Washoku (和食)

The concept washoku is registered as an UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage for being "Traditional Dietary Cultures of the Japanese".

Washoku is a social practice based on a set of skills, knowledge, practice and traditions related to the production, processing, preparation and consumption of food:

1. A Rich Variety of Fresh Ingredients and Respect for Inherent Flavors
2. Nutritional Balance that Supports a Healthy Diet
3. Expressions of the Beauty of Nature and Changing Seasons
4. An Intimate Relationship with Annual Celebrations

On my first night in the outskirts of Tokyo I had a late night dinner which has some elements of washoku, which is written with two characters: 和 means ‘Japan’ or ‘harmony,’ 食 means ‘food’ or ‘to eat.’ The aesthetic presentation of the food is emphasised.

Poke

I had a pretty good and well filled poke bowl from Undercover in Amsterdam. I decided to deconstruct this dish and learn its origin. Poke is simply Hawaiian for "to slice" and the current dish originates in the 1970s but I’m sure traditionally a similar dish goes back much further in time.

A recipe for ahi (yellowfin tuna) poke:

Cut the tuna in bite sized cubes. Cut a spring onion and some sweet onion really thin. Add finely cut ginger, fresh ogo seaweed, and fresh chopped garlic, salt, sesame oil, soy sauce and a little vegetable oil. Mix. Traditionally you need something crunchy as well, like candlenut.

This is just the tuna. You can make sushi rice with rice vinegar as a base. My poke from Undercover was much more refined without onions, but with two types of raw fish, avocado, some leafs, fish roe and sesame seeds.

On the fish market in Tokyo they served a similar dish made from just rice and tuna. The price difference between the bowls is the fattiness of the tuna.

Tan-men (タンメン) ramen soup

The problems with many ramen is that is takes an enormous amount of time to make the stock. Not so much for Tan-men (タンメン) although it still takes 1,5 hours.

To make the stock:

Soak chicken bones for 20 minutes, refresh the water and bring to a boil. Skim the broth. Add the greens of green onion or white leek, carrot skin, piece of cabbage, about 3 ginger slices. Don’t boil but simmer for 90 minutes.

Tan-men ramen is basically a stir fry with pork and vegetables, added stock and ramen.

To make the stir-fry:

30 gram pork shoulder thinly sliced, seasoned
50 gram onion, thinly cut
15 gram carrot, sliced in sticks
5 gram bell pepper
5 gram wood ear mushroom
5 gram green peas
5 gram white leek
1/2 minced garlic
5 gram Chinese chive
100 gram cabbage, bit size
100 gram bean sprouts.

Heat oil in a wok, add pork and garlic. Then add: onion, carrot, mushroom, bell pepper, white leek and green peas. After that the cabbage and bean sprouts.

Fry for a couple of minutes, season and add 500 ml chicken bone stock. Taste for salt.

In the meantime boil the ramen. This will likely be a good instant ramen.

Assembly:

Pour the stock in a bowl, add the boiled ramen. Add Chinese chives and the stir fried vegetables.

Japanese tea ware

Over the years I collected quite a few Japanese tea wares. My Hagi-yaki I bought around 2004 on eBay. Since 2017 I have been completing my collection with additional ceramics and pottery. Images are mostly taken from the online shops I bought my tea ware.

Banko-yaki 萬古焼 kyusu with basket motifs by Tachi Masaki, 140 ml (2017)

Banko-yaki is a type of Japanese pottery traditionally from Yokkaichi, Mie Prefecture and is thought to have originated in the 18th century. Initially white or yellow clay was used until the mines were depleted. They changed to a local clay which is known as purple clay (紫泥). I bought this small 140 ml kyusu for premium sencha. Masaki used a chigire 千切れ pattern on the surface of the tea pot.

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Kazuho Chasen by Tango Tanimura (2018)

Tango Tanimura is the 20th generation of a chasen making family in Japan. This 80 prong chasen is crafted from a single piece of white Hachiku bamboo that has been seasoned for 2-3 years. Designed for the Urasenke style of Tea Ceremony and suited for Usucha (thin tea).

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Wari-Koudai Totoya Chawan by Deishi Shibuya (歴史)

The only chawan I currently own is made by Deishi Shibuya who passed away in 2017. The motif of Deishi's work was an old huge cherry tree Usuzumi Sakura in Gifu Prefecture. The bright white glaze symbolises the cherry blossoms, the rough clay the bark of the tree. Shibuya used straw-ashes glaze for most of his work, which he studied for 30 years. The clay with blended rough sand is called Oni-Hagi.

Yunomi by Deishi Shibuya (歴史)

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Yunomi by Seigan Yamane

Most of my Hagi-yaki yunomi are made by Seigan Yamane. They hold between 200 ml and 250 ml to the rim and are the best size for daily tea. After a 15 year career in Karate (Yamane established a Karate school in 1974) he decided to pursue a life in pottery in 1987. In ceramic art the same principle holds: in vacuum alone motion becomes possible. Yamane: "Making pottery is a means to be vacuum rather than a way to express myself." This concept is taken from The Heart Sūtra. The sutra famously states, "Form is empty" (śūnyatā).

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Yuzamashi (water cooler)

Mogake is a technique consisting of applying seaweed on unglazed clay before firing. The salt from seaweed oxidizes with the clay during the firing and unique marks are made on the surfaces. Handmade by Hokujo, recognized as a Tokoname City Human Cultural Asset. Since I have an electric water cooker with temperature presets I don’t really need a water cooler anymore.

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Mizutama (polka dot) Dobin, 550 ml (2018)

Factory made ceramics but still pretty nice. The filter is also made of ceramics and therefore easy to clean. This size is too big for me, but for brewing cold green tea in the refrigerator in summer this dobin has the perfect size.

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Takasuke Shudei Kyusu Tokoname, Japan, 280 ml (2018)

One also needs a less expensive teapot for daily use. Perfect for lower priced sencha and a perfect match for my larger 200 ml yunomi. Although it is less expensive this kyusu is still a very nice piece of Tokoname-yaki.

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Tiger and Rooster tea caddy in style of Rinpa (琳派) school

Paper on aluminium.