Today’s Lunch Box/Bento (’10/82): Cereal Rice Bento

I called today’s bento Cereal Rice Bento because the Missus steamed the rice with a special mix of 15 different cereals!

I had been busy all day yesterday being driven for 6 hours through Shizuoka Prefecture. I’m still pretty tired today, what with all the translation work I have to do for Agrigraph Japan, and I needed a solid bento!

As I said the rice was steamed with the addition of a special mix of 15 cereals including corn and many grains. It certainly made for staple!

The Missus added her speciality, soft-boiled egg sprinkled with black sesame and a salad of boiled string beas, red pimentoes, and a dressing containing burdock root chips.

The garnish box was also plentiful!

Spagheti in peperone stle with brocoli, lettuce, prawns fritters and lime for extra taste and zest.

For dessert, imported grapes and local strawberries (the season has just atrted for the latter!)

Plenty for the day and tasty!

Adventures in Bento Making, American Bento, Beanbento, Bento No1, Bento Wo Tsukurimashou, Cooking Cute, Eula, Hapabento , Happy Bento, Jacki’s Bento Blog, Kitchen Cow, Leggo My Obento, Le Petit Journal Bento & CO (French), Lunch In A Box, My Bento Box, Vegan Lunch Box; Tokyo Tom Baker, Daily Food Porn/Osaka, Only Nature Food Porn, Happy Little Bento, The Herbed Kitchen, J-Mama’s Kitchen, Cook, Eat, Play, Repeat; Bento Lunch Blog (German); Adventures In Bento; Anna The Red’s Bento Factory; Cooking Cute; Timeless Gourmet; Bento Bug; Ideal Meal; Bentosaurus; Mr. Foodie (London/UK)

Please check the new postings at:
sake, shochu and sushi

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日本語のブログ
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Food & Drinks Bloggers in Japan (updated)

The number of foreigners and Japanese nationals who write about the food and drinks in Japan in English (or at least answer comments in English) has remarkably increased lately.
I thought it was about time to start some kind of round-up to help people discover these deserving foodies and their blogs!The list below is far from exhaustive, but I’m planning to update and announce it regularly!
Of course if you know more foodies residing in Japan, do please direct them to me and I will introduce them gladly!

HOKKAIDO TRIBE
(Hokkaido Island)
Meishu no Yutaka by Carlin

TOHOKU TRIBE
(Norteastern Japan: Aomori, Iwate, Miyagi, Akita, Yamagata, Fukushima)
Slow Food From Japan by Nigel Fodgen in Miyagi Prefecture.

KANTO TRIBE
(Eastern Japan: Ibaraki, Tochigi, Gunma, Saitama, Chiba, Tokyo, Kanagawa)
Tokyo Through The Drinking Glass by Melinda Joe in Tokyo
Tokyo Foodcast by Etsuko Nakamura in Tokyo
Sake World by John Gauntner in Tokyo: The inernational Reference for Japanese Sake!
Tokyo Terrace by Rachael in Tokyo
Gaijin Tonic in Tokyo and Kanagawa Prefecture
Nonjatta by Chris Bunting in Tokyo
The Soul Of Japan in Kanagawa Prefecture
Sake, kimono and Tabi In Tokyo
Tokyo Kawai, Etc… in Tokyo
Blue Lotus in Tokyo
The Japanese Food Report by Harris Salat in Tokyo
The Sake Chronicles in Tokyo
Watashi to Tokyo by Mari kanazawa in Tokyo
Japanese Food-Food Lover’s Guide by Yukari Yamamoto in Tokyo
Gaijin Life by a Canadian gentleman in Tokyo
Leo’s Japan Food Blog in Tokyo
Eating Out In Tokyo With Jon
Fugu Tabetai in Tokyo
Japan Style in Tokyo
COCO’s Oriental Kitchen by angela Cooper in Tokyo

CHUBU TRIBE
(Central Japan: Niigata, Toyama, Ishikawa, Fukui, Yamanashi, Nagano, Gifu, Shizuoka, Aichi)
Good Beer & Country Boys in Aichi Prefecture
Yellin Yakimono Gallery by Robert Yellin in Shizuoka Prefecture
Mangantayon in Shizuoka Prefecture
Shizuoka Gourmet, Shizuoka Sake, Shizuoka Sushi, Shizuoka Shochu in Shizuoka Prefecture
Bryan Baird’s Beer & Brewery in Numazu in Shizuoka Prefecture

KANSAI TRIBE
(Western Japan: Mie, Shiga, Kyoto, Osaka, Hyogo, Nara, Kyoto, Wakayama)
Colorfood Daidokoro in Osaka (Englis & French)
Dominique Corby In Osaka (in French, but can answer and read in English)
Nagaijin in Osaka
Kyoto Foodie in Kyoto
Our Adventures in Japan by K and S Minoo in Osaka
Japan Food Addict by Mai in Kyoto

CHUGOKU
(“Central Country”: Tottori, Shimane, Okayama, Hiroshima, Yamaguchi)
Get Hiroshima Blog in Hiroshima
The Wide Island Review, The JET Programme Webzine Of Hiroshima Prefecture (includes food & drink articles)

SHIKOKU
(Shikoku Island: Kagawa, Kochi, Ehime, Tokushima)
Obachan’s Kitchen & Garden Balcony in Kochi Prefecture
Still Clumsy With Chopsticks in Kochi Prfecture (Continuation of Obachan’s Kitchen & Garden Balcony)
Rocking in Hakata by Deas Richardson

KYUSHU
(Kyushu Island: Fukuoka, Nagasaki, Saga, Kumamoto, Miyazaki, Kagoshima)
Not yet!

OKINAWA
(Okinawa Archipelago)
HWN Pake in Okinawa in Chatan, Okinawa

RECOMMENDED RELATED SITES:
Warren Bobrow, Bread + Butter, Zoy Zhang, Hungry Neko, Think Twice, Frank Fariello, Mangantayon, Hapabento, Elinluv Tidbit Corner, Tokyo Terrace, Maison de Christina, Chrys Niles,Lexi, Culinary Musings, Wheeling Gourmet, Comestiblog, Chronicles Of A Curious Cook, Tokyo Through The Drinking Glass, Tokyo Foodcast, Palate To Pen, Yellin Yakimono Gallery, Tokyo Terrace, Hilah Cooking, More than a Mount Full, Arkonite Bento, Happy Little Bento; 5 Star Foodie; Jefferson’s Table; Oyster Culture; Gourmet Fury; Island Vittles; Good Beer & Country Boys; Rubber Slippers In Italy; Color Food daidokoro/Osaka;/a; The Witchy Kitchen; Citron Et Vanille, Lunsj Med Buffet/Estonian Gastronomy (English), Cook, Eat, Play, Repeat, Chrisoscope

Please check the new postings at:
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Green Tea Processing at Marufuku Tea Factory

Mr. Bunji Itoh/伊藤文治 and his daughter Asami/麻美 at Marufuku Tea Factory/丸福造者株式j会社 were kind enough to show me twice the mechanical part of processing green tea as well as explain the various kinds of tea they make.
Bear in mind this the mechanical part of green tea which takes place after picking, steaming and massaging the fresh leaves.

The basic first step is hi-ire/火入れ/roasting which can be done with two different machines:

A comparatively small roasting drum-style machine which can roast green tea at 120~135 degrees Celsius from 10 kg in 20 minutes.

A larger and more elaborate roasting machine which can take care of 300 kg in an hour.

The second step will involve separation according to quality into 5 basic teas I will describe later.

But more than one type of machine is used to produce tea according to the demands and preferences of clients.

Some of quality tea has to be treated by hand!

But the machines certainly make the job easier!

Tea also has to go through other apparatuses to take out unwanted particles, especially metallic powder with magnets.

Finally after the tea has been processed satisfactorily it will have to be put into packs of various sizes.

The tea packs will be then put into larger boxes for delivery!

Basic types of green tea:

Arai-cha/荒い茶/ Coarse Tea

For a closer view of the same.

Boo-cha/棒茶/ Stick tea

For a closer view of the same.

Me cha/芽茶/ Bud tea, the best quality

For a closer view of the same.

Yanagi Cha/柳茶/ Willow Tea, called so because the the roasted leaves look like willow leaves. Also commonly called Ban cha/番茶/ Number Tea

For a closer view of the same.

Kona cha/粉茶/ Powder Tea

For a closer view of the same.

Marufuku Seishya Co. Ltd. (Mr. Bunji Itoh)
Shizuoka Shi, Aoi Ku, Wakamatsu Cho, 25
Tel.: 054-271-2011
Fax: 054-271-2010

RECOMMENDED RELATED SITES:
Warren Bobrow, Bread + Butter, Zoy Zhang, Hungry Neko, Think Twice, Frank Fariello, Mangantayon, Hapabento, Elinluv Tidbit Corner, Tokyo Terrace, Maison de Christina, Chrys Niles,Lexi, Culinary Musings, Wheeling Gourmet, Comestiblog, Chronicles Of A Curious Cook, Tokyo Through The Drinking Glass, Tokyo Foodcast, Palate To Pen, Yellin Yakimono Gallery, Tokyo Terrace, Hilah Cooking, More than a Mount Full, Arkonite Bento, Happy Little Bento; 5 Star Foodie; Jefferson’s Table; Oyster Culture; Gourmet Fury; Island Vittles; Good Beer & Country Boys; Rubber Slippers In Italy; Color Food daidokoro/Osaka;/a; The Witchy Kitchen; Citron Et Vanille, Lunsj Med Buffet/Estonian Gastronomy (English), Cook, Eat, Play, Repeat, Chrisoscope

Please check the new postings at:
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Bryan Baird’s Newsletter (2010/11/20)

Baird Beer & Taproom Events Bulletin
bryan-sayuri.gif

Upcoming Taproom Events

Dear Taproom Friend & Baird Beer Enthusiast:

Thanks to all the participants in last weekend’s ‘Falling for Brew’ tasting and seminar held at our Nakameguro Taproom. The event was great fun and a tremendous success. Fortunately, we have more upcoming beer events of interest that I will detail below.

Upcoming Taproom Events:
*Beers for Books Charity Party @ Numazu Fishmarket Taproom (Saturday, Nov. 20, noon – close):

We are teaming up again with the Beers for Books organization (www.beersforbooks.org) to host a day-long event to raise money for the Room to Read charity which purchases books for poverty-stricken kids in developing countries. All day long on Saturday, November 20, the Fishmarket Tapoom will donate 100 yen per pint sold (and 14% of revenue from non-pint beer sales) to the Room to Read charity.

Gary of Beers for Books in Tokyo is chartering a bus which will be departing from the Nakameguro Taproom at 11:00 am Saturday. It is not too late to sign up and join the caravan (just send an email to Gary: gary@robertleonard.jp). In addition to offering a huge selection of terrific Baird Beer, we will be cooking up a culinary storm, offering guided brewery tours, and inviting ceramics expert Robert Yellin to display, sell (a percentage of sales also will be donated to Room to Read) and talk about Japanese yakimono. We look forward to enjoying good beer and food with you while we all contribute to a good cause.

*BBQ and Champion Homebrew Celebration @ Nakameguro Taproom (Sunday, Nov. 28, noon start):
The Wan Cup is the premier homebrew competition held annually in Japan. The past two years Baird Beer has sponsored one style category in this competition and offered the winner the chance to brew his/her champion beer at our Numazu brewery for public debut at our Nakameguro Taproom. This year we sponsored the Pale Ale category in which two champion beers were selected. One of the champion beers is Mr. Hitoshi Tanaka’s GIN’s #76 Pale Aleand Tanaka-san will be on hand to pour the maiden pint of his wonderfully citrusy Pale Ale at noon sharp on Sunday, November 28. Tanaka-san, together with Baird Beer brewers, will be on hand to talk about all things brewing. We encourage homebrewers and beer enthusiasts of all levels to join in the fun and partake of the education.

People can’t live on beer alone, however. As a special culinary treat, the pitmaster of our soon-to-be Bashamichi Taproom will be on hand serving up all kinds of wonderful and authentic American barbecue dishes (beef brisket, pulled pork, ribs, and sundry side dishes). Come learn about the culture and tradition of real American barbecue, and taste the glory of it! This will be the final Tokyo sneak preview of Bashamichi Taproom BBQ — so if you can’t wait until mid-January, this is your chance.

*10-Year Anniversary Celebration of the Debut of Baird Beer (Jan. 2-3 @ Fishmarket Taproom):
While the Numazu Fishmarket Taproom opened for business in July, 2000, it was without Baird Beer. Our brewing license had yet to be granted and the FT started out by selling other beer. The debut of Baird Beer didn’t happen until our first day of business in January, 2001. Two Baird Beers were hooked up to our British handpumps that day: Fisherman’s Wheat Ale and Kurofune Porter.

We will be celebrating the 10-year anniversary of this debut with recreations of the original recipes for Fisherman’s Wheat Ale and Kurofune Porter served via the original handpumps. In addition, we will be featuring a small-batch 10-Year Anniversary Ale, also pulled from one of our original handpumps, as well as other special celebratory beers. Sayuri and the FT staff will be cooking up a slew of fun New Year beer dishes also. Sayuri and I will be working behind the counter just like the old days.

Please mark your calendar and plan to join us for this important birthday. We will open at noon both days (Sunday & Monday, January 2-3). More details will be provided in subsequent bulletins.

Other Notes:
*Revised Baird Beer Retailer’s Manual: We have completed a comprehensive revision of our Baird Beer Retailer’s Manual which is available for download at our website (click the appropriate icon on the right-hand side of virtually any website page). There is a wealth of material contained here that will be instructive to any business interested in the proper handling/dispense of Baird Beer.

*Launch of the Official Bashamichi Taproom Blog: In anticipation of the January opening of our Bashamichi Taproom in Yokohama, we have launched the official Bashamichi Taproom blog (http://bairdbeer.com/en/blog_bashamichi/). Here, our Pitmaster/Manager, Chuck Morrow, will be documenting the construction progress at our site and, more importantly, introducing consumers to the culture and history of authentic American barbecue. Check it out when you have a moment and send a greeting to Chuck!

Cheers,

Bryan Baird

Baird Brewing Company
Numazu, Japan
HOMEPAGE


The Japan Blog List

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Must-see tasting websites:
-Sake: Tokyo Through The Drinking Glass, Tokyo Foodcast, Urban Sake, Sake World
-Wine: Palate To Pen, Warren Bobrow, Cellar Tours, Ancient Fire Wines Blog
-Beer: Good Beer & Country Boys, Another Pint, Please!
-Japanese Pottery to enjoy your favourite drinks: Yellin Yakimono Gallery
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Food Humor: Boomerang Daikon et al!

As I going down the stairs of my apartment this morning to dispose of our rubbish I noticed our dear neighbor, Mr. Yoshizo Sugiyama, washing the daikon he had just pulled out of his big garden.
Nothing much to comment about that, except that some of the daikon were of a farout shape!

Apparently the sudden changes of temperature last summer affected the drainage forcing the daikon in “searching for water.

A “twisting ballet dancer”?

That one really tried to swim into two different directions at the same time! LOL

Looking for more!

RECOMMENDED RELATED SITES:
Warren Bobrow, Bread + Butter, Zoy Zhang, Hungry Neko, Think Twice, Frank Fariello, Mangantayon, Hapabento, Elinluv Tidbit Corner, Tokyo Terrace, Maison de Christina, Chrys Niles,Lexi, Culinary Musings, Wheeling Gourmet, Comestiblog, Chronicles Of A Curious Cook, Tokyo Through The Drinking Glass, Tokyo Foodcast, Palate To Pen, Yellin Yakimono Gallery, Tokyo Terrace, Hilah Cooking, More than a Mount Full, Arkonite Bento, Happy Little Bento; 5 Star Foodie; Jefferson’s Table; Oyster Culture; Gourmet Fury; Island Vittles; Good Beer & Country Boys; Rubber Slippers In Italy; Color Food daidokoro/Osaka;/a; The Witchy Kitchen; Citron Et Vanille, Lunsj Med Buffet/Estonian Gastronomy (English), Cook, Eat, Play, Repeat, Chrisoscope

Please check the new postings at:
sake, shochu and sushi

As I going down the stairs of my appartment this morning to get rid of our rubbish, I noticed my dear neighbour, Mr. Yoshizo Sugiyama, washing daikon he has jest pulled out of his graden.
Nothing to talk about in itself, bu the shapes of some daikon were a different matter!

Due to the great sudden changes of temperature this summer and drainage being consequently affected, the daikon had to “search” their water, hence the strange shapes!

RECOMMENDED RELATED SITES:
Warren Bobrow, Bread + Butter, Zoy Zhang, Hungry Neko, Think Twice, Frank Fariello, Mangantayon, Hapabento, Elinluv Tidbit Corner, Tokyo Terrace, Maison de Christina, Chrys Niles,Lexi, Culinary Musings, Wheeling Gourmet, Comestiblog, Chronicles Of A Curious Cook, Tokyo Through The Drinking Glass, Tokyo Foodcast, Palate To Pen, Yellin Yakimono Gallery, Tokyo Terrace, Hilah Cooking, More than a Mount Full, Arkonite Bento, Happy Little Bento; 5 Star Foodie; Jefferson’s Table; Oyster Culture; Gourmet Fury; Island Vittles; Good Beer & Country Boys; Rubber Slippers In Italy; Color Food daidokoro/Osaka;/a; The Witchy Kitchen; Citron Et Vanille, Lunsj Med Buffet/Estonian Gastronomy (English), Cook, Eat, Play, Repeat, Chrisoscope

Please check the new postings at:
sake, shochu and sushi

Italian Cuisine: Umegashima Wild Boar Ragu Pici Pasta at Il Castagno

Service: Excellent and very friendly
Facilities: clean
Prices: reasonable
Specialty: Central and south Italian-style cuisine. Home-made pasta. Very reasonables prices. Progressive wine list.
no-smoking-logo1 Non-smoking!

The other day as I cycled around to find out where I was going to have my lunch between two bouts of computer work, I noticed an interesting if not unusual dish on the menu of the day posted in front of Il Castagno:
Umegashima Wild Boar Pasta!

Umegashima is the area located near the source of the Abe River flowing across Shizuoka city.
It is nationally famous for its many hotsprings, tea culture and wasabi and shamo chicken.
But what people know less is that it is a region replete with wild game, especially deer and wild boar!
The chef at Il Castagno managed to put his hands on a wild boar leg and hind which had been shot down a few days before my visit!

He marinated the meat for 24 hours in herbs, wine and ingredients he did not really want to reveal…
He then simmered slowly with white wine into an incredible Ragu!
Themeat had been so softened that it was easily shredded into convenient bits for a pasta dish.
The present pasta are Toscana Pici, hand-made at the resataurant (all pasta there is freshly hand-made!).
Serve with Italian parsley and Parmeggiano Regiano, it made for an utterly extravagant pasta dish!

IL CASTAGNO
420-0843 Shizuoka Shi, Aoi Ku, Tomoe Cho, 48 (along Kitakaido Street)
Tel. & Fax: 054-247-0709
Business hours: 11:45~14:00, 17:30~21:00
Closed on Mondays and second Tuesdays
Lunch: 1,260 and 1,860 yen
Dinner: 4,000 and 5,000 yen
A la Carte menu and wine list available. Wine by the glass ok
Reservations recommended.
Credit Cards OK (evening only)
HOMEPAGE (Japanese)

RECOMMENDED RELATED SITES:
Warren Bobrow, Bread + Butter, Zoy Zhang, Hungry Neko, Think Twice, Frank Fariello, Mangantayon, Hapabento, Elinluv Tidbit Corner, Tokyo Terrace, Maison de Christina, Chrys Niles,Lexi, Culinary Musings, Wheeling Gourmet, Comestiblog, Chronicles Of A Curious Cook, Tokyo Through The Drinking Glass, Tokyo Foodcast, Palate To Pen, Yellin Yakimono Gallery, Tokyo Terrace, Hilah Cooking, More than a Mount Full, Arkonite Bento, Happy Little Bento; 5 Star Foodie; Jefferson’s Table; Oyster Culture; Gourmet Fury; Island Vittles; Good Beer & Country Boys; Rubber Slippers In Italy; Color Food daidokoro/Osaka;/a; The Witchy Kitchen; Citron Et Vanille, Lunsj Med Buffet/Estonian Gastronomy (English), Cook, Eat, Play, Repeat, Chrisoscope

Please check the new postings at:
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French Desserts at Pissenlit

Service: excellent and very friendly
Facilities: great washroom, great cleanliness overall
Prices: reasonable, good value.
Strong points: Interesting wine list. Great use of local products.
no-smoking-logoentirely non-smoking!

I do not need to introduce Pissenlit, one of the very best French restaurants in the whole Shizuoka Prefecture.
As I often go there, alone, with the Missus or friends, I find it more practical to introduce Tooru Arima’s creations as a group!
This time I would like to introduce you to some of his recent desserts!

Let’s start with the first one (Top picture repeated!):
La France Pear Compote on Vanilla Ice-cream and Creme Brulee.
The pear had been compoted beforehand and kept in the fridge.
It was placed on a portion of home-made vanilla ice-cream.
The whole was covered and surrounded with a light creme anglaise/custard which was then “brulee” with a gas burner. Some glazing sugar and mint were added to the fear as a finishing point!
Succulent and lighter than it looks!

Coffee Creme Brulee.

The dreme/pudding contained a lot of strong mocha coffee for the perfect mariage. The creme was brulee until its srface was thick and crackling.
Served with fresh figs, it almost looked like a chocolate cream.
As usual lighter than usual and a treat you never tires of. Of course served with a high-quality coffee!

Roasted Figs with Vanilla Ice Cream and Roquefort Blue Cheese Cream.

Now, this was quite a discovery!
The sweet taste of the roasted (Shizuoka-grown) figs was counterbalanced in two gradual ways: first the vanilla ice-cream (light as usual) will bring you down a little from the sweet plane onto the salted and sweet plane formed by the Roqufort cheese mixed into a light cream!
An experience!

Caramel Flan/Pudding with Fruits and Vegetables Sorbets.

A seemingly simple dessert until you discover than sorbets are made with vegetables, spinach and tomato! The fruit are persimmon, pione grapes and two small fruits I don’t have a clue about (sorry,I’ll check during my next visit!).
Incidentally the caramel pudding is firm, sweet to the right point and the caramel sauce a beauty!

looking forward to the next ones!

PISSENLIT
420-0839 Shizuoka City, Aoi Ku, Takajo, 2-3-4
Tel.: 054-270-8768
Fax: 054-627-3868
Business hours: 11:30~14:30; 17:00~22:00
Closed on Tuesdays and Sunday evening
Homepage (Japanese)
Credit Cards OK

RECOMMENDED RELATED SITES:
Warren Bobrow, Bread + Butter, Zoy Zhang, Hungry Neko, Think Twice, Frank Fariello, Mangantayon, Hapabento, Elinluv Tidbit Corner, Tokyo Terrace, Maison de Christina, Chrys Niles,Lexi, Culinary Musings, Wheeling Gourmet, Comestiblog, Chronicles Of A Curious Cook, Tokyo Through The Drinking Glass, Tokyo Foodcast, Palate To Pen, Yellin Yakimono Gallery, Tokyo Terrace, Hilah Cooking, More than a Mount Full, Arkonite Bento, Happy Little Bento; 5 Star Foodie; Jefferson’s Table; Oyster Culture; Gourmet Fury; Island Vittles; Good Beer & Country Boys; Rubber Slippers In Italy; Color Food daidokoro/Osaka;/a; The Witchy Kitchen; Citron Et Vanille, Lunsj Med Buffet/Estonian Gastronomy (English), Cook, Eat, Play, Repeat, Chrisoscope

Please check the new postings at:
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Today’s Lunch Box/Bento (’10/81): Rose Window Sushi Bento

A Rose Window in English, or a Rosace in French, is a stained glass window designed in the shape of a rose that you can admire in many churches and cathedrals in various countries (don’t get me wrong, I’m agnostic!).
I was going to call this bento with a more prosaic name but I had to quickly backpedal under The Missus’ opposition!…

To obtain that design, the Missus first steamed rice and arranged/seasoned it in sushi style before adding chopped Japanese pickles (cucumber et al). She then made rolls (inside cellophane paper) whith a core of wasabi cheese and German-style Lyoner Ham.
She cut the rolls through the cellophane paper before unwrapping the latter and roll the sudhi in lettuce.
She then placed the rolls inside the lacquered bento box (made in Shizuoka Prefecture) in the shape of Rose Window with plum tomatoes in the middle and a slice of pimento-filled olive to offset the symmetry.

She used the second box of the set of three with a partition to ddesign the “garnish” box according to colors and ingredients.

She filled the left-side quarter partition with a salad of boiled kabocha pumpkin with mayonnaise, cheese creamand black beans.
She filled the right-side quarter partition with a salad of cucumber and shallots slices pickled in rice vinegar and sprinkled with roasted sesame seeds.

For dessert, she filled the upper half partition with fresh red oranges and fig compote I got at Mr. Naitoh’s Garden in Okitsu, Shimizu Ku, Shizuoka City!

Great colors, plenty of satisfaction and beautiful taste combination!
(I will have to stop praising the Missus or she will become untenable!LOL)

Adventures in Bento Making, American Bento, Beanbento, Bento No1, Bento Wo Tsukurimashou, Cooking Cute, Eula, Hapabento , Happy Bento, Jacki’s Bento Blog, Kitchen Cow, Leggo My Obento, Le Petit Journal Bento & CO (French), Lunch In A Box, My Bento Box, Vegan Lunch Box; Tokyo Tom Baker, Daily Food Porn/Osaka, Only Nature Food Porn, Happy Little Bento, The Herbed Kitchen, J-Mama’s Kitchen, Cook, Eat, Play, Repeat; Bento Lunch Blog (German); Adventures In Bento; Anna The Red’s Bento Factory; Cooking Cute; Timeless Gourmet; Bento Bug; Ideal Meal; Bentosaurus; Mr. Foodie (London/UK)

Please check the new postings at:
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Today’s Lunch Box/Bento (’10/80): “Nutritional” Bento

Why do I call this bento, “Nutritional Bento” whereas bento by definition should be nutritional?
Simply because the Missus streesed on the point this morning when she decided to mix the rice with beans, saying that her bentos should be more nutritional!LOL

The rice she used this morning is Shizuoka-grown “mochi kome/glutinous rice seasoned with matcha tea powder.
Once she had steamed it she mixed it with ready-cooked black beans.
The whole certainly made for fulfilling meal!

The “garnish” made up for a full meal as it contained ingredients both from the land and the sea!

She fried two types of “tsukune/Japanese meat patties”, one toppedwith renkon/lotus roots, the other ones with shimeji mushrooms. She then added sauce to both of them as she finished frying them.
She pkaced both on a little lettuce.
The dessert cosisted of sliced squat persimmons/jiro kaki and red-heart kiwii fruit/kousen/紅鮮/”red fresh”, both grown in Shizuoka Prefecture.

She included fresh sakura ebi/cherry shrimps (only found in Shizuoka Prefecture/we are in season just now!) in the tamagoyaki/Japanese omelette for the sea food.
She arranged it with home-pickled daikon, carrotand cucumber sticks, as well as plum tomato and lettuce!

Nutritional and very tasty!

Adventures in Bento Making, American Bento, Beanbento, Bento No1, Bento Wo Tsukurimashou, Cooking Cute, Eula, Hapabento , Happy Bento, Jacki’s Bento Blog, Kitchen Cow, Leggo My Obento, Le Petit Journal Bento & CO (French), Lunch In A Box, My Bento Box, Vegan Lunch Box; Tokyo Tom Baker, Daily Food Porn/Osaka, Only Nature Food Porn, Happy Little Bento, The Herbed Kitchen, J-Mama’s Kitchen, Cook, Eat, Play, Repeat; Bento Lunch Blog (German); Adventures In Bento; Anna The Red’s Bento Factory; Cooking Cute; Timeless Gourmet; Bento Bug; Ideal Meal; Bentosaurus; Mr. Foodie (London/UK)

Please check the new postings at:
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Shizuoka Prefecture Agricultural High School Festival 2010

On Saturday, November 13th (not a Friday! LOL) Shizuoka Prefecture Agriculture High School held its annual School Festival!

It has easily become one of the major high school festivals in town and Prefecture.

It requires enormous preparation and many students had to stay overnight in the dormitory to make sure everything was in order for 9:30 a.m.!

Certainly all kinds of visitors appear on such events!

But I prefer the girls of that school!

Without a doubt the stars of the day are the bread and cakes club!
I arrived at 12:30 and only two kinds were left!

The students of the club are very serious about it!

But always smiling!

The pizza master who had been at work since 7:30!
The oven is a real one from Germany!

Unfortunately I couldn’t any of these wood oven baked mini pizzas as they had to be reserved!

The “ticket girls” didn’t have any tickets left for the pizza!
Unfair!

A Japanese national hobby: gold fish!

Poultry for the pleasure of visiting kids!

Special rooms had been arranged to introduce the students’ work and research.

All the while the cakes and bread disappeared to the very last!

I also paid a visit to the fields and greenhouses!

I had a hard time keeping my hands off these!

The school’s green tea was on sale!

And their spinach and shiitake mushrooms as well!

Plenty of photo displays to prove their good work!

I want one of those watermelons!

The sign says, “all oranges/mikan sold”! Unfair!

They grow flowers, too, and a lot of them!

For posterity!

After a hard day’s work!

See you next year!
(Will make sure to come early this time!)

Shizuoka Prefecture Agricultural High School
420-0812 Shizuoka Ken, Shizuoka Shi, Furusho, 3-1-1
Tel.: 054-261-1111/1113
Fax: 054-264-2226
HOMEPAGE (Japanese)

RECOMMENDED RELATED SITES:
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Organic Tea: Honyama Tea by Bunji Itoh at Marufuku Tea Co. Ltd.

Mr. Bunji Itoh/伊藤文治 in his fields in Hirano/平野, Shizuoka City

“Organic Tea will become a new norm within the next 10 years.”
Organic tea is still rare in Shizuoka Prefecture which produces no less than 45% of the total tea crop in Japan.
The Prefecture counts many famous brands, one of which is Honyama/本山 grown along the Abe/安部 and Warashina/藁科 Rivers across Shizuoka city up to the Japan Southern Alps.

Entrance sign in front of Bunji Itoh’s registered organic tea fields in Hirano

Bunji Itoh is the 3rd generation of a tea growing family and the 2nd generation at their company, Marufuku Tea Co. Ltd./丸福製茶株式会社.
10 years ago he pioneered organic tea in one of his tea fields in Hirano, up the Abe River near Utougi/有東木, the birthplace of wasabi.
Last year the Shizuoka Prefecture decided to promote its tea in Europe and Bunji Itoh was awarded an Official Organic Tea Recognition Licence in Germany for two kinds of organic tea!

So the other saw a real expedition of ours ride all the way to his fields located at almost 1,000 meters height!
The members of our expedition were (on the picture not featuring me):
Aya Itoh/伊藤彩, his younger daughter, Asami Itoh/伊藤麻実 his older daughter who, besides helping her father, runs her own business at Saiko Chyaen/彩香茶園, Mr. Bunji Itoh/伊藤文治 himself, Mr. Chaminda Jayawardana, a Sri Lankan Tea Merchant and Grower at Lumbini Tea Factory (PVT) Ltd. who had come at the International Tea Event held in Granship, Shizuoka City and who had been invited to join us all by my friend Nahoko Imai/今井奈保子, owner of Teebom Co..
Interestingly enough, except for Mr. Itoh, everyone was fluent in English!

It was actually a great drive along the Abe River and along the wasabi fields!

You quickly understood that the culture was organic as the lane sanking between the tea trees was covered with very healthy moss!

Mr. Itoh grows two kinds of organic tea, Yabukita/やぶきた which is cultivated from grafts and Zairai/在来種 which is grown form the seeds.
The whole area covers 60 ha at high altitude at foot of the Japan Southern Alps.

Stupendous vista from the same fields.
These are not clouds but mist, a major reason for the quality of the tea.

Flowers could be seen (they are of the same family as the camelias) blossoming from the base of the trees.
Chaminda remarked that they would never let them grow back in Sri Lanka where leaves are basically picked all year round, whereas here in Shizuoka they are picked only four times a year.

The area is replete with streams and falls providing clear and pure water not only to keep the fields wet but also to keep the insects away (the trees are watered three times a week to make all insects drop to the ground where they will become organic fertilizer!).
As for fertilizer, Mr. Itoh utilizes only organic matter, mainly composed of grass mowed on abandoned golf courses and let to ferment for three years before being spread between the trees.

There are plenty of damage on the leaves proving that the culture is organic!
The above picture shows downy mildew/炭素病.

Blister Blight/ブリスタ・ブライト.

For a closer view.

Fungi/カビ.

All these problems have to be taken care of in a natural manner.
No wonder a lot of farmers opt for the easy way.
But although Mr. Itoh grows other tea with a minimum of pesticides and artificial fertilizer, he believes he is on the right path with organic tea!

On our way back to Marufuku Tea Co. Ltd. in Wakamatu/若松 in Shizuoka City (see above sign),

we spent a long time observing the manufacture of tea,

and sampling it.
But as I need another visit to properly report on the manufacture it will have to wait until the next article!

Marufuku Seishya Co. Ltd. (Mr. Bunji Itoh)
Shizuoka Shi, Aoi Ku, Wakamatsu Cho, 25
Tel.: 054-271-2011
Fax: 054-271-2010

RECOMMENDED RELATED SITES:
Warren Bobrow, Bread + Butter, Zoy Zhang, Hungry Neko, Think Twice, Frank Fariello, Mangantayon, Hapabento, Elinluv Tidbit Corner, Tokyo Terrace, Maison de Christina, Chrys Niles,Lexi, Culinary Musings, Wheeling Gourmet, Comestiblog, Chronicles Of A Curious Cook, Tokyo Through The Drinking Glass, Tokyo Foodcast, Palate To Pen, Yellin Yakimono Gallery, Tokyo Terrace, Hilah Cooking, More than a Mount Full, Arkonite Bento, Happy Little Bento; 5 Star Foodie; Jefferson’s Table; Oyster Culture; Gourmet Fury; Island Vittles; Good Beer & Country Boys; Rubber Slippers In Italy; Color Food daidokoro/Osaka;/a; The Witchy Kitchen; Citron Et Vanille, Lunsj Med Buffet/Estonian Gastronomy (English), Cook, Eat, Play, Repeat, Chrisoscope

Please check the new postings at:
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Bryan Baird’s Newsletter (2010/11/10)

Baird Beer & Taproom Events Bulletin
bryan-sayuri.gif

New Seasonal Releases: Country Girl Kabocha Ale, Bakayaro! Ale and Chotto Baka Ale

Dear Taproom Friend & Baird Beer Enthusiast:

An annual autumn rite of passage is the release of a deliciously down-to-earth Baird Beer best characterized by two words: simplicity, sophistication. Country Girl Kabocha Ale marks her 9th annual debut on Thursday, November 11 and this year’s version is as terrific as last year’s World Beer Cup gold medal winner. 2008 and 2009 versions will also be available on draught at our Fishmarket Taproom and the 2008 version will be poured along side the 2010 version Nakameguro Taproom.

Fall is perhaps the season in which the glories of full-flavored craft beer shine most alluringly. We seek to help demonstrate this point to you with the release of two additional fall seasonal brews: Bakayaro! Ale and his little brother, Chotto Baka Ale. Each of these will be available beginning Friday, November 12.

New Seasonal Releases:

Country Girl Kabocha Ale 2010 (ABV 6%):
Kabocha is a Japanese pumpkin-like squash the taste of which is elegantly sweet. The kabocha we use is grown in the Heda garden of our carpenter-partner-friend, Nagakura-san. We first cook it in order to gelatinize it, then we add it to our mash where the enzymes from the malt help to further break it down into simple fermentablesugars. Several characterful varieties of malted barley produce a hearty wort that when married to the kabocha yields a flavor partnership of great depth and balance. After fermenatation, re-fermentation and conditioning, the result is an earthy, rustic beer that manages to deliver an extraordinarily sophisticated yet subtle complexity of flavor. It is, to many resident beer enthusiasts, the flavor of fall in Japan! It is avail able both on draught and in bottles (633 ml).
Bakayaro! Ale 2010 (ABV 8.2%):
This insolent, snotty and mean-spirited brew is pungently hoppy and wickedly strong. High in malt gravity (1.080), bitter in hoppiness(90 IBU), aggressive in aroma (dry-hopping with Centennial), Bakayaro! Ale just doesn’t give a rat’s ass. We invite you to come in, have a pint and let those around know exactly how you feel. This year, for the first time, Bakayaro! also is available in bottles (633 ml) which can be purchased direct from the brewery E-Shop or through one of the fine Baird Beer retailing liquor shops in Japan.
Chotto Baka Ale (ABV 4%):
This is the Bakayaro’s little brother. He shares a common malt, hop and yeast DNA, only less of everything. If you tire of the overbearing older brother, Chotto Baka is a more approachable alternative. Chotto Baka is available only on draught at select Baird Beer retailing pubs in Japan.
Nakameguro Taproom Event Reminder:
*”Falling for Brew!” Beer School seminar and tasting which focuses on fall-season beers and autumn food accompaniments. The featured beer pairings are as follows:

Baird Fest Lager & Great Divide Hoss Rye Lager
Baird Country Girl Kabocha Ale & Southern Tier Pumking Ale
Baird Yabai-Yabai Strong Scotch Ale & Great Divide Claymore Scotch Ale
Baird Bakayaro! Ale and Stone Arrogant Bastard
Our chef, Ishikawa-san, has been busy over the past several weeks crafting a fall food menu to accompany this spectacular lineup of autumn ales & lagers. I won’t spoil the food surprise here, but I can promise that participants are in for a real treat. For those participants not fully satiated, and for all those unable to attend because of a time conflict, we will be following the Beer School event with a sneak-preview tasting of genuine American barbecue from the smoking pit of our soon-to-be Bashamichi Taproom Pit Master, Chuck Morrow.

The Japanese language seminar and tasting will take place on Saturday, November 13 (3:00 pm start). The English language version will be the following day, Sunday, November 14 (3:00 pm start). Tickets cost 3,200 yen and seating is limited. Please contact the Nakameguro Taproom directly about attending (nakameguro-tap@bairdbeer.com; 03-5768-3025). Space is still available but it is filling up fast!

Cheers,

Bryan Baird

Baird Brewing Company
Numazu, Japan
HOMEPAGE


The Japan Blog List

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Must-see tasting websites:
-Sake: Tokyo Through The Drinking Glass, Tokyo Foodcast, Urban Sake, Sake World
-Wine: Palate To Pen, Warren Bobrow, Cellar Tours, Ancient Fire Wines Blog
-Beer: Good Beer & Country Boys, Another Pint, Please!
-Japanese Pottery to enjoy your favourite drinks: Yellin Yakimono Gallery
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Today’s Lunch Box/Bento (’10/79): Tango Bento

No, this bento has nothing to do with dancing!
“Tango” in French is also the name of a colour halfway between orange and red. This is also the colour and surname of my hometown Rugby Club in Chalon Sur Saone in France: Check their fans’ Forum Page at 16 TANGOS!
Since kaki/persimmon are mentioned in this blog, I couldn’t resist the temptation! I wonder if there is an Amreican Football Team sporting the same colour!
Incidentally beer mixed with grenadine is also called Tango!

The Missus’ bentos might look elaborate, but she actually makes use of simple everyday ingredients most of the time.
Today, after steaming the rice she opened a small can of yakitori and mixed the lot with the rice while it was still hot.

Alright, the home-pickled sansho/Japanese pepper seeds will be difficult to obtain or make outside Japan. Pickled, they are not so common here, either, but they add so much taste and zip!
As for the pickles, the red ones are murasaki daikon/violet daikon that the Missus has marinated with vinegar and konbu/seweed. The yellow shredded daikon pickles are from the supermarket. She sprinkled them with black roasted sesame seeds for a last touch.

The “garnish” box was a combination of leftovers and freshly cooked food.

For the fresh part the Missus prepared tamagoyaki/Japanese omelette with shiso/perilla leaves and sweet umeboshi/Japanese pickled plums. Instead of cutting it across, she cut it at a slant for a different design very similar to what you will encounter at a sushi restaurant.
Leetuce wrap provisded for some more vitamins.

The “leftover” part consisted of macaroni, cucumber and avocado salad she had prepared the night before for dinner.
She added fresh plum tomato and home-pickled renkon/lotus root and more lettuce for good balance.

As for dessert, shizuoka-grown fruits: jiro kaki/squat persimmon for the “tango” part and red-heart kiwi fruit. The latter is very very sweet!

Great bento I must admit,when you consider the relative simplicity of the ingredients!

Adventures in Bento Making, American Bento, Beanbento, Bento No1, Bento Wo Tsukurimashou, Cooking Cute, Eula, Hapabento , Happy Bento, Jacki’s Bento Blog, Kitchen Cow, Leggo My Obento, Le Petit Journal Bento & CO (French), Lunch In A Box, My Bento Box, Vegan Lunch Box; Tokyo Tom Baker, Daily Food Porn/Osaka, Only Nature Food Porn, Happy Little Bento, The Herbed Kitchen, J-Mama’s Kitchen, Cook, Eat, Play, Repeat; Bento Lunch Blog (German); Adventures In Bento; Anna The Red’s Bento Factory; Cooking Cute; Timeless Gourmet; Bento Bug; Ideal Meal; Bentosaurus; Mr. Foodie (London/UK)

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Today’s Lunch Box/Bento (’10/78): Back To Work Bento

Today was certainly back to work after a great Sunday spent playing cricket away from the computers for a ful day!

Today’s bento was also very much a classic bento.
The Missus steamed plain rice and filled one box with two layers of it separated with seaweed, a very popular way to remind the taste of a seaweed wrapped musubi.

She added home-pickled renkon/lotus roots with black sesame seeds, gobo/burdock root and carrot salad in gomadare/sesame sauce, and the last the mukago/yam nuts from my nighbor’s garden she had deep-fried beforehand.

The garnish was also a classic in two separate parts.

Karaage chicken/deep-fried chicken, Japanese-style, and friedsweet ptatoes with lettuce and lime for seasoning and more vitamins.

Salad of home-pickled cucumber, carrt, pepper and daikon.
Dessert consisted of apples stewed in roselle (hibiscus) jam I had made following a visit at a local farm.

A solid and tasty bento!

Adventures in Bento Making, American Bento, Beanbento, Bento No1, Bento Wo Tsukurimashou, Cooking Cute, Eula, Hapabento , Happy Bento, Jacki’s Bento Blog, Kitchen Cow, Leggo My Obento, Le Petit Journal Bento & CO (French), Lunch In A Box, My Bento Box, Vegan Lunch Box; Tokyo Tom Baker, Daily Food Porn/Osaka, Only Nature Food Porn, Happy Little Bento, The Herbed Kitchen, J-Mama’s Kitchen, Cook, Eat, Play, Repeat; Bento Lunch Blog (German); Adventures In Bento; Anna The Red’s Bento Factory; Cooking Cute; Timeless Gourmet; Bento Bug; Ideal Meal; Bentosaurus; Mr. Foodie (London/UK)

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Organic Tea Honyama Tasting at Marufuku Tea Co. Ltd.

Organic tea by Marufuku at differrent stages of refining and from different parts of the tea leaves.

Organic tea exists in Shizuoka! Although still very rare in the largest tea-producing region in Japan (45%), it is also found in Kyushu Island.
Mr. Bunji Itoh, owner of Fukumaru Tea Co. Ltd, whose company is also growing and processing organic tea from his own fields high in the mountains of Hirano, Shizuoka City above the Abe River, was kind enough to help me taste organic tea of his own and that of a good friend, Mr. Nishi in Kyushu!

Ichiban Cha/First growth, best quality tea grown by Mr. Itoh in Hirano, Aoi Ku, Shizuoka City high in the mountains.

The same as above.
Very soft color, almost yellow. Very little tea particles found.
Very soft, almost sweet, delicate. Very little acidity or tartness.
The best of all tasted on that day!
Extremely elegant.

Tea from Mr. Nishi in Kagoshima.
Mixed with genmai/whole rice/dry) and matcha tea powder.

Same as above.
A “fancy” tea. Very popular with ladies and children.
Very tasty, probably best drunk chilled.

“Hojisha” from Mr. Nishi in Kagoshima.

Same as above.
The tea is roasted in a different manner to obtain this brownish color.
Easy to to drink. Resembles Oolong tea, but the process for the latter is completely different.
Refreshing but unsophisicated.

O-ban cha from Mr. Nishi in Kagoshima.
This is “regular” tea for the masses.

Same as above.
Not really impressive.
Mainly used for everyday drinking.

Ichiban cha from Mr. Nishi in Kagoshima.

Same as above.
Very different from that of Mr. Itoh.
Good tea indeed but a bit too smoky to my taste.

Marufuku Seishya Co. Ltd. (Mr. Bunji Itoh)
Shizuoka Shi, Aoi Ku, Wakamatsu Cho, 25
Tel.: 054-271-2011
Fax: 054-271-2010

More tea articles coming soon!

RECOMMENDED RELATED SITES:
Warren Bobrow, Bread + Butter, Zoy Zhang, Hungry Neko, Think Twice, Frank Fariello, Mangantayon, Hapabento, Elinluv Tidbit Corner, Tokyo Terrace, Maison de Christina, Chrys Niles,Lexi, Culinary Musings, Wheeling Gourmet, Comestiblog, Chronicles Of A Curious Cook, Tokyo Through The Drinking Glass, Tokyo Foodcast, Palate To Pen, Yellin Yakimono Gallery, Tokyo Terrace, Hilah Cooking, More than a Mount Full, Arkonite Bento, Happy Little Bento; 5 Star Foodie; Jefferson’s Table; Oyster Culture; Gourmet Fury; Island Vittles; Good Beer & Country Boys; Rubber Slippers In Italy; Color Food daidokoro/Osaka;/a; The Witchy Kitchen; Citron Et Vanille, Lunsj Med Buffet/Estonian Gastronomy (English), Cook, Eat, Play, Repeat, Chrisoscope

Please check the new postings at:
sake, shochu and sushi