- Nothing beats this
'cause it has the pressure. - And you can feel every
one of your heartbeats. I never felt that before. - I never felt that before either. - You can feel your blood. - Yeah, feel the blood circulating. - Circulating.
- Oh my gosh. (upbeat music) - [Josh] Here I am as a kid. Now I'm a washed up pro snowboarder, dad, and curious food nerd,
hell bent on new adventures. I'm Josh Rosen. Food and adventure have led me to some of the most interesting places. So we're off on a mission to source the freshest
ingredients, all while taking it in through the lens of the locals. And each adventure ends with a feast. This is "Dirt." Now I can see why they
call it the island of fire, a place where Samurai warriors
bathed in fiery onsens, warmed from the lava of its 70 volcanoes, a land where giant satsumas grow and warm currents shape its coastline. An island with such
overwhelming natural beauty that it's inspired Murakami, Yoko Ono and "The Legend of Zelda." We're in Japan and we've made
it to the island of Kyushu. Japan has four main islands. Kyushu is the one furthest south, and we're beginning our trip
in its largest city, Fukuoka. Once home to futile lords
during the Edo period, it's now a modern metropolis
and the fastest growing city in Japan, a city of food lovers. Tonight, we're meeting our chef
at Yorozu to begin our trip with an ancient Japanese tradition. - I feel like I can almost
understand what you said. (Kazuma laughing) - [Josh] Tea ceremonies like
this have been happening in Japan for over a thousand years, and dessert is always included. - Holy (censored), excuse me. We've just come to Kyushu. Tell me about where we are right now. (Kazuma speaking in Japanese) - [Josh] Close proximity to
fresh ingredients are important to a chef, and we're lucky to call Kazuma our chef for this episode. He has three restaurants in the city and two are in this building. In the front, a gyoza
spot called Las Vegas, complete with rock and roll
vibes and DIY dumplings. (laid back music) Hidden in the back is
Yorgo, a 20 seat restaurant, showcasing Kazuma's French trained cooking and where we will return
for our final feast. Fukuoka is obsessed with food. Only Tokyo has more
restaurants per capita. - So we eat? Let's go. - [Josh] And Kazuma is going to show us, just how food obsessed his town is. (Kazuma speaking in Japanese) - [Josh] Every night,
more than 400 food stalls, called Yatai pop up on
sidewalks across the city. And Fukuoka has more food stalls than the rest of Japan combined. When there's only room for 10 customers, snagging a seat can be
a competitive sport. - This the one? - Hai. - [Josh] The first rule, make friends with everyone in your yatai. My old friend and translator, Rip Zinger, always makes this part easy. And our wonderful server who
has been running this stall for 50 years made us feel right at home. - Let's eat. - [Josh] Most stalls serve oden, which is basically a pot
of boiling broth full of different fish cakes and vegetables. You get the picture. When the clock strikes 12, these temporary structures are rolled up and just like that, poof, they're gone. - That's perfect. - [Josh] But we're not done yet. For our nightcap, Hakata
Ramen, a simple bone broth and ultra thin noodles
made famous in Fukuoka. In a country obsessed with food, we may have landed in the
most food crazed place of them all, feeling full
sodium in the best way. We'll see you at the end
of our journey, Kazuma. Gallon of water and then off to bed. (relaxing music) Kyushu is known as the land of farmers. Just outside the capital city, we are surrounded by rice
terraces, hillside farms, and roadside shrines like this. - Hi! - Josh. (Yosuke speaking in Japanese) - [Speaker] Two clap
hand, note in the hand, hand in the pocket. Yeah. - Can you explain to us a
little bit about Shinto? (Yosuke speaking in Japanese) - [Josh] Shintoism worships
nature and ancestry. Spirits exist in nature and harmony is achieved
by connecting with it. Watch any Miyazaki film
and you'll get the idea. - For the success of
shooting "Dirt" in Japan. (Yosuke speaking in Japanese) - [Josh] Yosuke grows his root vegetables and community garden
plots around his village, and this plot's right
next to the Shinto shrine. Today, we're harvesting
sunchokes and yams. (Yosuke speaking in Japanese) - [Josh] Yosuke's specialty is yama imo, a Japanese mountain yam with a light sweet
flavor, similar to jicama, but with a famously sticky
texture when cut into. (relaxing music) And I won't say no to some
forged weed tea brewed in a suspiciously perfect setting. (relaxing music continues) - Oh buddy, look at us!
Crescent Down Works. Actually same. - Oh, same! - [Josh] And because now I'm
best friends with Yosuke, we're gonna take our
little matching vest, head to the local squid market for a snack from a few ladies unimpressed with our matching vests, and then find ourselves
some waves to surf. There are a few things as cool as the parking lot scene at
a local Japanese surf break. (upbeat music) (Yosuke speaking in Japanese) - [Josh] And we are off, to
the southern tip of the island to a place known as the end of the road. This is where we will begin our road trip through the rest of Kyushu. We've landed in Kagoshima and the airport has a foot onsen next to the curbside pickup. Kate approves. This region is known for
a very active volcano, like daily eruption type
of active, fresh seafood, and a potent local liquor. It's 5:00 AM and we're
hitting the fish market to join a local sushi
chef on his daily rounds. Meet Kaz, the sushi chef. His father was a sushi chef and now he's following in
his footsteps, running one of the best restaurants in Kagoshima. For 150 years, this market has been bringing
in fresh caught fish daily. At this small restaurant next to the market, they serve
broke-neck mackerel sashimi. You're gonna wanna eat
mackerel sashimi no more than a few hours after it's
caught, otherwise you die. Just kidding, but it
does taste a lot better. - That is insane. That was maybe the most delicious piece of fish I've ever had in my life. - Many sushi chef, they want
to learn sushi in Tokyo. - Mm. - In the restaurant, many
sushi chef use Kagoshima fish. - And why can we only get it here? (Kazuki speaking in Japanese) - [Josh] Let me jump in here. The black current is a powerful
warm water ocean current that pushes water and plankton
up from Southeast Asia. A lot of that plankton
gets pushed right here into Kagoshima Bay, creating a feeding frenzy for small fish, making them extra fatty
and perfect for sashimi. And now we get to eat these
chubby little fish right here in Kaz's restaurant. Cue the 80s porno music. (relaxing music) Wowee, and now I am spent. (Kazuki speaking in Japanese) - [Josh] Goodnight Kaz, and thank you. Today, we're on a quest to
unlock the secrets of umami, or one part of it. Ever wonder where those
flickering fish flakes come from that are on your teriyaki Brussels sprouts at a Japanese restaurant? Well that's Katsuobushi,
and it all starts here. (pleasant music) Introducing our guide for
today, Mr. Agemura-san. (Agemura speaking in Japanese) - [Josh] Our first stop, Makurazaki port where the process begins. This dock receives 50,000
pounds of skip jack tuna a year. Shipments like this come in daily. (Agemura speaking in Japanese) - [Josh] The tuna are sorted
by weight, then auctioned and delivered to the 70
local factories in town. Accidentally invented by
a fisherman 300 years ago, the katsuobushi process has been perfected and this factory has
it down like clockwork. First, the fish are
hand fileted and boiled, then into the smoker. Once cooled, they're coated
with a fish paste and roasted. Then more rounds of
smoking, drying in order to remove all the moisture from the fish. Finally, the fish are shaped with a sander and inoculated with a special mold and left in a climate controlled room. And even this process is
repeated multiple times. Three to six months later and whew, there you have it, people. A finished katsuobushi. - [Speaker 2] Wow!
- [Speaker 3] Wow! - [Josh] I'll never take
these tiny, fishy flakes for granted ever again. (poppy music) - [Photographer] Okay, smile. - [Josh] Volcanic hot
springs warm these sands to approximately 131 degrees. Sand bathing is a wellness practice that dates back hundreds of years. This slightly uncomfortable
activity is meant to relax and release toxins. Rip and I indulged and overheat. - I mean, like if you're gonna bury me, like please do it this way. - Sand bath. (poppy music) Yeah, right there on the right side. - [Josh] Now that we are fully detoxified, we're headed across town to retoxify in the small coastal
town of in Ichikikushikino. There we go. Thanks to the volcanoes in Kagoshima, the soil is full of ash. Not great for rice harvesting, but sweet potatoes are a different story. (Takafumi speaking in Japanese) - [Josh] I guess you could say, Takafumi and his family are in
the sweet potato biz, but you know how it goes. First comes starch, then comes liquor. - Oh wow! It hits. - [Josh] His family specializes in Shochu, a Japanese liquor made from
these local sweet taters and Takafumi is the head distiller. Shochu was first distilled
in Kagoshima in the 1500s, and his family run business as one of the many local distilleries
carrying on the tradition. Shochu can be distilled
from rice and barley, but in Kagoshima, the
sweet potato is king. Crushed and put into giant
ceramic pots to ferment, Takafumi uses a hundred
percent wild yeast fermentation and minimal filtration. - Koji room. (Takafumi speaking in Japanese) (laid back music) It's like, apples. It's spice. You can smell. It's getting more refined. Someday I will drink you
and wake up feeling sick. What? Did I earn like, one shot yet? - [Josh] He sources local sweet potatoes of all different colors and each color holds a unique flavor. He then tweaks his distillation process to highlight the unique
flavors of each ingredient. He's a Shochu mad scientist of sorts. - Here we go. It's party time. Kanpai. (laid back music) It's beautiful. (laid back music continues) - [Josh] If Fukuoka is a city of foodies, Kagoshima is a city of ingredients. It's not the end of the
road. It's the beginning. Only one way to go from
here, north. Let's roll. (Tajima speaking in Japanese) (Tajima speaking in Japanese) - [Rip] I don't know how
to describe it, right? Maybe God took the chicken with him, or God followed the
chicken when he landed. - What came first, the God or the chicken? (Tajima speaking in Japanese) - Sh, sh, shhh. (Tajima speaking in Japanese) - It's not every day you
get to eat raw chicken with the owner of a tranquil spa resort. But I feel like I would
do just about anything with this guy. (everyone laughing) (laid back music) Just lightly cooked on the outside, and the texture is almost
of like, a really nice fish. (Tajima speaking in Japanese) - Too much? - [Josh] A little R&R at a utopian lodge in the mountains was just
what the body needed. - Thank you for having us. - [Josh] That's nice. We're crossing over
the Hiroshima mountains to the original honeymoon
destination of Japan. Now, it's more known for its surf scene. (poppy music) It's a chilly 40 degrees out, but the water is a comfortable 70. And the swell, well, just about perfect, thanks to, you guessed it, the black current that
followed us up from Kagoshima. (poppy music continues) In 92, during the Miyazaki Pro event, Typhoon Orchid delivered a 15 meter swell. Pro surfer Tom Curren paddled out and caught what was then
considered the greatest waves in the history of surfing in Japan. It put Miyazaki and the
Japanese surf scene on the map. (poppy music continues) I stand by my words earlier, nothing cooler than the
Japanese surf scene. Love it here. (poppy music continues) We've arrived at a homemade oasis with a French wood-burning
stove in the center. And this is Hiroko who recently left Tokyo to pursue her passion in Miyazaki, a land where dreamers can exist. Her words, not mine, but I agree. Hitohi means fire. She grows and grinds her own barley and uses local ingredients. (poppy music continues) In a country steeped in food traditions, bread is relatively new,
so Hiroko just gets weird and makes what she wants. Damn, it's so good. (poppy music continues) (Hiroko speaking in Japanese) (poppy music continues) - [Josh] Up next, the
ingredient I generally live on and the ingredient Miyazaki is famous for. In the world of Wagyu, Kuroge or Japanese black beef is king. - Hey!
- Hey. - Josh. - Nice to meet you.
- Nice to meet you. - [Josh] This is beautiful! Can you tell us about your
beef and what makes it special? (Yasaki speaking in Japanese) - Does this one have a name? - Name? Koba. - Koba?
- Koba. - Koba. I think Koba and
I have a thing going on. - [Josh] Mr. Yasaki
believes the best beef comes from happy, healthy cows. So he sets his free on his grass pastures, complete with an ocean view. Yeah, lucky cows. And the result, lean grass fed
beef, dry age to perfection. - How do you explain to the
Japanese consumer that this sort of beef is different, but still very good? (Yasaki speaking in Japanese) (laid back music) - [Josh] Now obviously as a
dedicated Huberman carnivore, I have to try a piece of it raw. - That is unbelievable. That's like the cleanest meat
I think I've ever tasted. (Yasaki speaking in Japanese) (laid back music) - [Josh] A little Japanese
beachside barbecue with an adorable little camper. What are we shooting, a hug
parade commercial or something? (upbeat music) Honk honk, beep beep. Off we go. Through the mountain range that seems to be showering some form of
spiritual energy all over us, over the river and through
the woods to Kumamoto we go. (upbeat music continues) We've reached the center of Kyushu, the city perched on a calm bay, a place said to hold the
spirit of its samurai past. We're miles off shore, in the Araki sea with a third generation farmer and his 22-year-old son to harvest Nori, or what the locals call ocean moss. And it just so happens
that our trip timed up with the hundred day harvest. Before it ends as the crunchy
wrapper on your sushi, it starts as this, red algae. Slurp. Hey mom! - You look fabulous! - Do you see that boat, mom? So it pulls the Nori up and then gets dipped into that
light acid bath that gets rid of all of the bugs and holds
it in this holding tank. But I just wanted to just quickly say hi and show you what we were doing, and then I gotta get back to it. Love you. Ooh. It's like nothing you've
ever tasted before. (relaxing music) - We've just gotten off the Nori boat and he's extracting all the Nori that we've just harvested into this truck. And then we're gonna take it
over to the processing plant and see the whole process
of how Nori is made. (relaxing music continues) - [Josh] A mile from the dock,
surrounded by rice patties and satsuma groves, the
algae gets poured into a tank and then this futuristic machine
takes over, first mixing it with fresh mountain spring
water, then straining, mincing and laying it onto sheets. It's something outta "The Jetsons." - So these are sponges and
they're pressing down on the Nori and extracting all the
water out of the bottom before they go into the drying rack. It's like natural and
mechanical comes together to make this beautiful thing. (relaxing music continues) Oh! Still warm. Yum. - [Josh] he final step,
resident grandmothers go through every sheet with tweezers to remove imperfections while
they watch Korean soaps. Adorable. (relaxing music continues) But wait, homemade
preserved plum onigiri made with the Nori right off the belt. What an immersive and
incredible family operation. (relaxing music) - Hey!
- Hey! - What's up, man? Hey! Howdy! Hey. (laughs) Hi. (relaxing music continues) Cheers, chef. Nice slicing me off a slice there. - [Josh] A week on the island of Kyushu and our coolers are full, but our hearts and minds are fuller. Damn, that was epic. - You make cocktail today? - Ah, yeah. (relaxing music continues) - Sorry, chef. Made a mess. - [Josh] Yosuke taught us
vegetables absorb memories from the soil and by eating them, humans can also become
part of this region. Holy cow. Holy like, crazy man. (relaxing music continues) That looks incredible right there. And like the vegetables in the soil or the fish in the sea, the Kyushu people have absorbed memories from their ancestors, carrying
on the techniques, practices, and cultural roots of their past. Wow. (Kaz speaking in Japanese) - [Josh] It's like that,
beef jerky but fish. It's got a meaty flavor. Tender, light. Oh. (laughs) They're so good. That's really nice. That looks incredible right there. - [Josh] From the powerful
currents of the sea to the healing onsens
boiling up from below, we've now seen how the spirits in nature move through everything, the food, the waves, and even us. - Arigato. All right, all right,
I know. You're hungry. Don't worry. We're done here. All right. All right, bye. - [Speaker 4] Bye. (relaxing music) - [Josh] Everything that
we've learned has changed, how I do things A little slower. I don't get why it's
so good, but I want it. It's like, it's got a salty
flavor. What the (bleep). (Josh speaking indistinctly) (relaxing music)
