About food in Japan

Kobe pudding (神戸プリン)

I got a souvenir (お土産) sweets from Kobe. 

Kobe is very well known for "Kobe beef". Apart from it, it is not easy to come up with any other food specialty for Kobe. Kobe pudding could be the second popular food in Kobe. The history Kobe Pudding is not so long, almost 20 years ago. However the image of confectionery is a good match with Kobe town where we find Western style housing heritage. 

Anyway, let's try the taste...

A bit different from a typical one. It is flavored with citrus liquor syrup and not too sweet.

That is recommendable for adults rather than for kids.

The seal-up package can be stored at room temperature.

Kobe pudding is available at souvenir shops in town, stations or airport or at department stores in Kobe.

 

神戸プリン（小）

神戸プリンチョコ　4個入り

******************  Find accommodation in Japan  ***************

OSAKA / NARA / SAPPORO / TAKAYAMA / TOKYO/YUFUIN 

YAKUSHIMA / NOZAWA ONSEN / NISEKO / NIKKO /

HIROSHIMA / MATSUMOTO / KYOTO / KANAZAWA / ISHIGAKI ISLAND /

HAKUBA / FURANO / BEPPU /

 

ISSUI - Sweets in bowl

It is extremely hot in Japan and the temperature exceeds 30C degree every day in Tokyo and other major cities. We need every ways to make cool ourselves like this sweets.

Sweets in bowl (Kashiwan 菓子椀) is not common in modern Japan but it was a way of welcoming guests in Muromachi-era, hundreds years ago. A major traditional sweets producer Nakamuraya (中村屋) newly developed a series packs for sweets bowls and the series are sold as the brand "ISSUI" at Isetan department store in Shinjuku, Tokyo.

The packages are unique already.  3 packs in all different colors, such as anko (sweet beans paste), fruits sauce, syrup, jelly, kinako (soy beans powder), are in a rectangle clear box as ingredients for a bowl of sweets. Nakamuraya, known for Yokan (traditional sweet beans cake), proudly uses high quality beans and sugar for ISSUI series. 

For example, what I got are...

It does not provide how to make it manual in details but anyway let's put and mix them in a bowl...

Mizu Yokan (みずようかん) with berry sauce and anko(sweets beans paste)

 

Warabi mochi (わらび餅, sticky cake made from plants) with soy beans powder and black syrup

An-mitsu (あんみつ), Kanten jelly (made from seaweed) with sweets beans paste and citrus sauce

 

In very hot summer, the cold jelly soup like sweets surely ease heated air and body.

Personally I felt that the amount of some sauce or syrup is too much for a good balance in a bowl with other two. In that case, it can be put in another bowl of ice cream or yogurt as you like!

The package can be stored at normal temperature for a few weeks depending on the pack.

This must be a good souvenir gift from Tokyo with a small surprise and joy to make the sweet by own.

Shop name: ISSUI

Address: B1 floor, Isetan department store, 3-14-1 Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo

Website address (Japanese only): http://www.nakamuraya.co.jp/products/issui.html

大きな地図で見る

Dairy products from Hokkaido - Machimura Farm (町村農場) at Marunouchi

Hokkaido region is known for high quality dairy products (milk, butter, cheese, yogurt etc). Machimura Farm (町村農場, Machimura Nojo), which was founded in Hokkaido in 1917, provides its original dairy products at Marunouchi, business district in very heart of Tokyo. So we are able to enjoy fresh high quality ice cream, cheese cake, milk yogurt etc from Hokkaido, while we stay in Tokyo

The boutique by Machimura Farm is located on the basement floor (B1) of Shin-Marunouchi Building, just in front of Tokyo station. Its first boutique outside of Hokkaido offers chances to taste its fresh products with 12 seats there. Have a break with parfait, cakes or a glass of milk ?! while you are having shopping or working at Marunouchi area. The boutique also provides options to bring their products away.

Shop name: Machimura Farm Marunouchi (町村農場 丸の内)

Address: B1 floor Shin-Marunouchi building, 1-5-1 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo

Website (Japanese only) : http://www.machimura.co.jp

大きな地図で見る

Takara no fu - 宝の麩 ("Treasure" instant soup by Fumuroya 不室屋)

Can you imagine how this small box (about 5cm square) makes you happy?

 From the shape like a "treasure box", it is called Takara no fu (宝の麩, treasure of gluten cake). The product is made by Fumuroya (不室屋), the traditional producer of "fu"(麩, small pieces of gluten cake). Yes this is something to eat at least.

Surprisingly this cube is converted to "instant soup" with boiled water. Soup stock powder, dried vegetables and gluten cake are inside of the small box.

On the official website of the fu house, we can find the story, how this product was born. More than ten years ago, the owner of Fumuroya sent his children to abroad for study. The parents worried about whether their children could have healthy and well-balanced food diet outside of Japan. The mother created the small gluten box and ingredients of soup stuffed into it. The mom-made Japanese instant soup was shipped to the children and the children sometime shared them with Japanese people living abroad. It became so popular to be made as commercial products of the house finally.

So let's see how the box transformed to a cup of instant soup. It has some variation of soup. This time it is "Kaga miso" (加賀味噌　miso from Kaga region, near Kanazawa).

First, place the square box at the bottom of bowl.

Add miso paste and pieces of seaweed (packed in the product)

and make a small hole in the center of gluten box.

Pour boiled water....

Wait a moment and you will see the gluten box is dissolved gradually and made unshaped by hot water.

Finally the square shape disappears but only a yummy Japanese soup is there.

Now ready to eat!

   

Another version of Takara no fu soup, Hitohira (a piece of flower like the shape of gluten box): flower shape gluten cake, pieces of cherry blossom flowers

 

After delighted by the magic, enjoy the hot soup by the traditional food producer as well.

Shop name: Fumuroya 不室屋

Address: 2-3-1 Owari-cho, Kanazawa city, Ishikawa, Japan

Official website: http://www.fumuroya.co.jp

The products by Fumuroya are also available at some major department stores in Tokyo and Osaka.

For example...

Tokyo - Nihonbashi Mitsukoshi, Nihonbashi Takashimaya, Ikebukuro Seibu

Osaka - Osaka Takashimaya, Umeda Daimaru

Related story: Museum cafe (this is about the cafe in Tokyo, operated by Fumuroya)

http://aboutfoodinjapan.weblogs.jp/blog/2008/08/museum-caf---su.html

［加賀麩不室屋］おもてなし(754846/286)

En (えん) Japanese Natural Store - food select shop in Marunouchi Tokyo

How it is nice if you are able to get delicacies (ごちそう, ご馳走, gochiso in Japanese) across Japan while you are staying in Tokyo Here at En Japanese Natural Store (えん 日本のご馳走) in very central Tokyo (just in front of JR Tokyo station), wide selections of local specialties, delicacies of Japan are available.

Please do not miss a chance to discover fine delicacies of Japan, which are rarely found at other places in Tokyo. 

Time by time, season by season, their products in the store may be different. But surely the selection will make you delighted every time and  you will never leave the store with empty-hand.

They are what I bought today...

• Mametabi (まめたび) and seasonal product Haru-Fuji (春富士, Mt. Fuji in Spring)

    

by Sen-ya (煎屋) - hand-made traditional senbei producer in Saitama prefecture

Website (Japanese version only) : http://www.sen-ya.co.jp/

• Black pepper beans

 

by Hanayakko (花奴) in Tachikawa-city, Tokyo

Website (Japanese version only) : http://www.8785.co.jp

• Okaki (おかき= senbei) new taste "onion-garlic"

by Ryogoku Azuma Arare Hompo　(両国　東あられ本舗)

Website (Japanese version only) : http://www.azuma-arare.co.jp/

• Shiso chirimen (mixed dried whitebait fish, seaweed, Japanese basil and sesame, excellent topping for rice)

 

Shop name: En Japanese Natural Store (えん　日本の御馳走)

Address: B1 floor Shin-Marunouchi Building, 1-5-1 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo

Website (Japanese version only) : http://www.gochiso-en.com/

まめたび煎餅☆15枚セット

Suzukake (鈴懸) - Japanese sweets from Kyusu (九州)

I found people making a queue at a sweets shop in Isetan Shinjuku department store.

The queue is for very small pieces of cute Japanese sweets. The shop is called "Suzukake" (鈴懸) comes from Hakata (in Fukuoka) in Kyushu (九州) region with over 70 years history there.

The sweets shop's famous products are these two.

Suzu no En-mochi (鈴乃○餅) and Suzu no Monaka (鈴乃最中)

En-mochi looks like "Dorayaki"(どら焼き) casual Japanese sweets, known as favorite of Doraemon, but it is much smaller. 

The cake is moist and more elastic, sticky compared with Dorayaki.

Monaka is also smaller than what we can find normally. The bell (鈴) shape looks cute and unique.

It is enough tiny to have it at one bite. But I tried to cut it into half...

I found it surely "monaka" (sweet sandwich) with stuffed anko, sweet beans paste.   

The outer layer has crispy texture and an paste is not too sweet.

Both are made from very fresh ingredients and it is recommended to consume them within 1-2 days. Please enjoy them while you are staying in Japan!

At Suzukake sweets boutique, other products are also available and all of them look attractive even visually.

Suzukake 

Isetan Shinjuku department store (3-14-1 Shunjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo)

Official home page (Japanese only): http://www.suzukake.co.jp/

Hello Kitty bottle water

One day I found...mineral water bottle SHAPED IN "HELLO KITTY" WOW....cute

I bought just one bottle, because it is expensive...Yen368/265ml bottle.

The water source is soft water from Kagoshima prefecture, in Kyushu.

This is the first attempt for Sanrio to produce Kitty shaped bottle. 

I found a sign at the shop to tell us "this product is likely to be run out quickly and we recommend your purchase whenever it is available."

Yes, it must be popular...so sorry if you are not able to find it in Japan.

Maybe it is sold here, Hello Kitty store in Shibuya:

http://shibuya.hellokittystore.sanrio.jp/blog/b/10014194.html

Otherwise on online stores in Japan,

Sanrio official Online shop (Japanese version only...): http://shop.sanrio.jp/cm/cmc-425842/

Otherwise another online store link,

キティ型ボトルウォーター 300ml*24本
その他ミネラルウォーター全部はこちら

Rusk "Gouter de Roi" - Gateau Festa Harada

We always see a long queue seeking for very famous rusk "Gouter de Roi" at the stand of "Gateau Festa Harada" in Matsuya Ginza department. Finally I could get the pack.

It is made from French baguette by a confectionery in Gumma prefecture. In Tokyo, it is available only at a few department stores. The crunchy sugar-coated pieces of breads attract a lot of people across Japan, although it is quite simple snack and is nothing new. One of the most popular gift. It is so popular that the shop are not able to respond to coming orders during Christmas season.

Related story: GOUTER de ROI White chocolate - GATEAU FESTA HARADA

http://aboutfoodinjapan.weblogs.jp/blog/2010/10/gouter-de-roi-white-chocolate-gateau-festa-harada.html

Shop name: Gateau Festa Harada

Address: B1 floor Matsuya Ginza Department store　3-6-1 Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo

Website: http://www.gateaufesta-harada.co

 

Japanese tea (日本茶） + English tea (紅茶） = ? Lupicia tea shop, Jiyugaoka (自由が丘）

Japanese people have tea for years and years. Green tea (ryokucha, 緑茶) is the most typical Japanese tea (nihoncha, 日本茶), as many know. In the world, or even in Japan, we have different types of tea; English tea (kocha, 紅茶), Chinese tea (chugokucha, 中国茶), herb tea.

How will it be? if we mix two types of tea... Japanese green tea + English black (? considered as "red" in Japan) tea.
The answer is here.

Tea shop Lupicia created a kind of blend tea from Japanese green and Assam tea. It is named "Jiyugaoka (自由が丘） after its flagship shop's located area, known as quite residential town with sophisticated fashion and interior boutiques in Tokyo.

Look at the tea leaf, surely it includes both green and black ones mixed together.

The taste and flavour also has recognizably different types of tea. First the fresh green tea comes into the mouth. Then it remains flavour of English tea in the mouth.

Can you imagine it ?

Surely it is tasty, recommendable and interesting tea, truely a good "East meets West" product.

The tea house Lupicia offers wide selections of tea from across Japan and world. Tea leaf or bags are displayed by type of tea in the large space. Try different types of interesting unique tea selections. On the upper floor, the tea salon is located.

What I got there;

Original blend tea Jiyugaoka (自由が丘) as described above, Apricot Barley (あんず麦茶） and Grapefruit Green (グレープフルーツ緑茶）.

 

Shop name: Lupicia

Address: 1-25-17 Jiyugaoka Meguro-ku, Tokyo

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

 

Omiyage (お土産) - Rokkatei (六花亭） from Hokkaido

In Japan we have a long bank holiday weekend on May, called Golden Week.
This year 2009, I had 5 days off in a row from 2nd to 6th of May. Some other people had longer one adjoining another weekend or another bank holiday 29th of April.

Anyway after the long holiday, it is likely that Japanese people exchange a box of sweets from their holiday destination each other. That is called "Omiyage"(お土産, souvenir). Therefore everywhere in major tourist sites when we travel across Japan, we are able to find box of local sweets suit for Omiyage at hotels airports and souvenir shops etc.

Rokkatei (六花亭) is one of the most popular sweets house in Hokkaido （北海道), the north land. Dairy products are specialities of the region and sweets with cream, butter from Hokkaido must be good quality ones.

The most-well-known product by Rokkatei , I believe, is "Marusei butter sand"(マルセイバターサンド).
The name "Marusei" came from the butter producer name used for the sweet. Rich butter cream mixed with dried raisin is sandwiched with two pieces of biscuit.

If you have one, you must become a fan of it!

White chocolate made from fresh milk of Hokkaido is another speciality of the house.
According to the company, they are the first producer of white chocolate in Japan from 1968.

Not only the tasty chocolate is, the package is also the reason why this is highly appreciated as Omiyage from Hokkaido. Each flavour chocolate has different illutst of local spieces of flowers.   

Another choice for Omiyage could be this box with two flavours mixed; white and strawberry. Two kinds of flower are depicted on the wrapping paper and each piece of chocolate is shaped in the flower petals.

Rokkatei shops are located only in Hokkaido region. In Tokyo occasionally the productes are available at major department stores and supermarkets, otherwiese it is sold through online shop. We do not have many chances to get the good chocolate products. That is why we are very happy when we get Rokkatei products as Omiyage from Hokkaido.

Rokkatei website: http://www.rokkatei.co.jp  

六花亭マルセイバターサンド【10個入】 【0428_GWレビュー】 

六花亭の人気チョコレート！六花亭 ストロベリーチョコ ホワイト【0428_GWレビュー】

******************  Find accommodation in Japan  ***************

OSAKA / NARA / SAPPORO / TAKAYAMA / TOKYO/YUFUIN 

YAKUSHIMA / NOZAWA ONSEN / NISEKO / NIKKO /

HIROSHIMA / MATSUMOTO / KYOTO / KANAZAWA / ISHIGAKI ISLAND /

HAKUBA / FURANO / BEPPU /