eng.jqrmag.com Good Food Starts with Tasty Ingredients

7
2012
JULY
vol. 14
FREE
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［FEATURE］
Good Food Starts with Tasty Ingredients
In Search
of Fresh
Vegetables
A new approach to
匠 food production
Planned vegetable
production a reality
Plant Factory
eng.jqrmag.com
C O N T E N T S
April 2012 (published on June 7, 2012 )
05 The Shirano Theater
07 Hiroshi Sawada’s
Theory of Cafe Evolution
08 Good Food Starts with Tasty Ingredients
In Search of
Fresh
Vegetables
Photos/Susumu Nagao
30
32
Brand Debut!!
Kankororin
SPECIAL INTERVIEW
TATUYA ISHII
34 HotPicks What's New
36
24
26
40
Quality Review
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Touring the Festivals of Japan
Rinnoji Temple’s Gohan-shiki (rice-forcing)
Festival (April 2) is an unusual ordeal in Nikko
In Praise of Fine Sake
Yamahana
Junmai Daiginjo
A new approach to
food production
Planned vegetable production
a reality Plant Factory
● Tamagawa University
Research Institute
Publisher and Editor-in-Chief
Jun Shinozuka
Editors
Jun Nakaki
Editorial Committee
Syozou Izuishi
Tanehide Egami
Christine Lavoie-Gagnon
Shinichi Hanawa
［Fashion Critic］
［Executive Producer, Ecole De Cuisine Egami］
［Joint Representative Director Ramsar Network Japan］
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Ryuichiro Matsubara
Web Director
Tokuhisa Maruyama
Humio Maruyama
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Wakako Kawasaki
Yumi Yamaguchi
［Economist, Professor at the University of Tokyo］
［High-Tech Industry Innovation Agency］
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eng.jqrmag.com
2012 June
03
er
Theat
s
*
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Shira
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志ら
eaching
T
e
.3
h
t
how No
olves in
S
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o
g
Raku
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awa S
Tatek
An event called "Girl's Rakugo" was recently held at
was reluctant to do it, but in fact just the opposite was
the Aoyama Round Theater. I appeared, along with
true--I'd actually been hoping for an opportunity like
members of the idol group ºC-ute, including Maimi
this.
Our teacher Shiraku calls the process of tinkering
plan was to present a rakugo lesson as entertainment,
with rakugo to make it even better "evolution." He'll
with me teaching the girls rakugo in front of an
even tell audiences "If my rakugo ever stops evolving,
audience. But with a title like "Girl's Rakugo," I
you're welcome to give up on me." That's how
thought it might be even better if we could present a
important this process of evolution is, and Shiraku
full rakugo story during the performance, so I asked
believes it's something that every rakugoka needs
Maimi Yajima to come in for some private lessons
to have when confronting a performance. Evolution
ahead of time, and had her perform a piece called "A
of course in the sense of bringing something new
Tanuki's Bill."
to the game, but also in the sense of understanding
We scheduled three lessons, but I was given
the best of rakugo's traditions, and working hard
shockingly little time to get Maimi ready, with the
to demonstrate those techniques with respect.
first lesson taking place just two weeks before the
For Shiraku, theater became a springboard for
actual performance. I was also careful to keep in mind
accelerating that evolutionary process. He formed his
that a successful performance of rakugo by a member
own theatrical troupe, and directs his own actors, but
of an idol group wouldn't necessarily mean that she
all of that work is eventually reflected in his rakugo.
would be able reel off the story from beginning to end,
As the head of his own troupe, he needs to be able to
just that her fans, staff, and of course Maimi herself
answer any question his actors throw at him, and the
could be happy with the final result.
answers have to be convincing. When it goes well,
When teaching rakugo, we usually sit in front of the
everything's fine, but when it doesn't, a lot of head-
student and perform the entire piece. Once they've
butting can result. But that's fine, too. Giving serious
memorized the piece, we have the student go through
thought to each individual and steering them in the
it from start to finish, pointing out mistakes along the
right direction is tough work, and really taxes the
way, before we give the final okay (or not). Between
mind and body, but once you realize how much you
fellow rakugoka, though, it's generally good enough to
can discover in the process, it's even tougher to quit.
be able to get through the story, and the rest depends
Even though I understood in my head how much
on their own ingenuity once they get up on stage.
Shiraku has gone through to evolve the art of rakugo,
This time was different, though; since Maimi didn't
I think having been put in charge of this "Girl's
even know the basics, there was no way she was
Rakugo" event gave me the chance to experience for
going to be able to bring any "ingenuity" to the effort.
myself, at least a little, the evolution of rakugo. And
In other words, I was going to have to coordinate the
once you know how to evolve your own rakugo, all
entire performance. I know that makes it sound like I
that's left is to do it.
第三席
落語は他人に教えて進化する
Yajima, Airi Suzuki, and Chisato Okai. The original
● Shirano Tatekawa Second-generation apprentice of Danshi Tatekawa. Joined the Tatekawa Shiraku rakugo stable in 1998, advancing to
futatsume status in July 2003. This spring determined to win promotion to star performer! Don't miss his Shirano Daisakusen solo shows held
regularly every month. Also a subculture aficionado with a regular radio program that allows him to expound exhaustively on this subject."
04
2012 June
2012 June
05
Hiroshi Sawada’s
Theory of Cafe
Evolution Vol.9
da
e.
Hi ros hi Sa wa
Osaka Prefectur
e artist. Born in
turer before
Barista and latt
a food manufac
for
d
rke
wo
Sawada
ere he was
attle, U.S.A., wh
at
studying in Se
urned to his job
latte art. He ret
, but
enchanted by
back in Japan
ce
on
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fac
in
the food manu
rsue a career
ependent to pu
soon went ind
08 Free Pour
named the 20
ing
be
er
his
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coffe
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Champion, Sa
Latte Art World
ER COFFEE
AM
RE
ST
p,
own coffee sho
2010.
COMPANY, in
Improving the Status of Baristas
with Appealing Goods
Most goods sold at cafés in Japan
These efforts are part of the attention
are mugs or coffee brewing
we pay to being an American-style
equipment. Practical, yes, but am I
café, but I also want to make my
the only one who feels dissatisfied
baristas look even better than they
with the selection? do now. Baristas must become more
American cafés display t-shirts
appealing to encourage young
bearing their shop logo on their
people to aspire to the profession. It
walls. If the café is famous, tourists
isn't enough just to be skilled at
want one to take home. Even local
pouring delicious coffee. Baristas
coffee shops inevitably sell original
must also look stylish. So every two
t-shirts for their regulars and fans to
to three months we try to release
wear. I am extremely jealous of the
goods that will increase the appeal
relationships these cafés have with
of our cafés.
their customers, and their sense of
This summer we are releasing a new
belonging.
item – a tote bag made from jute
Many of my customers want to buy
bags that were originally used to
our original goods, probably because
hold coffee beans. The pattern of
we try our best to emulate American-
each bag differs because the large
style coffee shops. Therefore I
coffee bags must be cut down to
regularly brainstorm with my baristas
size. A special resin is used to coat
about potential items we could offer
the jute to prevent unwanted
to please our customers.
scuffing, and a special pocket is
First on the list is a t-shirt we are
sewn inside the bag to hold the
currently designing in collaboration
carrier’s coffee tumbler. I especially
with an apparel brand. We also have
like these bags for the realistic touch
plans for a cycling cap in
of the shipping dates and other
collaboration with a New York
markings stamped in red on them.
bicycle manufacturer, and stationery,
Meeting people from a variety of
such as notebooks and pens. Many
trades at my cafés led to the
customers cycle to our shops, so we
creation of such goods. Each day I
hit on the idea of a cycling bag. Our
refine the plans for the next item, all
baristas actually use this bag when
the while giving thanks for the
they commute to work, and they
wonderful relationships I have built.
wear our t-shirt while on the job.
ffee
with a co
jute bags
mer.
m
Recycled
su
is
sale th
sleeve, on
STREAMER COFFEE COMPANY
1F, Miyagawa Bldg, 1-20-28 Shibuya,
Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
Tel: 03-6427-3705
http://streamercoffee.com/
2012 June
07
Good Food Starts with Tasty Ingredients
In Search of Fresh
Vegetables
食作
Vegetables tend to be thought of as a complement rather than the main dish,
but a really good vegetable packed with an intense concentration of flavor
is something that should be savored for itself.
Recent trends in food safety awareness have stimulated demand
for safe, locally grown produce.
Combine this with the application of advanced technology to agriculture
vegetables
and it all adds up to the start of new food adventures with vegetables.
vegetables
Customorder
Vegetables
選
Custom-Order
Delicious Freshly-Picked
Vegetables
Order freshly-picked vegetables direct from their place of harvest.
Enjoy wondering and anticipating what will be in season next.
Chiba prefecture
［Shige Farm］
n
,200 ye
costs 4
d
e
r
u
t
t pic
The se
)
ip, midi
elivery
d
(plus
lad turn
a
s
,
t
o
r
m, car
andong
Wild ya
ley, Sh
s
r
a
tard
p
,
ed mus
daikon
bage, r
b
a
c
e
Chines
onion
, Welsh
greens
Aomori prefecture
［Tohoku Farm］
Safe, Reliable Produce
From the Wide Lands of the North
The Tohoku Farm produces somewhere between sixty to
eighty varieties of vegetables every year on ninety hectares
located at the base of the Hakkoda Mountain range in Aomori
prefecture. The farm adheres strictly to organic production
methods all the way from soil preparation to harvest, with no
pesticides or chemicals used at any stage. Vegetables can be
ordered separately or in sets. Each vegetable comes with a
helpful sticker on the packaging that details its flavor
characteristics, nutritional data and methods of storage.
Tohoku Farm
Arinobe 1-3, Niidate, Tohoku-machi,
Kamikita-gun, Aomori
Packs of assorted vegetables cost 4,980 yen
http://www.tohoku-bokujo.co.jp/
Kyoto prefecture
［Morita Market Garden］
Growing Kyoto Vegetables
For Over a Hundred Years
Large Range of Vegetables and Fruit
Valuing Vegetables in Season
08
2012 June
2,000 yen
ured costs
The set pict
,
y)
ini bok choy
(plus deliver
, spinach, m
on
ik
da
of
d
s
re
,
two kind
Mini daikon
e, mustard,
ocket lettuc
(r
t
ow peas,
se
d
sn
,
la
sa
nthemum
sa
ry
ch
d
an
rl
ber, new
lettuce), ga
ans, cucum
be
d
oa
br
s,
ot
mabiki carr
hini
cc
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,
ic
rl
ga
The Shige Farm was established in Wakaba, Chiba in
2001. The basis of the farm’s market garden is an
organic-matter cycle of cultivation using fertilizer made
from natural ingredients, and the inherent flavor of each
plant is respected by not planting anything out of
season. Vegetable orders are sent out with recipe
suggestions and methods of storage included so that
nothing gets wasted. Early summer kicks off with the
always popular blueberries.
Shige Farm
Shimoda-cho 1377, Wakaba-ku, Chiba-shi, Chiba
Packs of assorted vegetables from 2,000 yen.
http://www.shigefarm.com/index.html
The Kamigamo district in Kyoto has long been
blessed with rich soil and good water, and the Morita
Market Garden has been farming vegetables here for
over a century. Their vegetables are much less
susceptible to disease as a result of the meticulous
care paid to the quality of the water and soil used to
grow them. The garden delivers heirloom vegetables
from the Kyoto region, including the round Kamo
eggplant, Manganji capsicum and Fushimi capsicum.
All of these vegetables are large and packed with
healthy nutrients.
Morita Market Garden
The set pictured
costs 5,000 yen
(includes deliver
y)
Kamo eggplant,
Manganji capsicu
m,
Fushimi capsicu
m, cucumber,
tomato, mizuna
Kamigamo Ikebata-cho 39-1, Kita-ku,
Kyoto-shi, Kyoto
Packs of assorted vegetables from 3,675 yen
Fax: 075-791-5986
http://www15.plala.or.jp/puremorita/
2012 June
09
vegetables Select
選ぶ
Satoru Uchida Gives Expert Advice on
How to Choose and Enjoy Vegetables
For many of us, the sight of vegetables lined up in the stores is a reminder of the season. Being in season, however, doesn’t mean that the taste is always the same,
so we asked a food professional for tips on selecting the best vegetables.
Photography/ Hiroyuki Kiseki
Text/ JQR Editorial Staff
Use different
methods
of peeling and
cooking
for each period.
〈Tips for Choosing Good Vegetables〉
［Eggplants］
Tsukiji Mikuriya is located in Chuo Ward,
Tokyo. This is where Uchida holds his
classes on vegetables. For more details (in
Japanese) visit http://www.yasaijyuku.com.
Outside is a colorful array of flowers, fruit
and vegetables.
［Capsicums］
Thin veins extend
right to the end.
Broader around
the stalk than
the bottom
A gnarled calyx
［Cucumbers］
different stages.
To begin with there is a two to
three week period when the first
harvest of the year starts arriving on
the market. A vegetable sold at this
time is high in water content and its
fiber is soft, but also tends to have a
very strong flavor. Next is the period
when it reaches its prime; the amount
available on the market increases
Elongated flesh
with clean lines
Uniform rows of seeds
Pale color
and the vegetable’s flavor can be
fully experienced. Eventually the last
Born in 1955. Owner of Tsukiji Mikuriya, a store specializing in fresh fruit and vegetables for
restaurants. The store’s reputation for reliability is such that restaurants that are particular
about their ingredients are happy to delegate their fresh produce purchases to Uchida. In
2007 he began a sideline teaching a course for ordinary consumers, Yasai Juku, on the
appeal of vegetables.
ones grown outdoors—they’re really
Breeding improvements and advances
when people choose green vegetables
nowadays many different vegetables
are available in shops all year round,
regardless of the season. However,
according to Satoru Uchida, a man who
is trusted by many chefs, has worked
in the fresh produce industry for over
thirty years and selects vegetables
for a living, vegetables in season still
taste the best. “Vegetables grown in
season have a healthy vigor that is
reflected in their flavor. Particularly the
10
three weeks of the season. At this
point water content decreases, the rind
becomes taut and the fiber tougher.
The flavor also becomes more intense,
and some vegetables, capsicums for
Knowing the Changes
During the Season is
Important
in cultivation technologies mean that
period arrives during the last two to
special,” he says.
There is a knack to choosing
vegetables, he explains. For example,
such as mustard spinach or cucumbers,
they tend to go for the very dark green
ones, but that is a serious mistake.
A very dark green color can indicate
overuse of agricultural chemicals or
fertilizers. This will often result in
a strong acrid flavor, so it is best
to select lighter colored vegetables
wherever possible.
A vegetable is in season only for
two or three months. During this time,
according to Uchida, there are three
Capsicums that bulge out around the stalk and
look as if they have well filled-out shoulders are
best. Choose those that are almost pea-green
and not too dark. High water content and a thin
rind are characteristic of early-season capsicums
in June. Even the seeds are soft then, and these
can be fried and eaten whole. Towards the
late-season period in August, the sweetness is
stronger but the rind becomes firmer.
Eggplant grown in a hot climate is wonderfully
compatible with oil. They should bulge up around
the stalk area. If this part slopes down then it
becomes an undesirable whitish color. With Senryo
eggplants, choose those with elongated clean-lined
flesh. Early-season eggplants have a thin, soft rind
and are best cut into vertical pieces and stir-fried.
Late in the season when the rind and fiber become
tougher, peel the rind off or slice into thin rounds.
example, become difficult to handle,
Succulent cucumbers are indispensable to summer
cooking. Those that have a stalk bulging up and
seem to have evenly spaced veins when viewed
from above are best. Choose cucumbers that are
not too dark. The taste early in the season in June
is very strong, but this rawness can be eliminated
by rubbing well in salt and pouring hot water over
the cucumber. Late in the season, when the skin
becomes tougher and the seeds increase, is the
time to pickle.
but it is also a period when you can
fully appreciate a particular vegetable’
s distinctive characteristics.
“Start by choosing good vegetables.
Then the trick to enjoying their taste
is to become familiar with the three
periods when they are in season,
and make adjustments in peeling or
preparation to suit.”
Early summer is the season when many
vegetables that hang from branches,
such as eggplants and cucumbers,
start to appear. Savoring the taste of
Also known as Japanese ginger,
mioga is a good match with
vegetables that don’t have a
strong aroma. It is one of only ten
ancient Japanese vegetables. Cut
along the fibers into long, thin
strips to enjoy the chewy
firmness and fragrance. Choose
plants with fine vertical lines,
plumped-out flesh and leaves that
are not withered at the tips. A
round stalk is another point to
look for.
［Mioga］
Plumped-out flesh
summer vegetables rich in minerals
［Perilla］
Well-defined veins
Chopped perilla combined with
mioga is a common condiment. Its
distinctive aroma stimulates the
appetite. Well-defined veins on the
leaf are a sign of a plant’s firm,
strong roots, and if a plant’s
nutritional balance is not right then
the veins will not develop
symmetrically. Choose leaves that
are not too dark, as with
capsicums and cucumbers. Also
check that the grooves are deep
and that it is not drooping right
down to the tips.
and water is a great way to beat the
heat.
2012 June
2012
2012Juillet
June
Round stem
11
食べ
eat vegetables
る
Feel like some fresh, delicious vegetables? Then head for these
Restaurants Where Vegetables Are The Star
Vegetables tend to be relegated to a supporting role, but the depth of flavor in a carefully grown vegetable can be eye-opening. The following restaurants seek out such
vegetables and single them out for a starring role in their menus.
Kamogawa, Chiba Italian
Local Seafood Restaurant
Fusabusa
Photography/ Yuko Iida Text/ JQR Editorial Staff
Enjoy freshly picked
vegetables in the
style of a European
restaurant
Building Trust with
Farmers to Procure
Vegetables
is how to obtain the best and freshest
Fusabusa, which opened in July
vegetables. Sometimes they even set
2011, is a stylishly casual restaurant
aside precious vegetables for her that
with flair and atmosphere. It serves
they couldn’t harvest enough of to
Italian and French influenced original
make up a shipment.
dishes made from fresh, tasty local
ingredients. She finds it an education
to meet with the farmers, who also
teach her different ways of preparing
“This morning too, I had someone give
ingredients. Because of its location
me a big handful of welsh onion with
by the sea, many people stop in when
a flower head* it shouldn’t have had,
they are out for a drive to enjoy the
and say ‘This is good.’ I made it into
sea breeze over a leisurely lunch.
fritters.”
Owner, Kaoru Ono, obtains almost
Besides their vegetables, Fusabusa
all the ingredients herself by making
also makes excellent dishes from
the rounds to partner farms and fish
locally caught seafood. If you put in an
suppliers at the port.
order the day before, Ono can prepare
“Almost every morning I descend on
a tasty bouillabaisse made with
the farmers,” Ono laughs. “Meeting
Japanese spiny lobster and alfonsino.
people face to face builds up trust, and
If you’re driving from Tateyama along
also gives me the chance to fill the
the coast route you’ll want to stop off
gap between what they want to ship
at this lovely restaurant along the way.
off and what I want them to supply. It’
s nearly noon by the time I’ve been to
four or five places, so I have to pull out
the stops to get lunch ready everyday.”
* Welsh onion usually has a flower head, but
the variety without a flower was bred to harvest
between seasons before it gets hot. On rare
occasions the flower will appear.
It was surprising to hear that she goes
around to the farms herself everyday
without fail, but according to Ono that
(top) Fusabusa also sells vegetables from its
suppliers. (middle) Broad bean and pasta with
ricotta cheese is a sumptuous dish that contains
as many beans as pasta. (bottom) A salad of
Kamogawa Japanese summer orange and carrot
with an exquisite balance of sweet and sour.
This is what we grow!
Safe, reliable vegetables
［Sample Menu］
MENU
The vegetables I
picked are pretty
good you know!
Mackerel sandwich (sandwich of homemade smoked Kamogawa mackerel) 945 yen
Pâté de Campagne made from Minami Boso Mahoroba pork 840 yen
Hearty salad of ten Kamogawa vegetables small 780 yen/ large 1,260 yen
Emi port turbo and rape shoot penne genovese 1,260 yen
Bouillabaisse of Kamogawa port alfonsino and Japanese spiny lobster (weekends only) market price
Daily pasta set (two small antipasto, salad, pasta, bread) 1,575 yen
Lunch course (three antipasto, fish or meat dish, bread or rice) 2,415 yen
Local Seafood Restaurant
Fusabusa
Emiutono 256-1, Kamogawa, Chiba
Tel: 0470-96-0107
Hours: 11：30 ～ 15：00（last order 14:00)
17：00 ～ 22：00 (last order 21:00)
Closed: Mondays,
(or Tuesday when Monday is a public holiday)
www.fusabusa.jp
Full-time farmers Eiichi and Kenichi Suzuki, are a
father and son team from a long line of farmers in
Kamogawa. Theirs is one of the farms that Kaoru
Ono relies on. They grow fifty kinds of vegetables on
their 1.4 hectares, but concentrate on fifteen to
twenty such as cabbage, broccoli, peanuts and
soybeans. Farm work is hard, but it gives you a good
feeling at harvest time, according to Kenichi.
The flowerless variety of
welsh onion that was
bred in Chiba. It was ten
years work to breed the
seeds and seedlings
before they were finally
able to be harvested.
*Note that the menu changes depending on the season and supplies.
12
2012 June
2012 June
13
Tokyo Italian
Roppongi Nouen
The Restaurant in Roppongi Where Farmers Appear Live
MENU
Roppongi Nouen Early Summer Hot-pot
Course
3,800 yen
Farmers’ Welcome Vegetable Platter
-Served with Mint-Accented Tofu
Yoghurt &
Homemade Kinzanji Miso Dipping Sauce
Grilled Asparagus and Ink Cap
Mushroom
with Bacon Risotto
Perilla Genovese and Plum Chicken
Hot-Pot
Aritayaki Piping-Hot Farmer’s Rice
Chilled Soy Blanc-Manger with Passion
Fruit Sauce
Featuring Farmers: A New
Concept in Meal Courses
what dishes to make and put together
When Roppongi Nouen first opened
particular vegetable, and aren’t swayed
in the heart of Roppongi, Tokyo, it
by any particular cooking method,”
was as a place where the sons and
Chef Higa said. It’s not an easy thing
daughters of farmers could find work.
to scrutinize the farms and vegetables
Even now the restaurant is filled with
once every two months and then
staff who are from farms, have some
change the whole menu. However he
connection with farm production, or
continued with a smile: “The farmers
hope to become farmers in the future.
themselves actually come here to eat.
Nowadays the desire to give support
When they know their vegetables are
and encouragement to farmers is even
going to be made into some really good
stronger than when the restaurant first
food it spurs them to try even harder.
opened, and the restaurant adjusted its
We want this restaurant to be a place
method of putting together the course
where people can get to know about
menu accordingly. Every two months it
individual farmers who are doing their
features different farmers, which entails
best.”
four to five partner farmers from around
Currently the restaurant holds events
Japan being contracted to supply the
with live guest appearances by the
same vegetable for a concentrated
farmers. They also have performances
period of two months, based on the
introducing the actual vegetables
season and harvest. The menu is built
that farms produce while meals are
around their products. The chef and
being served. They also work with the
staff confirm the harvest schedule of
Korekara Network (The future network)
partner farms with whom they have
which supports the next generation of
relationships and farmers who bring
farmers, to support new young farmers
produce in from around the country.
in particular. This restaurant is a place
They check things such as cultivation
that connects the public with farms
methods, taste, and harvest volume in
and vegetables, and as such it’s one to
order to decide on the feature farmers.
keep an eye on in future.
a course menu. “We think about
the most delicious dish for eating a
After these are decided they consider
(above) An hors d’oeuvres of Grilled Asparagus
and Ink Cap Mushroom With Bacon Risotto, the
grilled ink cap mushroom bursting with umami.
(middle) Plum chicken from Wakayama prefecture
raised on desalinated ume concentrate that
includes citric acid and amino acid, is turned into
a sumptuous dish of Perilla Genovese and Plum
Chicken Hot-pot. (below) Chilled Soy BlancManger with Passion Fruit Sauce made from
vegetarian ingredients only.
Aritayaki Piping-Hot Farmer’s Rice
Rice soaked for over three hours is cooked in an Aritayaki
earthenware pot to bring out the best in every individual
grain. The flavor induces a fresh appreciation of rice.
Farmers’ Welcome Vegetable Platter
“We cook dishes
that make
vegetables
enjoyable”
～ Served with Mint-accented Tofu Yogurt and Homemade Kinzanji Miso Dipping Sauce ～
Vegetables in season from partner farms are served raw on this plate filled with
goodness and energy. Notice the texture, aroma and sweetness of each vegetable.
Combine them with the mint-accented tofu yoghurt, rich homemade Kinzanji miso or
all-natural Nazuna salt from Saiki city in Oita prefecture, to encounter a different
dimension of flavor in each vegetable.
Chef
Yasuhiro Higa
14
2012 June
This is what I grow!
Organic Soybeans by a
Circulating Natural Farming
Method with No Pesticides or
Chemical Fertilizers
Roppongi Nouen
Roppongi 6-6-15, Minato-ku, Tokyo
Tel 03-3405-0684
Mon: 18:00-22: 30 last order
Tues-Fri 12:00 – 15:00,
18:00-22:30last order
Weekend 12:00-15:00,
18: 00-22:00 last order
http://www.roppongi-nouen.jp
Hideki Kato specializes in cultivating
soybeans. He began organic farming
twenty four years ago when growing
eucalyptus trees as koala feed, on the
condition that he used no chemicals or
pesticides at all. The only fertilizer he uses
now is the soybeans that spill over during
harvest and it is amazing how bountiful the
earth can be with just this. He processes
his soybeans into miso, which he delivers
to Roppongi Nouen along with the
soybeans. “I’m happy to deliver direct
because I can get the chef’s opinion,” he
said.
The Kato Farm , Hideki Kato, The Kato farm, Iruma
Saitama
2012 June
15
1
Tokyo - Torigoe
2
3
Delicious Japanese Cuisine
From Home-Grown
Vegetables
Japanese Cuisine
MINOYA
Photos/Susumu Nagao Interview and Text/JQR
Chef's tasting menu changes monthly,
depending on what's in season
The counter at Minoya seats just nine;
about 33 square meters, of farmland
there are no tables.
in Koshigaya, Saitama Prefecture, and
When asked how many turnovers he does a
there began raising his own vegetables.
night, Junji Kawahara, the chef and owner,
With no farming experience to speak of,
replies "Just one."
he had to rely on neighboring farmers
"I run the place by myself, so that's about
to teach him everything, including how
all I can handle," he says.
to hold a hoe, and it was only after
As you might imagine from the restaurant's
much trial and error that he was able to
name (literally, "flavorful farm"), Minoya
harvest a decent crop. That was what
specializes in Japanese food composed
gave him the idea of opening a Japanese
around fresh produce. Seasoned mainly
restaurant that would feature fresh
with soy sauce and salt, and perhaps a
produce. That's right--many of the dishes
bit of vinegar, the preparations are quite
he serves today use vegetables Mr.
simple.
Kawahara has grown and picked himself.
We ordered the monthly 12-course tasting
"Working in your own fields, you learn to
menu. First to arrive was a dish of blanched
identify the freshest vegetables," he says.
cucumber, young burdock root, green beans,
"For example, using too much fertilizer
and enoki mushrooms, garnished with
on leafy vegetables darkens the color and
radish sprouts, the vegetables wonderfully
makes them taste acrid. Their natural color
crisp and flavorful. Next, fried rakkyo, a kind
is actually quite light, and only deepens
of Japanese scallion, with marinated bell
once you cook them."
pepper and shimeji mushrooms, followed by
Chef Kawahara's careful observations are
young ginger and komatsuna, or Japanese
reflected in his cooking. The latter half of
mustard spinach, with sweet potato in a
the tasting menu featured hot dishes, every
sesame dressing. Each dish was beautifully
one of which was immensely satisfying.
arranged in a small bowl.
And since customers stop coming once all
Mr. Kawahara, who left corporate life to
the seats are full, you know you'll be able
work in a Japanese restaurant in Yanaka,
to enjoy a leisurely meal.
I'm happy when I can
harvest
such wonderful produce.
And that makes my
customers happy, too.
one day decided to lease 10 tsubo, or
10-course tasting menu, 3,500 yen; 12-course tasting menu 4,500 yen. Photo shows the 12-course menu. From top left, (1) Blanched cucumber, young burdock root, green
beans, and enoki mushrooms garnished with radish sprouts; (2) Fried rakkyo (Japanese scallion) with marinated shimeji mushrooms and bell pepper; (3) Young ginger and
komatsuna (Japanese mustard spinach) with sweet potato in a sesame dressing; (4) Pan-fried spring cabbage, sun-dried radish, maitake mushrooms, and shishito peppers in a
grated yamaimo mustard sauce; (5) Asparagus in eggplant, with a spicy miso-green onion dressing garnished with udo (an herbaceous perennial native to Japan); (6) Daily
selection of sashimi, in this case kinmedai (alfonsino) wrapped in radish, and sawara, or Japanese Spanish mackerel; (7) Spring carrots, Koya tofu, and green peppers pan-fried
with a radish-ponzu sauce, garnished with parsley; (8) Hot fried turnip with a fuki (giant butterbur) and okra gravy, topped with grilled seaweed; (9) Soy milk with broadbeans and
neri-tofu served broth style with mitsuba (trefoil); (10) Bite-sized lotus root, shiitake, and egg gratin baked in new potatoes; (11) Dumplings of Daisendori chicken from Tottori
Prefecture, with lightly cooked zucchini and eddoe (small taro-like potatoes from Ishikawa Prefecture); (12) House-made green tea ice cream with black tea cookies.
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
Junji Kawahara, Chef/Owner
"I grow them myself."
Sacrificing sleep to work in
the fields
Minoya
1-5-5 Torigoe, Taito-ku, Tokyo
5:30 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. (last order)
Closed Sundays, holidays, the last day of
each month (may be closed on other dates)
http://minoyavege.com
16
2012 June
Mr. Kawahara now leases 50 tsubo, or 165
square meters of fields in Koshigaya, Saitama
Prefecture. About twice a week, he goes to work
his fields before returning to his restaurant to
begin preparing food.
Because he makes every effort to avoid using
fertilizer and pesticides, allowing his produce to
grow naturally, the vegetables take longer to
mature. As a result, though, he says they also
keep better. Early spring is a particularly busy
season, with potatoes planted in March, corn and
zucchini in April, and tomatoes, cucumbers, bell
peppers, and shishito peppers in May. In late
May, he harvests the snow peas, snap peas, and
broad beans he planted in October the previous
year. This, then, is the secret to delicious
vegetables.
2012 June
17
A restaurant born of
the chef’s regard for
vegetables
Tokyo French
Table Ogino
The Sushi Shop
with No Fish, Only
Vegetables
Tokyo Italian
Vegetable Sushi Potager
Coconut-Accented Lily Root Blancmange and Pineapple Soup 1,155 yen.
(middle) Cold Asparagus Flan with Garden Vegetables, from the 5,250
yen course. (left) Vegetable Nigiri-Sushi lunch set, 10 pieces 2,100 yen,
and served with a vegetable broth. Includes a range of sushi toppings
made to look like seafood, for example burdock simmered in pickled plum,
carrot mousse roll, and king oyster mushroom sautéed in soy sauce and
butter.
The Duck Confit Plate that sells from
11:00 is 1,360 yen. Daily dishes in
the deli section are made from
non-standard vegetables.
Lotus Root and New Burdock Quiche made with homemade ham, 680 yen. It has a delicious crunchy,
tender texture.
Do discover
how good
non-standard
vegetables can
be
Citrus-Flavored Scallop and Cucumber Salad is made with asparagus in season, small
380 yen. (right) The vegetables are cut finely and used in the deli, in soups or in
quiches.
A popular restaurant
opens a deli café dedicated
to irregular vegetables
18
Owner chef Aya Kakisawa
Chef Shinya Ogino
irregularly shaped. There was nothing
wrong with the flavor, it was just that
they didn’t look standard, “ he said. “So
The French Restaurant Ogino in
I wanted to make a space for buying up
Ikejiriohashi, Setagaya Ward is so
the vegetables I’d never eaten before,
popular it’s notoriously difficult to
and make them into side-dishes which
get a reservation there. In February,
people could eat and then have the
however, owner-chef, Shinya Ogino
chance to know abut this.”
opened a new eatery, this time a
Currently he orders non-standard
deli café. But it isn’t just a space
vegetables from eighteen farms in
dedicated to the casual enjoyment of
Hokkaido, as well as others in Kyushu,
a café, Chef Ogino had other motives
Kansai and all over the country. “I
for opening it, stemming form his
can do this because I’m a cook,” says
encounter with irregular vegetables
Ogino. This is a man who takes the
in Hokkaido. “I heard from the Asano
initiative to do what he can, so we’
Farm In Hokkaido that they threw out
ll be watching him with interest in the
all vegetables that were too big or
future.
2012 June
Enjoy the flavor
of vegetables in
colorful sushi
Table Ogino
Luz Daikanyama 1&2F,
Daikanyama-cho 14-10, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
Tel: 03-6277-5715
Hours: 9:00 ～ 19:30
Closed: Mondays
http://www.table-ogino.com
The Aesthetics of Vegetable
Sushi: A New Cuisine
into something delicious, are just like
Potager, the popular patisserie that
variety of yuzu citrus) from Tokushima
brought out vegetable sweets has now
are used as substitutes for the usual
turned to making vegetable sushi.
rice vinegar in flavoring the sushi rice,
When owner-chef Aya Kakisawa
as the acidity of vinegar is too strong
was thinking about the subjects of
for vegetables. The finished taste has
revamping rice-eating culture and
a very gentle acidity.
creating a new stage for vegetables,
The vegetables that take a starring
she came up with the idea of using
role in this are all organic, with no
vegetable sushi Potager
them in traditional Japanese sushi.
pesticides or chemical fertilizers used
Naturally all the sushi toppings, which
in their production, and this includes
could easily be mistaken for fish, are
many heirloom vegetables from all over
made from vegetables. Every topping
Japan. Kakisawa is particular about
is created with careful attention paid
using only vegetables that have been
Roppongi 6-9-1, Minato-ku, Tokyo
Roppongi Hills 1F, Roppongi Keyakizaki-dori
Tel: 03-3497-8822
Hours: 11:00 ～ 15:00（14:00L.O）
17:00 ～ 23:00（21:30 L.O）
Open every day
www.sushi-potager.com
to whatever processes are required—
grown in a natural state.
deep-frying or boiling etc—to create a
This restaurant has opened up a new
finished nigiri. It could be said that the
stage for vegetables.
techniques for making all vegetables
those of Edo-style sushi. Konatsu juice
from Kochi prefecture and yuko (a
2012 June
19
作る
Growing
Pasona Group
A plant factory in a big-city office building!?
A unique attempt to grow vegetables in the workplace
Squash growing on the ceiling of the reception area, herbs being raised on the walls of the meeting space...These and other unique sights have put the offices of Pasona Group,
a major human resource services company, in the news. We paid a visit to this unusual office.
Photos/Tomoya Takai Interview and Text/JQR
The Urban Farm
Vegetables thriving
in the middle
of a big-city office building
Here in the midst of the modern office
buildings of Tokyo's Otemachi business
district, one building features a wall
covered in greenery. These are the
offices of Pasona Group, which we
recently visited. The company moved
here in 2010, after completing a
renovation of the 53-year-old building.
Taking advantage of the lower ceilings
often found in older buildings, they
created an "urban farm" in which office
workers can co-exist with nature;
a portion has been turned into a
vegetable factory.
Pasona Group has long been involved
in cultivating new human resources for
the agricultural sector, implementing a
variety of agriculture-related initiatives,
including, since 2003, its Agriculture
Internship Project. Sayaka Sakami,
head of the company's Urban Farm
division, explains that the urban farm
was developed as part of that business.
Arriving at the first floor reception area,
we are first struck by the strange sight
of impressively large squash hanging
from the ceiling. In the adjoining space
is a field of cotton, and heads of
pure white, fluffy cotton can be seen
emerging here and there from among
the plants. Proceeding across the first
floor, our eyes light on a vegetable
factory that seems to be producing
salad greens and other leafy vegetables.
The plants are bathed in a clear white
their vines downward leads to a large
water tank--the tomatoes are being
grown hydroponically. This enables
stable production, unaffected by the
seasons or the weather, and also
makes it possible to harvest more
tomatoes from each plant. And because
the system uses no soil, it has the
advantage of discouraging insects.
On the second floor is a lounge,
where green beans and other plants are
grown on the walls and ceiling. In the
back is another vegetable factory, this
one producing herbs and a wide variety
of other leafy vegetables. By the way,
many of the vegetables picked here end
up on the lunch menu at the employee
cafeteria.
In addition to these spaces, which
are open for the general public to tour,
a wide range of plants are grown on
(Above) A healthy crop of tomatoes hangs
from the ceiling of the reception room. For
the sake of the plants, the room is kept a
bit on more humid. (Left) Vegetables
thriving in the indoor factory. Once they're
ready to eat, employees can enjoy them for
lunch in the cafeteria.
each floor of offices, on balconies,
and elsewhere. The ceilings and walls
of the office interiors support over 40
varieties of fruits and vegetables, while
the balconies and exterior walls are
home to over 200 varieties of plants,
each blossoming with the seasons. Ms.
Sakami points out that "Not only is it
unusual to have so much greenery in
an office, but it also seems to have a
relaxing effect on the workers here."
Here, in the middle of a big-city
office building, is a soothing space
where one can sense nature and enjoy
the four seasons. This unique initiative
may lead more people to think about
Cotton being grown on the first floor. The
plants are automatically misted at regular
intervals, and get plenty of water and
light.
their own awareness of food and the
environment.
light, produced by hybrid electrode
florescent lamps, specially redesigned
from the same technology found in the
backlighting of large-screen LCD TVs.
The lamps are long-lasting, and produce
energy savings of between 20-25%
compared to conventional florescent
lamps.
Going through the door of a separate
reception room, we find hanging above
Sayaka Sakami,
head of Pasona's
Agricultural Team
Urban Farm
Division. She notes
that people come
from throughout
Japan and abroad
to visit this unique
office.
These chairs feature
drawers for growing
sprouts, making use of
every little space.
our heads a profusion of red, ripe,
delicious-looking tomatoes. Following
20
2012 June
2012 June
21
A vegetable factory
野菜を
作る家
The Daiwa House
育てる
Home-grown vegetables
Agri-Cube
野菜を
Photography/ Satoru Naito Text/ JQR Editorial Staff
On April 5 Daiwa House began selling the Agri-Cube, a
Leafy vegetables can be grown in the ie-na, but as soon as
you pick something like an ordinary iceberg lettuce it’s
finished. The lower leaves of Korean or rocket lettuce,
however, can be harvested bit by bit.
An Agri-Cube in the grounds of the Central Research Laboratory in Sakyo, Nara. You can see
plants actually being grown here. The Agri-Cube E costs 8.5 million yen, and an Agri-Cube S
is 5.5 million yen.
There’s nothing quite like tasty homegrown vegetables. If you agree, then the ie-
industry. Around 10,000 heads of leafy vegetables
na manufactured by San-Ei Faucet can help
can be harvested annually from this roughly ten square
you produce them. The ie-na is a hydroponic
meter unit, no bigger than a car park.
growing kit that allows you to do some serious
“We imagined it being used by restaurants, with part-
vegetable growing indoors or on a balcony.
time staff also handling the work. So with this in mind
plenty of sunlight and the plants will simply
as simple as possible,” said Mamoru Yoshimura, the
take off. The floor doesn’t get dirty and all that
Deputy-General Manager of Daiwa’s Central Research
is required for plant growth is water suitable
Laboratory.
for cultivation and some nutrient solution. It’s
exciting to see mini tomatoes or rocket lettuce
construction of panels and units in pre-fabricated
sprout and get bigger every day.
housing and made the most of their strengths,
“People who live in places like condominiums,
working on things like improving their insulation and
also devised ways to prevent occurrences of rust
occurring and other problems. The result was a unit
that required only one air conditioning unit and had an
where they have no opportunity to put their
hands in soil, let alone grow vegetables, really
We thought about what would grow in the kind of
environment we could create, and arrived at the
Agri-Cube, says Mamoru Yoshimura, Deputy Manager
at the Daiwa House Central Research Laboratory.
like the ie-na. Ripe tomatoes picked from a
bush are both delicious and highly nutritious.
Grow them once and it becomes addictive,”
annual maintenance cost of around 350,000 yen for
water and electricity.
Among other things the Agri-Cube is equipped with
a lighting system that can be raised and lowered to
adjust light levels in accordance with plant growth,
and a nutrient solution circulation and water drainage
system for trouble-free cleaning of the growing shelves.
The Agri-Cube makes it easy to imagine eating
freshly-picked vegetables at family restaurants in the
not-so-distant future.
Inquiries: Agriculture Business Promotion Section,
Daiwa House Industry Co. Ltd.
Umeda 3-3-5, Kita-ku, Osaka
2012 June
Hiroko Shirohata of the Public
Relations Section grows mini-tomatoes
at work. She and her husband also
grew a common interest in the 600
tomatoes they harvested at home last
year.
Place the container anywhere that gets
we tried to keep the cultivation and hygiene control
Daiwa took the technologies it already had for the
22
The Satisfaction of Picking
Home-Grown Tomatoes
plant factory unit that it developed for the food service
airtightness to adapt them for plant cultivation, and
ie-na
Photography/ Satoru Naito Text/ JQR Editorial Staff
L'agri-cube installé sur le terrain de l'Institut Central de
Recherche Technologique de Sakyo dans la ville de
Nara. On peut s'y rendre pour voir, en pratique, l'état des
cultures. agri-cube E : 8 500 000 yens
agri-cube S :
5 500 000 yens.
A compact plant factory for simple
and consistent vegetable production
San-Ei Faucet Mfg. Co. Ltd.
says Hiroko Shirahata, who has been managing
Cultivation containers
Cultivation containers
Fluorescent
growing lights
Fluorescent
growing lights
It’s a very simple set-up. Water containing
liquid fertilizer is automatically circulated with
a pump. Watermelons aren’t worth the cost,
but you can grow anything apart from root
Cultivation containers
Fluorescent
growing lights
Nutrient solution
circulation pipe
Nutrient solution
circulation pump
the ie-na project since the fall of 2010.
vegetables. Pick tomatoes every morning as
they turn red, and eat them as is or turn them
into juice—one of life’s small luxuries.
Nutrient solution tank
Diagram of the cultivation shelves. A fluorescent light is installed above each cultivation
container. Each shelf has a water drainage chute for consistent maintenance of water
quality.
The ie-na is a simple hydroponic kit that costs 16,800 yen and requires no tools
for assembly. Densely packed tomato roots. Excellent nutrition means a lengthy
harvest period.
Inquiries: Customer Inquiries Office,
tel. 06-6976-8661
San-Ei Faucet Manufacturing Co. Ltd.
Tamatsu 1-12-29, Higashinari-ku, Osaka
Cross-section
(fruit and vegetable)
断面図
（果菜）
T水位調節管で水位
he pipe that
を調節します
regulates
the water
level.
うき
のメモリ
で液肥の
A float
signals
when it is
necessary to
replenish
補給をお知ら
せし
ます
the liquid fertilizer.
The
栽培槽は根が
cultivation
育つ空間です
container,
where the
roots
develop.
Plant the seeds and
leave them for the
first month while the
plants grow rapidly.
The electricity bill for
water circulation
comes to about 100
yen per month.
液肥タン
クに is returned
ポンプで栽培槽に液肥を送り込みます
Pump for feeding liquid fertilizer into the
Liquid
fertilizer
液肥を戻しま
cultivation container.
to
its tank. す
2012 June
23
QR 1
Quality Review
BALMUDA GreenFan mini
A fan with a dual blade
structure. 25 centimeter
diameter. At peak
operation the wind
reaches eight meters in
front of the fan.
BALMUDA
GreenFan Mini
Photography/ Satoru Naito
Text/ JQR Editorial Staff
which was unlike any of the
each other so the same
electric fans that came before it.
phenomenon would occur with
A GreenFan has more blades
the fan. After much trial and
than conventional fans, and a
error, this plan succeeded and
dual blade structure in which the
resulted in the current design.
outer blades generate a wind
The use of a digital motor
Though summer is not here yet,
speed 1.8 times faster than the
reduces the number of motor
interest in energy-saving
inner blades. This dual structure
revolutions to less than half that
strategies for the hot months
produces two winds that meet in
of conventional motors. At its
ahead is already building up in
a spot about 40 centimeters in
lowest level of operation, the
Japan. However, if you decide to
front of the fan. When the
GreenFan mini consumes a mere
conserve electricity with
streams of air collide, they are
2W of power, and even at its
equipment like air conditioners
reflected and disseminated
highest setting, when the wind
that consume a lot of power by
widely, becoming a light wind
reaches eight meters in front, it
using the timer rather than
that feels like a natural breeze.
only uses around 10W. If you ran
letting it run constantly, on hot,
The idea to concentrate and
this fan eight hours a day for a
steamy nights you’ll often end up
disseminate wind in this way
month the total electricity bill
waking up as soon as the timer
was apparently inspired by a
would only amount to about
goes off. This is why ever since
worker in a small factory who
eleven yen. It is also extremely
last year there has been so
turned a fan toward the wall
quiet and doesn’t interrupt sleep.
much interest in electric fans
“because it made the wind
The fan can be used anywhere
and their usefulness in utilizing
gentler.” The dual-blade structure
with a mobile battery (sold
air conditioners more effectively.
is based on the image of a large
separately) that makes an
Many companies manufacture
group of children with their legs
electric cord unnecessary.
fans, but the GreenFan, which
tied to each other walking
Recharging at night when
came out in 2010, stood out
3-legged. When they try to run in
electricity is cheaper and using
thanks to its revolutionary design
a line, the children in the middle
it during the day can help shift
and structure. It created quite a
are slower than the children at
the power peak load and is an
buzz, and rapidly sells out
each end, who move ahead
even more effective use of the
whenever it goes on sale. This
faster. This leads to the legs of
fan.
year a more compact version,
the slower children in the middle
Compact in shape, the GreenFan
the GreenFan mini, was added
getting pulled back and leaving
mini encapsulates a variety of
to the line-up.
the children at the ends unable
functions. It overturns all
The GreenFan series initially
to run in a straight line. The
previous notions of the electric
drew interest because of its
goal, then, was to create two
fan.
stylish and functional design,
winds of different speeds next to
A Cordless
Power-Saving Fan
With a Natural Breeze
Inquiries : BALMUDA 0120-686-717
24
2012 June
A UniPack palm-size battery fits
underneath the base stand and
runs for a maximum of twenty
hours continuously on about 4.5
to 5.5 hours recharging time. A
USB terminal can be used for
recharging smart phones or other
mobile devices.
The unit is operated by
a green-lit click wheel
that functions as an
on-off switch, and also
controls the four windspeeds and the one to
four hour timer settings.
It comes with a
convenient remote
control.
A GreenFan mini costs
24,800 yen. The price
with the battery is
34,800 yen.
2012 June
25
T A K U M I
匠
From the Workshops of
Monozukuri Manufacturers
JQR
Select Japanese Skills
A new approach to food production
Planned vegetable production a reality
Plant Factory
TAK U M I
J Q R
S e l e ct i o n
o f
J a p a n e s e
S k i l l s
Photography/Satoru Naito Text/JQR
V o l
10
Doctor of Agriculture Hiroyuki Watanabe, Department of Life Science, College of Agriculture, Tamagawa University. Dr. Watanabe has been
researching plant cultivation for 20 years, and is promoting the Plant Factory project.
Plants do not need all of the
and the reduction in the cost of LEDs
wavelengths in sunlight to grow.
were boons to his research.
In fact, they only absorb certain
“Blue light is vital for plants. I bought
essential wavelengths. Since light-
some as soon as they were released
emitting diodes (LEDs) can emit light
on the market. They were expensive
at specific sunlight wavelengths,
at 3,000 yen each,” he says,
one would think that LEDs could be
laughing.
used to cultivate food. Tamagawa
Lengthening the life of an LED was
University’s Dr. Hiroyuki Watanabe
vital to lowering costs. The LED
began his research with this idea.
chip is an element approximately
Everyone is astonished that he
the size of a 0.3 mm poppy seed.
can not only optimize vegetable
70 percent of the electricity it uses
cultivation, but also control the
is released as heat, which burns out
vegetables’ flavor, texture and
the chip itself. Constantly cooling
nutritional value. JQR visited
the LED would extend its lifespan,
the research facilities to see the
so Watanabe devised a direct water
Plant Factory in its final stages of
cooling system.
preparation for commercialization.
“The LED chip is held by resin,
which is a heat insulator, so the heat
26
A clean room was installed in the
is almost entirely contained. I then
Future SciTech Lab, which was built
thought of directly welding the chip
two years ago on the lush, expansive
to the aluminum board. The LED
campus of Tamagawa University.
lasted longer when we ran water
The students are devoted to tending
below the aluminum board to cool the
the vegetables here every day. The
chip, keeping it powered it at almost
thriving plants stand in methodical
20ºC. It was durable, and a strong
rows under the dazzling light emitted
electrical current could be produced.
by red, blue and purple LEDs.
This is the core technology for our
“LEDs were quite expensive until a
LED cultivation system.”
few decades ago. When comparing
With these innovations the team
the quantity of light produced to the
could produce the ideal LED. They
cost, it was a hundred or even a
added this data to their accumulated
thousand times more expensive than
cultivation knowledge and took on
fluorescent lighting. The cost made it
the challenge of applying it when the
impossible to justify the use of LEDs
time was right. At this point, what
as a light source for plants.”
products can they actually produce?
Solving the cost issue was essential
“As well as leafy vegetables, we
if vegetables were to be grown using
can grow strawberries, tomatoes,
LEDs. Watanabe, who began his
potatoes, sweet potatoes, ginseng,
research in 1991, explains that the
rice, soy beans – anything, in
introduction of blue LEDs in 1994
fact. We’ve even produced rice
2012 July
June
2012 June
27
T A K U M I
ものづくりの
現 場 から
An enormous amount of time is necessary to accumulate growth
data under various conditions. More efficient gathering of data
on high-quality vegetable production will reduce costs. Great
expectations have been placed on functional vegetable
production. For example, rice that generates the genes used in
vaccinations against infectious diseases, such as cholera, can
be produced, saving many lives. The cost of dispatching
doctors to infected areas could be greatly reduced.
Vaccinations against influenza can also be included in food.
Watanabe mentioned that soybeans have great potential.
and soy-bean crops, but from a
vegetables varies depending on the
being commercialized in collaboration
goal?
heads of lettuce daily in two years’
cost perspective it was crazy,” he
wind flow and the way it hits them.
with Nishimatsu Construction, is
“To establish this as a business.
time.
laughs. “Many people have hopes
“All of the growing environment
automated from cultivation through
When we do, competitors will appear,
for strawberries. We can produce a
conditions can be altered in the Plant
to harvesting and can even pack
and this field will attract investors
slightly bitter lettuce and a sweet,
Factory to match the desired result.
the products. It is unnecessary for
and skilled individuals. What I mostly
soft-textured lettuce.”
The only question is whether to
people to enter the cultivation space,
hope for is that students trained
spend the money to do it or not.”
because everything is monitored
as technicians will be employed
The production of vegetables – our
using cameras and sensors. The
in this field, applying the skills
primary source of nourishment – is
cultivation conditions and other
they’ve acquired. The College of
largely dependent on the weather. It
factors are controlled using the
Agriculture is nurturing experts in
“We can also grow vitamin-rich
also takes several months before the
computer in the control room.”
food production, so it’s
lettuce and lycopene-rich tomatoes.
vegetables can be harvested. The
Watanabe hopes corporations will
hard seeing them having to find
It is easy to increase the vitamin
state of the market can be predicted
be interested in the Plant Factory
work in companies unrelated to their
A levels in lettuce tens of times
ten days in advance, so information
concept once its feasibility and
specialty. It’s ridiculous to complain
over. Essentially, we can control the
on market distribution, sales, demand,
profitability is proven.
that our agriculture industry is not
night and day ratios by using certain
and other factors can be accurately
The world’s population is constantly
internationally competitive when we’re
amounts of red LED light.”
gathered. With this information,
growing, and we are sure to suffer
not properly utilizing the qualified
Plants are grown in the laboratory
Watanabe explained that the Plant
from food shortages in the future.
people. Once these people start using
under controlled conditions:
Factory can manage distribution
When that time comes, a system that
their skills, the level of skill in the
light wavelength, intensity, time,
for hard-to-get vegetables with high
can produce a determined volume
agriculture industry will rise.”　temperature, gas environment and
added value – and other vegetables –
of vegetables daily, without being
The vegetable factory, which is
other factors are all regulated.
that can be produced when prices are
influenced by the weather, will be
slated to start operations in the fall,
Surprisingly, the most important of
low.
very attractive.
has achieved lettuce production in
these is wind. The quality of the
“The Plant Factory, which is now
So, what is Watanabe’s ultimate
12 days. The goal is to produce 3,500
Custom vegetables
also a possibility
Conceptual drawing of the Plant Factory,
which will be constructed on the Tamagawa
University campus and operational from fall
2012. The facility will have 14-levelled
tower cultivation machines installed that fully
automate the production of lettuce and other
salad vegetables.
28
2012 June
The lights in the laboratory cultivation racks can be changed from blue to green to red with the flick of a switch. The flavor of
lettuces produced under the red and blue LEDs were distinctly different.
Tamagawa University
Research Institute
Biosystems & Biofunctions
Research Center
6-1-1 Tamagawa-gakuen,
Machida, Tokyo
042-739-8666
http://www.tamagawa.jp/
2012 June
29
JQR Approved!
Brand Debut!
vol.1
column
A rich, amazake-flavored health drink full of essential amino acids and fiber
Japan’s traditional all-in-one
vitamin and mineral drink
Kankororin
New! An amazake-flavored health drink made from sweet
potatoes grown on the Goto Islands, Nagasaki Prefecture.
Perfect as a snack when dieting or for when you feel
peckish ♡
Photography/Satoru Naito Text/JQR
Name
Kankororin
Data
Description Amazake-flavored non-alcoholic drink
Origin
Goto Islands, Nagasaki Prefecture
Features
No additives, no sugar, non-alcoholic
Released
May 10, 2012
Price
750 yen（excl. sales tax）
Summer is just around the
of Kyushu, consist of 129
corner. This is the season when
islands of various sizes.
we suffer from heat fatigue, so
Growing crops is difficult due to
we must regularly replenish our
the lack of flat land and the
bodies with nutrients.
volcanic ash soil. Despite these
Surprisingly, people during the
conditions, sweet potato
Edo period often drank amazake
cultivation took root here during
– a sweet drink made from
the Edo Period. Sun-dried, thinly
fermented rice – to prevent heat
sliced sweet potatoes, called
fatigue. Most Japanese think of
kankoro, are a famous Goto
amazake as a hot drink for cold
Island specialty that led to the
winter days, but summer haiku
creation of Kankororin. The
verses also mention amazake.
Goto Islands Fan Club, which is
This traditional Japanese sweet
based in Hantomari – seven
beverage has a long history. An
kilometers through the
early form of amazake, amano-
mountains from Togicho in Goto
tamuzake, appears in one of the
city – cultivates and harvests
oldest chronicles in Japan, the
the sweet potatoes used to
Nihon Shoki, so its origins go
make the drink. The sweet
back more than 1,300 years.
potatoes are washed, peeled,
The reason it has such a
sun dried, crushed, and ground
prominent place in history is its
by hand. The sweet potato
high nutritional value. Amazake
powder is then shipped to
is not just a sweet drink; it is
Shinozaki – an established sake
high in glucose and rich in
and amazake brewer in Asakura,
vitamins and essential amino
Fukuoka Prefecture – to be
acids.　fermented, matured, and
Sweet potatoes carefully
grown in a beautiful
satoyama region in the
Goto Islands
Hantomari, a scenic village with
five households and nine people!
Located in the westernmost
part of the Goto Islands.
pasteurized before being bottled
and shipped.
Kankororin is very sweet and
rich, but still has a refreshing
aftertaste. Since it is non-
A new version of amazake has
alcoholic, has no additives and
hit the market. Amazake is
is slowly digested, it is a perfect
generally made from rice and
snack for children. Rich in
malted rice, but Kankororin
dietary fiber and
– released in April 2012 – is a
oligosaccharide, Kankororin
unique version that includes
keeps your stomach and skin in
sweet potatoes harvested on the
good condition. This drink is
Goto Islands.
sure to gain attention as one of
The scenic Goto Islands,
Japan’s classic fermented
located at the westernmost tip
foods.
Ingredients: Malted rice, rice (100% domestic),
locally produced purple sweet potatoes
Manufacturer: Shinozaki Co., Ltd.
Retailer: Goto Islands Fan Club
No one lives beyond Hantomari. A village once
existed further west, but was abandoned, so
Hantomari is one of Japan’s frontiers. This narrow
community, with its 500 meter radius, is like a
miniature garden with a pure river flowing from the
mountains and fields surrounded by clear, blue seas.
The sweet potatoes used to produce Kankororin are
grown in this scenic spot. Mass production is
difficult, because everything is done by hand, but
Hantomari’s sweet potatoes are nurtured with care.
The sweet potatoes grown in this idyllic environment
are full of flavor, giving Kankororin its rich taste.
Enquiries: Goto Islands Fan Club　☎ 0959-73-0480　http://gotofanclub.jp/
30
2012 June
2012 June
31
SPECIAL INTERVIEW
An album of songs born from 3/11
Looking Towards a
Bright Tomorrow!
Tatsuya Ishii has been busy since he started his solo career after Kome Kome Club split up,
releasing a constant stream of work as a movie director, a spatial designer, and an artist. He
will soon release a mini-album featuring songs written after the Tohoku disaster. JQR talked
to Ishii about his thoughts behind this beautiful album.
Interview & Text/Ayako Oda
Photo by G-KEN
32
2012 July
June
––The resounding multitude of
flow. They had kept silent so as
multilayered voices on the track
not to upset people around them,
Tsuyoku ikiyo (Let’s be strong in
because all their friends were
life) is unforgettable. Apparently,
affected to various degrees by
over 10,000 people sang on this
the disaster. Some had lost their
track. homes, others had their families
: I was personally quite
surprised at the final number of
people involved. Many people,
myself included, felt the urge to
do something after the disaster
in March last year. Singing is
swept away.　A day spent listening
to the children’s
stories with his heart
The children could not sit still while
hearing Ishii’s entertaining talk. The
formal barriers we erect when
meeting someone for the first time
were destroyed in a moment.
something anyone can do, so I
: One day, I received a letter
distributed the song before my
from a lady in Rikuzentakata
concert so we could all sing
saying her fiancé who she was
together. That was in May. I
to marry in May was swept away
opinion on Japanese society
remember everyone singing like
by the tsunami and was still
today, since the disaster hit?
they depended on each other.
missing. She also wrote that she
: There are many horrible,
––The phrase, “Gambare Nippon
will most probably never marry.
indescribable events happening
(Hang in there, Japan),” has been
I was inspired by that one letter
around the world, the Tohoku
used often since.
and wrote Anata-wo kanjite
disaster was only one of them.
: It has, hasn’t it? Everyone has
(I feel you) about feeling the
There are battlefields, and there
been making huge efforts, so I
nearby presence of “you” who
are uranium mines. There are
looked for lyrics that anyone can
has not yet gone to heaven. I did
people who risk their lives for
sing to themselves – lyrics that
a concert at Enryakuji temple in
their daily bread. We build our
they can mutter when they find
Kyoto, and I sang this song in
lives by making such sacrifices.
a moment to themselves – like,
dedication during the show.
If we didn’t, we wouldn’t build 54
“I must be stronger” or “Let’s be
––What were you feeling while
nuclear power plants. Mankind
strong in life.”
recording Hearts Voices? It
should evolve while maintaining
––The lyrics are credited to
was not your usual approach to
harmony between technology and
“Japan.” Why?
creating an album, was it?
civilization, but our evolution is
: I wanted to emphasize that this
: I didn’t write these songs with
proceeding at a totally different
song was created by everyone,
the aim of making an album, so
speed. Therefore, hazardous
together. I thought the credit
I originally considered naming
incidents that are too much for
would make everyone proud to be
it Untitled. But that title would
humans to handle are inevitable.
Japanese and inspire them.
probably make it difficult to
––What is your next challenge?
––You also visited your alma
relate to for someone doing
: I have been a bit too
mater in North Ibaraki and wrote
their best to make something
freewheeling at times, so I am
a song with the students.
out of nothing. Using the title
thinking of singing songs written
: I wrote Sekai-no kizuna –
Hearts Voices makes people
by others, including the lyrics. As
Inochi-ni arigato (World ties –
listen with their hearts. Victims
part of this, I need to interpret
Appreciate life) together with 33
of the disaster and other people
them in my own way and make
children. I spoke to each child for
affected by the disaster may feel
each song mine. Even in doing
five or six hours, discovering just
something. Hearts Voices has
so, my individuality is probably
how deeply anguished because
both romantic ballads and songs
what is real. I think maybe it’s
of the disaster. Their parents and
for people in the disaster-stricken
time I tested myself.
teachers won’t talk to them about
areas.
what happened, because they’re
It’s like a singing diary. These
afraid of the wounds festering.
are songs I couldn’t throw away.
But I think not talking about it
I thought they would disappear if
has adverse effects as well,
I used them separately, so I put
so I went through their stories
them together as an album.
about what had happened, step-
––Soon after 9/11, you were
by-step. That was the first time
busy doing concerts as part of
the children could let their tears
your charity efforts. What is your
石井竜也
Hearts Voices
Tatsuya Ishii
（Sony Music）
2,500 yen
T AT U YA I S H I I
2012 June
33
1
3
2
1
New Whisky Line-Up
Suntory introduces a new line-up for its Single
Malt Whiskies Yamazaki and Hakushu that
HotPicks
What's New
combines their most easy-to-drink characteristics.
Unblended whisky from the company’s reserves
was carefully selected, without regard for age, to
match the easy-drinking flavor design of this new
line-up. Suntory Single Malt Whisky Yamazaki
and Suntory Single Malt Whisky Hakushu (700
ml, 3,500 yen/ 350ml, 1,750 yen) both embody
2
Comfortable Walking
Sandals
2012 July
The editorial staff’s pick of the latest
must-have products. This month we
bring you another selection of new
products that you’re bound to want.
3
A Projector With Eleven
Image Modes and 3-D
Capability
A full HD image is possible with the newly-
for an easy and pleasant drink.
(traditional Japanese sandals) and fused it with
released Sharp XV-Z30000 projector (estimated
their own scientific research on walking to
retail price: 400,000 yen). Its high luminance
produce a series of sandals called WAVE
enables enjoyment of clear images even in a
REVIVE. Now the company has released a new
brightly lit room. Choose from a selection of
outdoor sandal, the WAVE REVIVE OD (comes
modes depending on the viewing content—for
in men's and women's versions, choice of two
example cinema, animation or sports—and adjust
colors, 12,600 yen). This sandal incorporates the
the brightness, color, and gamma correction for
best ideas of waraji throughout, such as the
optimum viewing of each. View 3D images using
raised section around the toes that encourage
the AN-3DG10X 3D glasses that can be bought
the knees to move forward naturally. The addition
separately.
of a belt cord and toe guard make these sandals
suitable for nature walks in summer.
Inquiries: Mizuno Customer Inquiry Center,
2012 June
free dial 0120-320- 799
FRANTICA is the label through which Fukuske, a
hosiery and underwear manufacturer, expands its
range of stockings, tights and socks for women.
Currently on sale are these stockings without a
summer when you need to be properly dressed
Mizuno took the ancestral wisdom behind waraji
free dial 0120-139-310
4
Perspiration-Free
Stockings for the
Summer Heat
panty section—comfortable to wear even in
the brand’s strengths and the company’s quest
Inquiries: Suntory Customer Center,
34
Selection
4
for business (available in two colors, 1,365 yen).
A novel design that removes front, back and side
sections eliminates annoying perspiration. Other
welcome features include run-resistance, UV
absorbency, and odor elimination.
Inquiries: Fukuske Customer Service Office,
tel. 03-6418-1411
A design with round
holes at the front, back
and sides allows
perspiration from the
panty region to escape.
Perfect for keeping
working women cool
during the hot summer
months.
Inquiries: Sharp Customer Inquiry Center,
free dial 0120-078-178
2012 June
35
Vol. 4 Touring the Festivals of Japan
Okutama-machi Kawai
Folk Entertainment in the Mountains (May 5)
In the outdoor theatre of an Okutama shrine
set amongst beautiful spring greenery
male and female lions do a furious dance
involving the sun and moon
Illustrations and Text/
Itaru Mizoguchi
Hanagasa
The Kawai Three-Lion Dance
Female lion
Red head, no horns.
Are those teeth
stained black?
Performers
wearing hats
used in traditional
performing arts
surround the lions
and play the sasara
to keep time
(most dances have
four people but
Kawai has six)
Bird feathers
Tengu’s
clowning
spurs on
the lions
S
ha
a-
sh
aa
S
ha
s
a-
ha
a
Sasara
Dance to
the beat
of a belly
drum
This bamboo
instrument makes a
sound
like wind blowing
through leaves
in the trees
The Three-Lion Dance is
found mainly
in the Saitama Chichibu
area and the Tokyo
Nishitama area. In Okutama
alone it’s performed in 14
locations.
It used to be held in
summer, but nowadays is
mainly performed in
spring and fall
Shinjuku
Male lion
The horns on his
black head are
said to symbolize
spiritual power.
The lions’ furious dancing is also
called Kuruu (go crazy)
Two bamboo
sections
with numerous
notches
Both ends are
open
Enjoying a Traditional Lion Dance on a Peaceful Day Out in Spring
36
and lunch in between. It’s a marathon nine-hour program that
by worry that the headgear might be too heavy for them, but it was
finishes around 5:30 p.m.
sweet to see them doing such a gallant job.
It isn't very well known that towns in the Western Tama area of
Ome line train bound for Okutama was jam-packed with holiday-
In the first dance on the program, Sasa no Ha (bamboo grass
The shrine still has a tower gate that was built in the late Edo
metropolitan Tokyo, such as Ome, Akiruno and Okutama, still have
makers looking to enjoy the spring weather. It was difficult just
blades), the lions defend themselves and purify the area. Six other
period. It’s an uncommon design with the gate at the bottom and
a living tradition of folk performing arts. One of the most common is
getting to the mountains to experience their restorative atmosphere.
performers dressed as women stand around the lions, concealing
a stage at the top, and the dance is performed in front of the
sanbiki-shishimai, the three-lion dance in which three lions perform
I got out at Kawai Station and began walking to Yakumo Shrine.
their faces with the hanagasa hats worn by traditional entertainers.
stage facing the main shrine. Audience seating is a magnificent
as one. Performances of this dance are dedicated to shrines in
One thing to note here is that there is a shrine with the same name
They keep time with sasara, a traditional percussion instrument
construction of stones stacked in a stair formation to form tiers
the area from spring through to fall as a way of praying for bumper
near Sawai Station, which is two stations before Kawai. I know this
made of notched bamboo. In contrast to the lions, the hanagasa-
where the audience can stretch out in comfort or eat a picnic lunch.
harvests and to drive away pests. On May 5 I went to see the dance
because I made that mistake last year. Kawai and Sawai also sound
wearers barely move and seem a bit like the dead with their
When lunchtime came I bought some grilled chicken skewers,
that is performed at the Yakumo Shrine in Kawai Okutama.
similar, which makes it even more confusing.
covered faces, which all contributes to the creation of a mysterious
yakisoba noodles and a can of beer from the locals, and sat high
This particular day falls during the series of public holidays known
The performance I wanted to see began at 8:45 a.m. Over the
atmosphere. Since some of them were only in grade three or four at
up in the stands enjoying a party by myself. The third dance on the
as Golden Week. which means that even early in the morning the
course of the day there would be seven dances, with several breaks
elementary school, however, the sense of mystery was overridden
program, Tsunakakari, was being performed. Up until then the lions
2012 June
2012 June
37
Hiding the female lion and the universe
What is it about the Kawai
“Hiding the female lion”
dance…?
The sun and moon
atop the hanagasa
A male lion searches
for the female
A Tower Gate Stage
and Stone Seating Stands
Main shrine
The gods get special seats
The impressive stone-tiered seating
and tower gate stage are designated
Tangible Folk Cultural Properties of
Tokyo
Kabuki and other
plays were
performed here up
until
the late 1920s
Apparently built during
the Ansei era (1854-60)
The female lion
hidden by the
hanagasa
Hanagasa are thought to represent
the universe, and the three lions
the sun, moon and stars. Hmm …
The eclipse was believed to be
a bad omen, so perhaps the
dance hiding the female lion
was meant to remove bad luck.
A Tower Gate
Stage
A memorial
stone
to the eclipse
at Lake Okutama
Erected in 1799. The Kawai
lion dance had been in decline
but was revived after an eclipse
around this time
coincided with a famine.
had been dancing furiously, but now they were crawling around
about looking for her, but I remember seeing another version at
enthusiastically on the ground. As I chugged down my beer I gazed
Okuhikawa Shrine in which the males clash violently with each other
through the gaps in the cedar trees at the slopes of the Okutama
as though in martial combat.
mountains bursting with spring growth. Aaah. I felt on top of the
During the dance a mask-wearing buffoon type character came by
world.
and offered me a drink of the local Sawanoi sake from a 1.8 liter
Getting back to the subject of the lions, there are two males and
bottle he was carrying. Maybe it was just my mood, but the sasara
one female. With that kind of gender ratio, it’s obvious where the
seemed loud and sounded like part of the wind. Maybe I was a bit
story is headed. Sure enough, the second to last dance, Onnnashishi
tipsy. Mmm. And that was how the time went by peacefully on a
kakushi (hiding the female lion), was just what I expected: two male
beautiful spring day spent watching a lion dance.
lions fight each other in a struggle over the female. The Yakumo
The lion dance is
performed here
At the rear of the
gate is a stage
The dance is performed
here in rainy weather
Pass through the gate,
go up the stairs
and you’re in the shrine
grounds
【The Kawai Lion Dance】
Held on May 5, the Yakumo Shrine’s festival
day. This dance is said to have begun during
the Muromachi period (1336-1573), but this is
not known for sure. Once on the verge of
extinction, it was resurrected in 1803, a year of
flood damage and great famine. It is performed
by three singers, eight flute players, three
dancers, two musical accompanists, and six
people wearing hanagasa. The program of
dances is Sasa no ha (miyamairi), Tanjaku,
Yumigakari, Houka, Onnashishi kakushi,
Tsunagakari, and Tachigakari.
【Getting to Kawai Yakumo Shrine】
●By train
Approximately 40 minutes on the JR
Chuo line from Shinjuku station to
Tachikawa station. From there it takes
about 55 minutes on the JR Ome line to
Kawai (but may take longer as there are
fewer trains beyond Ome.) Yakumo Shrine
is about ten minutes' walk from Kawai
station.
Kawai Yakumo Shrine
Okutama-machi, Tokyo
(a designated Intangible Folk Cultural
Property of Okutama-machi)
Kawai Yakumo Shrine
Kawai
Tokyo
Shinjuku
Shrine version of this story is a very gentle one that has the sasara
players surrounding and hiding the female, while the males dance
38
2012 June
2012 June
39
Sake to Drink From a Wineglass
In Praise
of
Fine Sake Vol.
14
Yamahana
Miyasaka Brewery
Address: Motomachi 1-16, Suwa-shi, Nagano
0266-52-6161
● Alcohol: 16%　● Seimaibuai (rice milling percentage): 45％
● Nihonshu-do (Sake Meter Value + dry, -sweet): ＋ 1
● Acidity: approx.1.5　● Amino acidity: approx.1.0
● Rice: 100% Yamada-nishiki from the Kato Yamakuni area in Hyogo prefecture
● Volume: 720ml (no packaging)
● Price: 2,415 yen (tax inclusive)
Junmai Daiginjo
Text/ Kaori Haishi (sake sommelier) Photography/ Susumu Nagao
The next issue will be
released on Tuesday July 10, 2012.
A Junmai Daiginjo
for Casual Enjoyment
The Miyasaka brewery has been making
sake since 1662, and celebrated its
350th anniversary this April. The
brewery is situated in the rich natural
environment of Suwa in Nagano
prefecture, and is known throughout
Japan and overseas as the birthplace of
yeast number seven, or nanago, which is
a favorite of sake brewers. With the
launch of its limited distribution line,
Miyasaka, along with its main brand
Masumi, is experiencing increasing
business momentum. This doesn't mean
they can rest on their laurels, however,
as young brewers in tune with the times
exert a major influence while still
maintaining respect for tradition. Due to
the Miyasaka name being so wellknown, many assume that the brewery
40
2012 June
must be automated, but that is a
of sweetness and acidity, with a long
misapprehension. Although there is
aftertaste that fades out to a slow finish.
partial automation, the processes that
This sake has a beauty and refinement
are central to sake-making are still in
reminiscent of dyed Yuzen cloth floating
the hands of skilled brewers.
on a river.
Miyasaka is proud of its long-selling
That said, however, it wouldn’t be
Yamahana Junmai Daiginjo, a sake that
appropriate to put on airs when you drink
is very popular with women. This brew is
it. For a junmai daiginjo made from
advertised as being inspired by the
meticulously selected ingredients, it’s
lovely early-spring flowers in the
very reasonably priced. This sake is one
Yatsugatake mountains, and sure
to drink casually with some laid-back
enough, the aroma that gently wafts up
friends while the sun is still high, ideally
evokes an image of white blossoms.
accompanied with some very simple
There are also faint traces of green
food. At this time of year I would
apples and a lactic aroma, but this is
recommend a marinade of sweet
not overly florid and has a nice elegant
tomatoes and new onions, grilled broad
touch. A light viscosity contributes to
beans, or firefly squid with vinegar miso
the round taste, and the flavor of rice
dressing. I also highly recommend trying
umami is also rich and healthy. With
an oil-based pasta. Thinking about the
each glass you drink, your mood gets
marriage of flavors is another pleasure
mellower.
that comes with this brew. It reaffirms
The flavor is centered around an sense
my belief that Japanese sake is a great
accompaniment for meals.
2012 June
41