Nagano Prefecture

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Nagano



Nagano Prefecture (長野県, Nagano-ken) is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of the island of Honshū. The capital is the city of Nagano.
Nagano was formerly known as the province of Shinano.

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Lake Suwa, Suwako 諏訪湖
It ranks 24th in Japan in surface area.

Temple Zenkoji
WKD : Temple Zenkoji Gokaicho 善光寺


Rokuben, Bento for a kabuki performance
ろくべん, 大鹿歌舞伎 Nagano、Oshika mura 大鹿村


growing area of daikon radish for takuan pickles.


Matsumoto Castle (松本城 ,Matsumoto-jō)
also known as Fukashi Castle, is a flatland castle and one of Japan's historic castles. Located in the city of Matsumoto, in Nagano Prefecture.
This castle is also called "Crow Castle" because of its black walls and spreading wings. It is an example of a flatland castle, not being built on a hilltop or amid rivers.
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Its moat is about 60 meters wide, just enough to protect the buildings from the bullets of guns, that had just been introduced to Japan.
The outside walls are painted with laquer to protect it from catching fire easily and craftsmen in many generations are doing the painting for three months every year, hanging from safety ropes high up on the castle walls.
During the peaceful Edo period, a "Tower to watch the moonshine" tsukimi yagura 月見櫓 was also build. It has a beautiful red railing painted in red laquer to protect it from the elements.
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Kaida kogen (Kaida koogen 開田高原)
Kaida Highlands
at the foot of Mount Ontake 御岳
They grow a lot of buckwheat and when cut, hang it on the fields in a special manner that looks like a person standing up (sobadate 蕎麦立て. そば立て)

Once the army of the enemy was fooled by the vision and thought hundreds of soldiers were waiting for them ... and retreated without a fight.


sunki-zuke, sunkizuke スンキ漬 / スンキ漬け fermented red turnip stems and leaves
akakabu no kuki. (zunki, tsunki)
from Kiso, South-West Nagano
The name comes from "sour stems" suppai kuki ... sunki.
Since there was no salt in the old days, the fermentation of vegetables to keep for winter was introduced with the juice of wild grapes (yamabudoo). 　Each housewife had her own taste, keeping about 8 bunches of the turnips to put them in the bucket for the next year to ferment into lactobacteria Milchsaurebakterien. The fermentation provided the vitamies for winter.
Before pickling, the small bit of turnip with the leaves is blanched in hot water for about 8 seconds to kill the bacteria. When fermenting over night, it needs a special temperature provided by the cold wind of the area in winter.
Grandmothers make as much as they can do themselves, from growing the turnips to harvesting and pickling. They give away much to their children and grandchildren, but there are fewer families now to make them.
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These pickles are put over a dish of freshly made buckwheat noodles
sunki toojisoba スンキとうじ蕎麦
or fried with tofu. Even sunki on pizza is now tried by the local farmwifes, who have founded a group to "Study the use of sunki".
The red turnips are put in the ground right in the fields, covered with earth and dug out in small portions to be eaten in winter by the farmers. They also pickle them now with salt as normal tsukemono, when the turnips take on the red-purple color from the outside.


In the Kaida area the old type of the real KISO UMA 木曾馬, horses from the Kiso area, are now kept again and villagers are trying to increase their number.

Farmers used to live with the horses under one roof and feed them dry grass in the wintertime. The area now still has more than 1000 stone markers to pray for the safety of the horses to Bato Kannon (Batoo Kannon　馬頭観音), Kannon in an incarnation with horse heads above her head.
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Nagano regional dishes　長野郷土料理





basashi 馬刺し raw horse meat
Horse meat, baniku (ばにく/ 馬肉) basashi, sakuranabe
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gohei mochi, goheimochi 五平餅 grilled rice dumplings
Made from rice flour. Grilled with a sauce of miso and walnuts (kurumi).
Also made in Eastern Gifu.
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Gohei mochi offering for
. Yamanokami in Toyama 富山県 .

Gohei mochi offering for
Yama no Kami 山の神 Deity of the Mountains in Gifu
. Sake 酒 rice wine for regional rituals .

. Guhin mochi 狗賓餅 rice cakes for the Guhin Tengu Yokai .
Guhin mochi were later called Gohei mochi 五平餅.

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koi ryoori 鯉料理 carp dishes
koi koku, koi-koku 鯉こく carp dish
carp is cut in rings and pickled in Shinshu miso paste. Then simmered for a long time in miso paste. A kind of carp soup.
The town of Saku is famous for carp cultivation, more than 300 years, with clear water ponds. The water in the Shinshu area is quite cold and carp are strong.
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koi no arai 鯉のあらい carp innards
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kurumi ohagi, kurumi o-hagi くるみおはぎ
dumplings with walnut paste
A sauce is made from fried walnuts in soysauce and sugar.
The town of Tomi 東御市 is known for its production of walnuts.
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Walnuts have been introduced to the area from America. Before that, there were two sorts of wild Japanese varieties with much smaller, harder nuts.
Kurumi 胡桃Walnut, KIGO



inekoki-na 稲核菜
Leaves of the trunip in the Inekoki area
Rübenblätter aus der Region Inekoki.



Jibachi senbei 地蜂煎餅, 地蜂せんべいWasp rice crackers



mannen-zushi 万年ずし "10000 Sushi"
From the area of Ootaki Village
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nira senbei ニラせんべい crackers with Chinese leek
Nira can be used fresh from spring to autumn. All families prepare this kind, which is rather an omelette flavored with soy sauce and sugar.
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Nozawana-zuke 野沢菜漬 nozawanazuke
pickled green leafy vegetable
Vegetable from Nozawa hot spring, Nagano.



oshibori udon おしぼりうどん "udon noodles in wrought-out sauce"
from Hanishina-gun 埴科郡坂城町
made with a rather pungent radish, "rat radish" nezumi daikon ねずみ大根, which is grated and the juice mixed with Shinshu Miso paste. The noodles are dipped in the sauce.
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oyaki, o-yaki おやき , お焼き, 御焼（き）
grilled dumplings with vegetables
eaten everywhere in Nagano, especially during the O-Bon ancestor festival.
Their place of origin is said to be the Azumino area 安曇野（あづみの）.
Known since the Muromachi period, sometimes seen as a rural kind of simple manjuu.
Mountain vegetables (sansai) and seasonal vegetables are fried with soy sauce and miso paste. Sweet bean paste is also added. The mixture is wrapped in dough and can be grilled or steamed for eating. Best when roasted on an iron pan at the irori open hearth in the farmhouse.
The dough is usually made with wheat flour, but sometimes buckwheat flour or even millet flour and sometimes rice flour is used.
It keeps the hunger off for a long time and is eaten as oyatsu in the afternoon or a snack in the evening. They can also be eaten cold.
Other fillings are apple, potatoes with maize corn, cheese with pumpkin or adzuki beans only.
Hijiki (braune Meeralgen), kinpira, mixed vegetables or pumpkin and eggplants only.
Dried radish (kiriboshi daikon), nozawana leafy vegetables, shimeji mushrooms and vegetables,
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also
joomon o-yaki 縄文おやき　 from Ogawa Village　小川村
They are good for your health, they contain a big bowl of healthy vegetables and are low in calories.
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In the areas with heavy snow in winter, there is no wheat harvest and rice flour is used. These dumplings are called anbo あんぼ.
mit Gemüse gefüllte Reisküchlein
(konchin is a type of o-yaki in Tosa).

o-yaki is an old word from the imperial court kitchen (女房詞（にょうぼうことば）, meaning yakimochi.
In Yamanashi prefecture the snack of a farmhouse is made as a yakidango 焼き団子, grilled ball, but also called o-yaki.
They can be grilled by putting them into the ashes of the open hearth fire and are eaten hot with sugar and some soy sauce.


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roomen ローメン noodle dish
(almost like ramen)
with tomatoes and other fried vegetables and Chinese soba noodles.
Often mutton or lamb meat is added.
from the Ina region 長野県伊那地方
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sasadango 笹団子 (ささだんご) dumplings on sasa leaves


sasa sushi, sasa-zushi 笹寿司 Sushi served on sasa leaves
wrapped in sasa leaves. A kind of oshizushi.
Sasa japonica. bamboo grass
During the battles at Kawanakajima, there were no vessels to serve the food in. So the soldiers took these leaves, which are abundant, and placed their food on them.
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Kawanakajima no tatakai 川中島の戦い
were fought in the Sengoku Period of Japan between Takeda Shingen of Kai Province and Uesugi Kenshin of Echigo Province in the plain of Kawanakajima, in the north of Shinano Province. The location is in the southern part of the present-day city of Nagano.
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sekihan 赤飯 "red rice"
cooked with sweet beans amanatto and the sweet juice of the beans
roter Reis mit suessen Feuerbohnen
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sekihan manjuu, sekihan manju 赤飯饅頭 manju with red rice inside
from Iida town, 飯田市
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Shinshuu miso　信州味噌　miso paste
Shinshuu-miso, Miso aus der Gegend Shinshuu, Nagano
Eine weiße Miso mit bis zu 18 Prozent Salzgehalt. Sie braucht nur drei bis vier Monate zur Fermentierung. Sie hat einen leicht säuerlichen, sehr aromatischen Geschmack.


Shinshuu saamon 信州サーモン "salmon from Shinshu"
This is a cross-breed of rainbow trout and brown trout. It is a sweetwater lake trout fish.
Its taste is superb and very good for sushi and sashimi.
Its meat is finer than rainbow trout, but invitingly red.
The fish does not lay eggs and thus keeps all its energy for good taste. It is hoped to revive the local food industry with this fish.
From 長野県水産試験場
Nagano Prefectural fisheries experimental station.
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Shinshuu soba 信州蕎麦, soba buckwheat noodles
from Shinshu, Nagano
Buckwheat grows well in the cold mountains of Nagano. Best in Togakushi and Norikura 戸隠、乗鞍.


乗鞍のかなた春星かぎりなし
. Norikura no kanata haruboshi kagirinashi .

Maeda Fura 前田普羅

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shio 塩 SALT

shioika, shio-ika 塩イカ salted squid
The squid is salted for 16 hours, then drained for 3 hours in clear water. It is prepared with vinegar into a su no mono dish.　酢の物
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This way of eating is only found in Nagano prefecture.

Squid was transported along the old "salt road" 塩の道 shio no michi along Itoikawa to Nagano.
squid is also simmered, niika, ni-ika 煮イカ
cut in rings and eaten with soysauce as a kind of sashimi in Nagano.

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. shio no michi 塩の道 the salt roads of Japan .
- Shio no michi Chojiya 塩の道ちょうじや Salt Road Museum, Nagano





一里塚過ぎ日盛の塩の道 　
ichirizuka sugi himori no shio no michi

past the milestone mound
the sun is high up in the sky
of the salt road

佐々木小夜 Sasaki Sayo

. ichirizuka 一里塚 milestone mound .

- Shio ... Salt 　塩 and WASHOKU

Salzstrasse, Salzstraße

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soba with yamabokuchi やまぼくち (山火口)
Menrui ... all kinds of noodles 麺類


taguri, o-taguri おたぐり speciality of horse innards.


takenoko jiru 竹の子汁 miso soup with bamboo shoots
and tinned fish, saba can タケノコ汁」にサバ缶
The special thin bamboo is only harvested about two months in early summer. And one or two tins of saba fish are added.
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wakasagi 諏訪湖ワカサギ pond smelt
from Lake Suwako. They are best in early spring, when they come to lay eggs.
They are also fished in winter through holes in the ice.
Hypomesus transpacificus nipponensis
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. WASHOKU
yamashio, yamajio 山塩 "salt from the mountains"
from Oshika mura in Nagano 大鹿村



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Worldwide use

Goheimochi
Diese traditionellen Reisküchlein sind in vielen Berggegenden in Nagano ein beliebter Snack am Nachmittag. Währnd der Edo-Zeit, als Reis in diesen Bergregionen noch etwas besonderes war, wurden sie nur zu Festlichkeiten zubereitet.
Kleine runde Klöße aus gekochtem und kleingestampftem Reis werden auf einen Spieß gesteckt oder für einen länglichen Kloß wird der gestampfte Reis einfach um einen Spieß aus Bambus oder Zedernholz gedrückt. Die längliche Form erinnert an einen Schlitten oder ein altes Goldstück (koban). Diese Reisklöße werden am Herdfeuer kurz angebraten.

Für die Sauce wird nach Familientradition eine Sojasauce mit Miso-Paste, Walnüssen und Sesam angerührt und über die Klöße gestrichen. In der Gegend von Kiso wird die Sojasauce mit kleingehackten grünen Perillablättern und Zucker zubereitet. Neuerdings wird sogar Erdnussbutter untergemischt, manchmal auch noch Eier, Honig oder Bienenlarven.
Der Name leitet sich ab von einem Ritualgegenstand des Shintooismus, einem Szepter mit geweihten weißen gefalteten Papierstreifen (gohei 御幣), denn die Form ähnelt diesem Gohei-Stab.
Die Stadt Tomi in Nagano ist eine der bekanntesten für den Anbau von Walnüssen in Japan.

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Things found on the way


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HAIKU

曲げておる婆の背中や　スンキ付け
magete oru baba no senaka ya sunkizuke

the bend back
of the old farmers wife -
pickled sunki

Gabi Greve, December 2008

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Related words

Menrui ... all kinds of noodles 麺類


***** WASHOKU : Regional Japanese Dishes

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- #nagano #shionomichi #saltroad -
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Nanohana na no hana CHIBA

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Rape blossoms (nanohana, na no hana)

***** Location: Japan
***** Season: Late Spring
***** Category: Humanity

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Explanation


Chiba prefecture is famous for its many rapeseed fields and the yellow coloring in early spring. Sometimes called mustard flowers.

Nahana zuke, rape flower pickles
花菜漬 (はななづけ)
na no hana zuke 菜の花漬（なのはなづけ）

picking rape flowers, hana natsumi 花菜摘（はななつみ）

SPRING : Pickles


KIGO : Rapeseed blossoms (na no hana) Japan



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Here are some more dishes with these flowers :

Asari あさりと菜の花のガーリック炒め asari clams and garlic

Gyuuniku 牛肉と菜の花の炒め物 fried beef

Ika no karashi ae 菜の花といかの辛子あえ squid and hot dressing

Ika no kakiage 菜の花といかのかき揚げ fried squid

Itame 菜の花のあっさり炒め fried with rice

Karashi shooyu ae 菜の花の辛子じょうゆあえ hot dressing

Pasuta 菜の花とはまぐりの和風パスタ spagetti with hamaguri clams

Penne 菜の花の和風クリームペンネ European-style penne noodles

Sarada 菜の花とパプリカ、ひよこ豆のサラダ salad with paprika and hiyoko beans

Sarada 菜の花と生ハムのサラダ salad with raw ham

Shiroae, shiro ae 菜の花のやわらか白和え soft tofu dressing

Suimono 菜の花のお吸い物 clear broth

Sushi えびと菜の花の香り寿司 shrimps sushi

Tamago itame 菜の花と卵の炒め物 scrambled eggs

Takikomi gohan 菜の花とはまぐりの炊き込みご飯 cooked with rice and hamaguri clams

Tomato トマトクリームパスタ tomato spagetti

source with recipes: kikkoman



Nanohana tempura


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Worldwide use

Rapsblüte, Rapsblüten

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Things found on the way


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HAIKU

かるた程門のなの花咲にけり
karuta hodo kado no na no hana saki ni keri

like playing cards
are these rapeseed blossoms
by the gate

Kobayashi Issa




菜の花は、食べるものだと心得よ
nanohana wa taberu mono da to kokoroe yo

rapeseed flowers
are something to eat -
and don't you forget that !

source : korokuma29


. Karuta, Uta Karuta 歌留多 Poetry Cards .
They are often used during the New Year holidays.

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上ミ京の花菜漬屋に嫁入りし　
Kamigyoo no hananazukeya ni yomeiri shi


getting married
to a rapeseed pickles store owner
in Upper Kyoto

Takahama Kyoshi 高浜虚子



多い目に御飯を炊いて花菜漬　
ooime ni gohan o taite nahana zuke

cooking more rice
than usual ...
mustard blossom pickles
　　　　　　　　
Inahata Teiko 稲畑汀子


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Related words

***** Rapeseed blossoms (na no hana) Japan


***** WASHOKU : Regional Japanese Dishes

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Niigata Echigo

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Niigata prefecture



Niigata Prefecture (新潟県, Niigata-ken) is a prefecture of Japan located on Honshū island on the coast of the Sea of Japan. The capital is the city of Niigata. The name Niigata literally means "New Lagoon".
Niigata prefecture was originally divided into Echigo Province and Sado Province until the Meiji Restoration. During the Sengoku period it was ruled by Uesugi Kenshin.

The major industry in Niigata is agriculture. Rice is the principal product, with Niigata ranking 2nd (after Hokkaidō) among the prefectures for total rice output. The area around Uonuma is especially known for its Koshihikari variety of rice, which is widely thought of as the highest quality rice in Japan.

Rice-related industries are also very important to the local economy. Niigata prefecture is known throughout Japan for its quality sake, senbei, mochi, and arare. In sake production, Niigata is third in the country after Gunma and Kyoto prefectures.

The prefecture is famous as the original home of the ornamental carp known as koi, and the best-quality koi are still considered to come from the farms of Niigata.


Niigata is known for the following regional specialities:

Uonuma koshihikari rice: considered the best quality rice in Japan.
Shoyu (soy-sauce) and Yofu (western-style) katsudon.
Shoyu sekihan.
Sasa-dango, sasadango (mochi balls filled with red bean paste, seasoned with mugwort and wrapped in bamboo leaves).
Po-po-yaki (steamed bread flavored with brown sugar).
"Tsubame-Sanjo ramen" (ramen made using thick udon-style noodles).
Kirazu (dishes using okara).
Kakinomoto (edible chrysanthemums).

Kanzuri (a special seasoning from Myōkō (Myookoo, Myoko) made by leaving chili pepper exposed on snow, then adding flour, salt and yuzu).
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Tenchijin (天地人)
is the 48th NHK Taiga drama for 2009! NHK大河ドラマ
The life of Naoe Kanetsugu　
直江兼続（なおえ かねつぐ 1560 - 1619）
Kanetsugu in Yamagata


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Niigata Dishes 新潟郷土料理


abura-age 油あげ deepfried tofu pouches
Tochio aburage あぶらげ (aburaage is called "aburage" in Tochio　栃尾), where there is even an "aburage matsuri" festival あぶらげまつり.
They are made with 100 % Niigaga soybeans. With leek and ginger, they are a delicacy.
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anbo あんぼ balls from rice and vegetables
rice flour and finely chopped vegetables of the season, sansai and soy beans are kneaded with them. A food for the cold winter morning breakfast.
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Ambo


ayu no ishiyaki 鮎の石焼 ayu fish fried on hot stones
You collect stones by the riverside and heat them up for 2 hours. Thes the innards of the fish and miso paste are fried on the stone. It is just a little bitter in taste.


boodara no nitsuke ぼうだらの煮付け simmered dried cod
boodara 棒鱈 "stick tara" is tara cut in three pieces and dried.
It is simmered with sugar and soy sauce for half a day to get the bones soft.
boodara is a kigo for spring.
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Stockfisch
tara たら【鱈】codfish, haddock


botamochi ぼたもち rice cakes covered with sween bean paste
... see mochi


dengaku 田楽 food on skewers, with misopaste
Dengaku dance and food with amazing details
Usually firm tofu and eggplants on skewers, grilled with miso paste. Also satoimo potatoes, fish and other vegetables are grilled like this.




donbikoni, donbiko-ni, どんびこ煮 donbiko-ni cooked heart of salmon
speciality of Murakami area.
Cooked in sweet sauce. Precious food since there is only one heart in each fish caught.
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egoneri (igoneri) えごねり（イゴネリ）seaweed
The seaweed "egogusa エゴ草" from the wild sea of the Nihonkai is full of minerals.
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. The Azumi clan 安曇族　 and ego /igo dishes .


Fucha ryori, fucha ryoori 普茶料理 Chinese monk quisine


gajini がじに cooked innards of salmon
from Murakami area. Cooked in a hodgepodge with vegetables and spicy sauce.


gibasani, gibasa-ni ぎばさ煮 boiled gibasa seaweed
also called akamoku あかもく or nagamo ナガモ "long seaweed"
It grows in shallow sea water and grows to seven meters long.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !


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hegisoba, hegi soba へぎそば buckwheat noodles
from Ochiya town 小千谷そば
Buckwheat flour is mixed with the seaweed funori 布海苔（ふのり）, hitting the dough in a special way. (nori 糊 glue). The noodles are quite firm.
hegi 片木 is a thin wooden board hegi ita 剥板, that was used like a shingle for a roof.
They are served in small portions arranged like shingles, "swinging the hand once" 一手振り.
They are almost like zarusoba.



hime takenoko 姫たけのこ / 姫竹の子 small thin bamboo shoots
They are put in miso soup or boiled as a sidedish.
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ibushi daikon いぶし大根 smoked radish
small radishes are smoked for about one week. Then it is cut and pickled in rice bran miso
(iburi gakko is from Akita)


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kachidokimeshi （かちどき飯）"rice to win the battle"
This was given to the warriours before sending them to battle, to encourage them, by their lord, Uesugi Kenshin 謙信公.
It includes kezurimono in auspicious five colors けずりもの, sengoku war sashimi 戦国さしみ, aburiyaki grilled meat 炙り焼き, nuka misoni boiled in miso 糠味噌煮, kurumi hitashi walnuts 胡桃浸し, kuromai black rice (brown rice) 黒米（玄米), atsumejiru soup 集め汁 koo no mono pickles 香の物, mizugashi mixed fruit 水菓子.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !



kaguramiso, kagura nanban miso 神楽南蛮味噌
kagurananban (kagura namban) is a kind of bell pepper. It has its name because it is full of bulbs like the mask for a kagura dance. In the village 新潟県中頚城郡中郷村 it is called buta koshoo, ぶたこしょう pepper for pigs.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !


kanzuri かんずり chili paste
fermented chili paste with yuzu citron and salt, kept in the snow and matured for 3 years. Sauce for nabemono
from the high areas of Echigo
. . . CLICK here for Photos !


kensayaki, kensa-yaki けんさ焼き "rice grilled on a sword tip"
When Uesugi Kenshin fought his many wars around 1550, he had his soldiers put onigiri on the top of the sword and grill them slightly before eating. It was his way to show resprct to the rice-growing farmers of his province.
Now it is eaten for the New Year and harvest festivals.
A bit of miso paste can be put on the grilled rice.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !



kiku no hana no sunomono 菊の花の酢の物
vinegared chrysanthemum flowers
Speciality of Niigata and other areas of Tohoku in Northern Japan. Eaten in autumn.


kinpira キンピラ simmered root vegetables
Kinpira (Japanese: 金平) is a Japanese cooking style that can be summarised as a technique of "sauté and simmer". It is commonly used to cook root vegetables such as carrot, burdock and lotus root, seaweeds such as arame and hijiki and other foods including tofu and namafu (生麸) (wheat gluten).
The dish features the use of soy sauce and mirin, as well as often slivered chili peppers.
©　More in the WIKIPEDIA !

In Niigata, kinpira is put into rice flour dumplings, kinpira dango キンピラ団子, (considered a sweet or oyatsu for the three o'clock snack)
. . . CLICK here for Photos !

kinpira soba キンピラ蕎麦 where the kinpira is put into the dipping sauce and then eaten with the buckwheat noodles.



kiriai きりあい daikon pickled in miso
daikon radish boiled, cut very small and mixed with miso. Some yuzu citron, black sesame and sugar is added. It can be put on rice just like this.
shiso-iri kiriai しそ入りきりあい with perilla leaves
from Iwaya Onsen 岩室温泉
Iwa is a postal town at the "Northern Route" hokkoku kaidoo 北国街道.
another speciality of Iwaya is
suika misozuke すいか味噌漬 watermelon pickled in miso
Iwaya onsen manjuu 岩室温泉饅頭
Iwaya senbei 岩室せんべい
. . . CLICK here for Photos of the hot spring!



koshihikari コシヒカリthe most famous brand of rice
Rice, kome, types of rice

koshihikari matsuril コシヒカリまつり
rice festival
. . . CLICK here for Photos !

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Kubiki no oshizushi くびきの押し寿司 station lunch
from Naoetsu Station 直江津駅 and JR越後湯沢駅
ekiben from Kubiki area 頸城地方（くびきちほう）
Three different flavors in three layers. With local koshihikari rice.
CLICK here for PHOTOS !



miruku yookan ミルクようかん milk desert
made from milk, sugar and kanten jelly. It comes in a container like yoghurt. Taken out it looks like a white piece of tofu. Cut into pieces, eaten with fruit.




mojio 藻塩 salt with seaweed
from Sado Island 佐渡
Salt of Japan



nasu no abura itame なすの油炒め fried eggplant
There are many different types of eggplants in Niigata. round eggplants 丸なす, long eggplants 長なす, eggplants "like brushes" 鉛筆なす、and 十全なす、水なす、漬けなす、巾着なす ...
Most of them are also prepared for tsukemono pickles.


nina 煮菜 "simmered leaves"
from leafy vegetables like Nozawana 野沢菜 and taina タイ菜
Simmered with beans and abura-age tofu pouches.
..... ni namasu 煮なます simmered daikon
grated daikon radish with crushed beand simmered with sugar and vinegar.


nodoguro のどぐろ / のど黒 "black neck" fish
expensive fatty white fish
CLICK here for PHOTOS !


noppejiru のっぺ汁 Vegetable broth with mixed ingredients
noppe stew, Noppe-Eintopf


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okoshigata おこし型 colored sweet dumplings
Sado beanpaste cakes
filled with anko sweet bean paste. They are very colorful, pink, green and yellow. They come in various auspicious forms, flowers or animals, made to stand up on decoration shelves, for example the Doll festival, the Boy's festival or O-Bon for the ancestors.
Sado Island
. . . CLICK here for Photos 佐渡のおこし型 !



okowadango おこわだんご balls
with okowa rice outside and sween anko inside
from Washima village 和島村


sankaku chimaki 三角ちまき rice wrapped in triangular form
prepared by lokal farmewifes for the husband to take to the field work.
Now it is mostly eaten as a sweet snack with kinako soybean flower.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !


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sasadango 笹団子 (ささだんご) dumplings


sasazushi 笹寿司 Sushi served on sasa leaves
Sasa japonica. During the battles at Kawanakajima, there were no vessels to serve the food in. So the soldiers took these leaves, which are abundant, and placed their food on them.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !

Kawanakajima no tatakai 川中島の戦い
were fought in the Sengoku Period of Japan between Takeda Shingen of Kai Province and Uesugi Kenshin of Echigo Province in the plain of Kawanakajima, in the north of Shinano Province. The location is in the southern part of the present-day city of Nagano.
©　More in the WIKIPEDIA !


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Shagiri manjuu しゃぎり 饅頭 Murakami village



shake no sakebitashi 鮭の酒びたし salmon in rice wine
from the Murakami area 村上地方
Salmon pieces dried hard in the cold wind of the Sea of Japan were defrozen by putting them in a bit of hot rice wine and mirin.
salmon pickled in Japanese wine, marinated in Sake
. . . CLICK here for Photos !



shinsetsujiru miyuki jiru 深雪汁 "deep snow soup"
soup made of rabbit meat ウサギ肉. With pieces of radish, carrots, satoimo potatoes, shimeji mushrooms, konnyaku and burdock, it is full of nurishment on a cold winter day.



suketo no okijiru スケトウの沖汁　/ スケトの沖汁
halibutt soup on the boat
prepared by fishermen on the boat. On the fishing trip to Sado island they caught sukettodara すけとうだら(介党鱈) and cut it into bite-size in a pot with miso soup or salt water.
Alaska pollack, Theragra chalcogramma
. . . CLICK here for Photos !


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Takahashi ame 高橋あめ made with millet
from Echigo, the store Takahashiya makes them in the 14th generation
桜花くびきの里 hana saku biki no sato
“粟の古代飴”awa no kodai ame, millet sweets in the old style
They were the appointed sweet makers of the Lord. 御用菓子師
高橋孫左衛門商店 Takahashi Magozaemon Ameya 高橋あめや
上越市南本町3-7-2

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tori no karaage (kara-age) 鳥のから揚げ deep fried chicken
They serve a half chicken with one wing and one leg, all covered in curry powder and then deep fried for about 10 minutes. It is quite a volumous portion.
CLICK here for PHOTOS !



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tsuttoko つっとこ New Year Food
packed in straw and hung in the cool space between the kitchen and outside.
About 14 different ingredients from the local fields are packed in a straw bag for each member of the family. A mikan was a special treat, so was a boiled egg. Home-made konnyaku was also put in the package.
Toge Shuraku, Matsudai Area 峠集落（松代エリア）(Tooge Shuuraku)
They also use wild rabbit for the zoni New Year soup in Toge.
yama-usagi ozooni 山ウサギお雑煮



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umazurahagi, umazura hagi ウマズラハギ "hagi with the face of a horse"
Thamnaconus modestus
Local people call it UMAZURA, horse face.
fish with a hard skin, which can be easily wrappef off. Eaten as Sashimi, with the liver in soysauce to dip.
CLICK here for PHOTOS !




Uonuma mochi 魚沼餅 mochi with rice from Uonuma town
Koganemochi 小金餅
This is the best rice in Japan to prepare mochi.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !



wappa-han, wappameshi ワッパ飯
cooked rice and seafood are steamed in a bamboo basket

wappa-ni, wappani わっぱ煮 boiled in a wappa basket by placing hot stones into the broth of fish and vegetables
. . . CLICK here for Photos !



yukiguni maitake 雪国まいたけ
Sheep’s Head, Hen of the Woods
Grifola frondosa
. . . CLICK here for Photos !
This is a special brand from Niigata. It even has a corporation in America to sell these mushrooms.
Maitake mushrooms KIGO
vinegar from yukiguni maitake 雪国まいたけ絞り黒酢
maitake tempura まいたけ天ぷら
Reference : fresh Kosher maitake mushrooms




zenmai abura itame ぜんまい油炒め fern fried with oil
Osmunda japonica, Taubenfarn
. . . CLICK here for Photos !
see: sansai, mountain vegetables


zooni 雑煮 New Year Soup
prepared with salmon and chicken meat and plenty of local vegetables.
Mochi are also put into the soup. They say it is the best zooni of all Japan!


zuiki no sunomono ずいきの酢の物 cooked stem from yam
from the yam potato yatsugashira 八つ頭
Zuiki from Wakayama
芋茎（ずいき） Zuiki Taro and the 随喜 Zuiki Vegetable Festival



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Worldwide use


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Things found on the way


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HAIKU


麦秋や子を負ながらいはし売
mugi aki ya ko o oi-nagara iwashiuri

ripened barley--
with a child on her back
the sardine vendor

Kobayashi Issa

In a prescript for this haiku, Issa writes,
"Feeling pity for a woman from Echigo on a business journey."
Echigo is one of the old provinces of Japan, today's Niigata Prefecture. Mugi is a generic term that refers to several grains: wheat, barley, oats, and rye. Shinji Ogawa explains that the phrase "barley's autumn" (mugi no aki) refers, in fact, to the summer season. The name derives from the fact that ripened barley "is comparable to the sight of a rice field in autumn." The grain is ready for harvest, but the baby bundled on his or her mother's back is just starting life.

Not mentioned in the haiku, but implied, are the field workers to whom the mother is selling her sardines for their lunch break. The haiku presents a scene teeming with life: the field of golden grain, the hungry harvesters, the mother, the child.
Tr. and Comment : David Lanoue

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Makoto Ueda mentions in his book,
Dew on the Grass: The Life and Poetry of Kobayashi Issa,
that there is an earlier version of this poem in Issa's Eighth Diary:

iwashi mese mese to ya naku ko oinagara

"Sardines! Sardines!"
she calls, with a baby
crying on her back


Ueda points out, however, that this "poem is deficient as a hokku since it lacks a season word. The revised version [which Issa included in The Year of My Life] corrects that deficiency, creating a sense not only of the season but of the surrounding landscape."


Larry Bole, Translating Haiku Fourm



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Related words

***** WASHOKU : Regional Japanese Dishes

. Folk Toys from Niigata .

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Noppejiru Manpukuji

[ . BACK to WORLDKIGO TOP . ]
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Vegetable stew (noppejiru)

***** Location: Niigata, Japan
***** Season: Topic
***** Category: Humanity

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Explanation

Vegetable broth with mixed ingredients, noppejiru
のっぺ汁




noppei のっぺい）「能平」 「濃餅」

The NOPPE of Niigata is not a soup, but a kind of stew or hodgepodge.
It is prepared from vegetables and dashi broth. Sometimes Kamaboko or salted salmon is added.

Often eaten on festival days, for the New Year and on funeral memorial days.


Noppejiru, the soup version, is served in many areas of Japan and prepared in this way:
Left-over stems and skins of vegetables used for other food are stir-fried in sesame oil and then made into a soup.
Other ingredients are then added according to the area, for example taro or yam, carrots, burdock, shiitake mushrooms and abura-age deep-fried bean curd. Soy sauce and salt are then added and some katakuriko starch to thicken the broth.
Sometimes chicken or fish pieces are added.

The origin is from temple food, when the cook-monks of the Obaku Zen-sect boiled vegetables and added kuzu starch for thickening, to prepare it in the way of Chinese fucha cooking
oobaku　黄檗宗


Fucha ryori, fucha ryoori, Chinese monk quisine
普茶料理
a kind of shoojn ryori, shoojin ryoori, monk quisine 精進料理.
see below.


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なお、長野県の佐久地方で明治まで割元の職を務めながら中山道を往来した大名に食事や宿を提供していた篠澤佐五右衛門家には、慶安元年（1648年）の献上料理の献立表が現存している。この文献によると小諸城主青山因幡守に篠澤佐五右衛門良重が料理を提供し、その中に「のっぺい汁」があった。記述によると、その汁は鍋仕立であり鴨肉が使われ、わさびが添えられていた。篠澤佐五右衛門家は当時から岩村田の今宿で連綿と宿を営み、今もこののっぺい汁を再現調理して提供をしている。またこの献立の文献は現在、佐久市立望月民族資料館にて公開されている。
©　More in the WIKIPEDIA !


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Another famous soup from Niigata is

banyajiru 番屋汁（ばんやじる) "soup of the guardian house"

It used to be cooked right at the harbor or beach at the guardian house (banya) of the area. Fish innards cut in small pieces, shells and mussles of the day's catch, some caggabe,leek and other available vegetables where dumped in hot water and salt or miso paste used as flavoring. It was brewed to warm the fisherman after coming back to land.

Wachthaus-Suppe

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Another speciality from Niigata

Sasadango 笹団子 (ささだんご)
Rice dumplings wrapped in sasa bamboo grass leaves

Originally a portable food during the Warring States period. Sasadango are made of mugwort-flavored glutionus rice (mochigome) and red beans, the paste is than wrapped in sasa leaves.
In former times, local families made them also during the holiday periods.


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Worldwide use


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Things found on the way

Manpukuji, where Chinese cuisine took root in Japan

Temple played key role in spread of new ingredients, cooking techniques

UJI, Kyoto (Japan)
The deep-rooted influence of Chinese culture is easily spotted in contemporary Japan, but perhaps most obviously in the nation's food culture. Manpukuji temple, founded here by a Chinese monk in the 17th century, played an essential role in the spread of Chinese cuisine across the nation.

Zen-style calligraphy and portraiture techniques introduced from China by the temple's monks and devotees were highly regarded by Japan's cultural elite at the time, but none equalled the impact of
fucha ryori　普茶料理, the Chinese-style Buddhist vegetarian cuisine. Indeed, its impact is still keenly felt today.

"The cuisine has had an unequalled effect on the development of Kansai's food culture," says Chisei Tanaka, a priest and chief researcher at the temple's Obaku Cultural Research Institute. "It brought new ingredients and combined boiling, grilling and steaming procedures."

"[After the founding of Manpukuji temple] the nation experienced a major boom in fucha ryori--much more exuberant than what you see for French or Italian food now," Tanaka says.

Fucha ryori cuisine was also credited with popularizing techniques in deep-frying and stir-frying, which used large amounts of oil, then a luxury item. Its innovative style of dining using tables and Chinese tableware with an elaborate presentation was popular among the general public and feudal lords alike.

Manpukuji temple was established in 1661 by the Chinese monk Yinyuan Longqi (1592-1673), known as Ingen Ryuki in Japanese. He would later be recognized as the founder of Obaku, the last of the three Japanese Zen sects to be founded (the others are the Rinzai and Soto sects), and the first to be based on the teachings of a Chinese monk.

Ingen was well known in Japan before his arrival in the nation in 1654 at the age of 63, thanks to his many Zen-related writings, says Korei Okada, the current head priest of Manpukuji temple, which is still the Obaku sect's headquarters.

"Many Japanese monks rushed to see him after his arrival in Nagasaki [the only gateway from China at the time]," Okada says. "China was regarded as a cultured nation in what was a period of isolation for Japan, and his arrival caused an Obaku boom."

Ingen was accompanied to Nagasaki by Chinese disciples and artisans, including architects, sculptors, tailors and tofu makers. He also brought several foods that had never before been seen in Japan, such as kidney beans, watermelons and renkon (lotus root). The beans, used widely today, are called ingenmame in his honor.

His sermons at Nagasaki temples attracted crowds of monks as well as lay people and were received as a breath of fresh air by those disillusioned with the state of Buddhism in the nation. According to Okada, Japanese Buddhism circles were in disarray following a period of war, with gambling and other inappropriate behavior often being spotted at temples.

"Ingen, who strictly observed commandments prohibiting marriage and eating meat, was considered an ideal priest for Japanese monks to learn from, and many people visited him in Nagasaki, either to become his disciples or to meditate with him," Okada says.

Ingen was scheduled to return to China after three years, but extravagant efforts by his followers persuaded him to stay in Japan. He was introduced to the 4th shogun, Tokugawa Ietsuna (1641-1680), in 1658 and given land in Uji to build a Zen temple.

Ingen named the temple Manpukuji, which is written using the Chinese characters for "man" and "fuku," respectively meaning "ten thousand" and "fortune," just like Wanfu Temple in Fujian Province, where he had served as head priest before he left for Japan.

The foundation of the temple boosted Ingen's influence significantly, and many highly educated Chinese monks followed him to Japan to serve at Manpukuji temple and elsewhere. The Obaku sect was widely embraced, and at its peak had about 1,000 temples, creating a powerful base for promoting aspects of Chinese culture.

Most acclaimed of these was the original taste and exotic presentation of fucha ryori. In the Edo period (1603-1867), its popularity spread quickly, boosted by the publication of many cookbooks about the cuisine, and was entrenched by the opening of fucha ryori restaurants in Nagasaki, Osaka, Kyoto and Edo, present-day Tokyo.

"I believe people who were served fucha ryori at special events at that time must have sung its praises far and wide for its reputation to have been so widespread," Okada says.

Visitors to Manpukuji today also enjoy many other elements of Chinese culture the temple community helped to popularize and an atmosphere that has remained unchanged for about 350 years.

The close attention Ingen paid to reproducing the atmosphere of Chinese temples when overseeing the construction of Manpukuji is striking. The temple's three main halls stand lengthwise, perfectly aligned, with other buildings opposite them creating a powerful sense of symmetry, a layout typical of Chinese Zen Buddhist temples built during the Ming dynasty (1368-1644).

Most of the main buildings are remarkably well-preserved, having maintained their original structure since their construction in the 1660s.

Entering the temple through Sanmon gate--which still boasts original nameplates of the temple and the mountain, inscribed by Ingen himself--visitors walk a path of diamond-shaped stones toward the main attractions.

Dozens of Buddhist statues showcase the excellent craftsmanship of the Ming dynasty, the most famous of which is the wooden statue of Hotei, god of fortune, at Tennoden hall. About 110 centimeters tall and covered in gold leaf, it is a popular symbol of the temple and often appears on the cover of sightseeing magazines.

A 230-centimeter-long, fish-shaped gong hanging from the ceiling of Saido dining hall is struck by a monk with a wooden pole to announce daily events and rituals.

The Daiohoden hall, the nation's largest teak building, houses 18 unique statues of arhats (Buddhists who have attained enlightenment) and a seated statute of Shakanyorai, Manpukuji temple's principal image. At special exhibitions, visitors can view fascinating Chinese calligraphy scrolls and portraits of monks drawn in the realist Obaku style, with sharp lines and contrasting colors.

In the Hozoin temple, a collection of 60,000 printing blocks inscribed with more than 6,900 volumes of sutras is piled high on shelves. The blocks were made in a major project launched by Tetsugen Doko (1630-1682), one of Ingen's Japanese disciples, and feature the Ming typeface that even today remains the nation's most common typeface, seen everywhere in newspapers and books. The sutras are individually printed even now.

The temple's fascinating tours attract plenty of visitors, and many seize the opportunity to enjoy the experience of beautifully arranged, delicious and nutritious fucha ryori.

Fucha ryori was originally served to all the monks who gathered at meetings after major Buddhist rituals or services were completed.

During the rituals or services, five-colored vegetables, most often carrot, cucumber and Japanese radish, as well as deep-fried tofu, dried kelp, and manju sweet bean paste buns are offered to Buddhist altars or mortuary tablets. The foods bound with palm leaves and stood upright on stands are cooked and served to monks after the events end.　
（junkan 笋羹（じゅんかん) , shankon 上旬.)

Multiple dishes--a typical fucha ryori meal nowadays includes six or seven--are arranged on large communal plates for four diners, who serve themselves with their own chopsticks.

That no scrap of food is wasted is a fundamental teaching clearly reflected in fucha ryori. Scraps of vegetables can be sauteed to make unpen, which has a thick sauce. Dried-out manju are deep-fried and served as tomoe manju.

Gisho Ienaga, the tenzo monk who supervises culinary operations at the temple, says: "We try to meet diners' expectations of Kyoto cuisine. We serve a variety of dishes that are meticulously prepared and decorated with color and sophistication."

Among the dishes are shunkan 笋羹（じゅんかん junkan) --assorted simmered dishes, including vegetables rolled in a sheet of deep-fried tofu and hiryuzu, deep-fried tofu balls with chunky vegetables--
and yuji 油磁（ゆじ）, tempura vegetables with tomoe manju.

Seafood and meat products are of course prohibited, but some dishes are prepared to represent them symbolically. For example, tofu with grated burdock and yam can be shaped and colored with seaweed so it resembles broiled eel.

Kanken Kiyozumi, a priest who assists Ienaga, explains the delicate nature of the fucha ryori cooking process through the example of a sesame tofu dish made with nutritious kudzu starch.

"It's really difficult to make, because kudzu hardens easily and burns. I have to stir the mixture of sesame paste and kudzu constantly in a pot for about 20 minutes, until it hardens.

"The taste of the dish differs completely from day to day," Kiyozumi says. "Even when I think I've made it perfectly, I can feel the consistency is different when I cut it, so I've never been satisfied with the tofu I've made."
source : 　www.buddhistchannel.tv


mafu 「麻腐（まふ）, gomadoofu sesame tofu with sanshoo pepper
unpen 雲片（うんぺん） left over vegetables fried
kanpai 羹杯（かんぱい） hitashi type food
en , tsuai えん（菜）つぁい tsukemono pickles
hantsuu 飯子（はんつう) cooked rice

Vegetarian Temple Food (shoojin ryoori 精進料理)

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When leaving temple Manpukuji, the poetress Kikusha writes, summing up the Chinese atmosphere and the tea plantations:

山門を出れば日本ぞ茶摘うた
sanmon o dereba Nihon zo chatsumi uta

outside the temple gate
it's Japan again!
song of the tea pickers

. Tagami Kikusha 田上菊舎
(1753, August 23 -1826, September 24)

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トンネルの 上も日本や 茶摘み唄
tonneru no ue mo hihon ya chatsumi uta

above the tunnel
there is also Japan !
song of the tea pickers

尾木直樹 Ogi Naoki, 尾木ママ Ogi "Mama"
During a Haiku battle program with Natsuki Sensei - April 2017
プレバト才能ランキング



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Another temple with the name Manpukuji 満福寺 in Fukushima, Tohoku

御佛に尻むけ居れば月涼し
mihotoke ni shirimuke oreba tsuki suzushi

I turn my back
on the Buddha statue -
the moon is cool

. Masaoka Shiki 正岡子規 .


Shiki wrote an essay "hateshirazu no ki はて知らずの記" (kind of "never-ending story")
on his trip to Tohoku region (North-East Japan) during the 26th year of Meiji (1893). There is description that he stayed at a temple named Iidesan Manpukuji (飯出山満輻寺 / 満福寺). This haiku was written there.
He must have laid himself in the garden with the Buddha statue behind and looking at the moon....
- Thanks to Hideo Suzuki ! FB


正岡子規の句碑 - 竜護山萬福寺 Manpuku-Ji, Fukushima
Temple famous for its cherry blossoms
source : www.t-aterui.jp/fukushima



MORE haiku by Masaoka Shiki about
. Dead Body (hotoke) and mihotoke 御佛 .


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observance kigo for the New Year

Oobaku Hoozan 黄檗放参
Evening Zen at Oobaku Zen Temples


Other events in Januaray

New Years Ceremony 修正会 (Shushoe)
(January 1–3)

New Years Completion Ceremony 修正滿散会 (Shusho Mansan-e)
(January 3)

Rinzai Day Observance 臨濟忌 (Rinzai-ki)
(January 10)

Hyakujo Day Observance 百丈忌 (Hyakujo-ki)
(January 17)

Ceremonies Marking Special Months of Cultivation
善月祈禱会 (Zengetsu Kito-e)
(January 16, May 16, and September 16)

source : Rinzai - Annual Events


SAIJIKI – NEW YEAR OBSERVANCES


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HAIKU

のっぺ汁冷めても酒の肴なり
noppejiru samete mo sake no sakana nari

noppejiru soup -
even when cold it tastes
with my rice wine

source : 　www7.ocn.ne.jp
Tr. Gabi Greve

肴, this character reads sakana, but here refers to a snack with a drink.


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Related words

MORE
Dishes from Niigata 新潟郷土料理


***** WASHOKU : Regional Japanese Dishes

Shojin Ryori (shoojin ryoori) 精進料理
Vegetarian Temple Foodincluding
Fucha Ryori (fucha ryoori 普茶料理)

Tenzoo 典座 Tenzo kyokun, the Zen cook teachings

noppe
e
Vegegetarian Temple Food including
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Mie Prefecture

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Mie Prefecture



Mie Prefecture (三重県, Mie-ken) is a prefecture of Japan which is part of the Kinki and Chūbu regions on Honshū island. The capital is the city of Tsu.

Evidence of human habitation in Mie can be dated to more than 10,000 years ago. During the Jōmon and Yayoi periods, agricultural communities began to form along the river and coastal areas of the region. Ise Shrine is said to have been established during the Yayoi period, and in the 7th century the Saikū Imperial Residence was built in what is now Meiwa Town to serve as both a residence and administrive centre for the Saiō, an Imperial Princess who served as High Priestess of Ise Shrine.

During the Edo period, the area now known as Mie Prefecture consisted of several feudal domains, each ruled by an appointed lord. Transport networks, including the Tokaido and Ise Roads, were built. Port towns such as Ohminato, Kuwana and Anōtsu, posting stations and castle towns flourished. Pilgrimages to Ise Shrine also became very popular.

Mie Prefecture forms the eastern part of the Kii Peninsula, and is bordered by Aichi, Gifu, Shiga, Kyoto, Nara, and Wakayama. It is considered to be a part of both the Chūbu and the Kinki regions due to its geographical proximity to Aichi Prefecture and its cultural influence from Kinki, such as the fact that Kansai dialect is spoken in Mie. Traditionally, though, the Iga region of Mie is considered to have always been a part of Kansai.

Mie Prefecture has traditionally been a link between east and west Japan, thanks largely to the Tokaido and Ise Pilgrimage Roads. Traditional handicrafts such as Iga Braid, Yokkaichi Banko Pottery, Suzuka Ink, Iga Pottery and Ise Katagami flourished. With 65% of the prefecture consisting of forests and with over 1,000 km of coastline, Mie has a long been associated with forestry and seafood industries. As well as this, Mie produces tea, beef, cultured pearls and fruit, mainly mandarin oranges.
©　More in the WIKIPEDIA !


. Ise Grand Shrine 伊勢神宮　 Schrein Ise Jingu 　　
and related KIGO
Amaterasu Oomikami 天照大神（あまてらすおおみかみ・てんしょうだいじん）Amaterasu Omikami
Toyouke Oomikami 豊受大神 (とようけおおみかみ) Toyouke Omikami
The goddess of agriculture and industry in the Shinto religion. At the Gegu 下宮 in Ise.
She offers food to Amaterasu.


Kumano Kodō、Kumano Kodo, Kumano Kodoo 熊野古道
World Heritage Site. Ancient road in southern Mie once used by pilgrims.

Mikimoto Pearl Island


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Local Dishes from Mie　三重県の郷土料理


aimaze あいまぜ "mixed delight"
with dried radish, carrots, lotus roots, konnyaku, shiitake, taro roots and stems, fried in oil and soy sauce, with sweet vinegar as seasoning. Made for family festivals.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !


akafuku 赤福 a sweet made with mochi and sweet red bean paste
. . . CLICK here for Photos !


amago sushi あまご寿司 amagu (a sweet water fish) sushi
Oncorhynchus rhodurus. 甘子
It tasts quite crunchy and good with vinegar.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !
and other amago dishes アマゴ料理. It is a speciality of Tsu city and 美杉町.


aramemaki, arame-maki あらめ巻 fish wrapped in arame kelp
WASHOKU : arame 荒布 Eisenia bicyclis.


arare ochazuke あられお茶漬 arare senbei with green tea
You shovel a good portion in a large bowl, add some sugar and then poor green tea over it. They get funyafunja soft.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !


awabimeshi, awabi-meshi あわびめし rice with abalone
An expensive delicacy at Ise Shrine.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !




bekkoozushi, bekkoo sushi, bekko sushi べっこう寿司 'Tortoise-shell sushi'
sushi with "pickled" fish in soy sauce marinade, to make it look like the color of tortoiseshell Bernstein.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !


bora no heso ぼらのへそ "navel of the springer"
Bora ぼら【鯔／鰡】, striped black mullet; a springer
WASHOKU : bora, an auspicious fish
Actually, it is the stomach prepared to eat. Often barbequed.
ibukuro　胃袋　stomach
. . . CLICK here for Photos !


chazuke 茶漬け
after eating fried or boiled fish, tea (or simply hot water) is poored over the bones, head and other leftovers, which are carefully washed with the liquid. This is then slurped out of the plate. Or poored over rice and eaten.
This is very healthy, called "isha shirazu 医者知らず" or "isha koroshi　医者殺し", no need for a doctor.




dengara でんがら dumplings with anko wrapped in a hoo-leaf
ほう葉だんご
from Iinan town 飯高


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fukidawara 蕗俵（ふきだわら）
"butterbur barrels"
rice with beans, wrapped in fuki leaves
They were prepared during the rice field planting season and put as offerings for the deities on the side of the fields.

Here you see a woman praying for a bountiful harvest.





hijiki nimono ひじき煮物 boiled hijiki seaweed
from 伊勢志摩 Ise Shima region. Ise hijiki 伊勢ひじき
Shima is one of the foremost producers of hijiki in Japan.
Hizikia fusiformis. Braune Meeresalge


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Ise ebi 伊勢エビ料理 lobster from Ise
from 伊勢志摩 Shima
They are prepared in many ways.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !



Ise takuan 伊勢たくあん pickles radish from Ise
rather thick and round, the skin is thick. Made since the end of the Meiji period.



Ise udon　伊勢うどん　 ... see menrui, udon.
They are rather thick and soft. The soup is made with tamari soy sauce
served at （伊勢神宮）Shrine Ise Jingu to the pilgrims.



Itoin Senbei, ito-in senbei いといんせんべい. 絲印煎餅
Senbei with a "stamp like a thread"
Made by Hadaya Shop 播田屋, who owns three old metal stamps.
They are specially soft and made with a stamp (in) from olden times. The imperial family likes to eat them on their round to Ise shrine.
There are only 7 senbei in one pack, since the time when Meiji tennoo could only eat 7 out of a pack with 10.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !



iwashizushi, iwashi sushi イワシ寿司 sushi from herrings
from the Satonakakokoro area 里中心



jibu じふ sukiyaki-type fish
魚のすき焼き風, jibunabe じふ鍋
from the Northern parts of the prefecture


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kaizu no himono かいずの干物 dried small sea bream
kaizu are the small black sea breams (kurodai 黒鯛 ). They are cut open on the back, marinated in soy sauce and dried in the sun. From Ocotber to November in the Toba area. 鳥羽地方
. . . CLICK here for Photos !


kakimeshi カキ飯 rice with oysters
The oysters are boiled together with the rice in the same pot.


katsuo chazuke かつお茶漬け bonito on rice with tea
The fish is marinaged in soy sauce. Served with ginger and nori.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !


kijinabe きじ鍋 hodgepodge with pheasant meat


kinko きんこ dried sweet potatoes
a snack for children and ama female divers
. . . CLICK here for Photos !


koonago no kama-age コウナゴの釜揚げ boiled small sand lance
koonago is the local name for ikanago イカナゴ いかなご【玉筋魚】sand lance, sand eel lance
Ammodytes personatus
. . . CLICK here for Photos !


Kuwana no hamaguri ryoori 桑名の蛤料理 clam dishes from Kuwana town
At the estuaries of the rivers Kisogawa, Naragawa and Machiyagawa 町屋川.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !


kyuuri no hiyajiru キュウリの冷や汁 cold cucumber soup
It is put on hot mugimeshi rice. A mix between chazuke and salad. The soup has a miso taste.


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manboo ryoori マンボウ料理 dishes from moonfish (headfish)
Mola mola. Mondfish. まんぼう 【翻車魚】 満方 ocean sunfish
This fish is caught in Eastern Kishu. Eaten as sashimi, in vinegar, as sukiyaki. Even the intestines (kowata コワタ（腸）are dried and eaten.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !
Manbo (Mambo) is also eaten in Miyagi prefecture.

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Manjuu kaidoo 饅頭街道 Manju Road
Mie is famous for more than 15 different kinds of manjuu dumplings.
They were prepared by the various tea shops in front of the Ise Shrine and people would buy them as presents nowadays.

. . . CLICK here for Photos : manju from Mie !　

akafukumochi 赤福餅

The Manju Road leads from Ise shrine.
There are other Manju Roads in Japan too, for example one in Nagasaki.

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Matsuzaka beef


moroheiya udon モロヘイヤうどん udon noodles with moroheya
The moroheya powder is mixed with the wheat flour for making green noodles.
Corchorus Olitorius. Jew's marrow.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !

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nabana no ohitashi なばなのおひたし boiled rapeseed buds and young leaves
Very old dish of the Ise region.


nabemochi なべ餅 "hodgepodge mochi"
Mochi are made with anko and yomogi, rolled in kinako soy flour.
from 大紀町 Taiki Town
This was only prepared on auspicious situtations and the mochi were given to the neighbours and friends.


namako no su no mono なまこの酢の物 sea cucumber with vinegar
sea cucumber is also eaten in other dishes, often for New Year.


nameroo なめろう chopped raw fish with sake and miso paste
In Mie, apart from fish, sazae turban shell is used.
さざえのなめろうsazae no nameroo
also eaten in Chiba.


niken chaya mochi 二軒茶屋餅（にけんちゃやもち）mochi from Niken Chaya shop, Kakuya 角屋


nubarizushi, nubari sushi めばり寿司 sushi with takana leafy vegetable
a form of takanazushi. 高菜 takana leaves are marinated in nibaizu or sanbaizu vinegar and then the warm leaf wrapped around sushi rice.
takana, Brassica juncea var. integrifolia. Wirsingart
. . . CLICK here for Photos !


. Takana 高菜 mustard greens .

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Oga no aburi 梶賀のあぶり smoked small fish from Oga town
from 尾鷲市梶賀浦
Prepared in May and June.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !


oojiki jiru 大敷き汁 "soup after a good catch"
miso-based soup with the fresh catch. Saba, ika, katsuo, aji, sometimes even Ise lobsters.


. o-nyudo senbei おにゅうどうせんべい rice crackers

osasuri おさすり dumplings（ebitsu えびつ）
from Eastern Kishuu 御浜町
a kind of kashiwamochi
Prepared one month later than the normal Boy's festival, on June 5, and for the girls.


Sakatejima no uni 坂手島の雲丹 sea urchin from Sakatejima
Best for sushi.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !


same no tare サメのたれ Samenotare, dried white shark meat
In Ise, shark is served with two different flavors, salt or sweet sake (mirin).
It is often served as a side dish. Ssamenotare goes well with drinks or served on top of rice.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !


sanmazushi 秋刀魚寿司 （さんまずし） sanma sushi
sushi from pacific saury. Instead of wasabi, a bit of Japanese karashi mustard is used before the fish is pressed on the rice. サンマ寿司
. . . CLICK here for Photos !


sazae no tsuboyaki さざえの壺焼き sazae turban shell grilled in the shell
Batillus cornutus


sekihan mochi 赤飯もち mochi made from mashed red rice


shigure hamaguri 時雨はまぐり, 時雨蛤 sweet simmered clamshells
English Reference : sweet cooked clams



sooheinabe, soohei nabe 僧兵鍋 hodgepodge for the monk-soldiers
Near Yunoyama onsen hot spring is the temple of the Tendai sect, 三岳寺, where the monks function as soldiers too and need some stamina. There are even pork bones used for broth, then radish, carrots, Konnyaku, lotus roots, taro and yam, bamboo shoots and even wild boar meat are used.


tekonezushi, tekone sushi てこねずし . 手こねずし fish zushi mixed with the hands


Tsu gyooza 津餃子 gyoza from Tsu town
They are very large, about 5 time the contents of a normal dumpling. They are fried and eaten without sauce.
CLICK here for PHOTOS !



unagi ryoori うなぎ料理 eel dishes
from Tsu town. In Tsu most of the eel in all of Japan is eaten.

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watarikaki 渡利牡蠣（わたりかき）Oysters from the Kihoku　紀北町 region. It is almost a sweet water lake with an underlying current of sea water.
They are also called
Kooboogaki 弘法ガキ

CLICK here for PHOTOS !
Commercial oysters are produced since the Showa period.They have a juicy taste. This is as a result of its production in the nutrient-rich water of the local Funatsu River and Sea of Kumano. They are lowered to salt water after a typhoon or great rain, when the river brings lots of nutrition for the oysters. Later they are put in a higher position of the fresh water of lake Shiraishiko 白石湖.　So the oyster farmers are quite budsy checking the saltiness of the lake water.
Taken out of the water, they keep fresh for about 5 days if they are not opened.

The oysters are eaten fried or raw, but also in soup (kakijiru　牡蠣汁) or on sushi rice with a bit of hot mustard (kakizushi 牡蠣寿司 ).



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Things found on the way


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HAIKU and SENRYU



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Related words

***** WASHOKU : Regional Japanese Dishes

***** . Folk Toys from Mie .
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Miyazaki

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Miyazaki (Miyasaki) 宮崎



Miyazaki Prefecture (宮崎県, Miyazaki-ken) is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyūshū. The capital is the city of Miyazaki.
Old Hyuuga Province, Hyuga.

Miyazaki has a total area of approximately 7,734 km², and a population of 1,166,074 people. In addition to its year-round warm climate, Miyazaki's weather is among the best in Japan based on the amount of fine days, sunshine, and precipitation, due to the influence of warm currents off the coast.
©　More in the WIKIPEDIA !



Specialities from Miyazaki
PHOTOS to enjoy !


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Dishes from Miyazaki　宮崎料理
. . . CLICK here for Photos !



Kobiru, cobiru, kobilu （こびる） 小昼　 "small lunch", rural lunch
Takachiho village 高千穂こびる研究会




mango 宮崎マンゴ Mangoes
..... mangooshu マンゴー酒 mango liquor


mango liquor from red sweet potatoes
赤芋焼酎仕込みマンゴー酒
From Kushima Town 串間市
The bottle is beautifully shaped and the colors of the box bring joy.




nikumaki 肉巻き, 肉巻きおにぎり
rice wrapped into a piece of meat
. . . CLICK here for Photos !




sumiso, su miso 酢味噌 miso sauce with vinegar
often some white sesame is added.
This sauce is added to many dishes, noodles are dipped in it, so is raw white fish.
Plain fried unagi eel (suyaki) is also served with this sauce.
It helps digestion during the hot summer days.
Miyazaki is also the third largest producer of eel 宮崎うなぎ.




toshikasa mochi としかさ餅 mochi with sweetpotatoes
They are prepared in the old year, kept as offerings for the deities and are eaten in the new hear, hence the name "mochi gaining in years".
They are made from mochigome. Sweet potatoes are also put in the dough. The dough is plced on plates and topped with some sweet beans anko.



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Worldwide use


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Things found on the way


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HAIKU



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Related words

***** WASHOKU : Regional Japanese Dishes

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