Sending Salt to Your Enemy

I have just read Mark Kurlansky’s Salt: A World History, which had long been on my bookshelf unread.. Even though I read it for an introduction for my research on the overuse of salt, that was a very interesting book and gave me a new perspective of the Western history and trading in the old days. I first learned that salary, soldier, and salad originated from the word “salt.” I also read other books on salt in Japanese. In Japan, it’s rare to have rock salt from the earth. Almost all salt has been sea salt from the ocean. Therefore, almost all the roads of salt have lead to the ocean. There is a famous Japanese saying “Sending Salt to Your Enemy,” which means showing humanity even to one’s enemy. When a feudal lord whose territory wasn’t surrounded by any ocean was sealed off by its enemy, then, the other enemy from the other side respectfully shipped the salt to the rival feudal load. The story has long been favored by Japanese and has become Japan’s moral code of conduct. You are the salt of the earth and the sea.

Michelin Guide Tokyo Yokohama Kamakura 2011

Michelin Restaurant Guide released the list of next year’s selection yesterday. The book will be on the shelves this weekend. They added Yokohama and Kamakura, which are on the outskirt of Tokyo, to this year’s edition. As you may know, Yokohama is a flourishing port city and Kamakura was the ancient capital before Tokyo. Tokyo’s neighboring cities, where many savvy gourmands live, have a huge potential as an area for numerous hidden gems. A total of 266 restaurants were awarded in the 2011 edition. Three stars were given to 14 restaurants, all of which are located in Tokyo.

Here’s list of the three star restaurants:

Japanese: Esaki, Ishikawa, Kanda, Koju, Yukimura, Usuki Fugu Yamadaya(Fugu), Hamadaya, Nana-chome Kyoboshi(Tempura)
Sushi: Sukiyabashi Jiro, Sushi Mizutani, Sushi Saito, Araki
French: Joel Robuchon, Quintessence

How Sushi Chefs Think

I watched a TV program on NHK, which was featuring three aspiring young sushi chefs in Tokyo. Shinji Kanesaka of Sushi Kanesaka, Harutaka Takahashi of Harutaka, and Takaaki Sugita of Miyako Sushi talked about their philosophies and techniques on sushi preparation. They were all in their late thirties and had opened their own restaurants after 10 to 15 years of apprenticeship. Kanesaka has already received two stars from Michelin Guide and Takahashi, who had trained at the renowned Sukiyabashi Jiro, owns one star. All three sushi chefs said the rice was very important for sushi rather than how they prepared the pieces of fish. That wasn’t what I had expected. They really cared about their ways on how they cooked the rice, including soaking time and cooking methods. Furthermore, what was interesting to me was how they had practiced their sushi techniques. They used a rolled kitchen rag to practice shaping sushi after work. Sugita said that he used a mirror to see how he made sushi during his days of training. Kanesaka responded to that, saying he currently uses video for his apprentices. I really enjoyed the conversations of the chefs who carry the future of sushi on their shoulders. I learned a lot through it. .

Tokyo: Oversea Destination City by British

According to guardian.co.uk, Tokyo was awarded as the first favourite oversea city by Guardian Travel Award 2010. Tokyo, described as “home of all things hi-tech, modish and online,” suddenly came in at the top and replaced Sydney this year. Also, Japan was ranked second as a favourite long-haul country after being fifth last year. I was not able to figure out what has happened to the British travelers, as the article said “expect the unexpected.” Travelers are definitely evolving every year and their needs fluctuate, keeping up with the times, tide, economy, and exchange rates. It’s not an easy business…is it?

Michelin Guide Kyoto Osaka Kobe 2011

Michelin released this year’s guide for Kyoto, Osaka, and Kobe last week. They have added Kobe this year to the two cities from the previous year’s guide. 239 restaurants were introduced in the book with 42 hotels and 31 ryokans. A total of 12 restaurants were awarded three stars, which is the largest number of any given from a single Michelin guide so far. And, 44 restaurants received two stars and 183 followed with one star.
What a number of dazzling stars! Let’s hope it’s not too shiny.

Here’s the list of the three-star restaurants:

Japanese
Kikunoi(Kyoto)
Kyoto Kiccho(Kyoto)
Chihana(Kyoto)
Mizai(Kyoto)
Tsuruya(Kyoto)
Nakamura(Kyoto)
Hyoutei(Kyoto)
Kashiwaya(Osaka)
Taian(Osaka)
Komago(Kobe)

French
Hajime(Osaka)
Ca Sento(Kobe)

Brown Rice Sushi

My friend told me that there’s a brown rice sushi restaurant in Boston. I googled “brown rice sushi” and found many of them in the States. I would have never imagined such a thing. I thought this idea might come from macrobiotics or the raw food diet. As you may know, white rice is produced after the surface of the brown rice is removed. However, the surface of the rice contains vitamins and dietary minerals and Japanese who are conscious about their health eat it regularly. It’s quite hard to find restaurants which serve brown rice sushi in Japan at this moment. I want to try it the next time I visit the States.

Draft Beer in the Sky

According to Nikkei Shimbun, All Nippon Airways(ANA) announced that they will be the first air carrier to serve draft beer during flights. ANA developed special kegs with a Japanese electronic appliance company to get over the air pressure issue. Only domestic flights offer the service at the price of 1,000 yen per cup with a snack for the moment and only 20 cups per flight are available. Enjoy the summer!

Auction for Lunch with Warren Buffett

According to Reuter, a bid for lunch with the worldly renowned investor or businessman, actually, the world’s third-richest man, Warren Buffett, was closed last week. The charity auction has been held every year since 2000 and has generated a record this year. The final price was 2.63 million dollars for a steak lunch with Buffett at New york’s Simith&Wollensky’s Grill. The name of the winner was not revealed. What a steakholder!

Tsukiji Fish Market Limits Tourists for Tuna Auction

Tsukiji Fish Market announced that they would accept only 140 visitors per day for their famous early morning tuna auction. They had placed a one-month ban from April 8th and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, which is in charge of markets in Tokyo, finally decided the new rules for those who want to see the real auction because of the safety reasons. More than 500 visitors per day in the beginning of April, came to the auction. Most of the visitors are from other countries. Please give respect to the traditional business and culture. It’s not a show and tour. Please be courteous in the market.

Izakaya Revolution

As I was watching TV a few days ago, a new izakaya concept was featured. The story was about an aspiring entrepreneur who had already succeeded in a number of businesses(He even owns a private jet!) His new business concept is an izakaya which serves house shouchu for free. Nomihodai—all-you-can-drink. Of course, they charge for other liquors such as beer and sake. Moreover, cigarettes are free. Many people gathered at the izakaya restaurant with close friends and looked so happy on TV. The show said the business was doing well and making a profit with a high turnover at an average price of 2,500 yen per person. I’m not quite sure that this business model will be sustainable but it definitely breaks the stereotype of a typical liquor-earning-profit mentality. This may be part of Chris Anderson’s FREE concept. What a give-and-take!

Ferran Adria Takes Two-year Break from the Kitchen

According to The Daily Telegraph, worldly renowned chef, Ferran Adria, has announced that he was closing El Bulli at the end of 2011 and was thinking about what to do next. Also, he implied he may not come back to the kitchen for good. I was really surprised and it was sad to hear that. Visiting Spain to dine at El Bulli is one of my gastronomic dreams. I saw his demonstration at Tokyo Taste, the World Summit of Gastronomy in 2009. He said that he has gained great insights from Japanese cuisine. I hope he comes to Japan sometime again to show off his great work. The article also said that he may work on several culinary projects—including one at Harvard University, which once he had been invited and signed an agreement with the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences(!!!) His innovations were also taught at the business school. Degree in gastrochemistry?

O-sechi

O-sechi is a traditional Japanese food to celebrate the New Year’s holiday. It’s usually served in bento boxes with beautifully decorated ingredients. Often, the boxes are stacked in two to three high. O-sechi is prepared on New Year’s Eve and served during the New Year’s holiday. Basically, the ingredients are grilled or marinated well to keep them for long period. Therefore, people don’t have to cook and can relax during the holiday. Nowadays, people often buy luxurious o-sechi bento boxes at department stores or famous Japanese restaurants and never cook at home at all. According to Nikkei MJ, MAXIM’s de Paris Tokyo started selling o-sechi bento boxes with the price range of 19,000 to 84,000 yen(!!!), which originally were sold only to special customers. An abundance of caviar, truffles, and foie gras are decorated in the boxes and Japanese spiny lobster and Yamagata wagyu beef are also prepared gorgeously. I am thinking about serving it to my parents next year. Once is enough, I suppose..

Michelin Guide Tokyo 2010

The restaurant list of the Michelin Guide Tokyo 2010 was released to the press yesterday(The guide itself will be on the shelves this Friday.) Three-star was given to eleven restaurants over the last year’s nine restaurants. This exceeds Paris in numbers at this point, which has ten three-star restaurants. The 2010 edition gave one star to various kinds of Japanese cuisines, including shojin ryori, izakaya, kushiage, and yakitori. It’s just amazing! Also, I saw some of the same old names on the list. For example, Sukiyabashi Jiro has been a three-star and Sukiyabashi Jiro Roppongi was just awarded one star this year. You’ll even see three of Robuchons on the list. How many more stars do they need?

Here’s the list of the three-star restaurants:

Japanese: Esaki, Ishikawa, Kanda, Koju, Yukimura
Sushi: Sukiyabashi Jiro, Sushi Mizutani, Sushi Saito
French: Joel Robuchon, Quintessence, L’Osier

Hoshino Resort

I read a book about Hoshino Resort, which operates 17 luxurious resort facilities in Japan because the company is really “hot” these days and President, Yoshimichi Hoshino, an aspiring entrepreneur who wants to change the resort business in Japan, is really in the media almost every day. Mr. Hoshino, who is a graduate of Cornell School of Hotel Administration, is a 4th generation resort hotelier from Nagano and has drastically grown the family business and made it widely known throughout the nation. His company is currently working with Goldman Sachs, which is now targeting onsen(hot-spring) market for investment.

According to an article by Nikkei MJ, he said they would be opening a hi-end “Hoshino-ya” brand hotel in Kyoto this December, which will be the second “Hoshino-ya” in Japan. Hoshino-ya Karuizawa, its first, provides not only green tourism with its nature guides but also eco-friendly “green facilities” such as an energy-saving system, using recycled heat and traditional Japanese building techniques. He believes that Kyoto attracts many foreign tourists and his hotel’s average room rate of 73,000 yen for double occupancy per night is not too high compared with other luxurious foreign-capital hotel chains. His target room occupancy is 70 percent, which is quite challenging. He is also planning another Hoshino-ya in Okinawa in 2010 and the Mt. Fuji area and Kusatsu after that. Michelin will publish a Kyoto/Osaka restaurant guide this fall. Hope he will bring back many foreign tourists to Japan and let them experience his story.

Hoshino-ya Kyoto

Chikuyotei—Eel

I stopped by an eel restaurant for lunch on a hot summer day because I read about Leonardo da Vinci’s The Last Supper. The article said one of the dishes being served on the table was an eel dish and that made me feel like going to a good eel restaurant.

Chikuyotei, a seventh-generation eel restaurant located in Ginza, gave an authentic look on the outside, and, of course, an elegant atmosphere inside. Though they were awarded one-star by Michelin Guide last year, they were not so crowded on my visit and I didn’t have to wait in line maybe because it was right before obon holiday week. I enjoyed an unagi-donburi(grilled eel over rice) and I felt my energy was restored by this traditional nutritious food. I will definitely come back to the restaurant someday and try shirayaki(grilled eel without sauce) with some sake next time.

Hakobune Ginza

I went to Hakobune, which they call a “slow food” izakaya. They serve only locally grown ingredients in season and the style is becoming a rising trend among Tokyoites who are looking for an oasis in their first-lane environment. I had been curious about the restaurant and asked my friends to go. The sake there was exclusively from the West Coast of Japan, Niigata, Ishikawa, Toyama, and Fukui prefectures. They display hundreds of bottles of sake in the refrigerated “sake” cellar and I was overwhelmed by the quantity and the quality. I enjoyed the fried Toyama white shrimp and Ishikawa chicken with Niigata sake. Each table was equipped with a concealable Irori grill, which I think I should try the next time. Hakobune literally means an ark ship. Please help them a lot by unloading their stuff.

New York Grill Tokyo

To my shame I must confess that I’d never been to New York Grill at Park Hyatt Tokyo. I finally made it there last week. I really enjoyed the cuisine and the spectacular night view of Tokyo.

The hotel is located in Shinjuku, which literally means “new lodgings.” In the old days, Koshu Highway, which was one of five major highways in the Edo Period, was a very important route to the Kofu area(that is currently Route 20.) The road started from Nihonbashi, the center of Tokyo, and many people complained that the first lodgings were a ten-mile-walk away from the starting point. Therefore, the government established new lodgings at the halfway point in 1699 and they were called Shinjuku.

Nowadays, Park Hyatt Tokyo has become the first lodging for many Western travelers in Japan, made famous by the Sofia Coppola’s movie, Lost in Translation.

Located on the top floor of the 52-story hotel building, New York Grill restaurant offers a splendid view from your dining table. You can see Mt. Fuji on clear days. And, the great Japanese beef such as Kobe, Sendai, Yamagata, and Yonezawa are impeccably selected by the house and served to perfection. I’m sure that you’ll be literally on top of the world. But, the bill for the grill may be a thrill if you drink too much good wine. Please don’t get lost in translation on who’s in charge of the bill. That’s my two yen(two cents)…

Narisawa Ranked World’s Top 20

According to The S. Pellegrino World’s 50 Best Restaurants, Les Creations de Narisawa was selected as the 20th ranked restaurant in the world and the best in Asia. Les Creations de Narisawa is located in Tokyo and awarded one star by the Michelin Restaurant Guide Tokyo 2009. I recently saw the chef, Yoshihiro Narisawa, at Tokyo Taste, a world chef conference which was held in February 2009. The 40-year-old aspiring chef demonstrated his “scorched” technique for strawberries, scallions, and shiitake mushrooms. He scorched the ingredients “well-done,” smashed them into various powder, and used them as a spice to add a roasted touch to his dishes. He explained that each “scorched” ingredient maintains its own flavor. The chef also uses a “high-pressure” machine at his restaurant to obtain pure extracts from various ingredients to keep their original flavors which would be lost during cooking. Some may feel that this is too technical but others think this is the trend for the future. I would really like to visit the restaurant someday. That would be an eye-opening experience to say the least.

The S. Pellegrino World’s 50 Best Restaurants
Les Creations de Narisawa

Flambé for Japanese Food

The term flambé is French for “flaming,” a cooking procedure that flames food with brandy, cognac, or rum. You’ll enjoy the spectacular visual fire presentation and the lingering liquor aroma on the food. I saw a TV show yesterday which applied flambé technique to various Japanese ingredients such as tonkatsu(pork cutlet.) Their experiments were so interesting that I saw great possibilities regarding this technique. A chef elegantly demonstrated his own creative recipes, flambé tempura and flambé kinako-topped daifuku-mochi! That was fantastic. Do you feel my heart beating, do you understand? Nikiri sauce in Japanese cooking is basically the same idea. How about a flambé with shochu or awamori? Don’t play with fire too much…

Swimming Salmon Generating Electricity in UK

As per Daily Telegraph on April 1st, The Environment Agency in the UK found salmon swimming upstream are able to generate enough electricity to power a typical family home in the UK. The project was built on Japanese technology that captures energy from people walking over pressure sensitive mats at train stations.—-April Fools. 

The Japanese technology actually exists, though…