Delicious Japanese Food

FREE
05・06
2014 MAY&JUNE
vol. 21
New Opening
KAIJU SAKABA
QUALITY REVIEW
Hita City, Oita Prefecture
Yumehibiki, a Premium Plum Wine
From Oyama-machi, Where Plums
are Prized
NEW A DREAM IN PROGRESS
Emeritus Professor, The Jikei University School of Medicine
Former Director, The Jikei University Hospital
Hiroshi Moriyama
AirEngine by Balmuda:
An Air Cleaning Device
that Even Removes PM2.5
［FEATURE］
Savoring Seasonal Bounty and the
Historical Flavor of Dashi Stock
Delicious
Japanese Food
The Difficulty of Preserving a Taste Unchanged in 300 Years
Kyoto/ Imobo Hiranoya Honke
A Pride That Comes From Serving Only the Finest
Tokyo/Seika Kobayashi
Seasonal Sensibilities in Every Single Dish
Tokyo/ Camellia Hotel Chinzanso Tokyo
eng.jqrmag.com
May&June 2014
(published on
April 7, 2014)
C OV E R
Photography/Yosuke Suga
C O N T E N T S
05
New Opening
KAIJU SAKABA
06【FEATURE】
Savoring Seasonal Bounty and the
Historical Flavor of Dashi Stock
Delicious
Japanese Food
● The Difficulty of Preserving a Taste Unchanged in 300 Years
Kyoto/ Imobo Hiranoya Honke
● A Pride That Comes From Serving Only the Finest
Tokyo/Seika Kobayashi
● Seasonal Sensibilities in Every Single Dish
Tokyo/ Camellia Hotel Chinzanso Tokyo
24
QUALITY REVIEW
Hita City, Oita Prefecture
Yumehibiki, a Premium Plum Wine
From Oyama-machi, Where Plums are Prized
AirEngine by Balmuda:
An Air Cleaning Device that Even Removes PM2.5
28
NEW
A DREAM IN PROGRESS
Article 1 in a Series
My Grandmother s Example
Hiroshi Moriyama
Emeritus Professor, The Jikei University School of Medicine
Former Director, The Jikei University Hospital
Publisher and Editor-in-Chief Jun Shinozuka
Editors
Jun Nakaki
Lyu nari
JQR editorial department
2-1-14 Sarugakucho, Chiyoda-ku
Tokyo 101-0064
03-3518-2270
Siori Ito
Masahito Kato
JQR advertising department
Designer
Wakako Kawasaki
Web
Motoki Nakae
Translation
Manabiya Inc.
2-1-14 Sarugakucho, Chiyoda-ku
Tokyo 101-0064
03-3518-4488
g
n
i
n
e
p
O
w
e
N
Alien Baltan is the Manager!
Alien Baltan won t show
up while the pub is open
to Earthlings,
but the place is still a
wonderland!
Pub where Ultra monsters and aliens regularly
gather to blow off steam now open to humans!
Photos/Tomoya Takai Text/JQR
The fun menu features foods every monster will love, inc
luding the Alien Baltan Special, Go for the Color Time
r!, and Destroy the Japanese Branch of the Science Sp
ecial Search Party! Beer mugs are decorated with one
of five Ultraman characters, and while the Kaiju chopst
ick rests on the tables aren t for sale, every guest is allow
ed to take one home. The pub also sells limited-edition Kaij
u Sakaba merchandise and DVDs, books and other product
s from the Ultraman series. Note that the pub refuses servi
ce to members of the Terrestrial Defense Force and anyon
e who can change into a superhero.
©TSUBURAYA PRODUCTIONS
appeared in Episode Two of the original
break, too. It s scheduled to be open to
Sakaba, a secret pub where all mighty
Ultraman series. He supposedly first came
humans for only a year, but if enough
aliens and monsters can relax and debate,
to Earth after losing his home to a nuclear
people are having a good time interacting
available to the people of planet M240,
explosion, but now here he is, manager of
with all the monsters and aliens, Alien
this place you call Earth.
the Kaiju Sakaba and looking very
Baltan might consider keeping it open
This announcement came from none other
pleased with life on our planet.
longer.
than Alien Baltan, the space ninja who first
The pub is, of course, designed for
We have decided to make the Kaiju
monsters. Lighting is kept low, and the
place is decorated with figures of all the
old familiar creatures like Kanegon and
Red King. It s easy to imagine their
ferocious yet somehow lovable antics and
famous fight scenes.
Apparently they like to visit the pub to let
off some steam after being beaten by
Special secret rooms open only to
guests celebrating a birthday.
Ultraman, which should make this a perfect
DATA
KAIJU SAKABA
NOF Kawasaki Higashi-guchi Bldg. B 1 st Floor
3 - 1 Ekimae-honcho, Kawasaki-ku,
Kawasaki-shi, Kanagawa
TEL:044-210-5565
URL:http://www.kaiju-sakaba.com
Holidays:Open all year
Hours: 4:30 p.m. ‒ 12 a.m. (Last order for food:
11 p.m.; last order for drinks: 11:30 p.m.)
(Open only until March, 2015)
place for work-weary Earthlings to take a
2014 May& June
05
Kyoto
Imobo Hiranoya Honke
The restaurant burned to the ground, but th
is box, containing an ink sketch of Kumezō
Kitamura, the 11th generation ancestor wh
o revived the family fortunes, was rescued
from the fire (calligraphy by Kaishu Matsu
mura and Isao Kurata). The box has scorc
h marks on the outside, and the sketch itse
lf has water stains.
Savoring Seasonal Bounty and the Historical Flavor of Dashi Stock
Delicious
Japanese Food
A Japanese dish, made with painstaking effort from
carefully selected ingredients.
The source of its flavor is dashi stock, an
ingredient with a long history, artfully combined
with a bountiful range of seasonal ingredients
through the skill and passion of the cook.
Photography / Yosuke Suga Text/ Shiori Ito JQR Editorial staff
Tokyo
Seika Kobayashi
06
2014 May&June
A reservations-only restaurant that accepts only t
wo bookings a day.
The menu consists solely of the owner-chef s car
efully thought out courses of Japanese dishes. Thi
s bowl of seasonal ingredients in a broth of dashi
stock is balm for the soul.
07
Delicious
Japanese
Food
A restaurant offering traditional Kyoto cuisine in a corner of
Maruyama Park has been in the same family for fourteen generations
The Difficulty of Preserving a
Taste Unchanged in 300 Years
Imobo Hiranoya Honke, Kyoto
Founder Gondayu Hirano worked for the imperial court
from the Genroku (1688-1704) to Kyoho (1716-1736) eras. The skills and
taste that he perfected in his restaurant, Imobo, have been handed
down through the family by word of mouth ever since. We asked the
current 14th generation proprietress, Akemi Kitamura, about these
secrets.
his service and start up a restaurant.
While it was undoubtedly a heavy
This is how the restaurant began.
responsibility to continue such a long
In Kyoto the consummate pairing of two
tradition, More than anything else I just
ingredients is described as a unique
like the work, Ms. Kitamura said with a
You will find Imobo Hiranoya Honke in
encounter. This means that combining
smile.
a corner of Maruyama Park, on the way
the two makes each even more
This traditional taste is passed down
from Yasaka Shrine heading to the
delicious, a multiplication of flavor
completely by word of mouth. There is
Chion-in temple complex. The name
rather than an addition. In earlier times
nothing written in the way of a recipe or
Imobo comes from a dish made of yam
when the transport network was not as
notes; instead, it is about looking with
(ebi-imo) simmered with dried cod
developed, having two ingredients that
the eyes, remembering with the body
(bodara). There is a reason why this
would never normally come into
and experiencing with the tongue. The
dish has long been a favorite in Kyoto.
proximity of each other meet in the
important thing in maintaining the same
During the early eighteenth century, in
same pot and bring out greater things
flavor is to assess the weather and
the middle of the Edo period, Imobo
from each other was indeed a unique
quality of ingredients on any given day.
founder Gondayu Hirano was working in
encounter of the highest order. The
That s not something you can write
the service of the imperial court. When
similarity of this process to a man and
down. To maintain exactly the same
a younger brother of the Emperor visited
woman from different backgrounds
flavor in Kyoto, with its extreme
Kyushu, he brought with him sweet
cooperating in marriage led to the dish
seasonal weather changes, requires
potatos, which Gondayu Hirano began
coming to symbolize the wish for family
great mastery of the senses. Ms.
to cultivate in the Maruyama Gion area,
happiness, becoming a traditional Kyoto
Kitamura s son has learned this art,
managing to grow high-quality produce.
dish, essential to any celebratory
ensuring that the tradition will continue
These came to be called ebi-imo due to
occasion, such as the New Year or a
on to the fifteenth generation.
the shape and vertical stripe pattern on
wedding.
Many figures in the literary world have
The History of
Imobo
the surface, which resembled prawns
(ebi). Dried cod (bodara) was
transported from countries to the north
by sea, and was a precious source of
08
Continuing the
Tradition
loved this flavor. For example, novelist
Eiji Yoshikawa famously wrote: A taste
that has been handed down for a
hundred years, tastes of one hundred
protein in the city of Kyoto, and was
How does the same taste get handed
years. Nobel prizewinner Yasunari
presented as an offering to the imperial
down unchanged for over three hundred
Kawabata is also said to have stopped
court. Thus, according to legend, did
years?
by for some imobo after celebrating
yams from a southern country meet up
The current proprietress, Ms. Kitamura,
receiving his prize. A frequent visitor to
with fish from a northern country in
finishes her housework every morning
the restaurant, Kawabata once wrote a
Kyoto, resulting, after much trial and
before changing into a kimono and
piece of calligraphy stating Eat
error, in the creation of the dish imobo.
setting out for the restaurant. Ms.
delicious food and live long . The
The reputation of imobo grew and
Kitamura is the younger of two sisters,
restaurant is also the setting for one of
Gondayu Hirano, wanting to spread this
but had always vaguely assumed since
crime novelist Seicho Matsumoto s
dish throughout Kyoto, received
childhood that she would take over the
books.
permission from the Emperor to leave
restaurant.
2014 May
09
Good Food and Long Life
Experience the Mystery
of Life-Extending Japanese
Cooking
The dried cod used at Imobo Hiranoya Honke is Pacific cod, preserved by drying in the shade. In the past it was presented to the Imperial Court. The yams
were originally brought from Kyushu in the days when they were a rarity, before there were widespread distribution networks. They were cultivated and came
to be called ebi-imo (prawn yams) due to their shape and patterning. Imobo is made by cooking the yams and dried cod in a big pan.
10
Recreating a
Three-Hundred
Year Old Flavor
hard ones do not cook properly in the
care every day for three hundred years,
center. The secret to imobo, however,
and is not something that a person
is that the ingredients don t fall apart
could learn to make in a short time. The
even when cooked together. The
long investment of time produces a
restaurant uses a special large pan for
flavor that cannot easily be recreated.
The seasoning in imobo is very simple.
cooking. The cooking takes time, with
Katsuobushi (dried bonito shavings),
the heat regulated as necessary and
konbu (kelp), sugar and soy sauce.
bitter scum carefully removed. It is said
That s all it is.
that the bitter juice that comes out of
Ms. Kitamura reveals the process. We
the ebi-imo softens the dried cod, and
Customers of all ages and types flock
rehydrate the dried cod by soaking it in
elements secreted from the dried cod
to Imobo Hiranoya Honke, from families
iced water for a week, until it s soft.
prevent the ebi-imo from falling apart.
with children to couples out on a date,
Then it s put in a pot with the ebi-imo,
There are other secrets besides the
but many first-time male customers
which has had the skin peeled off in
pan. The cooking broth itself is handed
seem a little bewildered. Men tend to
thick slices. We put in dashi stock
down and added to. A tiny part of the
think of yams as something for women
made from konbu and katsuobushi, and
flavor in this broth may be from the Edo
or children, and when they see our food
simmer over a very low heat for three to
period itself, says Ms. Kitamura. That
for the first time, they say What, yams?
four hours. Then we add the sugar and
is how the taste of a three hundred year
with disappointment. But once they
soy sauce in two or three lots. We don t
old flavor deepens, creating a flavor that
take a bite, they realize it goes with
use any special brands, just the
does indeed, as Yasunari Kawabata
sake and fills the stomach, so that by
ordinary ones that have always been
wrote, have longevity.
the time they leave they are satisfied,
around. Next we remove it from the
The cooked yams are soft, and can
says Ms. Kitamura, describing how it
heat and leave it to stand overnight so
easily be broken into pieces with
happens. Male customers who have
the flavor can penetrate, then next day
chopsticks. Bite into one and you can
been to the restaurant before might
bring it to the boil again, adjust the
tell that the flavor has penetrated
agree with her.
flavoring and it s done.
evenly. The dried cod also has a
Usually ingredients of different hardness
pleasing softness. The first bite tastes
wouldn t be cooked together, since if
sweet, but is so perfectly balanced it
they aren t cooked separately the softer
leaves no aftertaste. This flavor has
ingredients tend to fall apart, and the
been painstakingly recreated with loving
2014 May&June
A Flavor Loved by
Everyone
This beguiling dish of yam and dri
ed cod does not fall apart even aft
er two days of slow cooking. The
aroma tempts the taste buds to pa
rtake of its life giving energy.
11
I
M
O
B
O
U
The charming red lanterns that han
g from the ceiling are popular with f
emale patrons. Seating is available
on chairs or tatami mats, in semipartitioned rooms or facing the gard
en.
The 200 year old oriental elm insid
e the restaurant. The wall is cut ou
t to accommodate the tree as it co
ntinues to grow. It s a robust tree t
hat seems to be part of the buildin
g, doing its own part to preserve tr
adition.
question regarding what hospitality
lantern stands next to the entrance, and
hospitality as always. As the times
for the memory of your ancestors.
means. Too much hospitality can have
in the courtyard flowers bloom as the
speed up, knowing the good things
Everybody has ancestors. I m not doing
the unintended effect of making
seasons change and wild birds
about Kyoto, its history and culture,
anything particularly special. Everything
someone uncomfortable. A restaurant
sometimes pause to rest, and red
gives people a more relaxed sense of
Deciding to carry on the tradition as the
is so convenient now, but in the past
that you can visit spontaneously without
lanterns hang over the seats facing the
time, and the days seem to pass a little
Imobo Hiraboya Honke , and ever since
fourteenth generation proprietor required
traveling to Kyushu could mean putting
any special preparation is one where
garden, overlooking the beautiful
more calmly. Regardless of the times, I
I was small I always watched my
a certain amount of resolution. The life
your life at stake. It was a truly great
you can feel totally relaxed and able to
scenery of Maruyama Park.
am happy if I can just keep something
mother doing this work and thought that
of the man who became Ms. Kitamura s
thing, I think, for my ancestor to find
enjoy the food without haste. The
There is other seating in tatami mat
important alive and pass it on to
I wanted to do it too. I really enjoy
husband would also be affected by that
these delicious yams in a place he
literary figures who used to visit the
rooms. A two hundred year-old oriental
everyone.
meeting customers, so I was probably
decision. I am so grateful to my
would never see again, and bring them
restaurant undoubtedly kept coming
elm inside the restaurant continues
It is comforting to know that Ms.
suited to the service industry But it
husband. He was a salaryman, so
back because he wanted to give
back because they appreciated that
growing even now, towering over the
Kitamura will be there in the future,
was not that Ms. Kitamura was not
maybe he said he d do it because he
everyone the experience of eating them.
kind of relaxed hospitality.
wall that is cut out to accommodate its
waiting to welcome customers and
interested in any other vocations.
didn t know how hard it could be
When I think about that I can t help but
growth.
keeping the tradition alive.
Apparently there was a time during her
running a restaurant. I was very happy
feel appreciative.
student years when she wanted to be a
that we also had the support of my
That sense of appreciation is surely
pilot. Having said she was suited to
husband s family, she reflects
what informs Ms. Kitamura s approach,
customer service, you might think a
nostalgically. Once the children were
and everything she does in her work.
cabin attendant would be a more likely
bigger I was able to go to the restaurant
choice. But Isn t being a pilot a lot
everyday, and life became very busy. I
more interesting? Ms. Kitamura said
m sure there were moments when we
with sparkling eyes, I like having
felt the stress. But when you re busy
adventures.
Life as the
Proprietress of Imobo
I was born the second daughter of
12
2014 May&June
Resolving to Carry
on the Tradition
Carrying on a tradition means caring
Maruyama Park
Location
Visitors from overseas flock to Kyoto for
its unique atmosphere and scenery. In
the past tourists were unused to foods
Imobo Hiranoya Honke is located inside
such as nori and grated Japanese yam,
Maruyama Park, to the east of the Gion
but now many use the Internet to gather
district and Yasaka Shrine, a park
information on Japanese culture and
well-known for its weeping cherry
enjoy with a greater understanding.
I don t believe there s anything special
blossom trees. Cross a bridge over a
Being granted world heritage status is a
you forget those moments. There s no
about my hospitality. Don t do anything
small stream to reach the restaurant,
good opportunity to spread the word
time for stress to build up, she says
to someone that you wouldn t like done
built in the style of a tea ceremony
about Japanese food. However, that
with a laugh. If you love the work you
to yourself, to begin with. Do whatever
house. It s a familiar part of the park
doesn t mean doing something new. I
do, it s possible to pour everything into
would make you happy. That s all it is.
scenery.
try to make the traditional taste,
it.
Thus was Ms. Kitamura s answer to a
An old-fashioned Kasuga-style stone
unchanged, and offer the same
Hospitality
DATA
Maruyama Park, Gion, Higashiyama-ku, Kyot
o, 605-0071
(North of Yasaka Shrine)
TEL 075-525-0026/075-525-0004
11:00-20:30 (last orders: 20:00) Open every day
2014 May& June
13
Delicious
Japanese
Food
The End Result of a Fixation on Flavor
A Pride That Comes
From Serving Only the Finest
Tokyo/Seika Kobayashi
Seika Kobayashi is a Japanese
restaurant accommodating just
eight guests.
The owner-chef works alone,
his mind never at rest
as he works to come up with
the finest dishes.
The fourth floor restaurant consists
solely of a counter and a table, ea
ch seating four. The serving dishes
on the shelves include many
one-of-a-kind pieces by ceramicists
carefully chosen by the owner-chef.
His goal was to
survive solely on his
skills as a chef
I couldn t help worrying that if I didn t
what Yuji Kobayashi hoped as he
have something special, I d end up the
entered culinary school after high
loser.
him of his nerve. But Kobayashi
His turning point came out of the blue.
and thought Wow, that s beautiful. I
persisted, buying one plate at a time.
One day, a regular customer who d
That s the first time I saw something
want it.
With the hope of one day having his
heard Kobayashi chatting about his
Still a teenager, Kobayashi agonized
Falling in love with a plate was one
own place where he could serve the
dreams for the future told him about a
him to pursue Japanese cuisine. The
through the long days, until one day he
thing, but going to an exhibition of a
dishes he d prepared on the Seika Suda
place he might be able to afford. Just
I m reminded of an old popular song
days and weeks that followed were a
happened upon a Kutani ware plate.
famous potter s works and buying a
plates he d acquired, he continued his
33 square meters, it featured an open
that went The chef is a lone wolf. All
monotonous round of nose-to-the-
Created by Seika Suda, a fourth-
one-of-a-kind piece was no simple
apprenticeship at Kitcho, an old and
kitchen with a counter that seated just
he can rely on is the skills he s
cutting-board practice and study.
generation ceramicist, it had all the
matter for a young man of only 20. It
respected Japanese restaurant.
four people, and when he lined up his
hallmarks of the Kutani tradition, but
wasn t just a matter of saving up his
practiced and perfected. It emphasizes
14
skills need never go hungry. That s
school, where his dexterous hands led
My friends at school were also my
how tough the chef s life can be, but
rivals, all of us hoping to become chefs.
was exquisitely decorated in a modern
meager earnings̶the rarified
also the idea that a chef with strong
In the midst of this friendly competition,
style.
atmosphere at the exhibits also robbed
2014 May&June
An Encounter with an
Intimate Space
collection of serving dishes they
seemed to fit right in the intimate
space. The location and other
2014 May& June
15
Gorgeous color delights the eye,
while carefully-selected
ingredients
delight the tongue.
Clear soup is garnished with yuzu, bringing th
e aroma of the broth to the back of the nose
as the steam wafts from the bowl.
Generously-portioned steamed abalone is plump and tender, accented with the delectable f
ragrance of fresh green horseradish.
conditions were ideal, and Kobayashi
over long years of working with diverse
decided this was where he d plant the
ingredients and applying creativity and
flag of his new restaurant, Seika
skill to bringing out their flavors. That
Kobayashi. The Seika, of course, he
history also nurtured the Japanese
took from the name of the potter who d
sense of taste.
been his inspiration all along.
He also decided he d take reservations
often expresses multiple flavors as a
for just two parties a night̶eight
single taste̶ sweet/spicy, or sweet/
people being the most he could handle
sour. And although the human body is
doing everything himself.
designed to reject bitter flavors as
I thought that by working in front of the
foods can sometimes taste good. The
meals, their expressions as they ate, I d
ability to recreate these flavors on the
be better able to serve food I could be
plate gives Japanese cuisine its depth,
satisfied with. That s just an excuse, of
which is what makes it so rewarding to
course̶in such a small place, I didn t
prepare.
have any choice.
As a chef, Kobayashi takes pride in
In any case, that s what he thought at
preparing food that brings out these
the time.
delicate, varied flavors for diners to
enjoy, and in seeing his customers
enjoy them. As a result, he pays great
attention to his ingredients, starting
with their aroma, color, and luster,
Japanese cuisine gets its richness and
checking their resilience, how his knife
variety from the seasons, from the
goes through them, considering what
opportunity to enjoy products of the
cut surfaces to present. How, in other
mountains and the sea when they are
words, each ingredient can best be
at their best. The techniques found in
used.
Japanese cooking were established
The appeal of Japanese cuisine goes
2014 May&June
Katsuramuki is the most fundamental skill for an
y kind of Japanese knife work. The chef focuses
on using the pad of his thumb to ensure he mai
ntains a uniformly thin cut.
possibly poisonous, even bitter or acrid
customers, seeing how they paced their
The Depth Makes for
Rewarding Work
16
For example, the Japanese language
Thinly-peeled carrot and radish are finely sliced,
tied together, and placed in the bowl. The comb
ination of red and white adds both color and fla
vor.
Only a single tasting menu,
changed every six weeks, is
offered. The dishes used in
this trio of appetizers are b
oth beautiful to look at, and
enhance the appearance of
the food.
17
S
E
I
K
A
K
O
B
A
Y
A
S
H
I
Handpicked fish is carefully prepared, skewered, and
charcoal-roasted. The crackling sound is accompanied by the
smell of the charcoal and the fragrant aroma of the skin.
Kobayashi gained his first Micheli
n star just 18 months after openin
g in 2009. The restaurant is like a
hideaway, located on a quiet resi
dential street.
The Dangers of
Convenience
particularly good. The flavors all just
life as a chef is that there aren t a lot of
once every few years, I remember them
play it safe, food to satisfy anyone and
really delicious foods out there. Today,
once they visit again and enjoy a meal
everyone.
he s made his restaurant a place for
here.
soup stock. Dashi provides the so-
That tastes should change with the
Flavors are not only increasingly
pursuing the finest flavors. Because he
Opening the restaurant was an anxious
texture on the tongue, the rush of flavor
called umami component, and is
times is only natural, but Kobayashi
indistinguishable, preservatives are
works with a broker at the Tsukiji fish
time. With no money to advertise,
as one chews. The sound of skin
typically made from kelp and dried
senses a risk in our reliance on the
used to give the foods a longer shelf
market who he truly trusts, his menus
Kobayashi had to rely on word of mouth
crackling from a just-roasted piece of
bonito. Even preparing these individual
all-too convenient tastes offered by the
life. Kobayashi fears that eating such
are generally composed around fish.
from the guests that did show up. On
fish, even the sound of ingredients
ingredients involves the efforts of a
typical convenience store.
foods from an early age will lead to a
rubbing together in a bowl̶all of these
great many people.
comprise our enjoyment of food.
For example, the dried bonito starts
convenience stores. My mother s
with bonito caught at sea by fishermen.
cooking was the only thing I knew. But
The fish is brought to land, cleaned and
beyond flavor, and encompasses the
chance to take the stage.
enjoyment of sight, smell, and texture.
One of these forms the foundation of
The anticipation as one reaches for a
flavor in Japanese cuisine̶dashi, or
morsel with one s chopsticks. The
There are also ways to combine the
colors of the ingredients with the right
serving dishes to stimulate the sight
and make food seem even more
appetizing.
Even the tiniest garnish of carved yuzu
bushi in katsuo-bushi, the Japanese
name for dried bonito) and boiled. Once
boiled, the bushi is then hung outside
But 18 months from opening, he
what I use, I get the best fish possible,
received his first Michelin star, and
that quick and convenient is better, that
and that improves my cooking.
since then, reservations have been hard
mothers aren t professional chefs, and
cheap goods are better than expensive
The dishes he comes up with leave
to come by. His obsession with flavor
sometimes they mess up. This gives us
ones, that it s okay for things to be just
diners groaning with pleasure. The food
seems to have inspired his guests, and
a chance to really experience what bad
okay and not anything special, become
comes out looking beautiful, the
today, there s no doubt the word is
flavors taste like.
the new normal.
portions are generous, and the distinct
spreading. Seika Kobayashi is a
At 38, Kobayashi is among the last
flavors of the ingredients enrich and
restaurant that takes pride in making
delight with the first bite.
sure every dish is delectable.
To know what tastes delicious, it s also
decreased sense of taste.
I don t think we should let this sense
to dry before going into a smoker. Each
important to know what doesn t. This
generation to have grown up without
presentation of Japanese cuisine.
step in the process is handled by a
teaches us that food comes in all kinds
convenience stores, and says he
different specialist. The finished, dried
of flavors, and helps expand our sense
wishes that the younger generation
senses, opening up the mind and body.
bonito is then stored in a warehouse
of taste.
would have a greater awareness of the
Customers find even their conversations
importance of food. This, he says, is
are deeper. Since I started working here
where it matures. All of this work goes
If I asked my mother to make me a
Eating good food stimulates all five
into just one ingredient used in making
lunch, she would always take the time
why he hopes to continue leaving a
alone, I ve closed the distance between
the broth.
to prepare rice balls. Today, a wide
legacy that honors the wonders of
myself and my customers. Starting a
Today, the word umami has found its
variety of prepackaged lunches is
Japanese cuisine.
conversation with the seasons, talking
every day. Japanese cuisine features a
way into use even overseas, further
readily available. Kids today even show
surprisingly wide range of ingredients,
proof that the rich flavors of Japanese
up for field trips or athletic meets with
from the stars of the show to the bit
cooking are appreciated by people the
store-bought lunches. The problem is,
players. Many of them play an important
world over.
none of the foods sold at convenience
I get all kinds of ingredients delivered
role even though they seldom get a
2014 May&June
top of that, his prices are fairly high.
best ingredients better than me select
When I was a child, we didn t have
peel is indispensable to the
Dashi is at the
Heart of Japanese
Cuisine
18
formed into the classic boat shape (the
By letting someone who can spot the
stores tastes bad; neither is any of it
In Pursuit of the
Ultimate Dish
One thing Kobayashi has learned in his
about places where their favorite foods
are produced or memories they
associate with them, I ve learned to
understand each individual s upbringing
and lifestyle. Even if I see them only
DATA
Seika Kobayashi
At the owner-chef s request, address and phone n
umber have not been provided.
2014 May
19
C
A
M
E
L
L
I
A
Embracing the scent of spring as cherry
trees bloom: mousse of John Dory in
vernal pastels
Delicious
Japanese
Food
Haute cuisine based on the philosophy of Auguste Escoffier
Seasonal Sensibilities in
Every Single Dish
Daniel Paquet Head Chef
Camellia
Hotel Chinzanso Tokyo
Head Chef at Hotel Chinzanso Tokyo's Camellia restaurant since 2011, Daniel Paquet
creates flavors unique to Camellia for diners to savor as they enjoy the seasonal
charms of the hotel's Japanese garden.
We talked to Paquet, a four-decade resident of Japan, about combining French
cuisine with Japanese-style flair.
20
2014 May&June
21
A palate expanded
by Japanese cooking offers
inspiration for a new take on
French cuisine
Spr ing at t he Hotel Chinzanso Tokyo brings a blaze of color with the bloom ing of 120 trees of around 20 varieties, starting wi t
h Kawaz u and Taiwan cherries, continuing through S om ei Y oshino cherries and finishing with weeping double-flow ered varie t i
es . Over t his six-week period the view of the garden from C am ellia is sim ply m agnificent.
A dream becomes forty
years in Japan
half a millennium or more. Paquet was
At Camellia, the set menus are renewed
particularly taken with the cherry trees
about seven times a year: quite a rapid
and fireflies. What Paquet specializes in
pace. When developing new menus,
Born in France's Bresse region,
is French haute cuisine, but he found
Paquet's main priorities are to use
Daniel Paquet trained in French cuisine
that working amid such verdant
seasonal ingredients, giving diners a
and embarked on a career that by 1972
surroundings honed his sensibilities,
sense of each season. Paquet has
saw him in the roles of chef saucier
and he began to wonder if he could
always proactively included ingredients
and sous chef at Maxim's in Paris.
incorporate this distinctively Japanese
he has only become familiar with since
While in Paris he met and married a
sort of refinement in his cooking.
coming to Japan. The Hotel Chinzanso
Tokyo also hosts many events steeped
Japanese woman, and in 1976 came to
Japan to take up the post of executive
Cherry blossom turns the garden pale
in Japanese tradition. Paquet studies
chef at Maxim's de Paris in Ginza,
pink, dazzling against blue skies,
these occasions and familiarizes
Tokyo.
soothing the souls of all who survey the
himself with the relevant traditions, then
scene. Unlike the Japanese, who tend
does his utmost to please guests
to view cherry trees in terms of the
coming to the hotel for each event.
evanescence of scattering petals,
Such thoughtfulness is the true essence
For Paquet, who says he thought that
Paquet was seduced by the sheer
of hospitality.
all Japanese wore kimonos, and
vitality of their vibrant blooming in the
The month and a half devoted to a
samurai could still be seen around, the
here and now. The challenge was how
menu passes in a flash, and soon it is
Ginza streets came as quite a shock.
to express such a sentiment in his
time to create the next one. While
cooking. A sensation he had never
coming up with new menus means
reflects. Japan was really modern. I
experienced in France began to take
wracking his brains each time, Paquet
never imagined there would be high-rise
hold. Carefully shaping edible lily bulbs
cheerfully confides that nothing makes
buildings, or people wearing suits. In
into cherry blossom petals, he dyed the
him happier than imagining the smiles
2011 Paquet was appointed head chef
green petals pink and put together a
of customers waiting eagerly for each
at Camellia, the French restaurant at
plateful of spring, so to speak, just the
new offering.
Hotel Chinzanso Tokyo. The
sort of creation one might expect from
Meals in the Paquet household are
restaurant's windows look out on the
the dexterous fingers of this master
usually ordinary Japanese food ‒ miso
hotel's Japanese garden. With its flitting
chef.
soup, natto, pickled plums and rice ‒
Garden Scenes
Stimulate the Senses
That was certainly a surprise, he
birds and splendid floral displays
through the seasons, the garden has
the air of one that has been there for
22
2014 May&June
Offering Menus to Match
the Season
prepared by his wife. Paquet's palate
has become accustomed to flavors not
found in France. Just as his
gastronomic horizons have been
not only chicken, but other birds such
French cuisine, Paquet incorporates the
extended by tasting Japanese food,
as duck, guinea fowl and quail. Using a
sensibilities of Japanese cuisine in his
Paquet says he hopes Japanese will
variety of sauces, he coaxes out the
pursuit of new French flavor
find that his cooking extends theirs.
unique taste of each meat. Just as
experiences.
Japanese cuisine has the umami of
Stocks and Sauces the
Deciding Factors in
Flavor
dashi stock, in French cooking it is
sauces that determine flavor.
Occasionally, Paquet says, he
Paquet's native region of Bresse is
experiments with fusing Japanese and
home to the highly-valued Bresse
French flavors, noting that when
chicken breed, and the chef was raised
devising a special French menu to go
on his mother's poultry dishes. In Japan
with Japanese sake, he was surprised
poultry usually means chicken, but
Paquet's focus on poultry encompasses
by how compatible they were. Thus
while striving to offer quintessential
DATA
2 -10- 8 Sekiguchi Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo
Open: All year
Hours: Lunch 11:00 ‒ 15:00 (last orders:
14:00)
Dinner 17:00 ‒ 22:00 (last orders: 20:00)
2014 May& June
23
QR 1
Quality Review
PLUM WINE YUMEHIBIKI
Plum wine of Ohyama-machi
Hita City, Oita Prefecture
Yumehibiki, a Premium Plum Wine
From Oyama-machi, Where Plums are Prized
Photos (Left page)/Text: Yuko Iida
Photos (Right page): Satoru Naito
surrounding forests. With healthy
Made with Oshuku
plums patiently nurtured
by contract farmers,
this plum wine is slowly
matured in white oak
barrels.
Oyama-machi is a small town
nestled among forested mountains in
the city of Hita, in Oita Prefecture.
This hilly region, with almost no flat
land, is naturally poorly suited to rice
production. This is why, since around
1960, the entire town has worked
hard to promote the cultivation of
plum and chestnut trees. With the
government mainly concerned with
promoting rice production, the town
came up with a clever slogan for their
efforts̶ Plant plums and chestnuts
and let s all go to Hawaii! ̶which
proved successful. Farm income grew,
and today Oyama-machi is known for
having the highest ratio of passport
holders in all of Japan. This initiative
set the precedent for the one town,
one product movement that was to
follow.
Since that time, Oyama-machi has
continued to focus on producing fine
quality plums. While this work has
included upgraded technology, the
town also developed a unique
composting material utilizing the rich
resources available from the
earth to grow in, the plum trees send
sensual.
Even the name of the Oshuku plum
out strong branches and roots,
has romantic origins. During the
warding off disease and pests. This is
mid-Heian Period, the plum tree on
also why levels of pesticide use have
the grounds of the Seiryo-den (the
naturally fallen off over time.
Emperor s palace in Kyoto) had died,
Today, the plum trees which the
and it was decided that a tree would
townspeople have labored over with
be moved from the gardens of Ki no
such care number nearly 12,000.
Naishi, daughter of the famous poet
Each year, nine plum varieties come
and courtier Ki no Tsurayuki. On a
into riotous bloom, beginning with the
branch of that tree she tied a waka, or
Nankou variety in March, followed by
poem, which read Although this plum
the Nanaore, the Shirakaga, the
tree is being moved at the request of
Oshuku and others. Finally between
His Imperial Majesty, I wonder where
late May and July, the trees become
the bush warbler that kept its nest in
laden with green fruit. This is when
this tree each year will keep its nest
farm families are busiest, harvesting
now? Upon reading this poem, the
the plums, drying and pickling them
Emperor is said to have returned the
and processing them into plum jam.
plum tree. Oshuku is written with the
characters for bush warbler and
Use of the Finest Plums Brings
Acclaim at Competition
Overseas
This
is how plums from Oyamamachi have come to be known as
Green Diamonds, and Yumehibiki is
shelter.
When the plum trees are in full
flower, the bush warbler can be seen
hopping from branch to branch among
the blossoms, its beautiful song
echoing among the hills as it stops to
rest. Produced among such tranquil
made with one of those varieties, the
scenery, diligently nurtured by the
Oshuku plum. Premium Yumehibiki is
farmers of Oyama-machi, these plums
produced by transferring plum wine
become Yumehibiki, a premium-quality
that has been aged for three years to
plum wine.
used white oak whiskey barrels, where
it is allowed to ripen further. The
lingering aroma of malt enhances the
sweet-tart flavor of the plums, while
the refreshing pungency of the white
S h i n y g r e e
n plums are t
he product of
lovingly nurtu
red trees.
oak imparts an elegant, rich finish.
The result is a subtle, flavorful plum
wine that might even be called
● Inquiries: Hibiki-no-Sato, 4587 Nishi-Oyama, Oyama-machi, Hita City, Oita Prefecture Tel. 0973-52-3000
24
2014 May&June
Yumehibiki Barrel-Finished Premium Plum Wine
Contents: 500ml
Alcohol: 20％
Price: 3,333 yen (excl. tax) (With wrapping cloth)
Ingredients: Oshuku plums from Oyama, brewed alcohol, syrup
2014 May& June
25
QR 2
The minimalist
design does not
clash with any r
oom décor.
Quality
Review
AirEngine
The dual-fan structure releases up
to 10,000 liters of filtered air from th
e top of the cleaner. AirEngine als
o acts as an air circulator.
AirEngine
AirEngine by Balmuda:
An Air Cleaning Device that Even Removes PM2.5
Photograph: Satoru Naito Text: JQR
This air cleaner with
two fans powerfully
moves air and traps
harmful airborne
particles in the process.
The first thing I noticed in the corner of
this air cleaner s upper panel was a
small round button with an airplane
drawn on it. Why an airplane? I couldn t
establish a connection between
airplanes and air cleaners. When I
pressed it, this white apparatus
activated its jet cleaning mode ,
sucking up the surrounding air and then
thrusting it out and up straight to the
ceiling, producing howling sounds like a
jet turbine. The whole phenomenon
looked like a small tornado had
emerged out of nowhere. It works like
this: the air that is driven up to the
ceiling by the powerful force of the top
fan slowly travels down along the walls
and is brought in again to the machine
by the bottom fan, ad infinitum. In a
nutshell, the machine circulates air in a
continuous motion, and removes
airborne impurities by allowing air to
pass through its interior filter repeatedly.
Dust and other fine particulates find
their way indoors through the smallest
of openings, as no house is airtight.
They may be invisible to the human
eye, but you can see them when you
wipe your table and discover how dirty
the cloth gets. These microscopic
indoors. The filter boasts extremely
particles can be exhaust fumes from
high removal performance. When tested
vehicles and factories, dust from
in a residential room of about 25 square
construction sites, and pollen, as well
meters (260 square feet), it had a
as dust storms traveling from China,
capture rate of over 90% for airborne
which are known as Yellow Sand. Of
particles of 2.5 micrometers in 19
particular concern is fine particulate
minutes and over 90% for airborne
matter smaller than 2.5 micrometers,
particles of 0.1 micrometer in 29
commonly known as PM2.5.
minutes.
Powerful enough to
attract larger, heavier
particles
The cylindrical filter, called the 360°
Enzyme Filter, efficiently filters the air
that comes in from all four surfaces.
Made of activated carbon, the
honeycomb structure of the filter
Japanese cryptomeria pollen is about
effectively absorbs odors and
30 micrometers in diameter. Yellow
accelerates their decomposition into
Sand is about 5 micrometers. Compared
water and carbon dioxide. For added
to them, PM2.5, which is the term used
peace of mind, Balmuda uses special
to describe particles of 2.5 micrometers
technology to coat the fibers of the filter
or less, is extremely small. In fact, many
with a bacteriolytic enzyme, which
of the particles in the PM2.5 group
deactivates viruses, mildews and molds
measure around 0.3 micrometers and
on contact.
are easily inhaled and accumulated in
the body, triggering respiratory and
cardiovascular problems. We are told of
this health risk but tend to ignore it on
account of the particles invisibility. Let
s face it: lots of PM2.5 particles are
floating around indoors as well.
The key feature of the AirEngine air
cleaner is its dual fan structure ‒ one to
bring air in and the other to expel it.
The two fans work in tandem to release
up to 10,000 liters of filtered air every
minute. The AirEngine creates dynamic
air circulation like an air circulator,
allowing it to draw in and filter
particulates that manage to reach
The filter cleaning sign flashes after 500
hours of continuous operation. Use a va
cuum cleaner to clean the surface of the
filter. For efficient operation, the filter s
hould be replaced every year.
AirEngine is a dependable guard against a wide range of indoor particulates that can travel deep into your body without
your knowledge and threaten your health. For details, please contact Balmuda (0120-686-717 (toll free) http://www.
balmuda.com/jp/)
*AirEngine was conceptualized and designed in Japan.
26
2014 May&June
「AirEngine」
Di me n s i o n s : 2 5 0 mm ( W) ×2 5 0 mm ( D) ×7 0 0 mm ( H)
We i g h t : 8 . 0 Kg
Po we r Re q u i r e me n t : AC1 0 0 V, 5 0 / 6 0 Hz
Pr i c e : 4 7 , 4 2 9 y e n ( +t a x )
2014 May& June
27
My Journey
A DREAM IN
PROGRESS
Photos/Yosuke Suga Text/JQR
Article 1 in a Series
Hiroshi Moriyama
Emeritus Professor, The Jikei
University School of Medicine
Former Director, The Jikei
University Hospital
I knew I had to make a living,
so I decided to become a doctor.
My Grandmother s Example
I m the third generation of doctors in my
father and uncle, but they were burned
wouldn t object to letting us into their
family. As our last name (Moriyama
out of their home by the air raids during
gardens if we asked. Looking back now,
̶ forest mountain ) might tell you, our
World War II, and ended up moving to
it was really a great time. The city
family were originally timber merchants
Tokyo s Edogawa district. I was born in
looked dingy and run down, and the
in Tochigi Prefecture. My grandfather,
Edogawa in February of 1948. My
whole country was poor, but people
Fukusaburo Moriyama, graduated from
brother was born six years later, but
were always very laid back about
what was then the Chiba School of
died at the age of just 33.
things.
Medicine and later became a physician,
After graduating from Tokyo Medical
One day, I had a chance to talk with my
but one day he fell off a carriage as he
and Dental University, our father
father about my future, and I told him I
was making his rounds and died when
worked at a hospital, then opened a
wanted to go into archeology. His
he was still in his mid-thirties.
clinic in Koiwa around 1961. Our
response was that archeology was all
At the time his wife, Hana, was caring
mother s older brother was also a
well and good, but I d never make a
for two young sons, ages five and two
pharmacist, and ran a pharmacy in
living from it. He pointed out that many
̶my father and my uncle. I guess she
doctors̶like the writers Ogai Mori and
thought that to provide for two small
Morio Kita̶did something else on the
children she d need some kind of
side, and that I could always pursue
vocation, but in any case she started
archeology as a hobby. At the time,
studying and entered a dental college.
archeology truly wasn t any way to
She must have been 25 or 26 at the
make a living, and that must have
time. Her older brother, who had opened
worried him. That fact was what led me
a dental practice in Ashikaga, paid her
to begin thinking about becoming a
tuition. Apparently she would leave my
doctor.
uncle at her parent s house and go to
Actually, the one who really wanted to
classes with my father on her back. The
make a doctor out of me was our
story is very similar to that of an NHK
grandmother, perhaps because she d
wanted to become one herself. She
serial drama that ran back in the 60s,
Gunma Prefecture, so I grew up
was always the one who worried most
was intent on pursuing my grandfather s
surrounded by people in the medical
about my grades.
dreams̶in fact, she d actually hoped
field. But I was just a regular kid, and
Having grown up in the Meiji Period,
to get into medical school. Later she
not the least bit interested in medicine.
my grandmother was a woman of grit
said that trying to graduate from
I failed all of my entrance exams for
and character. She continued seeing
medical school while raising two
private high schools, and in the end had
patients at her dental clinic until the
children would have just been too
to settle for a second-tier public high
age of 82, and remained hale and
difficult, and that s why she chose
school.
hearty until she died at 94. Because
dentistry.
Once I got to high school, I still didn t
her clinic was also the family home, I
After graduating from dental school
want to become a doctor, so I joined
knew firsthand what an examining room
while raising two children on her own,
the geology club and spent a lot of time
felt like, and seeing my father rush out
my grandmother acquired more training
in Ishikawa, in the neighboring
on house calls in the middle of the
while working at a dental clinic, and
prefecture, busily digging up fossils and
night was an everyday thing. As a
eventually opened her own clinic in
clay pots. Ishikawa was famous for its
result, I was perhaps more prepared to
Kamata. That s where she raised my
shell mounds, and back then farmers
become a doctor in body than in mind.
Ohana-han. I think my grandmother
(To be continued)
Hiroshi Moriyama
28
2014 May&June
Emeritus Professor, the Jikei University School of Medicine; Former Director of the Jikei University Hospital; Honorary
Member of the American Academy of Otolaryngology̶Head and Neck Surgery; Honorary Member of the European Rhin
ologic Society; Co-chairman of the Oto-Rhino-Laryngological Society of Japan; Advisor to the Association of Japanese
Medical Colleges. An international pioneer in the use of endoscopic surgery to treat paranasal sinus disease.
29