Tag Archives: Shizuoka City

レシピ, Bonito, 美食, 野菜, 静岡市, 観光, 魚, 魚海の幸, 農業, Fish, Food, Food Health, French gastronomy, French Restaurant, Gastronomes, Gastronomy, Japan, Japanese Gastronomy, Recipes, Restaurants, Shizuoka, Shizuoka agricultural products, Shizuoka City, Shizuoka Cuisine, Shizuoka Seafood, Tourism

French Gastronomy: Bonito-Katsuo at Pissenlit in Shizuoka City!

September 27, 2013 dragonlife 2 Comments

Service: Excellent and very friendly.
Facilities: Great cleanliness overall. Superb washroom (mouthwash and toothpicks provided!)!
Prices: Reasonable to slightly expensive, very good value.
Strong points: Interesting wine list. Great use of local products, especially organic vegetables and Shizuoka-bred meat and caught fish. Very inventive French gastronomy.

Shizuoka Prefecture boasts many seafood varieties as its specialties: Sakura Ebi/Cherry Shrimps, Shirasu/Sardine Whiting, Tachiuo/Scabbard Fish, Takahashi Gani:the largest crab in the world. and so on, but the fish it is most proud of is arguably katsuo or bonito!

We are very much in season is coming through the Suruga Bay and along our shores back to colder waters. We call it “Modori Katsuo/Bonito on his way back”!

Chef Toru Arima/有馬亨さん often serves as a sublime appetizer in tataki form with organic vegetables, jelly and matcha tea and curry powder for a last seasoning touch!

Bonito fillets are first seared on all sides before being plunged in icy water to stop the cooking.
Once completely cooled down it is cut in thick slices across the fillet.
Note the edible and so cute shiso/perilla flowers for a simple and so elegant touch!

Viewed from the other side you can admire the bed created with pieces of organic vegetables and more bonito!

Such gastronomy becomes a photographer’s pleasure!

No this is not pasta, but thin egg plant vermicelli!

Considering the comparably simplicity of the ingredients this true gastronomic artistry!
And the taste? Just sublime!

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
Entirely non-smoking!

RECOMMENDED RELATED WEBSITES

Shop with Intent by Debbie
BULA KANA in Fiji
Kraemer’s Culinary blog by Frank Kraemer in New York,Tokyo Food File by Robbie Swinnerton, Green Tea Club by Satoshi Nihonyanagi in Shizuoka!, Mind Some by Tina in Taiwan, Le Manger by Camille Oger (French), The Indian Tourist, Masala Herb by Helene Dsouza in Goa, India, Mummy I Can Cook! by Shu Han in London, Pierre.Cuisine, Francescannotwrite, My White Kitchen, Foodhoe, Chucks Eats, Things that Fizz & Stuff, Five Euro Food by Charles,Red Shallot Kitchen by Priscilla,With a Glass, Nami | Just One Cookbook, Peach Farm Studio, Clumsyfingers by Xethia, PepperBento, Hapabento, Kitchen Cow, Lunch In A Box, Susan at Arkonlite, Vegan Lunch Box; Tokyo Tom Baker, Daily Food Porn/Osaka, Only Nature Food Porn, Happy Little Bento, J-Mama’s Kitchen, Cook, Eat, Play, Repeat, Bento Lunch Blog (German), Adventures In Bento, Anna The Red’s Bento Factory, Ohayo Bento,

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: Another Pint, Please!, Beering In Good Mind: All about Craft Beer in Kansai by Nevitt Reagan!
-Whisky: Nonjatta: All about whisky in Japan by Stefan Van Eycken
-Japanese Pottery to enjoy your favourite drinks: Yellin Yakimono Gallery

Non gastronomy must-see sites by Shizuoka Residents

HIGHOCTANE/HAIOKU by Nick Itoh in Shizuoka City

レシピ, 美食, 野菜, 観光, 農業, Food, Food Health, French gastronomy, French Restaurant, Gastronomes, Gastronomy, Japan, Japanese Gastronomy, Recipes, Restaurants, Shizuoka, Shizuoka agricultural products, Shizuoka Cuisine, Tourism, vegetables, Vegetarian cuisine

French Gastronomy: Vegetables Palette at Tetsuya Sugimoto Restaurant in Shizuoka City!

September 26, 2013 dragonlife Leave a comment

Service: Highly professional and friendly
Facilities: Great overall cleanliness. Beautiful washroom
Prices: Appropriate
Strong points: Freshest produce and ingredients only, mainly from Shizuoka Prefecture. Organic vegetables, top-class Shizuoka-bred meat and Suruga Bay seafood. Seasonal food only.

Map (Japanese)

There are times when you feel you ought to take a very long look at a dish to leave an indelible image in your brain.
Tetsuya Sugimoto, owner-chef of the eponymous restaurant in Shizuoka City, Aoi Ku, tries never to interfere with the natural colors of the vegetables he utilizes in his superlative dishes.

It becomes a photographic challenge when the plate comes in front of you at first and generally speaking the first photograph as above is rarely the best one!
So you start turning the plate around and take pictures from every possible angle.
Although Tetsuya does not mind at all, keep in mind that the dish, even served on a hot plate, will eventually cool down, so do hurry! (And you had better be alone, as the dragon will always start making snide remarks about my lack of concern for her or our company!)!

Testuya’s technique is both simple and sophisticated. he will add almost no seasoning or sauce and will use the natural juices of the vegetables for the sauce with the addition of a little lemon juice and secret vinegar both to preserve the color.

As for perfect cooking I know that he makes almost invisible incisions with a very thin and sharp knife inside the pieces of vegetables when they are thick to achieve a uniform cooking.
Incidentally all his vegetables are organic and grown in Shizuoka Prefecture.
And on request he can make such a dish purely vegan!

Tetsuya SUGIMOTO
420-0038Shizuoka City, Aoi Ku, Umeya,2-13,1F
Tel./Fax: 054-251-3051
Opening hours：11:30~14:30,17:30~21:30
Holidays: undecided (do make a call first!)
Credit cards OK
HOMEPAGE (Japanese)
Entirely non-smoking!

RECOMMENDED RELATED WEBSITES

Must-see tasting websites:

Non gastronomy must-see sites by Shizuoka Residents

HIGHOCTANE/HAIOKU by Nick Itoh in Shizuoka City

美食, Ecology, Environment, 野菜, 静岡市, 農業, Food, Food Health, Gardening, Gastronomes, Gastronomy, Japan, Japanese Gastronomy, Organic Vegetables, Shizuoka, Shizuoka agricultural products, Shizuoka Cuisine, vegetables, Vegetarian cuisine

Organic Gardening in Shizuoka City 1

September 23, 2013 dragonlife 8 Comments

The first plot as it has been for the last 15?20? years!

September 22nd 2013

I have just started helping a friend of mine, Asami Itoh/伊東麻美さん, the youngish (gentlemen, she is still eligible!) president and owner of Marufuku Tea Factory and CHA-O Tea Processing Company, with a project up in the mountains in Umegashima, Shizuoka City.
She wants to start the cultivation of organic herbs in particular in view to blend them later with her company’s organic tea for a more extensive market research.
Her father had bought land a long time ago at the altitude of 1.000 meters where he buit a house I have previously described in a recent article about organic Japanese plums.

It takes a good hour by car to reach the spot at 1,000 meters at the very end of the road where you are greeted by a minuscule Shinto Shrine.

The sign says “1,000 meters, the highest tea fields in Japan!”

The red color is arguably the most used color for Shinto Shrines which are found in far more places than Budhist Temples especially in rural Japan!

This “Torii/鳥居/Bird Gate”, for all its small size is remarkable for the fact that the top beam was made with the bottom part of a tree to show a pointed horn at its tip! Very rare actually! The whole portal was created by with logs sawed by the small log company just a few meters away!

for the people interested with such facts, the name of the shrine is called “Inari Dai Myoujin/稲荷大明神”!
“Inari” is also the name of a sushi. Can you guess why? “Ina” means “rice” and it was offered inside rice straw balls at such shrines to pray for bountiful crops whose shape has been copied to make inari sushi!

This very spot is heavens for photography buffs!

take a zoom with you to catch to the different grey hues of the mountain reminding you of a Chinese ink painting!

From there it is precipitous walk down a narrow mountain lane or along a rail if you want to carry down/up heavy baggage. The city has finally decided to build a winding road down to Itoh’s house and a couple a farms on higher ground. The problem is that during the works which mike take as long as 3 years we will have to come down another more circuitous route….

The house!
A lot inquiries for rent regularly reach Asami who is certainly not interested.
There is still a lot of work and cleaning inside although the toilets, bathroom and kitchen are working. Next year will see a lot of trash being taking away. Very hard work in prospect!

The “field” in front of the house.
This is work for next year as we concentrate on the plot just in front of the house for the moment.
The field actually comprises all the organic Japanese plum trees we harvest very year to make umeshu, umeboshi and other preserves.
The field is full of fern these days, but these can be harvested in late spring as “warabi/蕨市/bracken, brake or common bracken, also known as “eagle fern”, a very popular mountain vegetables in Japan.
Asami already has to contend with wild monkeys, boars, deer, civets and even bears, but she discovered that people came regularly every year to steal those warabi. Picking some for your consumption is not much of a problem and she would welcome such unauthorized visitors, but the “thieves” go away with full crops! Don’t be surprised if some local supermarkets cannot tell you the origin of their warabi!
Talking of the animals (including humans?) we will have to erect light net fences during the winter to protect the japanese plum trees we will also have to prune (no pun intended!). We are also thinking of othe mountain vegetables crops for that field, too, but we will have to provide it some extra soil first!

But first we have to deal with that 8 m2 plot (maybe small but perfect for research and trials) left unattended for the last 20 years.
At least the whole property has seen any agrichemicals or pesticides for the same period of time!

I had to use the available traditional tools to dig up the deep-rooted grass and weeds.
We will come with more modern utensils in 2 weeks time!

The temperature is still around 30 degrees even now and I can tell you this slow sweaty hard work! The soil being very dry does not make the digging up any easier!

During that time Asami was ridding the field barbecue from weeds, ants and what else, not to mention all the bricks inside and and outside had to be taken out for better access and cleaning. I hard a time convincing her not to break the whole contraption!

It was certainly worth it!

Done at last!
Asami plans to grow mint, thyme, lemon balm, lemon grass and basil among other herbs but this will have to wait until early spring.
First I will have to sift the stones out of the soil in two weeks’ time (we plan to visit the place every two weeks at the beginning, which is sufficient providing that the fields are protected with netting).
Next in 4 weeks time I will mix in organic red soil, organic lime, organic fertilizer and oragnic vegtable/herb soil, cover the whole with a tarp and leave it ferment for the whole winter!

It is already starting to look better!
See you again there in two weeks time!
We hope to bring along a friend or two next time to help with the work and to share a couple beers (Asami does not drink and she doesn’t mind driving us around!)!

Marufuku Tea Factory (Director, Ms. Asami Itoh)
420-0006 Shizuoka Shi, Aoi Ku, Wakamatsu, Cho, 25
Tel.: 054-271-2011
Fax: 054-271-2010
Mobile: 090-3250-4188

CHA-O (Director, Ms. Asami Itoh)
420-0006 Shizuoka Shi, Aoi Ku, Wakamatsu Cho, 94
Tel: 054-253-8421
Fax: 054-253-8413
HOMEPAGE (Japanese)

Itoh Organic Project
Shizuoka City, Aoi Ku, Umegashina, Higashi Mine (Do not send letters yet as there is no post box!)

RECOMMENDED LINKS FOR ROOF GARDENING

Containerized: My Garden Blog
Gardens by Mike Palmer (Dorchester, England)
Best New York Gardening Blogs
Battery Rooftop Garden Blog (UK)
Green Roof Growers (Chicago)
Mitsukoshi Roof Top Garden – Ginza by Tokyobling’s Blog
NYCFARMER’S BLOG
The Tattooed Gardener
Town and Country Gardening
My Botanical Garden by Tamara
My Food and Flowers
Vienna Roof Garden
Leaf and Twig
Ekostories by Jack Yuen
My Food And Flowers
The Japans
Photography Art Plus
LOSTINTHOT
Spy Garden

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Non gastronomy must-see sites by Shizuoka Residents

HIGHOCTANE/HAIOKU by Nick Itoh in Shizuoka City

美食, Drinks, 酒, 観光, 農業, Gastronomes, Gastronomy, Japan, Japanese Gastronomy, sake, Sake Brewery, Shizuoka, Shizuoka agricultural products, Shizuoka City, Shizuoka Cuisine, Tourism

Shizuoka Sake Tasting: Sanwa Brewery-Garyubai Hoosu Muroka Junmai Ginjo Nama Genshu

September 23, 2013 dragonlife Leave a comment

Sanwa Brewery, in spite of being the local sake brewery in Shizuoka Prefecture not using one of the Shizuoka yeasts nonetheless produces some remarkable nectars including this yearly limited production called Hoosu.

The same brewery also tends to put long names on their sakes!
“Garyubai” is the main brand and “Hoosu” is the name of this particular brew.
“Murooka” means “unfliltered, “Junami” means that no pure alcohol was added, “Ginjo” is the premium grade level, “nama” means “unpasteurized” and “Genshu” means that no water was added. All this to mean that this sake has not been “tempered with” whatsoever!

Rice: 100% Yamada Nishiki (Hyogo Prefecture)
Rice milled down to 55%
Alcohol: 16~17 degrees
Dryness: + 4
Acidity: 1.4
Bottles in August 2013

Clarity: Very clear
Color: Very light golden hue
Aroma: Fruity and sweetish. Pears (La France pears)
Body: Fluid
Taste: Assertive attack back up by strong junmai petillant warming uo back of the palate.
Strong alcohol but easy and pleasant to drink.
Very fruity.
Complex: Pears, oranges, apricots.
Lingers for a while before departing on a slightly drier note.
Very refreshing for an unpasteurized and practically unaltered sake.
Not changing noticeably with food, except for more dry pears.

Overall: In spite of its “rough” approach, a very enjoyable sake for all genders at all times, temperature, with or without food.
A pity it is only a limited brew!
The kind of sake to keep you deliciously warm in winter!

RECOMMENDED RELATED WEBSITES

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Non gastronomy must-see sites by Shizuoka Residents

HIGHOCTANE/HAIOKU by Nick Itoh in Shizuoka City

美食, Drinks, 酒, 観光, 農業, Fujinomiya City, Gastronomes, Gastronomy, Japan, Japanese Gastronomy, sake, Sake Brewery, Shizuoka, Shizuoka Cuisine, Torigai

Shizuoka Sake Tasting: Fuji-Takasago Brewery-Junmai Ginjo “Nama”

September 14, 2013 dragonlife 2 Comments

It’s been a long time since I enjoyed a “nama”/unpasteurized sake by Fuji-Takasago Brewery in Fujinomiya City!
If you don’t want to spend or drink too much it is always a good idea to buy smaller bottles containing only 180 ml, or even drink two them if you want variation in low quantities!

I can recommend Cenova Department Store in Shizuoka as they take the pains of adding extra information!

Rice milled down to 60%
Alcohol: 14.5 degrees
Dryness: + 4
Bottled in May 2013

Clarity: Very clear
Color: Light golden
Aroma: Assertive. Dry and fruity. Pineapple, citruses.
Body: Fluid
Taste: Very dry attack wit strong junmai petillant.
Complex.
Lots of nuts.Oranges.
Lingers for a little while warming up the back of the palate.
Ends up on an even drier note with oranges, nuts, almonds, chestnuts.
tends to take a back step with food although junmai petillant is still very strong and dryness more accentuated with more nuts.

Overall: A sake for dry sake lovers!
Enjoyable with and away from food.
Strong in spite of normal alcohol content.
Tends to take a mellow turn once away fro food again.
Although I appreciated it on its ow, it is probably conceived to be drunk with heavy izakaya food.

RECOMMENDED RELATED WEBSITES

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
The Wine Wankers by Stuart in Australia!
-Beer: Another Pint, Please!, Beering In Good Mind: All about Craft Beer in Kansai by Nevitt Reagan!
-Whisky: Nonjatta: All about whisky in Japan by Stefan Van Eycken
-Japanese Pottery to enjoy your favourite drinks: Yellin Yakimono Gallery

Non gastronomy must-see sites by Shizuoka Residents

HIGHOCTANE/HAIOKU by Nick Itoh in Shizuoka City

美食, Drinks, 酒, 観光, 農業, Gastronomes, Gastronomy, Iwata City, Japan, Japanese Gastronomy, sake, Sake Brewery, Shizuoka, Shizuoka agricultural products, Shizuoka Cuisine, Tourism

Shizuoka Sake Tasting: Senju Brewery-Oo Kara Kuchi-Kyoku +20 Honjozo

September 14, 2013 dragonlife Leave a comment

I already tasted this limited sake from Senju brewery in Iwata last year and am always looking frward to tasting it again every year as sake is never the same!
+ 20 means it is extremely dry, probably the record in Shizuoka Prefecture!

In any case they almost overstate it: Oo (very) Kara Juchi (dry) Kyoku (exceptional)!
This is an honjozo meaning that it needed a lot of work blending it with pure rice alcohol!

Rice milled down to 65%
Alcohol: 14~15 degrees
Bottled in August 2013

Clarity: Very clear
Color: Very light golden hue
Aroma: very light. Pears, custard. Dry and fruity
Body: very fluid
Taste: Very dry attack.
Complex, hard to “catch”.
Greens, nuts.
Marries exceptionally well with heavy izakaya food.
Disappears quickly on dry nutty note.
Always seems to incite you into the next cup!

Overall: A sake for izakaya food. Full stop.
Not the kind of sake you really want to extol on, but just drink!
Its extreme dryness makes for a great experience though.
Could be enjoyed at any temperatures but it should definitely be enjoyed lukewarm!

RECOMMENDED RELATED WEBSITES

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Non gastronomy must-see sites by Shizuoka Residents

HIGHOCTANE/HAIOKU by Nick Itoh in Shizuoka City

レシピ, 美食, 静岡市, 韓国レストラン, 韓国料理, 観光, 農業, Food, Food Health, Gastronomes, Gastronomy, Japan, Japanese Gastronomy, Korean Cuisine, Korean Gastronomy, Recipes, Restaurants, Shizuoka, Shizuoka agricultural products, Shizuoka City, Shizuoka Cuisine, Tourism

Korean Gastronomy: Lunch at Harenohi in Shizuoka City!

September 11, 2013 dragonlife Leave a comment

Service: Very kind and smiling
Facilities & equipment: Overall extremely clean. Very clean and modern washroom
Prices: Reasonable
Strong points: Authentic Korean home cooking. Entirely non-smoking at lunch!

A new Korean restaurant opened in Shizuoka City and as the owner is a friend I just could help visiting at the first lunch served there. It opened on Monday but lunch is served only from Wednesday to Saturday!

The owner has spent some time in France and loves the language!
“Chez 和韓”/”Chez Wakan” means that they serve Korean food prepared by the owner’s wife while the owner himself looks after the establishment in the evenings from Tuesday to Sunday serving Japanese food!

The menu is clearly posted!
Don’t worry about the language. The lady of the house and her staff are very kind and patient! They will explain everything!

Inside is absolutely spotless clean!
And it is entirely non-smoking at lunch!

This is what I ordered for my first lunch there: “Kuppa” lunch set including ginseng!

Cold pine nuts soup to attenuate the hot (it is not hot actually!) food!

A succulent and so healthy plate of appetizers!

Cold nalta Jute (moroheya in Japanese) and yam salad.

Kabocha ball and shijimi, a typical Korean fried appetizer.

Violet cabbage salad in sesame oil, okra and kinpira gobou/fried and spicy burdock and carrot.

The “Kuppa” main dish! (also called guk/국 and tang/탕 in Korea!)

With real ginseng!

Beautifully cooked chicken that is so tender that it slides off the bone. Note the date!

Kimchi!

And hot cinnamon tea!
High satisfaction guaranteed!

Looking forward to my next visit for dinner!

HARENOHI Chez 和韓 la belle Journee
420-0852 Shizuoka City, Aoi Ku, Kouya Machi, 13-3
Tel. & Fax: 054-273-8008
Opening hours:
Lunch (Korean cuisine): Wednesday~Saturday, 11:30~14:00
Dinner (Japanese Cuisine): Tuesday~Sunday, 17:00~24:00
Korean languages lessons on Mondays and Tuesdays 8schedule on request)
Entirely non-smoking at lunch!

RECOMMENDED RELATED WEBSITES

BULA KANA in Fiji
Kraemer’s Culinary blog by Frank Kraemer in New York,Tokyo Food File by Robbie Swinnerton, Green Tea Club by Satoshi Nihonyanagi in Shizuoka!, Mind Some by Tina in Taiwan, Le Manger by Camille Oger (French), The Indian Tourist, Masala Herb by Helene Dsouza in Goa, India, Mummy I Can Cook! by Shu Han in London, Pierre.Cuisine, Francescannotwrite, My White Kitchen, Foodhoe, Chucks Eats, Things that Fizz & Stuff, Five Euro Food by Charles,Red Shallot Kitchen by Priscilla,With a Glass, Nami | Just One Cookbook, Peach Farm Studio, Clumsyfingers by Xethia, PepperBento, Hapabento, Kitchen Cow, Lunch In A Box, Susan at Arkonlite, Vegan Lunch Box; Tokyo Tom Baker, Daily Food Porn/Osaka, Only Nature Food Porn, Happy Little Bento, J-Mama’s Kitchen, Cook, Eat, Play, Repeat, Bento Lunch Blog (German), Adventures In Bento, Anna The Red’s Bento Factory, Ohayo Bento,

Must-see tasting websites:

Non gastronomy must-see sites by Shizuoka Residents

HIGHOCTANE/HAIOKU by Nick Itoh in Shizuoka City

美食, Drinks, 酒, 観光, 農業, Gastronomes, Gastronomy, Iwata City, Japan, Japanese Gastronomy, Shizuoka, Shizuoka agricultural products, Shizuoka Cuisine, Shochu

Shizuoka Shochu Tasting: Senju Brewery/Distillery-Ginjo Shikomi Honkaku Shochu 37

September 9, 2013 dragonlife Leave a comment

Once again Sissi should be interested with this shochu made in Shizuoka!

it is a shochu made by Senju Brewery/distillery in Iwata City with sake lees.
Apparently making shochu directly from rice requires a different license! Otherwise it still can be called a rice shochu although by law it is a sake white lees shochu!

Sake (rice) white lees
Yeast: Shizuoka yeast
alcohol: 37 degrees

Clarity: very clear
Color: transparent
Aroma: distinctly fruity and extremely complex. Pears, nuts, vanilla, custard, almonds, umidofu (tofu variety)
Body: fluid
Taste: Very well-rounded and fruity attack.
Strong alcohol but very elegant and easy to drink.
Complex and very difficult to catch.
Dry chestnuts, dry custard, pears, fresh cream.
Stays very dry on the palate but tends to disappear on a sweeter note, this being certainly due to the variety of yeast used to make the sake whose white lees have been distilled into that shochu.
Extremely sophisticated for a shochu!

Overall: Best enjoyed on its own despite the strong alcohol at room temperature.
The distillers advise to enjoy it straight on plenty of ice.
At the most could be mixed with water.
Anything else would be tantamount to infanticide!
Drink it away or before/after a meal!
The perfect nightcap? Mind you it is strong so better use a chaser before hitting the sack!

RECOMMENDED RELATED WEBSITES

Must-see tasting websites:

Non gastronomy must-see sites by Shizuoka Residents

HIGHOCTANE/HAIOKU by Nick Itoh in Shizuoka City

笑い, 観光, Food Humor, Humor, Japan, Japanese Culture, Photography, Shizuoka, Shizuoka City, Tourism

Weird Japan (35): Killing With A Smile?

September 8, 2013 dragonlife 4 Comments

Another picture for Quizoxy!

Japan is the safest country in the world, but it also produces the best knives and swords in the world, too!
Advertising such a business with a smiling (with a vampire tooth jutting out) manga girl is both novel and disquieting! LOL

It is actually the sign of the oldest knives and cutlery shop in Shizuoka City!

RECOMMENDED RELATED WEBSITES

Must-see tasting websites:

Non gastronomy must-see sites by Shizuoka Residents

HIGHOCTANE/HAIOKU by Nick Itoh in Shizuoka City

Culture, 美術, 静岡市, 静岡市美術館, 観光, Japan, Japanese Culture, Shizuoka, Shizuoka City, Shizuoka City Museum of Art, Tourism, 博物館

Japanese Art: Symbiosis: Dissolving My Self Like a Mushroom Exhibition by Hajime Imamura at the Shizuoka City Museum of Art (Until October 27th)

September 3, 2013 dragonlife 4 Comments

The Shizuoka City Musuem of Art which has been in existence for about 5 years under the auspices of the Shizuoka City Government began some time ago to use their vast lobby room as a free exhibition space for the pleasure of all comers. Since you can also enjoy the same space for shopping and lounging in a cafe it makes for a perfect venue on a rainy day or on a sweltering summer day!
This is the 3rd exhibition of the kind which will last until October 17th.

Hajime Imamura/今村源さん was born in Osaka City in 1957 and presently works in Kyoto City in the Kansai region where he has acquired fame and recognition.
He started to actively exhibit in 2006 and is supported by Shiseido Company as well as Gallery Nomart in Osaka City.
His art is resolutely modern and tends to blend in everyday apparels with nature (at least recently!)

This particular exhibition is titled: Dissolving My Self Like a Mushroom. For those who can read Japanese they will find a pun in the same title: “わた死としてのキノコ”!
And you will find mushrooms everywhere! But the concept is more about hidden life represented by long aluminum “threads” depicting the underground mycelium filaments whose life and role will appear in the shape of so-called mushrooms we see popping out all year round in their natural environment!

Served directly on a dining table? (2003)

It will actually oscillate if you blow on it!

Mycelium and a mushroom reflected on a mirror…… (2013)

Actually it might be a goof idea to browse (or buy) all kinds of books on mushrooms and mushroom design at the Museum shop!

Can you see the mushrooms inside the hollow head?
“Inside Mushrooms” (2010)

Now, it is wide open to interpretation!

Mycelium in shape of a human blody! (2010)

Have you ever realized that our bodies are full of it? Actually would not be possible on earth without it!

Other works of Hajime Imamura are also featured, some with mycelium like this sofa, some without it.

Upside down life?

A squashed flat chair?

“Fridge and kettle” (2003)

Yes, this is a mobile!

And another one!

Where do those stairs lead to? (199)

To a slide of course (1998)!

incidentally the artist and a mycology (science of mycelium and mushrooms) will be hold a talk (free entrance) inside the lobby conference space (50 seats) on mushrooms and art on September 21st ((Saturday) from 14:00 to 16:00!

SHIZUOKA CITY MUSEUM of ART
静岡市美術館

420-0852 Shizuoka Cuty, Aoi Ku, Koya Machi, 17-1, Aoi Tower. 3F (across from shizuoka JR Station North Exit)
Tel.: 054-273-1515
Opening hours: 10:00~19:00 (Shop & Cafe included)
Public Exhibition Space free. Designated exhibitions fee varying.
Closed on Mondays (or on Tuesdays if Monday is a national Holidays. Also closed on friday September 13th)
HOMEPAGE (English only for the moment)

RECOMMENDED RELATED WEBSITES

Must-see tasting websites:

Non gastronomy must-see sites by Shizuoka Residents

HIGHOCTANE/HAIOKU by Nick Itoh in Shizuoka City

Culture, 静岡市, 観光, 農業, Japan, Japanese Gastronomy, Shizuoka, Shizuoka agricultural products, Shizuoka City, Shizuoka Cuisine, Tourism

Japanese Culture & History: Oomura Family House and tea Fields in Shizuoka City!

August 29, 2013 dragonlife 5 Comments

if you know where to look or if you keep your ears (and other senses) open, there will always be a time for a new discovery in Japan. The deeper in the country you venture the better chance to discover true history in the guise of a farmhouse for example!

Oumura Family House is located up the Abe River in Shizuoka City perched high above the water by its own green tea fields.
It has been an official Shizuoka Prefecture designated (and protected) cultural asset for ages.
But the House and the (restored) farm and its original tea fields have been there since Edo Era, that is more than 150 years!

Green tea has been grown there for even longer, for hundred of years!

It is heaven for photographers as pictures are possible from an infinite number of angles, be they at ground level or from above!

All the walls and roofs have been preserved or restored all the time to reveal the grand house of a rich farming family of yore!

Traditional Japanese carp pond! At such an altitude, it is a wonder!

Under the thatched roof eaves…
We cannot visit the inside but from I could judge from outside it was full of antiques!

This wall was built in the Edo Era manner. How old could it be?

But now this is a very old and authentic wall of the Edo Era. i was told it was more than 200 years old!
Pity we couldn’t visit the place as the family still lives inside and grows green tea!

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HIGHOCTANE/HAIOKU by Nick Itoh in Shizuoka City

美食, Drinks, 酒, 観光, 農業, Fujieda City, Gastronomes, Gastronomy, Japan, Japanese Gastronomy, Mirin, Sake Brewery, Shizuoka, Shizuoka agricultural products, Tourism, 味醂

Shizuoka Mirin Tasting: Sugii Brewery-Atsukayama

August 28, 2013 dragonlife 2 Comments

This is the very first time I felt compelled to write a tasting report on a mirin (cooking sweet sake)!
But Atsukayama brewed by Sugii Brewery in Fujieda City has nothing in common with even the best mirin used in Japanese cooking!
I recently used it for making umeshu with plenty of it and shochu distilled by the same brewery, with the diffrence I didn’t have to use any sugar!
Mind you, it is pretty famous all over the country and not easy to obtain but I can assure you this is a must if you want to enjoy a sweet drink away from the beaten tracks at your next repast!

Atsukayama
Junmai Hon Mirin (true mirin made with junmai sake!)
Alcohol: 14~15 degrees
Essence: 44%
Bottled in July 2013

Clarity: Very clear
Color: Rich golden
Aroma: Strong and assertive. Fruity. Oranges, loquats, almonds, honey.
Body: Fluid, slightly sirupy
Taste: Very sweet attack backed up with junmai petillant.
Complex and fruity. Apricots, plums, nuts, honey.
Disappears more quickly than expected on a surprisingly drier note with hints of nuts and almonds.
Especially enjoyable at all temperatures.
For all its sweetness drinks more like a mellow sweet sake or a liquorish white wine with such an incredible complexity.

Overall: A mirin for cooking? That would be extremely extravagant unless you use it on its own to accentuate a dish.
A rare “dish ingredient” that should be ignored as such and drunk on its own at a temperature of your liking as an aperitif, a digestif or as a night cap.
Chilled, it reveals itself as a superb nectar. Would do marvelously well in cocktails, too.
You must sample it with blue cheese!

More than a discovery, a blessing!

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Non gastronomy must-see sites by Shizuoka Residents

HIGHOCTANE/HAIOKU by Nick Itoh in Shizuoka City

レシピ, Buckwheat, 美食, 野菜, 静岡市, 観光, 農業, Food, French Cuisine, French gastronomy, French Restaurant, Galettes, Gastronomes, Gastronomy, Japan, Japanese Gastronomy, Shizuoka, Shizuoka agricultural products, Shizuoka City, Shizuoka Cuisine, Tourism

French Gastronomy: Galettes (Buckwheat Pancakes) at Henry Galette in Shizuoka City!

August 28, 2013 dragonlife 2 Comments

Service: Kind and easy-going
Facilities: very clean overall. Clean washroom (shared with anothet shop)
Prices: Reasonable
Strong points True French-style galettes and crepes! Cidre available. Local vegetables used.

A small restaurant-cafe as recently opened in Takajo, Shizuoka City, in what used to be a small boutique. Although it is open solely for lunch and cafe time until 18:00 (after that it becomes a record shop!), it is always full at lunch 7 days a week.

See the records above the kitchen window?

Although French galettes made with buckwheat flour originate from Western France in Bretagne, the atmosphere is reminiscent of that in small cafes in Paris of Southern France.

The cafe offers a set lunch with a galette (recipe changing every week) with salad, dessert and one drink for 1,200 yen which is good enough value by Japanese standards.

One can also order 3 diefferent tyoes of galettes and 3 different types of sweet crepes made with wheat flour for 1.100 yen or at 1.200 yen as a set!
This means you will have at least 5 more reasons to come again!

French Bretagne Cidre is also available!

Bolee d’Armorique. At only 2 % of alcohol can be enjoyed at lunch time!

On that particular day I ordered the lunch ste of the week!

Bear in mind this slow food and all galettes are made from scratch after order!
Also bear in mind that they make for a copious enough lunch!

The vegetables are seasonal and locally grown.

But the egg is more a specialty of the cafe than that of a French galette restaurant as it comes deliciously soft and running under the knife. And the seasoning is certainly more elegant! Mind you, all the staff are young ladies which explains the extra care for details!

A small but crispy and delicious salad!

And a cute dessert of the right size!

This what I had two weeks later from the same menu!

That time it included stir-fried chicken!
Yummy, fulfilling and so healthy!

See you there next time for dessert!

HENRY GALETTE
470-0858 Shizuoka City, Aoi Ku, Takajo, 1-12-1, Aobaen Bidg., 1F
Tel.: 054-260-6116
Opening hours: 11:00~18:00
Entirely non-smoking!

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HIGHOCTANE/HAIOKU by Nick Itoh in Shizuoka City

Beer, Beer Brewery, 美食, 酒, 観光, 農業, Gastronomes, Gastronomy, Gotemba City, Japan, Japanese Gastronomy, Shizuoka, Shizuoka agricultural products, Shizuoka Beer, Shizuoka Cuisine, Tourism

Shizuoka Beer Tasting: Gotemba Koogen Brewery-Tamori Cup Beer

August 27, 2013 dragonlife Leave a comment

“Tamori Cup Beer” is a limited/private label to commemorate a famous Yacht Race called Tamori (famous Japanese Comediann/TV MC) Cup by Gotenba Kogen Beer Co Ltd. (actually the brewery itself owned by Yonekyu Company is located in another location in Gotenba City).

Gotemba Koogen Brewery is located at the foot of Mount Fuji!

Product name: Tamori Cup Beer
Unfiltered, unpasteurized.
Ingredients: barley and wheat malt, hops, yeast
Volume: 330 ml
Alcohol: 5.5%

Clarity: Very clear
Color: Deep apricot orange
Foam: Thin longish head. Fine bubbles
Aroma: Dry and fruity, assertive, sharpish. Bread, oranges.
Taste: Deep ale-like attack. Refreshing.
Bread, oranges.
Lingers for a while before disappearing on a slightly nutty dry note.

Overall: Very refreshing but deeper than a thirst-quenching low alcohol beer.
Its ale-like approach makes it both fit to drink on its own or with food any time of the year.
Although quite japanese in approach, should please European tasting buds

Gotenba Kogen Beer Co., Ltd.
719, Koyama, Gotemba-shi, Shizuoka-ken, 412-0033
Tel 0550-87-5500
Homepage (English/also exists in Japanese)

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HIGHOCTANE/HAIOKU by Nick Itoh in Shizuoka City

レシピ, 美食, 野菜, 観光, 農業, French Cuisine, French gastronomy, Italian Cuisine, Italian Restaurants, Japan, Japanese Gastronomy, Recipes, Restaurants, Shizuoka City, Tourism

Asparagus Gastronomy in Shizuoka City!

August 27, 2013 dragonlife Leave a comment

French white asparaguses with Italian Summer Truffles at Solio!

Asparaguses have been a favorite at Japanese, French and Italian Restaurants in Japan and Shizuoka for such a long time that we tend to forget that they came late in this country in spite of Japan being the 3rd largest importer of the vegetable after the United States and the European Union. They were first used as ornamental plants in the 1800’s. The first cannery appeared in Hokkaido in 1920. The Japanese developed a taste for green asparagus and consumption of the latter exceeded tahat of white asparaguses in 1978. Now, Japan produces a lot of its own white and green asparaguses to the tune of 24,000 tons in 1998!
Restaurants in Shizuoka City have the choice to use green or white asparaguses grown locally or white asparaguses imported mainly from France and Italy in spite of China being the biggest exporter in the world.

Here a only a few examples of what to expect in Shizuoka City alone! If I find more I7ll make sure to add them to this article!

TETSUYA SUGIMOTO (French Restaurant)

I was served these white asparaguses from Hokkaido as an appetizer by Chef Tetsuya Sugimoto/杉本哲也さん in his typically artistic but so simple-looking manner!

Boiled to perfection and served with a light sauce made with Shizuoka-bred pheasant bouillon and Japanese (yes, you read it well!) fermented butter!

SOLIO (Italian Restaurant)

French white asparaguses with Italian Summer Truffles at Solio!
Note the very generous amount of finely shaved Italian Summer Truffles offered by Chef Takehiko Katoh/加藤武彦!

A beautifully-prepared half poached egg with a very soft white and a yolk just past running point!
Mixing your asparaguses, truffles and egg is just such little sin!

PISSENLIT (French Restaurant)

This was part of a fish dish that Chef Toru Arima/有馬亨さん concocted with vegetables represented by green asparaguses served topped with Hollandaise sauce!

The whole dish!

White asparagus with scallops!

Seasoned with local grated karasumi/Boutargue/Botarga/mullet eggs!

With a simple butter sauce liaising the juices of the asparagus and scallops!

Still looking for more as promised!

Tetsuya SUGIMOTO
420-0038 Shizuoka City, Aoi Ku, Umeya, 2-13, 1F
Tel./Fax: 054-251-3051
Opening hours：11:30~14:30, 17:30~21:30
Holidays: undecided (do make a call first!)
Credit cards OK
HOMEPAGE (Japanese)
Entirely non-smoking!

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
Entirely non-smoking!

SOLOIO
420-0858 Shizuoka City, Aoi Ku, Tenmacho, 9-7, Kita, 1
Tel./fax: 054-260-4637
Business hours: 16:00~24:00
Closed on Monday
Credit cards OK
Private parties welcome!
Happy hour: 16:00~17:00: 1,000 yen set-3 appetizers plate and 1 glass of house wine!
Smoking allowed BUT Non-smoking until 20:00 everyday!

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