About food in Japan

Tsukiji Market update

 

Tsukiji Market (築地市場) re-opened its tuna auction visit for tourists from this tuesday. It had been suspended since 11th March 2011 when the East Japan earthquake occured.

As per their instruction for the early morning Tuna auction visiting on the official site and leaflet available at the market entrance, followings are guideline announced on 25th July 2011. 

*To see Tuna auction "from the special observation area" on early morning...

Please make a reservation

- at "Fish Information Center" (おさかな普及センター)  located next to "Kachidoki Gate" (勝どき門) of Tsukiji Market. The gate is on Harumi Street.

- Reservation starts from 5:00A.M.  (Only for the day of visit acceptable, no adavance reservation possible)  

- The market is able to accept only 120 visitors per day. These visitors will be allocated into two time slots by first-come-first-served basis.

    1. for the first 60 visitors - from 5:25 A.M. to 5:50 A.M. 

    2. for the 2nd 60 visitors - from 5:50 A.M. to 6:15 A.M.

*Please kindly keep in mind that it might be changed without prior notice depending on the various situation related the market. We recommend you check the latest information on its official website.

Tsukiji Market official site: http://www.tsukiji-market.or.jp/tukiji_e.htm 

Tokyo Tourism Information News:  http://www.tourism.metro.tokyo.jp/english/administration/tsukiji_201107.html

 

If you are not able to become within the first come 120 people or are reluctant to wake up so early morning, still you have a chance to feel the vital atmosphere of the market and to enjoy fresh seafood there. Please visit my previous posts about Tsukiji Market and restaurants there, as linked below.

Tsukiji Market (築地市場) 

http://aboutfoodinjapan.weblogs.jp/blog/2011/04/tsukiji-market.html

RestaurSushi Dai, Tsukiji Market (寿司大 築地市場)

http://aboutfoodinjapan.weblogs.jp/blog/2011/05/sushi-dai-in-tsukiji-market.html

Takahashi in Tsukiji Market (高はし, 築地市場）

http://aboutfoodinjapan.weblogs.jp/blog/2011/05/takahashi-in-tsukiji-market.html 

 

Accommodation recommendable to visit Tsukiji Market

They are all withing walking distance to the market.

Mitsui Garden Premier Ginza

三井ガーデンホテル銀座プレミア

 

 Courtyard Marriott Ginza Tobu

コートヤード・マリオット　銀座東武ホテル

 

Conrad Tokyo

コンラッド東京

 

Park Hotel Tokyo 

パークホテル東京

 

Royal Park Shiodome Tower 

ロイヤルパーク汐留タワー

 

Tokyo New Hankyu Hotel Tsukiji 

東京新阪急ホテル築地

Our twitter account is now opened!

We are pleased to inform you that About food in Japan twitter account has just opened

Here not only about food but more diversed information that must be useful for food lovers and those who are traveling in Japan will be posted. 

 

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Our Twitter account : @aboutfoodjapan

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Food from a long-life village in China - Bama Lohas Cafe, Ginza

Japan is known as a country of longevity but today's post is about food from a long living village in China. Following my previous post about an interesting cafe FARO Slow_time in Ginza, Bama Lohas Cafe is also situated in Ginza, just a block away from Matsuzakaya (松坂屋) department store.

"Bama" is the name of city in south-west China. As per explantion on the cafe's official website, in Bama there are more than 80 centenarians out of 250,000 residents. It is said that the longest-living rate is the top rank of the world. One reason of the longevity in Bama is assumed that a food called "hima" seeds help ith keeping human's health for antioxidation. 

Well, let's go back to the cafe in Ginza, very central Tokyo. Bama Lohas cafe provides some dishes made with hima seeds as well as peaceful atomosphere like the longest-life village in China. 

From 9am, Chinese breakfast is available in the calm and relaxing space. 

Chinese congee with 3 kinds of ingredients selected from a list.

Small pieces of hima is also mixed in the bowl.

The small brown ball in center is it...what makes my life longer maybe.

 

The cafe also provides dim-sums and other Chinese dishes for lunch and dinner.

Our breakfast was ended with these sweet dumplings are also made with hima. 

I am very curious how long my life has been extended today....

 

Another important point to be noted for Bama Lohas Cafe is the excellent interior design work by Mr. Kengo Kuma. Morning is also the best time to enjoy his great work, during the lunch and dinner time it is busier and could be filled with diners.

 

Restaurant name: Bama Lohas Cafe

Address: 1st floor, 6-11-1 Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo 

Website: http://bama-cafe.com

大きな地図で見る

コートヤード・マリオット　銀座東武ホテル

パークホテル東京

メルキュールホテル銀座東京

ホテル西洋銀座

Hiyayakko (冷奴), what we can not miss on summer evening

 Hiyayakko is maybe the most simple tofu (豆腐, soybean curd) recipe.

On evening after we survived from extremely heated and humid summer day, Japanese local people appreciate hiyayakko (冷奴) as a side dish or snack with chilly beer.

The most simple tofu coooking recepi requires us neither to cook with heat, or microwave nor to cut a mound of ingredients. Great isn't it The easiest way of cooking is another reason why the dish is suitable for hot summer day when anyone becomes lazy on evening.

Basically Hiyayakko is a square piece of Tofu as much as you like and some condiment and/or seasoning on top of it. The most simplest seasoning for Hiyayakko is only soy sauce (shoyu, 醤油), in case we do not have any other appropriate ingredients. If  we could get both nice, high quality tofu and soy sauce, they must become a nice dish. Normally we add wasabi or shreded long onion (naga-negi 長ネギ) as well as soy sauce. In my case on the photo, I used Japanese herb Shiso (紫蘇, Japanese basil) instead of long onion. You could try to find your favourite variation of Hiyayakko condiments with ingredients available and familier in your country; Chinese chilli sauce, olive oil, Thailand fish sauce could match with it. What is important to prepare a nice plate of Hiyayakko is to keep tofu very cool until the last minutes before it is served.

 

By the way, last month, I took part in an interesting event held in Tokyo. Thanks to the coordination by Shokuninshoyu.com, which is a unique online store specialized in high quality handmade shoyu or soy sauce as previously introduced on this blog, at the event we discovered some great combinations of Hiyayakko, with tofu, soy sauce and "katsuobushi" (かつお節, dried bonito).

First of all, maybe I should explain about "katsuobushi" (かつお節, dried bonito) a bit more.

Katsuobushi is a Japanese traditional food made from bonito fish. To make katsuobushi, cut and boiled bonito is roasted then dried with a kind of fungus. It takes for around a half year to make it fermented and completely dried especially for a type of Katsuobushi "Honkarebushi" (truely dried), mostly disributed in East Japan including Tokyo.   

 The dark color piece between two hands is high quality katsuobushi carefully made by the master in traditional manufacturing process. It is too solid to eat as a whole. So it has to be shreded. Normally we can find katsuobushi already shreded and packed at supermarkets.

At the event, the work of katsuobushi shreding was demonstrated. 

 

The fresh aroma from light pink pieces of katsuobushi smells very good

and it stimulates our appetite

We cannot experience this fine aroma from ready-made katsuobushi at a supermarket

 

Here we had three types of katsuobushi (Truely dried, Oil rich and Less dried),

three kinds of tofu (fine silken, traditional and very soft not too solidified called "yose")

as well as three differents soy sauce (Usukuchi-light, Koikuchi-thick and Saishikomi-double matured).

*For the types of soy sauce, please visit my previous post from here. 

 

We tried may many different versions of Hiyayakko with these all high quality ingredients.

As the conclusion of our experiment, the best combination is not only one and must be different by each individual's preference. At least, if all three ingredients (tofu, katsuobushi and soy sauce) have strong flavors, it may be too much and confused. It is better for example, when we have fine quality tofu, to select plain flavor for other ingredients. On the other hand, even if tofu is the least expensive one available at a supermarket, it is convered to a fine Hiyayakko plate with very good flavor of katsuobushi and soy sauce. 

Please enjoy chilly Hiyayakko (冷奴) at Izakaya or other casual Japanese restaurants or even at your home.

 

Related post:

Shoyu (醤油, soy sauce) - at website Shokunin Shoyu (職人醤油) 

Tofu (豆腐) – how to make it?

 

Let's spend "slow time" in Ginza! - FARO_slow time by Shiseido (資生堂)

You may know Ginza Shiseido (資生堂) building where the best-known prestigeous Japanese cosmetic producer offers various dining choices in the eleven-story builiding facing Ginza Chuo street.

On May 2011, "FARO_slow time" opened on the top floor with the concept of tasting blessing from the sun.

Going up to the top floor from the vibrant main street of Ginza, the top floor is unexpectedly calm and peaceful space. As matched with the concept, the space is filled with brilliant sunlight from a roof window. Wooden decoration and light green color accent also contribute to make the "slow time"atmosphere.

Truely it is a place where we are able to spend "slow time". We found a nice oasis in central Ginza.

The casual restaurant offers several selections of vegetable plates as well as fish and meat as main dish for lunch and dinner. Dessert and tea time are also very attractive due to the imaginative dessert plates with fresh high quality fruits and healthy ingredients such as beans, rice powder.

The narure-friendly concept is spreded into a small piece of items found there.

A "leaf-shape" spoon is put for sugar pot.

In very hot summer day time, let's spend "slow time" and cool down in the central Ginza location.

By the way, we found floor button board  in the lift looks unique, though it confused us a bit to find an appropriate floor button...

 

Restaurant name: FARO_slow time

Address: 11th floor Tokyo Ginza Shiseido Building, 8-8-3 Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo

Website: http://faro.shiseido.co.jp/slowtime/e/

大きな地図で見る

<Accommodation close to the site>

三井ガーデンホテル銀座プレミア

コートヤード・マリオット　銀座東武ホテル

パークホテル東京

メルキュールホテル銀座東京

ホテル西洋銀座

Message from Japan by Arashi(嵐)

You could already find a short movie called "Message from Japan" on TV or street commercial ad in your town. The film was created by Foreign Ministry and Tourism Agency of Japan and published from yesterday. Japanese top idol boys group Arashi (嵐) appear on the movie and introduce several regions in Japan with feeling hospitality of local people. At the end of the film, they express a message to you, all people around the world, that we Japanese thank you for your warm support and we are happy to welcome you in Japan

"Message from Japan" movie by Arashi will be on air on TV or street ad monitors etc in 133 countries or region across the world.

Hope you enjoy the film by Arashi in your place.

The official movie has not been opened yet on Youtube at this moment.

So hereI put the link of the film recorded and posted on youtube by someone.  

http://youtu.be/XTT1O2VtrSY

Enjoy collections of local specialties across Japan - Japanese Dining Cafe Rin

Japanese Dining Cafe Rin is situated a few minutes from Omotesando (表参道) subway station and is just off from Aoyama street or Route 246, where it is known as a town of the latest fashion.

On the ground floor, RIN Shop & Gallery is accommodated and operated by the same owner (Small and Medium Enterprises and Regional Innovation Japan). The shop is a place not to be missed before you enjoy meal at Japanese Dining Cafe Rin on the upper floor. RIN Shop & Gallery introduces selected products from across Japan with Japanese "superior craftsmanship" as well as "exquisite design"; tablewares, stationery, linens, furnitures etc. These products look beautiful and have warm touch from natural materials such as wood or paper. You could feel like bringing everything there to your home

Well after enjoying the shopping at RIN Shop & Gallery, let's go up to the cafe to try a kind of another Japanese craftsmanship. Japanese Dining Cafe Rin is a place to offer Sake, vegetables and other local specialities across Japan at the very-central location of Tokyo. The interior design is modern but wooden beams remind us traditional Japanese style in the space.

If you are interested in Japanese alcohol, Japanese Sake Tasting set is recommendable. You can choose and taste 3 kinds of high quality local Sake for a price of one drink, Yen800. On the list, some sakes are fresh and limited production.

 

 

Fresh vegetable directly from farms across Japan is another speciality of the restaurant. We chose the best way to enjoy them, steamed in "tagine" Morrocan earth pot. 

 

In addition, the restaurant provides wide selections of local specialiies, called Kyodo ryori (郷土料理） or nowadays referred among Japanese people as "B-kyu gourmet" (B級グルメ, collective very casual, secondary grade local specialities, previously taken only by local people). They can be tried even without physically traveling to the regions.

I like that... 

Fujinomiya Yakisoba (富士宮焼きそば) 

from Fujinomiya-city, Shizuoka on the edge of Mt. Fuji

The fried noodle is one of the most famous icon of such B-kyu gourmet plates.

 

How the noodle is different from normal one?

Mainly stronger noodles, produced locally in Fujinomiya city.

Rich flavor of oil because of lard used as ingredient.

 

At the end of meal, finally we almost forgot that we were in Omotesando, Tokyo, where the most fashionable luxury boutiques stand on close by. 

 

Restaurant name: Japanese Dining Cafe Rin

Address: 3-6-26 Kita-Aoyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo

Website: 

Japanese Dining Cafe Rin http://rin.smrj.go.jp/shop/diningcafe/

RIN Shop & Gallery  http://rin.smrj.go.jp/english/

Summer 2011 is different and more relaxed in Japan

As many of you may know, in Japan, especially Kanto region (Tokyo and surrounding area) as well as Tohoku region, we are encouraged to save electric energy as much as possible during this summer, because the damage on nuclear power plants in Tohoku is followed by less supply level in electronic energy.

Japanese government urges industries to reduce energy consumption for their production and other business activities by 15% from last year. As a way to respond to this initiative, some major enterprises, such as auto car industry giants Toyota, Nissan and telecommunication NTT Docomo, have changed office close days from weekend (Saturday and Sunday) to two consecutive days on weekday (for example, Monday and Tuesday or Thurseday and Friday), so as to reduce energy consumption during weekday which is the peak in electricity usage. Other companies started voluntary summer time which means their business hour start and end earlier than usual by 1 or 1.5 hours.

These efforts by bussiness organizations in Japan also impacted on food service industry in the same area. If you travel to Tokyo during this summer, you could also take advantage of the changes as followings.

 

* Bar, Izakaya and restaurants start "Happy Hour" from 4 p. m.

Considering business people complete their work 1hour earlier than usual, some restaurants and bars are offering happy hour (discount price for alcohol or other selected products) mainly from 4 o'clock on late afternoon. That must be a big advantage for travlers too.

Enjoy and share chilly beer with Japanese business people from 4p.m.!

 

*Cafe open earlier for breakfast

As same with Happy Hour at bars, cafe, first-food and coffee shops, which provide breakfast in the morning, open earlier 1-2hours than usual for early-bird business people. Some of them also offer more selections of breakfast menu. It is also an advantage for travelers who have to depart in early morning for excursion or journey on air or train. 

 

*Restaurants open during weekend in business districts

In the business districts like Akasaka, where less potential clients exist during weekend normally, some restaurants decided serving on weekend as well during this summer so they can capture week-end workers in the area. Even you stay in such business district, you will also more choices of dining during weekend and you might not have to go out further from your accommodation. 

Such effort and cooperation by business organizations and people in Japan is so far successful in reducing electric energy since the beginning of July 2011.

Of course, Japanese people are happy to share this relaxed summer time with foreign travelers

 

 

 

Chinese - Masa's Kitchen 47 (Michelin 2011 *)

The Chinese restaurant is located less than 10 minutes walk from JR Ebisu (恵比寿) station, Tokyo. In the quiet residential area and on the basement floor, from outside, the presence is so discreet that we missed and passed it over first. 

Unlike the first impression of the modesty presence, inside of the restaurant is sophisticated modern interior with vital open kitchen space in the middle of seats.  From a table close to the kitchen, we saw the chef Masahito Namazue and his staff working and cooking dishes without a break. 

Every food provided there were impressive and as same with the interior design, it is "modern Chinese". All the flavor are surely on the right track of Chinese cuisine but spices and sauce are not too strong as the chef is aming at his dishes having good mariage with wine.

The lunch course Yen 3500 per person is reasonable as a meal at a Michelin star restaurant. It includes several kinds of Chinese delicacies such as dim-sum, noodle, four selected starters and dessert.

Four selected starter plate and spring roll whose salami-filling is unusual and Western style arrangement. 

 

Juicy dim-sum is "must" item at any kind of Chinese restauran

 

 

You can select "how to cook" your dandan noodle (坦々麺)

with thick soup as Japanese style or 

no soup as Chinese origin style (as the photo below)

otherwise it could offer another way of cooking by season.  

 

Lastly it is rare to find sorbet on Chinese almond jelly, isn't it?

That is another joy to be enjoyed at the end of the meal.

 

 

Restaurant name: Masa's Kitchen 47

Website: http://www.masas-kitchen.com

Address: B1 1-21 Ebisu, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo

大きな地図で見る

 

Accommodation near to the restaurant:

ウェスティンホテル東京

シェラトン都ホテル東京

Belgian bakery cafe - Le Pain Quotidien

Le Pain Quotidien has been one of my most favourite place in Belgium when I had been there for a few months. The bakery cafe provides simple traditional style breads with high quality ingredients including some organic ones as well as lunch and light meals. Its cafe space is a good option for a short break in a busy day anytime from morning to evening with organic breads and/or tarte cakes, sweets with Belian chocolate.  

Many who know Le Pain Quotidien in Europe have been looking forward to having it in Japan. It was finally arrived in Tokyo last year. The first unit in Japan is located just next to Zojoji temple, Shiba Park area, just a few hundreds meters distance from Tokyo Tower. The single-story pavillion-like building is surrounded by green trees on the site of Tokyo Prince Hotel. 

Let's go through the bakery area and you will find spacious cafe space behind tall shelves. The warm wooden taste furniture, black board with chef's suggestions in handwritting and symbolic  "Communal table" (very large dining space to be shared by more than several diners)...the atomosphere is nothing change from the original ones in Belgium. 

Rather could it be better environment in Tokyo than the ones in Brussels and Paris. As long as ones I visited before, there is no such spacious and high-ceiling space with large windows and natural scene of green over there.

 

 

 

It opens from 7:30am so we cannot miss the best time to enjoy the speciality breads with several selections of fine Le Pain Quotidien original jam. I believe that this is one of the best place to take breakfast in Tokyo, especially when it is sunny day in good season Spring to Summer or Autumn.

 

Not only the traditional style breads, other good breakfast menu are available.

It offers so wide selections for us to be hard to choose just a few of them... 

For lunch and dinner, some dishes mainly in Mediterranian flavour are available.

(description and photo added on August 2014)

 

If you would, Le Pain Quotidien brand seasoning and olive oil are also on sale at the bakery boutique.

 

 

When you would like to have quick lunch and unfortunately no time to be relaxed at the cafe, it is another choice to get pastries, sandwiches, or muffins at the bakery. 

 

Le Pain Quotidien is very close to Zojoji Temple and Tokyo Tower. It will be a good to visit here before or after the stroll in this area. (description and photo added on August 2014)

 

Restaurant name: Le Pain Quotidien

Address: 3-3-1 Shiba Koen, Minato-ku, Tokyo

Official website: http://www.lepainquotidien.jp 

大きな地図で見る

 

<Accommodation close to the site in this article>

セレスティンホテル

芝パークホテル

ザ・プリンス　パークタワー東京