About food in Japan

Festival of sanma(さんま、秋刀魚、saury)

Sanma(saury) is a seasonal icon of Autumn. In Japanese, the name is expressed as "秋刀魚", fish of autumn sword, from the linear shape.
The best way of enjoying the seasonal delicacy is simply to grill and put salt and juice of sudachi(a kind of green citrus in Japan).

The festival of sanma is taken place on September in Meguro-ku Tokyo every year since 1996.
A traditional comedy story of Rakugo tells about a shogun(General) in Edo era who was fascinated by grilled sanma in Meguro. Just remind you, Meguro is 30km away from the sea and there is no port in the area. So the fish was caught somewhere elese obviously. The fact makes the story funny and interesting. The festival of sanma in Meguro come from the famous comedy story.

Today it is one of the festival dates. Thousands of sanma were grilled by local people and served to visitors at free. So the festival receives a lot of visitors who filled the main road of Meguro. They have to make a long que for getting a plate of sanma.
To get the best seasonal dish is not always easy!

 

Kakiage(かきあげ)

Kakiage(かきあげ、かき揚げ) is a kind of tempra.

Seafood such as shrimp or squid with a few or more kinds of thinly sliced vegetables are mixed and fried together. The big round shape and colors of carrot, leaf vebetables stimulate our appetite. We can enjoy different taste of fresh ingredients in mouth.
In many cases, it is put on a bowl of rice(Kakiage-don) or on top udon/soba(both Japanese noodle).
Otherwise like other tempra menu, we can have it solely with a drop of soy sauce or special tempra sauce.
It is available at supermarkets as prepeared food or ready-to-eat corner.
At Japanese noodle shops, udon or soba with kakiage is one of their popular dishes.

Related story: Tempura (天ぷら）
http://aboutfoodinjapan.weblogs.jp/blog/2009/05/tempura---ginza.html

Kaiseki Tsujitome(懐石 辻留）

On a hot summer day, I was very lucky to visit a "Kaiseki"(懐石) restaurant and to have lunch there. Kaiseki restaurants are traditionally consiedered as ones for people in high rank and celebrities such as politicians, senior executives etc and the places are far from ordinary people like me. So of course this is the first time for me to go into the world!
Mid-summer is slow season for that kind of luxury restaurants as many of their clientel are taking their vacations and have been out from Tokyo. All tables at the restaurant are in each private room. We can never see other dinners in the restaurant. Only I recognize some voices that seemed to be by other guests.

Kaiseki is a traditional style of serving food in Japan. The origine is from the traditional Japanese tea ceremony way and it has over a few hundreds years of history. The world is too deep to tell everything in a blog.

Tsujitome, the restaurant where I visited, has been a cater for a major school of Japanese tea ceremony in Kyoto for a century. The present chef is the third generation of the restaurant or catering service house.

Kaiseki style course is normally composed of several plates.
Todays our plates were... starter, soup, boild, cold, grilled, soured, rice and soup, pickled vegetables, sweets and green tea, served by waiteress wearing kimono.
All food and the sophisticated presentation never missed to remind us current season "summer".
It is important for Japanese cooks to take seasonal fresh food into the menu.
Particularly in our menu, they were very seasonal dishes which made us pleased the most.

Clear soup with "Hamo" (a kind of conger)
Hamo is expensive fish to eat and available only at luxury restaurants in summer. The meat was very soft and melted in mouth. Obviously it was the best quality one I have ever had...

Grilled "Ayu"(sweetfish) salted with sour source.
The fish was harvested in Kyoto according to the restaurant master.
The cooking is simple but the quality is essential and to grill in a good way requires skills. The fish looks like alive and jumping on the boad!

We sensed the warmest hospitality of the restaurant, the host(cook) and the hostess.
High quaity food in the most sphisticated presentation reminding us the season.
One of the best meal and the nicest experience I have ever had.

Restaurant name: Kaiseki Tsujitome
Address: B1 floor Toraya Dai-ni building, 1-5-8 Moto-Akasaka, Minato-ku, Tokyo

****** Our recommendable accommodation around this restaurant *******

ANA InterContinental Hotel

Hotel New Otani Tokyo

The Capitol Hotel Tokyu

the b Akasaka

*************************************************************************

 

 

 

 

Rice(steamed rice) – 米（ご飯） at Seikoan

Steamed rice, it is no doubt a speciality of Japan. The species of rice is not same with what we can find in other parts of world. Japanese rice is short and sticky when it is cooked. Traditionally Japanese have a bowl of rice every days or more than once a day and rice is considered as the staple of the nationality. 

Niigata prefecture is known for the main production region of rice and for the high quality of the harvest. Seikoan is a restaurant operated by Niigata Prefecture exhbition house “N’espace” in Tokyo. There we can find local specialities of Niigata prefecture including rice, seafood, sake, pork and vegetables.
The rice is served by earthen pot and was cooked just for us!

The carefuly boiled by professional and the highest standard of rice is a littele bit sweet and soft. The color is stark white.

A plate of pickeled vegetable is brought and it matches perfectly with rice.

 

 Tofu is pure and also high quality one, of course.

 

Mozuku is a kind of seaweed with vineger.

 

Maitake (mashroom) tempra.

 

We can eat more than one bowl of rice with a variety of nice side dishes here!

 Restaurant name: Seikoan (静香庵）

Address: 4-11-7 Jingu-mae, Shubuya-ku, Tokyo
Website: http://www.nico.or.jp/nespace/tenpo_3.html

Unagi(うなぎ、鰻） eel - Matsukawa

The rainy season was ended in Japan and now hot summer has arrived!

It is very important to take care of what we eat and drink during summer in order to keep the best health condition through this hard season, because the heat and humidity of Japanese summer are likely to make us have littele appetite.

Unagi(eel, うなぎ、鰻）is traditionally known to be one of the foods that make people more energetic by taking.
"Doyo no ushinohi" is set on the last half of July according to Japanese old almanac and the date has been recognized for hundreds years in Japan on which people take Unagi menu to be ready for comming hot summer. In 2008, it is the 24th of July.

I enjoyed the menu a little bit earlier than the tradition at a restaurant in Shibuya, Tokyo.
Unajyu(うな重）is a typical and traditional menu of Unagi. A few pieces of grilled eel dipped in special sweet sauce are on rice and they are neatly put on a square box.

Not only the quality of eel(some are from Japanese ports and others are from Chinese or farm-raised), but also the special sauce are keys to be a good plate(or box?) or not. Traditional Unagi restaurants have each own receipe for the sauce inheritated generation by generation.

A clear soup with a small piece of eel liver is likely to be served with Unajyu.

Unagi restaurant Matsukawa is located very closed to Shibuya station. It is even surprising that we can find such a traditional dinning just a few seconds after going through the most busiest and noiziest intersection in the world(I guess), Shibuya Hachiko Crossing.

Restaurant name: Matsukawa
Website: http://www.unagi-matsukawa.co.jp
Address: 22-1 Udagawa-cho, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo

Edamame(枝豆） - a good nibble in summer

The green soybean, called "edamame"(枝豆）, is one of the most popular nibbles in summer for Japanese. No one can deny the perfect combination with a plate of edamame and a glass of cool beer.

Hulled beans are cooked for several minutes in salted boild water.
It is quite simple serving way but that is enough to enjoy it.
The typical beer snack can be seen at home every evening during summer as well as at every casual Japanese restaurants or izakayas in this country. In most cases, it would be a starter menu with the first glass of beer to chill out and to recover from a sweltering summer day.

The beans are served with the hulls on a plate. Diners have to take them out from the hulls by pushing a side of the hull body. Before a bean drops, you have to bring it to  your mouth quietly.  Is it a hard job? Tens of beans are on a plate. So you will have  a lot of  chances for the training there!

Bento(弁当）- launched for G8 Summit celebration

Bento(弁当） represents "a box meal" in Japanese.
This type of food serving way has long history in Japan.  It has been our custom for over hundreds years to bring a box meal for traveling, watching entertainment programmes (for example Sumo wrestling, Kabuki play) or just enjoying fresh air of outside.
Nowaday,  Bento is still one of the most popular lunch time choices for Japanese business people. It would be their mother or wife who prepare a nice hand-made lunch box. Otherwise selections of Bento are available at convenience stores, supermarkets, department store food corners and small corners or stands specialized in Bento.

Today, a national round-the-clock convenience shop chain, Lawson launched a new Bento menu at their units in central districts of Tokyos for celebrating G8 Summit hosted by Japan next month.
According to the press release by the convenience shop giant, the company honors to be a cater for staff serving and guarding the important event.
The menu is almost same with what these staff have at or around the meeting venue.
Hokkaido region, where the global event will be taken place is the most north part of the country and is known for the vast land with rich nature and also for the harvest of high quality foods. Some of them, such as salmon, chicken, seaweed, are in the Bento as the feature of the product.

This is what I had as today's lunch, the Summit Bento by Lawson: salmon flake and sramble egg on top of rice, checken steak, fried chiken, potato salad, spaghetti with tomato source, pickels (all are typical Bento menu.)

A different type is on sale as the Summit Bento by Lawson.

It has a slice of grilled salmon, a piece of chicken, pan fried vegetable with seaweed and what can't be missed is a egg cake in the shape of "Hokkaido"!

How can we make this yellow cake so well

As you could recognize, it is not easy to put all food in a small square(or sometime round) box in a good presentation way. An excellent person in making Bento must consider the balance of nutrition as well as the combination of colors in box.

The more demanding work for Bento it is, will it make an eater the happier!

Note: Summit Bento is on sale at Lawson stores located within 23 central districts of Tokyo until 9th July 2008, the last date of Hokkaido Toyako Summit

Mame(豆）- Mamegen

Mame(豆）= beans.
Japanese not only cook beans as meals but also eat as salty snack or sweets for tea time.
Mamegen introduce you a lot of ways to have beans.

The traditional beans shop was established in 1865, Edo era. For over a century, its products have been attracting many people in central Tokyo.

Here are examples of beans products;
Salty snack - peanuts with shrimps flavor, broad beans with black pepper, peanuts cheese, soja with wasabi flavor, peanuts with sour plum
Sweet snack - peanuts or soja sugar frosted, almond with honey, peanuts with cocoa powder etc etc...

Photo 1: Cheese nuts(peanuts cheese)

Cheese is not Japanese traditional ingredient of course. But it is a good and modern combination.

Photo 2: Ume-lakka (peanuts with sour plum)

It looks like real "Umeboshi"(traditional sour plum pickles) but it is made of peanuts and coated with wheat sour plum flavor.

Photo 3: Hanamame (fried broad beans)

This is a traditional salty flavor and good match with beer.

Mamegen offers other Japanese traditional snacks and sweets.
All are packed in small size and sold at small price. Then they are good as a sourvenir or  small gift from Japan.

Shop name: Mamegen
Shop address: 1-8-12 Azabu-juban, Minato-ku, Tokyo
Website: http://www.mamegen.com

Onigiri/Omusubi - Rice ball

Rice ball is called "onigiri(おにぎり）" or "omusubi（おむすび）" in Japanese.　It may be the simplest Japaense traditional food.

A bowl of rice seasoned with salt is transfered into shape of triangle, round or bale by a pair of human hand. Black thin dried laver seaweed(nori, のり,　海苔）is wrapped around the clot of rice.

Traditionally it is typical lunch box menu for pick-nick or other outdoor events.

In modern days, it can be found at any convenience shops as one of their majour products. They are made not by mother's hands but by indstrial machine at a factory. But they are likely to be a typical lunch menu of business people.

Normally a small piece of filling is inside of rice balls.
Filling is traditionally pickled Japanese apricot or small pieces of fruits of sea, such as grilled salmon, dried bonito, kelp, roasted cod roe.
Newer and modern fillings have tons of variation; tuna mayonnaise, fried chicken, fried shrimp, pickled vegetables, grilled beef etc etc...

It is maybe from 21st century even in Japan, modern onigiri/omusubi cafes or specialized shop opens as a category of first food, while major convenience chains launches higher standard onigiris with selected high quality ingredients but at higher price than normal productes.

It is a trend back to a good old days, when healthy mom's home-made dish was common everywhere.

Onigiri/omusubi  chains:
Omusubito - http://www.omusubito.co.jp/
Gonbei　－http://www.omusubi-gonbei.com

The oldest onigiri shop:
Yadoroku (in Asakusa) - http://www3.ocn.ne.jp/~yosuke/

Onigiri cafe:

Ony - http://www.ony.jp/

Yakatabune - Cruise on Japanese traditional boat

Yakatabune is Japanese traditional style boat where we can enjoy the beauty of season on cruising.
In Tokyo, Tokyo-Bay and Sumida river are typical course of cruising.
This evening I took cruise and dinner course to enjoy cherry blossoms along river side of Sumida.

The boat departed from the pier in Shinagawa after welcome greeting by the hostess.
Two staff are in service for us as well as almost 40 other guests. All drink is included so we can drink alcohol such as beer, Japanese sake, wine etc as much as we want.
But what we need to keep in mind is that alcohol affects stronger on the human body when we are on swinging boat than at normal restaurant...

After we passed narrow canal, the boad proceeds to Tokyo-Bay.
Night illuminations of Tokyo tower, the Bay Bridge and unique shape buildings in Odaiba are the first attraction.

Dinner is typical Japanese "party" menu.
Sashimi boat is one of the main dish. That makes us delighted to the eyes even for Japanese locals.

Tempura(deep oil fry) is another attraction.
It is served just after freshly taken up from the oil.
That is what we can rarely expect at Japanese casual restaurant in town.
The host never forget that we are takings this cruise to enjoy Spring season. So we can find a piece of cherry flower on plates!
It is even fried in oil and we can eat it!

The half way point is Asakusa, where cherry trees in a row on both river sides. The boat stopped at the point for a while so we could enjoy watching full blossom of the trees from the surface of the river.
We have to accept the situation that it is not only us who would like to enjoy the beautiful spring scene. Many other boats are there and many people are on the river side as well.
Nobody can miss this opportunity!

The boat comes back to the pier after two hours cruise with a nice dinner and drinks.
What a fantastic evening to have a pleasure of Spring season in traditional way!

*More photos are uploaded here.

Restaurant(Cruise boat) name:　Funasei
Website: http://www.funasei.com/