

We would not tell you how it is great so you can enjoy finding it.

Cafe name: Higashiya Ginza

Address: 2nd floor POLA Ginza, 1-7-7 Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo

Website: http://www.higashiya.com 

View Larger Map

Furikake (ふりかけ), to make your rice more tasty!

As you know already, cooked white rice is principale food of Japanese. In traditional Japanese diet, rice and miso soup is a regular combination of Japanese meal whether it is for breakfast or dinner.

Also as you may know, Japanese rice is very sticky compared with other species of rice in other parts of the world and the taste of cooked rice is subtle and plain.

So in many cases, we put something on rice to have them together. Then, in Japan, we can find many kinds of food products that are assumed to be taken with cooked plain rice. For example, raw egg (we want to talk about it some days), "tsukemono" (漬物) pickles, "nori" (海苔, dried seaweed) and "kimchi" (キムチ, Korean hot pepper pickles) joined in our choices from around 10 years ago.

Furikake (ふりかけ) is one of the major line ups along with ones mentioned above. Furikake is a kind of mixed seasoning specially made for rice. There are hundreds (or more) of recepi for furikake in Japan but typical ones are likely to consist of dried fish or seafood such as salmon, cod roe (tarako), bonito, seaweed, egg, sesame. Typically they are all dried and cut into very small pieces like powder that makes us failed to imagine what are the ingredients. Furikake has good harmony of salty savory flavours as a whole and it makes the best match with hot plain rice.

Takaing many different kinds of food ingredients without having big volume is one of the qualifications of furikake. Because of that, it is also recommended to children from nutritional view point.

Furikake is often used also for box lunch. The easiness of preparing and variation of colors, such as yellow, brown or green pieces all together, help with changing your lunch box more pleasant in term of taste as well as looking. Rice mixed with furikake is also good for "onigiri" rice balls.

In addition, because furikake is dried and has long shelf-life, it will be one of good souvenir of Japanese food to bring back to your country. You will find selections of furikake at supermarkets and a few choices at convenience stores. 

Here we have two samples from a traditional Furikake producer, Tanaka Foods (田中食品) with over a century history in Hiroshima.

Ryoko no tomo (旅行の友, "a friend of journey")  

As mentioned, furikake is the best suit for lunch box and is easy to bring arund.

So the owner put such name on the rice seasoning,

also naming after her wife called "Tomo".

 

This package must be very attractive for some of you.

a small portion of furikake (one pack for a bowl of rice) in a small Hello Kitty bag

The pack has each different picture of Kitty. 

How fun it is if we bring one of them with lunch box,

even just for having lunc at a school class room...

 

Tanaka Foods official site: http://tanaka-foods.co.jp

Related post in the past: Tsukemono(漬物, Japanese pickles)

http://aboutfoodinjapan.weblogs.jp/blog/2008/11/tsukemono-japan.html

Grilled tea (ほうじ茶) parfait at Morinoen, Ningyocho (人形町)

Ningyocho (人形町), literally meaning "dolls town", is an interesting district for a stroll in east Tokyo. The name reportedly comes from the history of the town where a few of Japanese traditional puppet theaters had been there or where a lot of puppeteers lived there in Edo period. Nowaday one of major theaters for Kabuki and other plays, Meijiza (明治座), stands on the town. 

Apart from Meijiza, many small shops, bars, restaurants and studio of Japanese traditional craftwork can be found in the district. Many of them have been loved and supported by local clients for long years. In the heart of Tokyo, Ningyocho reminds us a good old day of Japan, while walking and shopping around at the town. It exist in a town of 10 minutes drive from Tokyo station where tens of Shinkansen bullet trains run in and out. 

Morinoen (森乃園) is one of such small but great shops. The tea shop with a century long history is specialized in Hojicha (焙じ茶), Japanese grilled tea. If you walk down the main street of Ningyocho on weekday afternoon, you may sense the roasting tea aroma. The scent comes from the second floor of Morinoen making grilled tea. The brown tea has excellent flavor and joy different from fresh green tea. It gives you a calm peaceful moment.

It will be a good idea to get a pack of Hojicha, Japanese grilled tea at Morinoen for souvenir. What can't miss at Morinoen is not only the tea leaf.

On the second floor, the tea shop offers a cozy tea salon, next to the studio making tea grilled. The small space is filled by local guests and staff are running around to serve them.

The list of attractive Japanese sweets from ice cream parfait, anmitsu (beans paste and syrup), sweet bean soup to dumplings, will make you be in trouble to select just one or two from them. So let's take the one very unique to the tea store.

This is it, Hojicha ice cream parfait

Ice cream, jelly and cream, all of Hojicha flavor

as well as small pieces of cake, dumplings

fill a tall glass.

 

That is another way to enjoy the grilled tea introduced by the tea shop master.

Why not try it?

 

Tea store and cafe name: Morinoen 森乃園

Official website: http://morinoen.jp/

Address: 2-4-9 NIhonbashi-Ningyocho, Chuo-ku, Tokyo 

View Larger Map

Kit Zutto Project by Kit Kat Japan

Kit Kat is one of the most popular chocolate confectionaries in Japan as same with other parts of the world. Kit Kat Japan launched new project for the earthquake and tsunami relief called "Kit Zutto Project" (in Japanese, "kitto zutto" means "will be forever") this month, after a year from the disaster. 

Kit Kat Japan created a new package specialized for the project and Yen20 per pack sold will be donated to "Sanriku Railway" company whose three-coach-long train service facilities got seriously damaged by the earthquake and tsunami, while the train has been appreciated as essential transportation service by people living in the area. As a part of the relief project, Kit Kat Japan also opened a Facebook page where you can post supporting message to the small local railway company as well as people on the Northeast coast of Japan.

In addition to the charitable activity, what is interesting for Kit Kat funs is the flavors in the chocolate pack. The Kit Kat package "World Variety" especially made for the disaster relief project includes three different flavor; "Japan", "Australia" and "United Kingdom".

Did you know that? Kit Kat are sold around the world but the company Nestle has changed the flavor slightly country by country.

As per the explanation on Kit Kat "World Variety" package, compared with Japanese version...

UK style, which is the origin of the sweets, has flavor like burnt sugar or milk and almond paste is used as hidden taste,

Australian style has creamy vanilla flavor.

 

I tried these flavor pieces and recognized the differences as described.

Personally I prefer the Japanese version the most and as the second UK's bitter taste.

It will be interesting to compare the taste of Kit Kat in different countries and exchange opinions among friends. Which one do you like the most?

Not only "World Variety" package, Kit kat Japan offers many different flavors by places and by periods, such as Matcha (green tea), sweet potato etc. Try to find each local version Kit Kat at souvenir shops, supermarkets or convenience stores across Japan, while you are traveling. 

Only a point of disappointing you maybe is that the Kit Kat disaster relief pack is sold only in Japan. Even if you do not have a chance to visit Japan soon, at least you will be able to participate in the relief project by posting your message on the Facebook page.

 

Kit Zutto Project English version Facebook site: http://www.facebook.com/kitkat.japan?sk=app_182534635192608

Sanriku Railway Story Youtube video made for the relief project 

My top 3 recommendation from FOODEX JAPAN 2012

This week FOODEX JAPAN, one of the biggest food and beverage trade shows in Japan, was taken place at Makuhari Messe. There we found and tasted many food and beverage products come from across Japan. Some are new ideas and others are traditional ones. Here we selected three products that we can recommend the most among many we found there.

 

Haccho Miso Curry (八丁味噌カレー) from Okazaki, Aichi Prefecture

The curry sauce is produced by a small "Ryori-Ryokan" (料理旅館, Japanese traditional inn featuring its local cuisine especially). Normally Ryokans do not serve curry-rice to guests, as it is rather daily home-cooking food. The product actually originated from meal provided on the ryokan's staff during their break time. The unique point is that the curry sauce is made with the city's local product Haccho Miso paste. The miso adds sweet flavour into the spicy hot curry and it makes the sauce tender and leaves distant Japanese taste.  Needless to say, it is the most popular souvenir gift at the accommodation. 

 

 

Satsuma Sparkling Yuzudon (薩摩スパークリング　ゆずどん) from Kagoshima, Kyushu region

It is sparkling wine made by mixing Kyushu region's distilled sake, shochu, and fresh natural Yuzu citrus. Even before taking the wine into the mouth, fine scent of Yuzu from the glass must strike your mind. We have many flavoured sparkling wine around the world but it is rare to find such real fresh, non-artificial, and strong (but never be too much) citrus fruit flavour. 

 

 

Apple jelly from Aomori

The last one has not been in the market yet. We tasted its sample product at the trade show. The jelly contains a lot of grated apple pulp. It is simple as product maybe but the pure and rich taste of apple is impressive. Hope it will be in the market soon. 

Sorry, we will disclose the name and image of the product when it is officially available.

 

These food and drink are availale at limited places within their origin regions and major department stores sometimes, apart from online shops.

Don't miss a chance to get them if you visit their regions

FOODEX JAPAN 2012 (6th to 9th March) official site: http://www3.jma.or.jp

*The trade show is exclusive for professionals related food and beverage production and distributions.

"hekkonda" (dented) terrine de chocolat by es koyama

Mr. Susumu Koyama is one of the most popular confectioners in Japan. Some of you may know his name because of his prize "the Most Outstanding Foreign Chocolatier Award" obtained at the 2011 Salon du Chocolat in Paris.

Fluffy roll cake "Koyama Roll" and Baumkuchen produced with high quality rich eggs are two main products of Mr. Koyama's patisserie located in residential area of Hyogo Prefecture. The 1200 square meters theme-park-like world of "es koyama" might be too far for many people to visit by traveling for 40 minutes from Kobe or Osaka, while a group of his shops each specialized in pastry, chocolate, jam, bread and ice cream as well as atelier of Baumkuchen, cafe and cooking school must be fun place for sweets lovers and worth spending almost a day there. 

Here on this blog, we would like to introduce his unique character or a sence of fun, something different from es koyama's main products roll cake or Baumkuchen that must be loved by everyone from children to elderly.

 

We found the most popular confectionary's new product at Salon du Chocolat Tokyo, another version of the highly influential event presented in Japan last month.

 

The chocolate cake is called "hekkonda", literally "dented" in English. 

Just as the top of the box, looks like mountain...

 

 

Opening the package, we found a box inside colored in vivid pink unexpectedly and a message from the chef in English on top of the cake wrapped with silver foil. 

 

 

"hekkonda" terrine de chocolat is named after the shape of it.

Through the baking process, most part of the cake has been swelled out,

while only the central part has been sank and been lower than the edge.

The award-winning patisserie chef Mr. Koyama felt it quite interesting and

has named the new product after the cake's look "hekkonda".

Of course not only the cake's name is significant. 

The chocolate cake has very rich cacao flavor 

 in the soft and fresh texture.  

As the Salon du Chocolat recognized, it is surely the work

by "the Most Outstanding Foreign Chocolatier" in the world.

 

Apart from es koyama flagship boutique in Hyogo prefecture, his products are sometimes available at special promotion events at major department stores mainly in Kansai region(Osaka, Kyoto, Kobe and surroundings) or through its online store.

 

Shop name: es koyama

Website (Japanese): http://www.es-koyama.com

Website (global): http://www.es-koyama.com/global/index.html

Movie at 2011 Salon du Chocolat Paris: 

http://www.es-koyama.com/movie2/movie.html

 

 

Try fine Japanese tea at Uogashi-Meicha Cha Ginza (うおがし銘茶 茶 銀座)

Uogashi-Meicha (うおがし銘茶) is a traditional tea leaf shop in Tsukiji outer market. The shop is always busy with local people who seek for fine quality Japanese tea leaf come across the country.

Taste of Japanese high quality tea is also upto ways to make it from the leaf.  With what kind of pot? How much to put tea leaf in the pot? How long to brew it in the pot...?  Actually there are many points to be noted in order to make the drink at the best.

Uogashi-Meicha offers an opportunity to try fine quality Japanese tea prepared by their skillful tea specialists at the unit "Cha Ginza" (茶　銀座), in central Ginza.

In the three-floor-height modern house, with small amount of entrance fee (Yen 500 per person), Uogashi-Meicha provides a special tea tasting opportunity in Japanese-modern space on the second floor.

Two different kinds of Japanese tea are prepared by their staff who knows how to make them at the best condition. Japanese traditional sweets, which is also the best match with the tea provided, is served in the middle of the tea tasting. Both tea and sweets are ones fit for the season, carefully selected by the shop staff.    

 

Take a rest and taste the best quality Japanese traditional tea during shopping in Ginza.

 

On the ground floor, Uogashi-Meicha's fine tea selections are available for souvenir, while on the third floor, it offers matcha green tea tasting as well.

 

Shop name: Uogashi-Meicha Cha Ginza

Address: 5-5-6 Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo

Website (in Japanese): http://www.uogashi-meicha.co.jp/shop_01.html  

View Larger Map

Cup Noodle rice

Many of you maybe know "CUP NOODLE", the first product of instant noodle in cup. In 2011, year of the  40th anniversary of the most known noodle in the world, Nisshin launched its offspring 

 

CUP NOODLE GOHAN (RICE)

It is not noodle but rice in "cup noodle" flavour.

 

Let's open the box.

There are 3 packet.

From the bigger one, dried rice, dried ingredients and seasoning.

Let's cook CUP NOODLE GOHAN, following the instruction.

 

1. Pour glass of water (160ml) to the lined level into the box.

Then add ingredients.

Surely it looks like "CUP NOODLE" soup.

2. Then add rice too.

It's dried and looks more like rice cracker.

3. Mix them well.

Looking forward to make it done...

 

4. Close the top cover and bring it to your micowave.

(Yes, Cup noodle rice requires a microwave but not hot water.)

Heat it for about 5 minutes. (500-600W)

Stay there!

 

5. After it have been heated, WAIT for 1-2 more minutes,

while keeping the cover closed to steam it well.

 

6. Finally remove the cover , add seasoning and mix it well.

Now it is READY CUP NOODLE RICE.

 

 Uh~, the taste is surely similar to the original cup noodle. Or it is like a kind of "pilaf" cooked rice in other country. 

To be honest, if I have a choice, I would rather take original cup noodle than the rice version. That is my comment finally. 

Another news is Nisshin is going to launch the second product of CUP NOODLE GOHAN soon. It is ""seafood" noodle flavour version in 10days. I am sure it becomes better version than the first attempt. I am looking forward to try it.

 

Another progress of the first instant noodle(rice) is its container.

It is made with paper not plastic. By unfolding into flat, the waste volume is minimized.

That is a food product of new generation in that point...

 

CUP NOODLE GOHAN  http://www.cupnoodle.jp/gohan/

CUP NOODLE http://www.cupnoodle.jp