The Breakfast of Champions

We started the 2009 New Year with osechi ryori that I cooked along with tarabagani crab and a sashimi platter that Shinji-san's dad made.

Osechi Ryori

This is the osechi ryori, Japanese food for New Year's Day, that I cooked for Shinji-san and his family. Iritori is the colorful box with carrots, snow peas, lotus root, gobo, konnyaku, shiitake mushrooms and chiken. 

The second from the bottom photo has the sweet items including the kuri kinton of Satsuma sweet potatoes and chestnuts, tazukuri dried sardines with a sweet soy sauce, a marshmallow-like sweet egg omelette called date maki, kamaboko and kuromame sweet black beans (made by Shinji's mom).

The third from the bottom has kohaku namasu pickled daikon, carrots and yuzu, tataki gobo with a sesame dressing, kuwai, pickled renkon lotus root, kombu wrapped around nishin, and kazunoku (made by Shinji's dad).

The picture on the top shows you the three boxes. This was packed up on the evening of the 31st and we had it for breakfast on January 1st.

Kappabashi Map

Click on the title "Kappabashi Map" for a simple map to some of the big shops in Kappabashi.

The Squid Saga

"Dashi" is added to the dictionary

$1,000 Record Price for a Bunch of Grapes

Fruit in Japan is manicured and coddled before harvest to create perfect fruit bombs. The high end pieces of fruit are not purchased for noshing on at home, but for gifts.

While melons are known for their exorbitant prices, this week in Japan, a bunch of melons sold for 100,000 Japanese Yen (or about $1,000 USD). This price is about $25 per grape!

Nobunkyo Library

食関係の書は約６０００冊

東京都練馬区立野町１５－４５
Phone: 03-3928-7440

http://www.ruralnet.or.jp/nbklib/

Kansai Food

http://www.kippo.or.jp/culture/syoku/index_j.html

Honmirin

http://www.hakusenshuzou.jp/

Harvest Festival - Reap the bounty of fall in Japan

Earthy kinoko (mushrooms), umami-rich kaki (oysters) and kuri (chestnuts) used for wagashi (Japanese confectionaries) are just some of the gifts that are the delights of fall in Japan.

http://www.metropolis.co.jp/tokyo/555/localflavors.asp