About food in Japan

About Kanazawa city - where food lovers should not miss on travel in Japan

Kanazawa is known for the rich cultural heritages emerged and bloomed in Edo period 17th to 19th centuries. The city’s glory got the fourth place as the largest city in Japan after Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto at the era and it had been along with Maeda family who governed the region (called Kaga 加賀 at that time) for 300 years since the end of 15th century. The cultures nutured in Kanazawa include traditional handiclaft arts; gold leaf (金箔, kinpaku), Kaga Yuzen (加賀友禅 Kimono dyeing technology), Urushi (漆Japan lacuqerware), Kutani Porcelain (九谷焼), as well as food culture, Kaga Ryori (加賀料理, its local cuisine) supported by advantage of geographical accessibility to fresh seafood and specialties from mountains, traditional sweets (Wagashi, 和菓子) developped with the tea ceremony culture which was appreciated by Maeda family.

 

Major tourist attractions (other than food)

 Nowaday, in the 21^st century, we can find clues of the golden era as tourist attractions as well as the newest wave of art.

* Kenrokuen Garden and Kanazawa Castel Park (兼六園と金沢城公園)

The beautiful Japanese garden, Kenrokuen, is the most popular tourist spot in Kanazawa.

 

 

*21^st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa (金沢２１世紀美術館)

http://www.kanazawa21.jp/

It is a "must-see" spot in Kanazawa, if you are interested in modern art museums. 

 

* Naga-machi Buke Yashiki District and Nomura Samurai Family residence

(長町武家屋敷跡と武家屋敷跡野村家)

Where top and middle class samurais’ residences were located. In the district, Nomura Family’s residence has chaming Japanese garden, highly appreciated by French Michelin Guidbook.

 

* Chaya Districts (茶屋街)

Chaya (茶屋) is a house of feasts and entertainment in traditional style from Edo era, as mostly known by Geisha in Kimono playing music and dancing. Three Chaya districts are now preserved in Kanazawa central area; Higashi (East), Nishi (West) and Kazue. Some of Chaya houses are open to public during day time as museum, café, souvenir boutiques etc.

 

I believe now you understand why I traveled to Kanazawa and why I am writing up about the city on this blog. I will report furthre about the aspect of “food culture” and what we can have there.

 

 

How to get to Kanazawa

By train

From Tokyo – about 4hours journey by Shinkansen and Express trains (required to train transfer at Echigo Yuzawa (for Joetsu Shinkansen) or Maibara (for Tokaido Shinkansen)

From Osaka, Kyoto – 2.5hours by Express train without transfer

 

By Air

Accessible via two nearest airpots.

Komatsu Airport – 45 minutes by bus to Kanazawa    

Domestic routes to/from Tokyo (both Haneda and Narita airports), Sapporo, Fukuoka, Naha (Okinawa)

*The route for Sendai is suspended so far because of the damage by the earthquake at Sendai Airport

International routes - Seoul, Shanghai and Taipei

Official site:  http://www.komatsuairport.jp

 

Noto Airport – available between Noto and Haneda, Tokyo International Airport, then 2hours by bus to Kanazawa

Official site (Japanese only):  http://www.noto-airport.jp

 

Useful links:

Kanazawa City Tourism Association http://www.kanazawa-tourism.com

Ishikawa Prefecture Tourism Guide http://hot-ishikawa.jp/f-lang/english/

Eye on Kanazawa (English free pare in Kanazawa)  http://www.eyeon.jp/

 

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

ＡＮＡクラウンプラザホテル金沢（旧　金沢全日空ホテル）

中安旅館

Traveling in Japan - 日本を旅する

Our life is becoming back to normal day by day in Tokyo, while some countries issue travel warning to some parts in Japan. Now the tourism and hospitality industries in Japan observe decrease of both domestic and international tourists. The restaurant industry is also seeing sales drop by less clients to come. What some people, including me, are aiming at this moment is to get out ourself from depression and to act as normal for economic activities. That contribute to economy of Japan and will bring more energy and support for recovering from the unprecedented damage by the earthquake and tsunami.

It is totally up to you but....If you have a plan to trip to Japan and consider between to go or to cancel, please kindly keep in mind that your consumption while travelling in Japan is surely a way to support and cheer up the country’ industries and indirectly even the people still suffering in Tohoku.

Here I can introduce activities on Twitter and Facebook in this purpose.

#smile_japan project – Accommodation operators and tourists in Japan are uploading photos of their smiling guests/themselves at their properties in order to show they are fine in Japan.

http://www.facebook.com/smilejapanproject

http://twitter.com/keep_smile_jp

 

 外食産業を勝手に応援しよう! (Let’s support the restaurant industry on our own!) – Japanese explantion only though. The site owner is encouraging non-disaster-victims to report dining out experieneces in Japan in order to save the restaurant industry for business recovering.

 http://www.facebook.com/gaishokukyusai

 

This week I had been traveling in Hokuriku (北陸) region, mainly in Kanazawa (金沢) as planned earlier. I had no problem to have sightseeing trip there. From tomorrow I will post what I had and saw in the region as my journey series on this blog.

 

 

French - Ogino (オギノ)

In Tokyo, we still feel, a few times or more in a day, aftershock of the huge natural disaster happened 2 weeks ago. We have another concern about radioactive contamination as my previous posts. However we cannot turn down a chance to visit this restaurant, Ogino. The French restaurant with 20 seats is often featured on gourmet page of magazines and it is so popular that we rarely can find a vacant table even if we try to call for a reservation many times.

Fortunately a few months ago a friend succeeded in making a reservation for dinner on a weekday evening of March. We had been looking forward to being at Ogino since that time. That has not changed for us even after the unexpected very sad event. For all of us, it was the first pleasant gathering or dining out with good friends since 11^th of March. On the way to the restaurant, we found the town of Shibuya seemed to be back to normal and streets were filled with young people as we saw before.

Ogino is located in Ikejiri Ohashi (池尻大橋), just a stop from Shibuya. The owner chef, Mr. Ogino mentions about the restaurant’s concept on its official homepage. It is “bistronomy” (bistro + gastronomy) or a mixture of different category of French dining, bistro, brasserie and gastronomy (luxury). It allows diners to visist the restaurant in different occasions. The quality of meal is as high as like upscale restaurans but the atomosphere is rather casual like bistro. That is what the owner wants himself and he made it in reality.

 

Yes, I agree that Ogino is such a place, as the chef aims, bistronomy.

Let’s see some of what we had that eveinig.

First of all, it was really hard to select one or two plate from the very attractive a la carte menu...

 

Starter

Left: broccoli mouse, scallop and club, jelly of beef consomme

Right: white asparagus orange hollandaise sauce

 

Soup of fish

 

Main dish

Rabit from France, onion confit stuffed

 

The restaurant Ogino offers selection of wine not so much expensive, mainly made after year 2000 but they are interesting ones. 

 

It worth waiting for a few months and I hope that I can visit there again near future.

 

Restaurant name: Ogino

Address: 2-20-9 Ikejiri, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo

Website: http://french-ogino.com

 

 

大きな地図で見る

Nihonshu bonbon (日本酒ボンボン) - Sake candy from Kyoto (京都)

I got an interesting souvenir from Kyoto. It is described as "Nishonshu bonbon"(日本酒ボンボン, sake candy) on the red label pasted on a white paper box. Many of us know "whiskey bonbon" or chocolate with whiskey inside. I am also curious more for the words "Jizake" (地酒, locally-brewed alcohol) and the branded sake production area "Fushimi" (伏見) in Kyoto. 

 

 

 

Opening the box, I found white frosted-glass like candies filled.

 

It is much more delicate than glass and is broken soon after being put in mouth.

 

Then "sake" liquid spreded from the sugar taste shell...

 

What an inetersting way is to taste locally brewed sake from Fushimi, Kyoto.

 

The Nihonshu bobon is made by a local pastry company called Furansuya (in Japanese, meaning "French house") based in Kyoto for decades and the sweets is sold at gift shop(s) in JR Kyoto station.  

 

Official website of Furansuya (Japanese only) http://www.furansuya.jp

 

#smileat One drink for Tohoku(東北)

We need smile + eat even at a difficult time...

Several restaurant owners in Tokyo started chality campaign #smileat to coop each other, to encourage people in difficult time and to revitalize the economy for Japan's recovering in their own ways. The participant restaurants or bars offer special menu or drink promotion which lead to a donation from their revenue to people and area suffered from the huge natural disaster damage in Tohoku.  At the same time, for people living alone or only a few, dining out is to contribute "energy saving" that we are encouraged to do.

That is another way to help people in Tohoku and Japan's recovery!

Let's have a meal at participant restaurants and contribute to help people in difficutl situation.

Information about #smileat (Japanese) http://smileat.posterous.com/

Here are a part of participant restaurants

Paxi House (nearest station Kyodo) http://paxihouse.com/tokyo/

Related post: http://aboutfoodinjapan.weblogs.jp/blog/2008/03/coriander-lover.html?cid=6a0120a609fb30970b0147e361a270970b#comment-6a0120a609fb30970b0147e361a270970b

 

Sala Sontana (Thai food, nearest station Kyodo) http://sontana.net 

 

Three restaurants by Butagumi (specialized in pork, in Nishiazabu or Roppongi) 

Butagumi Shabuan (Pork shabushabu, Roppongi)  http://www.butagumi.com/shabuan/shopinfo/

Nishiazabu Butagumi (Pork tonkatsu, Nishiazabu)  http://www.butagumi.com/nishiazabu/about.php

Seizan Butagumi Hanare (Izakaya)  http://r.gnavi.co.jp/a585200/

 

Izakaya restaurants by AP company http://www.apcompany.jp/shop/

 

Sushi Saisho (nearest station Oimachi) http://www.saisho.net/

 

Many other restaruants will be found on the list of #smileat http://smileat.posterous.com/

 

Radiation and food safety update 2

Early this morning the government announced that radioactive materials were found from more spieces of food made in Fukushima and Ibaraki prefectures. As the result, the food distribution ban is expanded to some of affected spieces. They are brocoli, cauliflower, turnip and leaf vegetables harvested in Fukushima prefecture and milk, parsley taken in Ibaraki prefecture. Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare instructed local governors to expand the monitoring of radiation scanning from 4 prefecutures to total 10 prefectures surrounding the affected area. We can find reports of inspection resuts from Kanagawa, Niigata, Ibaraki, Fukushima prefectures, supporting this goverment's decision on the website of Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare as of 22th March 2011.(In Japanese)  http://www.mhlw.go.jp/stf/houdou/2r98520000015txf.html

The government, Consumer Affair Agency, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries as well as academic or private-sectore specialists in the field of food safety are asking consumers, food retailers, and distributers to react based on scientific, objective information and facts, in a calm manner and not by unsupported rumor, because current level of radiation would not cause immediate health risk on human by intakeing the food occasionally.

 

 

Radiation and food safety

Last Saturday, 19^th March 2011, Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare Japan announced radiation-contaminated food were detected. They were milk collected in Fukushima prefecture and spinach picked up in Ibaraki prefecture, located next to Fukushima. It followed by agricultural productes from other prefectures in Kanto region; Tochigi, Gumma and Chiba. The government explained “the levels of radiation for these products pose no immediate health risks if consumed.” After the Fukushima nuclear plan crisis broken out, Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare immediately set up the new standard of radiation contaminated in food and has instructed local governements to monitor radiation levels in some fresh food like milk, vegetables, drinking water, egg, meat, fish and sea plants, in order to eliminate radiation-contaminated food from the market. The relevant prefecture governors are asking farmers voluntary to refrain from shipping their products. The national government asks the publc to stay calm and cosniders posing a new regulation in food distribution from the affected areas.

We need to keep our eyes on this issue and urge the local goverments and related organizations to monitor and examin the food safety level continuously and appropriately then to disclose information to the public so we will be able to feel safe and to get out from anxiety.

It is a pitty today I am not able to introduce you how we can enjoy food in Japan.

I will keep you informed if we find any update on this topic and I hope this uneasy situation is terminated soon..

 

Related links:

The Japan Times online -  Q&A Latest threat: radiation-contaminated food

http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20110321a4.html

 

Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare – Press release in English

“Handling of food contaminated by radioactivity”

“Handling of food contaminated by radioactivity”(separate sheet) – letter to local governments

 

Food is always important for our life…

 

Pray for the victims and wish for live saved

As many of you know, the tragedy of earthquake and tsunami in Tohoku area, claimed thousands of lives, hugely made us shocked. From last night, the weather condition became severe for refugee. It is snowing sometimes and the temparature is below or around zero degree. Rescue teams are having hard working for live-saved. Another risk of nuclear power plants followed and was revealed. It is really hard to look at the reality happened in Japan at this moment. But we cannot be devastated for longer and would never lose hopes in future. Many of us are greatly impressed by warm messages and supports from the world. I deeply appreciate warm hearts of each of you. Now it is the toughest time but personally I am sure that my country is able to overcome this crisis.

If you would like to help the earthquake and tsunami victims and refugee, one way I recommend is to make a donation from below link.

CIVIC FORCE (emergency response team) : http://civic-force.org/english/index.html 

Online donation to CIVIC FORCE : http://www.justgiving.com/civicforce-japan?utm_source=JG%2Bhomepage&utm_medium=image&utm_campaign=Japan%2BAppeal%2BNon-UK

 

How about situation in Tokyo?

As reported on some media, power cut is conducted for a few hours per day in  Kando region including residential area of Tokyo. Central Tokyo is out of the plan but many of business organizations in town such as retail stores, leisure facilities, tranportation services readily paticipate in cooperation of energy saving. They could close the door earlier or operate with limited facilities or less frequent services.

 

Food shortage?!

Another event we encounted in Tokyo – scarcity of food and commodities observed for last few days. It happened from a few reasons; available supply are sent to Tohoku area for refugee / because of energy short, people in Tokyo rushed to daily needs for storage. For last two days, after office hours I could rarely find breads, milk and eggs at supermarkets. It does not mean we have no food for today. We can still find fresh fruits, fish, meat, drinks, some snacks and grocery as usual. Many restaurants open and offer enough number of selections. It is never be a problem considering people suffering in Tohoku area. Just our daily life is maybe too convenient. Retailers are planning to source storage from West part of Japan and it is expected to improve the scarcity.

 

Today’s my dinner, two pieces of Onigiri: seasonal flavor “Sakura” cherry blossoms…Spring is just around the corner!

 

 

Headline - earthquake in Japan

Today 11th March 2011, at 14h46, one of the biggest earthquake hit Japan.

The most damaged area is in Sendai, Miyagi about 300km away in North from Tokyo.

At this moment I am home in Tokyo. Electricity and internet are fine but phone line is not available.

Some area, electricity is down. We still feel tremor, minor shock time by time. In grater Tokyo area, all train lines are stopped for tonight. Fire occured some places.

If you would like to contact to someone in Japan, it may be better to do through email or facebook, twitter rather than phone.

 Still we do not know how big and serious the damage is... Please check major new sources for update and further information.

Thank you.

 

TAP PROJECT 2011 - Clear water for all the world's children

"World Water Day" is coming on 22nd of March. TAP Project 2011 will be taken place during 19 to 27th March 2011 in Japan. The project was started in New York in 2007 and this is the third year of TAP Project introduced in Japan.

As per the official homepage of TAP PROJECT, one out of five children under the age of five grows up in an environment where the water is unsafe to drink.  TAP PROJECT help UNICEF with providing access to clean and safe water. 

How can we participate in the event? During the TAP PROJECT period 19 to 27th March 2011, visit a participant restaurant and donate Yen 100 or more for the water served to you. It is very easy! 

TAP PROJECT donnation from Japan will be used for supporting to provide clean and safe water as well as basic sanitation services in Madagascar. 

********************** UPDATE 15 March 2011 *********************************************

Seeing the severe natural disaster happend on 11March 2011, TAP Project organizer has changed supporting target to victims of earthquake and tsunami in Tohoku region, Japan.

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

 

Here I list up some participant restaurants in Tokyo from my previous posts but much more in town.

Waketokuyama (分けとく山) 

http://aboutfoodinjapan.weblogs.jp/blog/2011/02/waketokuyama-%E5%88%86%E3%81%A8%E3%81%8F%E5%B1%B1-japanese-michelin-2011-.html

Restaurant I

http://aboutfoodinjapan.weblogs.jp/blog/2011/01/made-in-tokyo-french-restaurant-i-%E3%83%AC%E3%82%B9%E3%83%88%E3%83%A9%E3%83%B3i-by-keisuke-matsushima.html

La Bettola (ラベットラ)

http://aboutfoodinjapan.weblogs.jp/blog/2010/09/la-bettora-da-ochiai%E3%83%A9%E3%83%99%E3%83%83%E3%83%88%E3%83%A9%E3%83%80%E3%82%AA%E3%83%81%E3%82%A2%E3%82%A4-casual-italian-in-ginza%E9%8A%80%E5%BA%A7.html

Aux Bacchanales 

http://aboutfoodinjapan.weblogs.jp/blog/2008/07/french-caf-aux-.html

Hanasansho (花山椒)

http://aboutfoodinjapan.weblogs.jp/blog/2008/02/hanasanshou-mic.html

 

Other restaurants can be found at the official site. (in Japanese)

http://www.tapproject.jp/restaurant/

 

 

This is the sign of the project participant restaurants, on table. 

 

 

Official site TAP PROJECT 2011: http://www.tapproject.jp