John Daub: So here we are in Kanazawa 金沢 This is the perfect city to show you what
I have in front of me today. Kanazawa is a very traditionally-cultural
Japanese city, and we're going to be eating food from
over four hundred years ago! Not just any food either! This is the food
of the DAIMYO. Announcer: "Irasshaimase!" (Welcome!) Peter von Gomm: ONLY in JAPAN. John Daub: Kanazawa is a city along the
Sea of Japan, just two and a half hours away by Hokuriku
Shinkansen from Tokyo. Famous as a cultural hub with a strong
connection to the country's long history. At the Nomura Clan Samurai House, you can
try Matcha, with a history going back over
seven hundred years. "Chado", or the tea ceremony in Kanazawa,
was a very important skill accomplishment for "bushi" or samurai. Having a perfect cup of tea, in a perfect
cup, is like drinking the city's history. It's easy to feel a connection to history
and nature in Kanazawa. This shop sells a special
traditional food, with a history going back to the
Edo period. This is "Kabura-zushi". It's a very famous dish in Kanazawa.
It's "buri", or yellowtail amberjack fish, sandwiched between two pieces of "kabura",
Japanese white turnip, fermented in Koji rice malt. There were no refrigerators in the Edo
period, so preserving food in this way was popular, and the ingredients a luxury. It was the food of the rich, and a desired
gift to receive. Thankfully, it's a little more affordable
these days, so we gave it a try. You can hear that pickled turnip crunch. This is Masakazu Shijimaya, who helps run
the family business. Masakazu Shijimaya: I've heard that the
origin of "kabura-zushi" is in the Edo era. We and our ancestors
eat "kabura-zushi" in special occasions, like celebrations, or new year, and
wedding, so there is a custom to eat "kabura-zushi", in special occasions right
now. We salt and mature the yellowtail fish about six months to one year, so it
takes a long time to make "kabura-zushi". John Daub: Tonight is a dinner at a
restaurant established centuries ago, and served Japanese feudal lords, known as
Daimyo. Kanae and I wanted to go in style, and that meant putting on Summer kimonos. We strolled past Kanazawa Castle, and
through one of Japan's top three most beautiful gardens, "Kenroku-en", developed
in the 1620s, by the Maeda clan, Daimyo of the Kaga domain. This garden was for the
residents of the castle, but now open to all to enjoy. the Kotoji Toro stone lantern, with its
wide legs as a symbol of the garden, the city, and Ishikawa prefecture. We arrived at Otomoro, in time for our
Daimyo meal. As you may know, Japanese service is
arguably the best in the world, and this area has some of the
top restaurants and traditional inns. The level of service connected to the
standards from centuries ago. Otomoro is one of the city's most famous
restaurants housing historical recipes. The chefs who trained here often have
success starting their own restaurants, and they were here, hard at work,
preparing the feast for tonight. Ingredients for regal meals like this
often came from very far away places, the cost extremely high to transport
quickly, in the Edo period. We have never eaten this kind of cuisine
before in this style. What you have before us are three trays
here, and this is how people ate over four hundred years ago, during the Edo
period, and it's so confusing to us, we see this delicious food, but there's a
culture to it! John Daub: "Bunka ga desu ne?"
(Culture, right?) Kanae: Yes.
John Daub: You can't just attack it, There's sort of a pattern and I'm actually
so afraid of maybe doing something wrong, that it makes me really nervous to be
eating- (I'm really nervous!) (What should I eat first here?) Satoshi Otomo: (Actually, start with the
first tray in front of you.) (This one is the first.) John Daub: This is Otomo-san, owner and
keeper of those historical recipes. Satoshi Otomo: (Go around to your right.) John Daub: Start in the middle, and eat
your way to your right. Japanese cuisine can be quite intimidating
with rules and manners, so it's always good to ask a pro! With the boss super-
vising, special dishes quickly appeared. The appearance, shocking. Presentation meant to turn heads. Were we supposed to eat this? In front of us was a bird, a pheasant,
looking back at us! It's the breast meat, marinated in a sauce
and fried, a centuries-old recipe. Still, it's hard to get over the fact that
the bird is sitting, wings-spread, as we feast on it. This kind of toughness
is required to be a feudal lord in Japan, and it comes with a little ginger. Kanae: Hmm, it's not chicken.. it's not
chicken, it's a little bit hard, it's harder than chicken, but tastes
John Daub: Taste like chicken? Kanae: Taste like chicken? [laughs]
John Daub: I don't know about that! It seems like, it's a little bit tougher
than chicken, it's not juicy in that way, but it is in a very delicious sauce around
it, and it's been fried. It's a meaty taste, and it breaks apart in your mouth a
little bit differently than chicken, and that makes it pretty special to me.
I've never had "kiji" (pheasant) before. Otomoro had some surprises, like this fire
sake ceremony. A drink for an accomplished warrior, the
presentation meant to dazzle important guests. Fire rising in
the streams of strong booze. It's super strong and has a slight charred
taste, beloved by the tough. Here's another special dish: "Tai” 鯛 or red snapper, but when you cut it open,
it's been stuffed! The secret of its preparation will not
part the chef's lips. These are luxury drinking snacks,
for Daimyo, from the sea. Among the three trays presented to us
are these dishes from the restaurant's historical cookbook. Japanese sake was served in ceremonial
saucers, beautiful lacquerware. [grunting] Sometimes the food simply was
hard to get to, locked in shells. This shellfish simply wouldn't budge!
Otomo-san showed me the secret: Twist the meat out! I had a long way to go before
I can eat like a Daimyo. So, what did Japanese eat centuries ago? I asked Hasegawa Takanori,
from Hokuriku University. (What did the Japanese normally eat every day?) Takanori Hasegawa: (What they ate was,
in the morning,) (a meal called Yuzuke, which was simply
rice mixed with hot water.) (Yuzuke would often be eaten with pickled
vegetables like Takuan (daikon radish).) (In the afternoon, it was common to eat
Yakimeshi, which is fried leftover rice.) (Again, this is eaten with vegetables
like Gobo (burdock root).) (Often, media sources tell us that people) (from the Edo period only had two meals a day) (but that is not entirely true.) (In the 1750s, during the Horeki era,) (the mass production of candles
became possible.) (Previously, rapeseed oil was used to
light a flame) (but this was seen as a waste
so most people) (simply relied on natural daylight, slept after sunset) (so two meals a day was common.) (After candles were accessible,
people stayed up later) (which established the custom of Yashoku,
or "night-time meal".) (This usually comprised of fish.) (Ichiju Issai ("One soup, one side dish")) (term for the foundation of a Japanese
meal, which included a bowl of soup) (and okazu (side dish)
in addition to rice.) (But if there were special occasions
like weddings,) (samurai were permitted Ichiju Sansai,) (which included three side dishes
instead of one.) (This from the Osadame-gaki, the official
rulebook for) (Japanese judicial bureaucrats
during the Edo period.) (But, of course,
people wanted to eat more.) (So, what the samurai did was
come together) (for a meal and combine their daily food allowance.) (All gathered in one house,) (they would place a large portion
of side dishes on a big plate.) (If 3 samurai gathered,
they could share 3 side dishes,) (but if they were permitted 2 side dishes
each for a special occasion, 3 people) (could share the portion of
6 side dishes.) (This way, samurai would find a way) (to eat a little more
than they could otherwise.) John Daub: Soon, the entertainment
arrived, and I had every intention to party like it was... 1699. This is a Geigi, Geisha or Geiko
entertainment that includes musical performances and dance. [woman singing in Japanese] Geiko still train and
entertain in Kanazawa, different than Kyoto in some ways. There
remain many old "chaya", or tea houses in the city, which are
hundreds of years old. [woman singing in Japanese] [women singing in Japanese] Geiko don't typically play the drums,
not in Kyoto anyway, as this practice is only in Kanazawa.
Geiko train hard to reach a top status in music, dance, song, and conversation.
Being highly skilled in many things is a very important historical trait
for Kanazawa. I had a long way to go. Kanae, on the other hand, had a more
natural talent. But I was not going to be outdone. I turned to my secret weapon in
17th century partying: Graceful dancing. One of the Geiko dragged me back willingly
to the dance floor for more entertainment. At Daimyo banquets like this,
meals can go on for a long time, and each one was meant to be a lot of fun. [woman singing in Japanese] Let's speed it up. [sped up singing in Japanese] Playing games with Geiko is part of a fun
evening and after several hours of eating, drinking, laughing, singing, and dancing,
the night was over. [sped up speaking in Japanese] We'd eaten a feast!
"Gochisousama Deshita" ごちそうさまでした。 a very important word in Japanese cuisine
at the end of a meal to give appreciation for those who brought
all the food together. I asked Otomo-san about the food, recipes,
and history. Satoshi Otomo: (In my case, my family line
has been) (chefs in the Kaga domain for more than
250 years,) (generation after generation, and today) (we use the same recipes developed over
the centuries for our meals.) (We're proud to have so many of these
traditional recipes) (Enseki or traditional Japanese banquet
was a sign of) (immense hospitality, and an important way
to bring) (as well as strength to people through
delicious food.) (It was also an opportunity for people to
socialize) (and have fun in each other's company.) (The more powerful a Daimyo became,) (the more he was expected to invest his
fortune in hosting banquets,) (and offer this joyful opportunity for in-
dividuals to interact and develop trust.) (This was the foundation of a banquet.) (We're committed to keeping the spirit of
the banquet alive) (through Kaiseki Ryori, albeit in a more
simplified way.) ('Simplified' because in a banquet,
traditionally, every dish) (was presented to guests individually
over the course of 6 to 8 hours.) (Se we have these recipes,
so many of them here!) John Daub: (Incredible number? You have
more recipes?) Satoshi Otomo: (Yes.) John Daub: (Then I will have to come
back to try more!) "Arigato Gozaimasu!"
(Thank you very much!) Kanae: [sighs] I ate so many things for
the first time! John Daub: It was an amazing meal, but for
me it also reminded me of the importance of food, with the invention of the
refrigerator and preservatives, where food lasts longer, we get it at the
supermarket, we sometimes forget that this stuff comes from all over the world
sometimes, the value of it is... very important to remember, and I love
this word, "Gochisousama Deshita", to give appreciation for everybody
bringing this. That's why that phrase is so important,
and if you come to Japan, don't forget, "Gochisousama Deshita", Kanazawa is a
pretty special city, loaded with a lot of history and culture,
this place, Otomoro, it's worth a visit. Kanazawa is a quick two and a half hours
from Tokyo by Hokuriku Shinkansen, and a trip here, to immerse yourself into
the city's long history, food, and culture is one you'll never forget. If you liked
it, click that "Subscribe" button and definitely check out another one of
the ONLY in JAPAN series videos. "Mata ne!" (See you later!)
I feel this is presented way more dramatic than it needs to be. :D