HIGASHI-YAMA Tokyo

In our fifth year, we are focusing on Hokuriku, the gateway for ancient continental Asian culture in Japan. We present carefully selected ingredients and brewed beverages, as well as tableware created by the potters and artisans we met throughout our travels in the region. We commenced our journey in Toyama in March, and for our next edition starting June 5th, we move on to discover the distinctive food cultures of the Noto and Kaga regions in Ishikawa Prefecture.

In 2011, “Noto's Satoyama and Satoumi” region was designated as a Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System (GIAHS) by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). The Noto peninsula, comprised of low mountains and sloped hillsides, has few plains. Over centuries, the people of this region have developed traditional agricultural, forestry, and fishing industries in harmony with their natural surroundings.

On a steep hillside facing the Japan Sea, exactly 1,004 fields form a tapestry of terraced rice paddies known as “Shiroyone Senmaida.” Here, rice is grown according to an ancient Japanese method in which rice seeds are sown and allowed to germinate into seedlings. Every step from planting to harvesting is done by hand.

The nearby town of Suzu is home to one of just a few places in Japan still undertaking the traditional salt-farming craft, known as “agehama-shiki.” For more than 400 years, salt farmers have been drawing seawater from the Japan Sea and scattering it across the sandy field, then waiting for it to dry under the sun's rays. Additional seawater is used to filter out the concentrated salt from the sand and simmered slowly in a kettle to extract the final product.

The expansive Kaga Plain, extending along the Japan Sea coast, offers vastly different scenery. The plain was formed by the meandering Tedorigawa river, whose source is Mt. Hakusan, long-considered a symbol of the guardian deity of farming and fishing. The construction of irrigation canals in the 1800s allowed the region to flourish, producing bountiful harvests of unique Kaga vegetables and making it one of Japan’s leading rice-growing regions. The history and traditions of “Kaga Hyakumangoku,” a phrase from samurai times indicating the region as a land of plenty, gave birth to an elegant and grand food culture that still thrives today.

Ishikawa Prefecture, with its rich climate and topography, is also home to a diverse fermented food culture. Truly unique dishes include the pickled eggs of fugu puffer fish. Pickling the eggs in fermented rice bran over several years removes the deadly poison making this just one delicacy in a region with many traditional fermented foods.

The Noto Peninsula is also home to enormous deposits of fossilized phytoplankton called diatomaceous earth. The clay-like substance is known for its exceptional insulating and flame resistant qualities, and has been used since the Edo Period to create earthen charcoal braziers for cooking. We visited Nensyoki Kogyo in Suzu and witnessed the craftsmen carving out blocks of the earth with their hands, before shaping and filing them into braziers according to traditional methods. In collaboration with the craftsmen, we have designed a rectangular block plate from diatomaceous earth to use during this edition of our food journey.

We also present many special pieces, showcasing the Ishikawa craftsmanship that has been passed down over many generations. Among them are Wajima lacquerware, characterized by a long history of strong yet elegant work, and the magnificent gold-painted porcelain Kutani ware of Kinzangama Kiln, established in 1906.

We are delighted to share with you the essence of Ishikawa food, a culture cultivated by influences from across the sea and through lifestyles closely intertwined with the region’s unique natural surroundings.

We are looking forward to your visit.