About food in Japan: Glossary about food in Japan

Morning market is called, in Japanese, "Asaichi"(朝市, Asa/朝 = morning + Ichi/市 = market).

In Japan, the biggest three major morning markets are ones in Takayama (高山) in Gifu prefecture (岐阜県), Katsuura (勝浦) in Chiba prefecture (千葉県) and Wajima (輪島) in Ishikawa prefecture (石川県). These local markets continue over hundreds years as a place where we can find fresh local products at reasonable cost, having friendly communication with local food producers.

******************* UPDATE 12 January 2024 *******************

Due to the large scale earthquake occurred on 1st January 2024, very sadly the area around Wajima morning market had very serious damage by fire and the earthquake. Major road and basic lifeline such as water supply have also been seriously damaged in Noto peninsula for the moment.

We hope that safe and comfortable daily life come back very soon to local people in the area and the traditional morning market is re-opened in Wajima in some days.

We will update this post when we get any news related the morning market in Wajima.

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During my trip to Kanazawa (金沢), Hokuriku (北陸) region, I visited the oldest morning market among those three. Wajima morning market has over “a century” history on the edge of Noto peninsula (能登半島). From Kanazawa, the capital of Ishikawa prefecture as well as of Hokuriku region, I took a long distance coach at 7:20 a.m. from Kanazawa Station bus terminal. The express coach is scheduled to arrive in the final destination, Wajima around 9:35 a.m. While on board, the Coast of Japan Sea along the Noto Peninsula is visible for a while.

Getting off at the bus stop, in front of Wajima Shikki Shiryokan (輪島漆器資料館, “Japan-ware” Resource Center), it takes just a few hundreds meters to the morning market along the Kawaharata river (河原田川). We do not have to check a map, because lively voice of the market vendors led us to the right place.

In Wajima morning market, it is said for long time that both sellers and buyers are female here. It is true at least as for sellers now a day. Local ladies of middle to elder age are selling ocean-fresh seafoods including a main product crab (蟹), processed fisheries products such as dried fish or seaplant paste, Wajima’s well-known specialty Japan lacquer ware and other local hand-made products. Their energy to appeal their products is enough high to making tourists feeling of purchase some products. Sometimes they offer sample tasting otherwise prepare fish for sale by cutting or washing .

Some vendors are ready to arrange refrigerated delivery to major cities like Tokyo or Osaka. Some tourists from such major cities purposely organize their itinerary to visit Wajima morning market on the last day of their trip so they can embrase the opportunity to get very fresh seafood at home.

After strolling the main street of Wajima morning market, we had time to discover another local specialty of Wajima, Japan-ware (漆器) or lacquer products. Wajima is the best known as lacquer ware prodiction area. Wajima Shikki Shiryokan (輪島漆器資料館, Japan-ware Resource Center) has an exhibition hall for tourists on the second floor where we will be able to find making process of Japan ware from carving lumber to lacquer finishing and decoration painting as well as completed representative works. Because of a number of handmade process, Japan ware products are fairly expensive. But chop sticks or soup balls are not so high and can be a good souvenir.

Today’s my lunch at a casual local restaurant, Matsuoka (まつおか). It is just off from the main street and found on the way from the bus stop. The restaurant’s specialty is Kaisendon (海鮮丼, Seafood ball), of course!!, with fresh seafood from the market.

If you have a plenty of time to visit Wajima or are supposed to take a bus to go back to Kanazawa, it is a good idea to go through the Babazaki Shotengai street (馬場崎商店街, Babazaki shopping arcade) on the way to a bus stop for Kanazawa from the main street of Wajima. As you see below photos, traditional merchant buildings stands along the shopping street. They are re-constructed ones but still remain atmosphere of Edo era.

Even a mobile phone shop appears in traditional style...

How to get to Wajima (輪島)

From Kanazawa Station – about 2hours by Express coach operated by Hokuriku Bus company. The express bus run several times a day between Kanazawa - Wajima. The first service departs at 7:20 a.m. from Kanazawa station is only one time option fully to enjoy Wajima morning market. The same bus also drops by Noto Airpot on the way a few times a day. You could organize your itinerary to head to Noto Airport by bus for flight to Tokyo on afternoon after visiting Wajima in the morning. Time of these transportation services are limited. It is better to check time table in advance or to consult tourist information.

Offical site of Noto Airport (Japanese only) : http://www.noto-airport.jp

ANA airline: http://www.ana.co.jp

*The place is in Hokuriku region. (not in Tokyo) For general information about Kanazawa, to be a base to visit the region, please visit below link.

http://aboutfoodinjapan.weblogs.jp/blog/2011/04/about-kanazawa-city-where-food-lovers-should-not-miss-on-travel-in-japan.html

Information in English about Wajima morning market (輪島朝市) :

http://hot-ishikawa.jp/f-lang/english/noto-area/shopping-detail.html#01

Wajima Shikki Shiryokan (輪島漆器資料館, Japan-ware Resource Center)

Website (Japanese only): http://www.wajimanuri.or.jp/fkaikan.htm

Address: 24-55 Kawaicho, Wajima-city, Ishikawa prefecture

Restaurant: Matsuoka (まつおか)

Address: 1-31-1 Kawaicho, Wajima-city, Ishikawa prefecture

*The restaurant provides breakfast from 8 a.m. as well as lunch and dinner.

大きな地図で見る

Two other major morning markets in Japan

Takayama - is a touristic city and a base to visit Shiwakawago (白川郷) UNESCO world heritage. The morning market is taken place in two area within the city. One is on Miyagawa rive side and another is in front of Jinya (陣屋, the former government office) Due to the location surrounded mountains, their local products are mainly from mountain side, such as vegetable, mushrooms, vegetable pickles.

大きな地図で見る

Katsuura (Chiba prefecture) - It is a port town in East Japan, not very far from Tokyo. Like Wajima, there we can find seafood products as well as vegetables and rice cakes etc.

大きな地図で見る

It is another kind of joyful moments to be cheered up with local peole and by a nice cup of Sake in a casual restaurant, while having a good time entertained by Geisha at a luxury Ryotei. Kuroyuri (黒百合) is a recommendable place to enjoy local dishes with local alcohol in very casual atmosphere, surrounded by local people. In addition, it is located in a shopping complex adjucent to JR Kanazawa station hence it is easily accessible even by tourists.

Kuroyuri (黒百合) runs the informal dining for over 50 years in Kanazawa. Inside of the restaurant, the main hall is spacious and panoptic. A long U-shape counter in center is able to accommodate around 40 people. Inside the U-shape counter, several cooking staff work busily cutting ingredients, cooking Yakitori (grilled chicken) or taking out drinks or ingredients from a fridge. You may not be bothered while seeing the staff going around and serving clients from the counter with vigorous voice.

The restaurant's important specialty is Oden (おでん), the most popular Japanese homey food. No exact translation in English for Oden. If you know some French food, it can be expressed as “Japanese pot-au-feu”. Various ingredients, such as vegetables, dumplings, egg, shells are cooked for long hours in clear soup. Each restaurant or home has own receip of Oden with each different versions of ingredients to put in a pot. Any kind of ingredients are well soaked with the seasoned soup until begoming soft. At Kuroyuri, it keeps the Oden soup for over 50 years to take over the traditional taste continuously.

For Oden, at Kuroyuri, like some other casual restaurants, guests can select what they would like to have and are charged by piece ordered, within the price range from Yen 100 to around Yen 400 depending on ingredient.

What I ordered are...

Daikon (Japanese raddish) typical Oden-vege,

Kurumafu (車麩, round shape “fu” wheat gluten, one of local specialties in Kanazawa),

Baigai (梅貝, also local specialty sea shell),

Iwashi Tsumire (鰯のつみれ, dumpling of minched sardine).

Of course, it offers wide selections of local Sake, Umesh (plum liqueur) as well as beer and Shochu from Kyushu region.

Restaurant name: Kuroyuri (黒百合)

Location: Ajiwai-kan (あじわい館), Kanazawa Hyakubangai (百番街)

*It is located on the restaurant floor at ground level of the biggest shopping complex (Hyakubangai 百番街), adjucent to JR Kanazawa station. Just a few minutes walk from Station gate.

Website: http://kuroyuri.ftw.jp

*The place is in Kanazawa, Hokuriku region. (not in Tokyo) For general information about Kanazawa and how to get there, please visit below link.

http://aboutfoodinjapan.weblogs.jp/blog/2011/04/about-kanazawa-city-where-food-lovers-should-not-miss-on-travel-in-japan.html

大きな地図で見る

Accommodations close to the sites mentioned on this post

加賀屋グループ　料理旅館　金沢茶屋

中安旅館

兼六城下町　ホテル兼六

ＡＮＡクラウンプラザホテル金沢（旧　金沢全日空ホテル）

Posted on 13 April 2011 at 12:52 in Glossary about food in Japan, Region Hokuriku (北陸), Kanazawa | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

11 April 2011

Omicho Ichiba (近江町市場) is “citizens’ kitchen panrty” – Kanazawa (金沢)

During my stay in Kanazawa, I often dropped by Omicho Ichiba (近江町市場) food market in central Kanazawa. The market’s history dates back to 280 years ago and it has attracted local residents of Kanazawa and tourists since that time. At Omicho Ichiba, which is called “Kanazawa citizens’ kitchen pantry” (金沢市民の台所) in anoother words, around 170 small business organizations are based and they provide a plenty number of food products, from local specialty seafood, local species Kaga vegetables, meat, fruits to green tea, spices and traditional sweets etc. Even though we have no way to cook the raw seafood products during a trip, it is a good opportunity to explorer fresh local foods in the region. In the morning, restaurant operators and professional buyers are main clients of Omicho Ichiba, while local ordinary people fill the market in late afternoon to get ingredients for their dinner at home.

Some seafood shops are able to arrange refrigerated courier service for tourists so they can taste the region’s fresh seafood such as crab, shells, shrimps and fish at home on their return. Of course these shop staff are friendly and happy to tell us the best way to cook them.

The most expensive crab in the picture costs at Yen 15000 (applox USD 188 or EUR 125 per crab). The price varies day by day and depends on condisions. A plate says “Jimono” (地物, local products) landing within Ishikawa prefecture (whose capital is Kanazawa).

The market administration was calling for people to contribute to paper cranes making to pray for the earthquake and tsunami victims in Tohoku, when I visited there around three weeks after the natural tragedy.

Well... after looking around such atrractive fresh seafoods, why not try them at a restaurant in Omicho Ichiba? Yes! The market offers the option at some restaurants there. On the ground floor, some small, mainly seafood or sushi, restaurants can be found and on the basement and second floors, more number of restaurants serve various cuisine with fresh ingredients from the market.

I selected one of the restaurants on the ground floor in Omicho Ichiba, which is called “Omicho Shokudo” (近江町食堂, Omicho’s dining) and known as a place where the market workers come to have their own meals. It is located at a hiding place, as local people called it “ana” (穴, a hole) then I could find it soon at first...

The restaurant exists a few steps back off from the edge of market street.

It offers different variations of Kaisendon (海鮮丼, seafood bowl) as well as lunch set with sashimi etc.

The most typical one is “Ganso Kaisendon” (元祖海鮮丼, the original seafood bowl) for which 8 kinds of sashimi (刺身, raw fish/seafood) are placed on top of rice bowl. Fish/seafood served are changed season by season, my bowl includes symbolic local specialties, uni (ウニ, 雲丹, sea urchin), ikura (イクラ, salmon caviar), ama-ebi (甘エビ,” sweety” deep-water shrimp), kani (カニ, 蟹, crab meat). What a dreaming time it is....

As a side dish, tempura of “Goro Kintoki” (五郎金時) sweet potato was also nice.

Please do not miss strolling in “the universe of Kanazawa local foods”!

Omicho Ichiba official website (Japanese version only) http://www.ohmicho-ichiba.com

Restaurant name: Omicho Shokudo (近江町食堂)

Website (Japanese version only): http://www.ohmicho.jp

*The place is in Kanazawa, Hokuriku region. (not in Tokyo) For general information about Kanazawa and how to get there, please visit below link.

http://aboutfoodinjapan.weblogs.jp/blog/2011/04/about-kanazawa-city-where-food-lovers-should-not-miss-on-travel-in-japan.html

大きな地図で見る

Accommodations close to the sites mentioned on this post

加賀屋グループ　料理旅館　金沢茶屋

中安旅館

兼六城下町　ホテル兼六

ＡＮＡクラウンプラザホテル金沢（旧　金沢全日空ホテル）

Posted on 11 April 2011 at 12:55 in Glossary about food in Japan, Region Hokuriku (北陸), Kanazawa | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

06 April 2011

Authentic Ryotei (料亭)! Tsubajin (つば甚) – Kanazawa (金沢)

As the main event of my journey in Kanazawa, I visited Tsubajin (つば甚) for lunch. With its history of over 250 years long since 1752, Tsubajin is one of the most established Ryotei (料亭) in Kanazawa. Out of Nishi Chaya Machi (にし茶屋街), the traditional Japanese house build in early 20 century stands on a bank of Sai river (犀川). From the upper floor, Kanazawa city view is available.

Approaching to the restaurant entrance, a lady in Kimono opened the entrance door and welcomed me with smile. I already recognized that this kind of hospitality prooves the restauran as a place where royal family, politicians and other celeblities have been welcomed for long years. We were taken to a room on the ground floor, where we can find a small but nice Japanese garden outside while inside seasonal decoration of Hina ningyo (雛人形, Girls festival dolls), kakejiku (掛け軸, traditional painting scroll) and a flower base. They are modest but creats elegant tast collectively.

The staind glass partion on the left stand implies Taisho period (大正時代) when this house was built.

It is a place where we can be fully relaxed even before lunch...

Sake (日本酒) sevred is original brand of Tsubajin (つば甚), blended specially for the restaurant. Dry but fruity, modest and good quality exactly like the restaurant!

The least expensive lunch is box meal style, because I have to keep my stomach space for dinner and sweets on afternoon. If you would, Kaiseki style meal is also available depending on your budget.

Grilled Takenoko (筍, bamboo shoot) is icon of Spring. Behindit, masu (鱒, trout) also grilled and wrapped by a dark green leaf and decorated with a small piece of cherry flower.

Sasimi (刺身, raw fish) plate is essential for Japanese course meal.Here it includes very fresh seasonal local product.

Jibuni (じぶ煮), well-known local speciality (郷土料理, Kyodo Ryori) of Kanazawa, ordered with supplement cost. Duck meat, local speciality product “fu”(麩, wheat gluten cake) and vegetables including local spiecies of spinach Kinjiso (金時草).

The excellent lunch was ended with a small bowl of dessert

I left the restaurant with great satisfaction. It was a perfect moment of fine traditional and fresh cuisine, interior decoration and Japanese hospitality.

About Ryotei (料亭)

No clear difinition of Ryotei but it is considered as the most luxurious category of traditional Japanese restaurants with established business in long history, appreciated by local magnates and VIPs, capacity and ability to arrange entertainment by Geisha. Many are located in Kyoto, Tokyo and Kanazawa. Because of nature of their clientels, dinig space is most likely to be “private room” style where you would never find and hear other diners. To have meals in Ryotei, advance reservation is required and in most case chef’s recommendation course is provided according to your budget given upon reservation. (It means they rarely allow you to visit without reservation and to select plates from a list on the spot.) Please be ready enough earlier to take advantage of fantastic experiences feeling Japanese traditional culture!

Tsubajin (つば甚)

Address: 5-1-8 Teramachi, Kanazawa-city, Ishikawa prefecture

Website: http://www.tsubajin.co.jp

*The place is in Kanazawa, Hokuriku region. (not in Tokyo) For general information about Kanazawa and how to get there, please visit below link.

http://aboutfoodinjapan.weblogs.jp/blog/2011/04/about-kanazawa-city-where-food-lovers-should-not-miss-on-travel-in-japan.html

大きな地図で見る

Accommodations close to the sites mentioned on this post

加賀屋グループ　料理旅館　金沢茶屋

中安旅館

兼六城下町　ホテル兼六

ＡＮＡクラウンプラザホテル金沢（旧　金沢全日空ホテル）

Posted on 06 April 2011 at 14:02 in Glossary about food in Japan, Japanese restaurants - Upscale, Region Hokuriku (北陸), Kanazawa | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

07 March 2011

Sanchoku Inshokugai, Yurakucho (産直飲食街　有楽町)

In Japan, we can often see very casual local restaurants on "underpass" of railways. Such places are called "gado shita (ガード下)" in Japanese, which means "beneath girder". "Gado shita" around Yurakucho station along the railway of JR Yamanote line is one of the most typical and popular ones.

Local restaurants of "gado shita" are likely to be so casual to welcome you by simple tables on four metal pipe legs and/or yellow plastic square box used for deliverling beer bottles but hear for accommodating you as a chair. Tables and chairs are placed close each other. It is a lively place where working class middle or aging men are repeatedly gathering everynight after their hard work. That is a typical type of gado shita restaurants. As you can imagine, it is rarely appreciated by ladies. For last a few years, such images of gado shita restaurants have been diminished by several newly developped streets in central Tokyo. That keeps live atmosphere of "gado shita" as well as clean and open-minded hospitality.

Yurakucho Sanchoku Inshokugai (有楽町　産直飲食街), opened on November 2010, is one of these new types of gado shita restaurants.

Just a five-minute walk from JR Yurakucho station. Its exterior decorated with naked light bubles and retro style signboards remind us a good old days in 60's or 70's.

By the way, "sanchoku" is abbreviation of "sanchi chokuso" (産地直送) that means "sent directly from produced area" and at the same time it implies "fresh foods". Inshokugai (飲食街) is equals to "eat and drink street". So "Sanchoku Inshokugai" (産直飲食街) sounds tasty, isn't it?

As the name shown, food and drink served at Sanchoku Inshokugai are directly from four food production regions in Japan. The restaurant is devided into four area of food stands,each introducing one of regions; Shizuoka (静岡) for seafood, Kumamoto (熊本) for horse meat, Iwate (岩手) for pork, Nagano (長野) for chicken dishes.

All these area are known for rich nature montains, fishing ground or good soil as well as their local specialty foods, "kyodo ryori" (郷土料理).

We visited the last part of the gado shita restaurant, Shinshu Shinkei (信州神鶏), where chicken plates from Nagano are provided. It was a bit early time so was not crowded at the beginning. It is cozy and warm place surrounded by wooden furniture, floor and walls. Some flyers and bus time table(imitation copy) on the walls make the place as if it were situated in countryside of Nagano, rather than very central of Tokyo. We felt that we were in a scene of a film in 70's...

What we ordered are...

"Fresh chicken" sashimi (刺身) plate

Yes, they are NOT fish but fresh chicken meat.

It is rare to be found in Tokyo...

The taste is bland never be strong.

Left: Tsukune (つくね, minched meat balls) with egg yolk, the best dish I had here.

Right: Chicken wing sticks and "shitake" mushrooms

Left: fresh vegetable plate at "sanchoku" restaurant is must-have item.

Right: fruites liquor are also made in Nagano, apple and yuzu citrus.

It is an good opportunity to discover fresh food and local specialties of different regions and to be relaxed in an atmosphere of a good-old-day in Japan.

Restaurant name: Yurakucho Sanchoku Inshokudai (有楽町産直飲食街)

Shinshu Shinkei (信州神鶏)

Address: 2-1-11 International Arcade, Yurakucho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo

大きな地図で見る

Posted on 07 March 2011 at 21:22 in Glossary about food in Japan, Japanese restaurants - Casual | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

27 February 2011

Kitchen goods store, Daidokoroya Zakkaten in Shibuya (台所雑貨店, 渋谷)

Today's topic is not "about food" exactly but about something important for food lovers.

I visited Shibuya (渋谷) more than 100 times in my life but I had not known this interesting store until recently...

Daidokoroya Zakkaten (台所雑貨店) represents "Kitchen Goods Store" if tranlated in English. It is located just a minute from Shibuya station which is known for the most busiest diagonal crossing in the world. The store is on the basement floor of a shopping complex called "Shibuya Tokyu Plaza" which can be visible from West Exit of Shibuya station over large bus terminal.

Finding Daidokoroya Zakkaten, I was amazed by the abundant collections of kitchen goods from plates stacked close to the floor, utencils hung on the wall both left and right, even baskets suspended from the ceiling, every space filled with intersting tools or kitchenware, without empty space. The scene reminds us "Kappabashi" (合羽橋) well-known kitchen goods street in Asakusa. But here it is Shibuya, just a minute from the station.

Of course it does not have large scale like Kappabashi but is still exciting to find someting interesting for your kitchen or souvenir without travelling to Asakusa.

What I bought at Daidokoroya Zakkaten today

Top: chopstick rest in the shape of "Taiyaki"(sea bream fish shaped cake)

Center: a tiny spoon with flower motif, which allows me to scoop very small portion of powder

Bottom: again chopstick in the shape of "edamame"(green soybean, often served as snack with beer) Not edible but able to be brought out from Japan as a souvenir and make a lough on table...

Another fun discovering....

"tenugui" (手ぬぐい, traditional washcloth

can be used in kitchen, bathroom or any other housekeeping work)

This tenugui is not just washcloth.

Each character printed in dark blue ink represents a kind of fish.

The list is likely to be found at Sushi restaurant. This case, it is printed on cloth.

Even for native Japanese, it is not east to master all the words and name...

So it is very kind to have the paper list attached and telling us how to pronouce these words.

The cloth will give us an oppotunity to study

plenty of Kanji (漢字, Japanese characters) related to seafood.

Daidokoroya Zakkaten offers other intresting tenugui cloth. Some of them are different by season.

Drop by the shop in Shibuya to find some small but good souvenir or useful tools to prepare authentic Japanese food in your home.

Shop name: Daidokoroya Zakkaten

Address: B1 floor, Shibuya Tokyu Plaza, 1-2-2 Dogenzaka, Shibuya-ku Tokyo

大きな地図で見る

Posted on 27 February 2011 at 22:57 in Glossary about food in Japan, Omiyage お土産 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

12 February 2011

Yukimi Daifuku (雪見だいふく) - snow viewing rice cake

Since last night, it has been chilly and we had snow in Tokyo

It snows in many places across Japan yesterday and today.

On such a cold day, we have "ice cream" to have.

Yukimi Daifuku (雪見だいふく)

It is, if I translate into English, "Snow viewing ice cake".

Daifuku (大福) is originally a kind of traditional sweets made from sticky rice cake and sweet beans paste. Vanilla ice creame, instead of sweet beans paste is wrapped by soft thin white rice cake in the case of Yukimi Daifuku.

Both rice cake skin and ice cream filling are pure white color like snow.

I like to enjoy Yukimi Daifuku in warm indoor place, while snow is falling outside.

Yukimi Daifuku can be found at major convenience stores and supermarkets in Japan during winter season. I miss the sweets sometimes in summer time...

Yukimi Daifuku Japanese website: http://www.yukimidaifuku.jp

Posted on 12 February 2011 at 15:44 in Glossary about food in Japan, Sweets | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

06 February 2011

Gion Tokuya (ぎおん徳屋) arrived in Tokyo - Mochi (餅)

Gion Tokuya (ぎおん徳屋) is a very traditional style dessrt cafe in Kyoto, where Maiko (舞妓) and Geiko (芸妓) could also visit there for sweets and relaxed tea time. The new branch of Gion Tokuya opened in Harajuku (原宿), Tokyo last year. Here maybe no chance to encounter Geiko or Maiko in Harajuku but a good point is no need to make a queue like the main shop in Kyoto. (At least as long as I know but in future I do not know though...)

In Tokyo, Gion Tokuya is located on the ground floor of the well-known select shop, UNITED ARROWS. The sweets cafe is accessible even from the floor of Women's cloth in the select shop.
Entering into the small cafe, it is totally different world from the popular select shop. The traditional style interior decoration makes us feel as if we were visiting Kyoto.

What I ordered is Tokuya's speciality called "Hanami Komochi" (花見こもち). It is a set of mochi (餅, rice cake) with five kinds of ingredients all well-matched with mochi.

As soon as we ordered the speciality, the shop staff switched on a brasier on the table. It is guests who has to bake eight pieces of rice cakes on the brasier.

How exiting is it I worry a bit whether I am able to succeed in cooking these rice cakes.

Anyone will be motivated for the challenge when she/he finds a plate of five kinds of topping ingredients brought by staff.

Zenzai (a kind of Oshiruko, sweets beans soup) is in a bowl on the center of tray. Other ingredients, from left to right, in counterclockwise, pickles of Japanese basil seeds, soy sauce (醤油), laver seaweed (海苔, nori), kinako (soybeans powder).

As you like, those eight pieces of mochi (rice cake) can be taken, piece by piece.

Let's try to make mochi cakes grilled.

Can you see? Afre five minutes, the square and hard cakes are heated and they are blown up like a balloon. When they become partly brown by heat and no longer square shaped cake, it is ready to eat. Take them out from the brasier quickly.

First I dipped a few pieces into Zenzai.

Then with soy sauce (醤油) and nori

Kinako (soy beans powder) is set beautifully in flower shape.

But it has to be broken into pieces, after mochi is put on the plate...

All are the typical ways of having mochi. It is not so often to try so many pieces of mochi in different flavor. It is fun but you might have too-much-cooked and burned mochi in case you leave them on a brasier too long time, while thinking over what kind of flavor you prefer. At the same time, when we leave mochi left after cooked without having heat, the cakes become cool and hard soon. Just cooked is the best timing to have it. So it is important to keep appropriate pace of grill and to put pieces one by one.

It is a kind of dessert but rice cake has heavy volume which is enough to be a light lunch.

Gion Tokuya in Harajuku offers not only Hanami Komochi set but also other traditional sweets menu such as Warabi mochi (わらび餅), Anmitsu (あんみつ) and Kakigori (かき氷). Normally mochi is served only in winter and Kakigori is only in summer. Here at Gion Tokuya, all these desserts are provided whole year.

Shoyu (soy sauce, 醤油) http://aboutfoodinjapan.weblogs.jp/blog/2011/01/shoyu-%E9%86%A4%E6%B2%B9-soy-sauce-at-website-shokunin-shoyu-%E8%81%B7%E4%BA%BA%E9%86%A4%E6%B2%B9.html

Kakigori (かき氷) http://aboutfoodinjapan.weblogs.jp/blog/2009/08/kakigori---chim.html

Cafe name: Gion Tokuya (Harajuku, Tokyo)

Website: http://www.united-arrows.jp/harajuku/womens/tokuya/

Address: 2-31-12 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo

大きな地図で見る

Cafe name: Gion Tokuya (Kyoto the main store)

Website: http://giontokuya.jp/

大きな地図で見る

Posted on 06 February 2011 at 18:32 in Cafe, Glossary about food in Japan, Region Osaka, Kyoto and other Kansai(West), Sweets | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)

01 February 2011

Oshiruko (おしるこ, 汁粉)

Oshiruko (お汁粉) is sweet hot soup made from red beans and sugar. It is often served in winter particularly at outdoor events such as marathon or other sports gathering. The sweet and hot dessert makes our body warmer.

I found an interesting pack of Oshiruko at Kaldi Coffee farm in Tokyo. It is called "Okoge shiruko" (おこげしるこ, brown shiruko). Three pieces of round white ball looks like dumpling (団子, dango) in a row in a pack.

The small pack may be a good souvenir for international traveler.

After I brought the pack to my home, I made instant Oshiruko as it is instructed on the recipe.

Let's prepare a bowl and a pack of Okoge Shiruko.

I use a miso soup cup for it....

Put the three pieces into the bowl.

With spoon, break the balls into small pieces...

Inside of the white crispy ball, lumps of brown powder is there.

It was hard and required some power to break down into pieces.

Pour 100ml of boiled water.

Finally Oshiruko is ready

It is quick and easy...Just with boiled water and a bowl.

Okoge shiruko is produced by a traditional sweets house in Nagoya.

I found the pack at Kaldi Coffee shop but not sure until when it is available and at which units.

Otherwise Okoge shiruko is sold through online store of the producer Enshuya from October to March.

Company site: Enshuya http://enshuya.jp

Online store of Enshuya http://engasane.jp/SHOP/EN-C-0004.html

Kaldi Coffee Farm: where various interesting food grocery both international and Japanese are available as well as fine coffee beans. Many of them are situated in residential area across Japan, while two units are in Tokyo central area, Omotesando and Shinagawa.

http://www.kaldi.co.jp

Link-banner11 Link to Food Action Nippon

Posted on 01 February 2011 at 22:15 in Glossary about food in Japan, Omiyage お土産, Sweets | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

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About food in Japan

What kind of restaurants and food you can find in Japan? This blog is for "Food Lovers" who are planning to travel in Japan, who are non-Japanese speakers living in Japan and all who are interested in food culture of Japan! 英語で日本の食文化を紹介するブログです。

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104 posts categorized "Glossary about food in Japan"

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01 February 2011

Oshiruko (おしるこ, 汁粉)

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