Welcome to JT & Friends — with your hosts Veronica, Anna and Maria!
We hope you’re hungry. Because today we’re going to take you on a food adventure from Tokyo to Niigata and learn about the sustainable and graceful side of Japanese gastronomy!
More on JT:
https://en.japantravel.com/tokyo-x-niigata
Let’s go on an adventure together see the beauty of in all the places we have plann in the faces that you never knew we waiting for you late night your Sunrise will stay by your side and make a memories Everlasting hi everyone welcome to JT and Friends I’m Veronica I’m Anna and I’m Aria and we hope you’re hungry because today we’re going to take you on a food tour from Tokyo to neata and learn about the sustainable and graceful side of Japanese Gastronomy how exciting so Tokyo’s
Metropolitan area is famous for its Skyline you know landmarks like Tokyo Tower and Tokyo Sky Tree um it very much has an energetic atmosphere um something’s always happening and places like sh IA with like the large screens and colorful advertisements um and Ginza with its like Sleek architecture have given the
City a modern and oftentimes futuristic reputation so true yeah so nigata on the other hand more so relates to Japan’s Countryside and it’s home to beautiful nature pictures rice fields and farmland Seaside views um and it definitely has a slower pace of life um yeah much more relaxed than Tokyo’s busy City
Vibes so true and for those of you who don’t know nigata a nigata is located in the northwest of Japan and along the coast of the Sea of Japan and traveling from Tokyo to nigata is fairly easy because from Tokyo Station to nigata it is only about 1 hour by shinkansen which
Is the highspeed bullet train here in Japan yeah so luckily thanks to the easy access between those two prefectures you can easily experience different sides of Japan with within your one trip and both prefectures are home to delicious Regional Cuisines um that have been shaped by their available resources and their
History so that’s pretty cool yeah sure in Japan where tradition coexists with modity two prefectures stand as captivating embodiments of Grace welcome to a story of contrast where the vibrant energy of Tokyo intertwines with the beauty of nigata join us as we explore the harmony between their distinct personalities and
The amazing Cuisines so I explore Tokyo’s Cuisine and what’s really cool about Tokyo is that you can find food from all over Japan here um as well as a diverse range of global Cuisines but at the same time Tokyo has its own unique food culture and I’m not sure if you
Knew but actually Tokyo has the most Michelin St restaurants in the world wow damn no I didn’t know that that’s so cool yeah and I tried nig’s Cuisine which illustrates deep connection between uh n’s people Land and Sea think fresh seafood amazing rice and and quality sake brew from the
Purest Waters O So during their Journeys they met some inspiring people who taught them more about the food and the culture behind the food and today they’re they’re going to share what they learned with me and you B so let’s first start in Tokyo with Maria yes so uh I mentioned the mission
Restaurants and I actually visited a three Michelin St restaurant called kagurazaka Ishikawa uh which is located in Tokyo’s kagurazaka District um which is basically chinuku in the center of Tokyo and so about kagurazaka actually um it’s a traditional neighborhood um which used to be one of the main hubs
For gisha tea houses and also sorts of entertainment during the Edo period that’s very interesting I I never would expect something to be like uh in chinuku like that next to all the skyers and stuff yeah but actually in kagurazaka you can find um many old establishments like which are exclusive and exquisite
Japanese restaurants wow yeah and the restaurant that I visited as one of them so yeah maybe let’s have a look at it yes please while it’s unassuming exterior may go unnoticed by passes by the interior is stylishly lit and decorated providing a warm and welcoming atmosphere the chef and owner hii
Ishikawa who is originally from nigata puts his own spin on traditional Japanese Cuisine surprising guests with unexpected flavors and presentations the Restaurant’s menu is dictated by the seasons utilizing fresh and locally Source ingredients from refreshing and cooling dishes in summer to warming Delicacies in winter ishikawa’s Creations showcase the quality of the
Produce and the chef’s incredible Skills well the restaurant it looked so nice so traditional but also very um sophisticated and the chef looked really passionate about what he did um did he provide any insights about the food yes so the chef and owner is kalasan um told me that he likes to experiment with
Different kinds of ingredients and mix them together in an unexpected way so although the dishes might appear simple um he wants to create something that surprises the guests so they would think oh wow I’ve never tried this food combination before amazing yeah you’re so lucky you got to try it right um and
In the video the ingredients they looked so fresh do you know where they’re from yes so all the ingredients are from Japan um from all over Japan basically um so for example I had rice seasoned with pepper from Kyoto that’s nice yeah and uh the rice itself was actually from nigata oo yes
Because isawa sign himself he’s originally from nigata and uh he told me that he’s been using the same type of rice for over a decade basically okay this must be some really good rice right and the rice he uses is called Kosar which is one of the most popular rice
Brands in Japan yeah so lucky yeah um so I think it mentioned briefly in the video but how do how does his menu vary depending on the season mhm so the menu varies depending on the season because ish kawasan tries to use seasonal ingredients um for example I tried one
Uh dessert which was very refreshing and something that you would just crave on a hot summer day whereas in the winter he might serve something which is more let’s say richer in taste um maybe more Savory and usually iswas would serve takan which is rice seasoned and cooked
With different kinds of ingredients like the rice that I tried when I was there in the summer um however uh around September uh to October um the restaurant serves simple white fries and and the reason for that is so from uh September to October uh that’s the time
When the first crop of rice is harvested and this is the only rice that can be sold and marketed as shimai which literally translates to new rice oo but usually it is the Tak Goan and ishan told me that the rice that I tried in the summer is one of the most popular
Dishes at ish amazing and uh it is something that is often requested by regulars yeah I mean just seeing the video I wanted to try it it looked really good it made me hungry yeah honestly but speaking of race like you learned a lot about the rice production and the rice fields in
Nigata right Dan yeah actually when I was in nigata I visited two SES ni One in nigata city and one on sad Island so nigata has long been renowned for its rice production and actually it has the highest rice CR Yi in Japan wow right so the prefectures fertile land um
Ideal climate and pure water sauce make for delicious rice so from delicious rice comes delicious sake so let’s look at imot sake brain in nigata City first we here at imaya sake located in nigata city imaya started as an in and a sake shop and became M sake
Brey in the middle of the maor era which was from 1868 to 1912 so beli to be around 1890 let’s go and explore the beauty of Japanese Sak at the center of nigata food culture lies his rice production nigata has the highest rice crop yield in all of Japan
And one of the heaviest snowfall its soil is Rich with nutrients from the melting snow and its climate is ideal with warm days and cold nights that makes for delicious rice it is truly graced by Nature on S Island which is an island of aata’s Mainland I
Visited gura which is a sake Brewery school so let’s have a look at the briish now we at gakura which is a sake Brewery school and has been established at this 130 old former Elementary School site obat sake Brewery founded in 1892 revitalized this old school on S Island
In 2014 the school had been called was due to the decreasing number of children and the obata family wanted to preserve the school as a place of learning naming it gaka meaning School Guru the gakura cafe has been established in a former classroom with a beautiful view of the Japan
Sea so while I was at gaka I met yumian who was Hong Kong’s representative for Miss sake 20120 yeah she was really cool and it was really nice talking with her and hearing her experience experience and her passion about sake and s island so does she live on S Island yes she
Lives on s island and she used to work at obata sake oh and you visited s island so what was your favorite part everything fair fair but I especially like going on T which is a traditional was boat um a small but sturdy boat that
Has been used since the me era and I really like trying many different kinds of sake with yum and talking to her like about them it’s definitely the best place to try sake you got yeah um so how do sakei Brewers in nigata city and S Island incorporate sustainability into their businesses and
Brands oh good question thank you so they use locally grown uh sake rice and also natural spring water and imaya they actually build their own wooden barrels to brew sake to keep the tradition and culture and actually in gaka there was there’s a cafe that Sayes uh lunch
Dessert and drinks and they use locally grown ingredients and byproducts of sake Bing like sake leav and Co in the menu but unfortunately when I went there the cafe was Clos so I couldn’t try the food but I really want to go back and so disappointing yeah I’ve never heard of
That kind of Cafe before it’s cool that they’re using the byproducts so they don’t go to waste so yeah definitely hit me up when you go okay if I want to visit too sounds good thank you so let’s travel back to Tokyo yeah suc men are dipping noodles served
Separately next to Rich concentrated broth compared to regular Ramen suken broth is much thicker and richer leading to a deeper taste experience the noodles are satisfyingly thick and chewy and every bite releases their flavor Well those noodles looked absolutely amazing um yeah I want them right now mhm um and did the broth taste different like what was the flavor yes so uh skim and broth is much richer and more concentrated than regular Ramen broth um so uh this broth in particular was very
Creamy and very satisfying sounds good yeah it looks very creamy from the video um and does the taste differ from ordinary Ramen yes so uh the noodles for skimen are thicker softer and also chewy I would say okay very delicious sounds delicious yeah that does sound delicious you
Should try some uh please I would love to let’s all go get some but Anna I heard there’s also a noodle dish from Mikata it’s very interesting yes yes actually so let’s talk about hea which is n specialty food so I was lucky enough to try in oia which is the
Birthplace of heg SOA at marui a 50- old SOA restaurant oh damn so let’s look at my past self heisa is a type of SAA noodle dish served on a flat wooden tray called a he the SAA noodles are made from bule flour and fi seaweed as a Binder wow it looks so delicious Tori is a seaweed found on rocks along the coast and it is rich in nutrients when boiled it becomes a greenish paste which is kneed into baky flour and used to make heg SOA this gives heisa a completely different texture and firmness from
Regular SOA the SOA tastes refreshing and it goes very well with the The Temper those noodles looked so delicious right could you taste the funori in the HEI SOA uh actually you can’t really taste the seawe it just adds a textural element to the noodles I see um and do
You know why they use spori as The Binding agent in the noodles instead of the typical wheat flour Yes actually the region where hegis SOA originated from um was famous for textile culture and in the industry they use fi um to strengthen the threads and one day some
Genius added fi to SAA and the rest is history oh that’s so interesting I want to know how it ended up in there why did they decide to do that um is hegi SOA a popular dish year round of course but of course yes of course but um because hegi
SOA is cold I prefer to have it in warmer season it’s delicious all year yeah um as you girls know I’m a big soba fan and I always prefer my soba cold so I think I’d really like hag and SOA honestly all the food looked so delicious I’m a bit
Jealous that you guys got to try all of this but I’m hoping one day I’ll be able to have it as well well I guess today’s your lucky day what does that Mean girls here is your specially served T it smells so good and sake from sake Brewery um who made the gaka which we talked about this before yeah and this one is called wow okay that is a mouthful so sake first so this cup is from imay sake
In n city this for you perfect thank you so beautiful and one big cup for you thank you perfect and a mini one for me I’m excited so should I open please this is how we should always do podcast right so sorry sorry okay you again please help me thank
You God oh thank you nice sound it’s a beautiful sound thank you you’re welcome okay we have to Cheers of course let’s cheers come cheers M synchronized M actually so I’m still tasting different sake in Japan it wasn’t like my first drink when I lived
In the US um but this was actually very smooth but it was a bit stronger I noticed I felt like I could taste the rice more if that makes sense yeah so actually it’s called geni it’s because um no water is added to this sake yeah
So it’s a bit stronger than usual and they use um rice sake from you got that PR that’s amazing it’s really nice thank you so much for bringing that it tastes really good I’m glad T nice actually this suin is from May Musashi um it’s not from the same store
That I went to but it’s actually a chain here in Tokyo um so I can basically try the same type of noodles that I tried when I went there it looks nice delicious they do they’re definitely thicker than normal noodles very elastic too elastic let’s get this broth the broth smells
Really good it does and yeah oh my God so thick I can smell it from here mhm M how is it it’s very good um is there any like seafood fling in there mhm in the broth there’s some okay I wasn’t expecting that yeah that’s really good um Savory definitely thicker than normal
Ramen broth um yeah I love this kind of deconstructed version of ramen uh it looks delicious it is Del Del honestly you guys already had your food yeah please enjoy but anyway Let’s uh just to wrap it up bring everything back um it’s most of these foods and drinks
Originated in these areas because of the available resources at that time and the cultures impacted them Industries um and it’s amazing that prefectures and communities are still preserving these Regional varieties um and that we have opportunities to taste them and then learn more about the histories from
Locals yeah for sure yeah well said thank you yes so uh if you would like to explore vibrant Tokyo as well as the Elegance of nigata then definitely put both Tokyo and nigata on your next Japan itinerary because remember as we said those two prefectures are only about 1
Hour away from each other by train yeah and if you’re interested in learning more about their food the food cultures of the two prefectures check out our full length Tokyo nigata video on japantravel tocom and if you just want to learn more about these prefectures overall please
Check out our Tokyo nigata page on Japan travel.com there’s activities um workshops points of interest lots of interesting things that are definitely going to inspire your next trip to Japan and you’ll definitely see familiar faces on that site so check it out for sure and we’ll link everything in the description
Section check it out check it out so thank you so much bye Bye