Japan’s RAREST Foods from North to South!! (Full Documentary)

boom okay you try your little sauces I'm just gonna try it plain wow adventurous as long as I'm trying something freaky already I just want to get the full effect the outside is definitely a little cooked but yeah the middle part is raw chicken oh my gosh okay raw chicken in Japan trying it for the first time I'm a little scared I'm a lot scared let's do it [Music] with the help of buyfood.com I traveled to Tokyo Japan [Music] Ramen Sashimi sake sake sake is that the right way from food that can kill you the poison heat of my muscle quickly to food you have to kill so right now he's shelling the shrimp the main thing about the shrimp is headed to life right now beautiful ugly and everything in between raw horse I've never had raw horse man this is nuts so what do you focus on when you feel like you've already covered everything this time I'm coming back for round two and we're going deeper in Japan than any film crew has before on a mission to hunt down the most unique food you'll find anywhere in the world our effort is not fruitless here he's caught one oh what the hey baby eight videos in eight cities from Sendai all the way down to Fukuoka beside shizuka Anderson TV host and radio personality raised in Canada but living in Japan for the last 10 years welcome to Japan by food I'm your host shizuka Anderson shizzy is a self-described food lover but this trip may put that claim to the test now she's told me to put this on it I'm not sure what this does boom it bit the spoon oh in Japan food is more than just food it's an art worthy of perfecting for a lifetime a place where the drive per quality compels shop owners to never expand beyond their 10-seat ramen shops where over hundreds of years meticulous livestock owners bred the most expensive and best tasting beef in the world and where stricted herons to food and beverage guidelines makes dishes like raw chicken and raw beef Sashimi safe to eat this eight video series will show you a side of Japan you have never seen before our cross country Japan by food Journey kicks off in the nation's capital Tokyo in this city Ramen is life it is one of those foods you can find on almost every street corner Tokyo has over 10 000 ramen shops and it could take a lifetime to taste them all today we're sampling three vastly different styles of ramen at three different price tags we have come to our first noodly location behind us right now 7-Eleven completely different from 7-Eleven in the USA because here it has nothing to do with gasoline the one thing you can't get here you'll find everything you need in one place classic cup noodles with countless flavors microwavable noodles in a bowl or fiery noodles in case you're wanting to ravage your bowels but something even more special has caught my eye we have just snuck into a 7-Eleven we have no permission and this is illegal oh hey okay we just gotta look now I'm just [Music] so right here they have something I've never seen before it's kind of frozen noodles that's right this is your most standard Japanese style Ramen it is a soy sauce based Ramen with lots of topping it's only 185 Yen whoa that's like 1.85 okay we're gonna make this actually we're gonna ask them to make this for us because the microwaves are all behind the counter [Applause] foreign did you I didn't I walked out yeah I know our drama noodles are soaking up this hot broth what I do love is that even though it was frozen even though it's from a 7-Eleven they got a slice of chashu pork and I'm gonna just get like the best bite of this whole meal right here let's go for it um we're good there are actually a number of good qualities to this one is the quality of the noodles I would say it's a really good dough it tastes like a freshly rolled noodle point two point two the soup is also quite good let's just take a sip of it properly it's not as like rich and fatty as your normal broth but not not bad the Joshua kind of hard but I still like the flavor of it I think for two dollars plus the experience of being in the 7-Eleven interacting with the local people getting kicked out people threatening to call the police on you all that combined into one experience absolutely a big bang for your buck yeah almost a Priceless experience really Priceless yeah we can't even put a price on this no [Music] we've come to our second location an actual Ramen Shop this is the menu right here you just walk up here put your money in and you get a ticket like you're going on a roller coaster except the only roller coaster we're gonna go on is a roller coaster of flavor for our mouths you got that the ramen game in Tokyo ain't easy the quality pricing restaurant Ambiance it's all gotta be tops if you want to stick around and oriyoshio is earning their key this is a special which means my way can I add stuff yes these are the add-ons down here oh there's cheese gyoza cheese dumpling oh this is a crispy fried chicken with oh I don't know how to read that oh what is this it says basil Ramen but in Japanese it's called Genovese which is a pasta basil sauce should we get two let's do it basil Ramen or Genovese Ramen perhaps named after the Genovese crime family of New York is a little Touch of Italy bringing Ramen to the next level as long as you aren't a snitch they stir fry a mixture of veggies including cabbage bok choy onions carrots and mushrooms add in chicken and pork bone stock their Genevieve sauce and pepper drop in those nudes then top it with chasu pork bamboo shoots spinach green onions a soft-boiled egg and finely minced hot chilies gorgeous it's like a work of art this red part looks like saffron but it's not saffron it is not it's called which means red peppers yeah I realize what we should actually do is try some of this broth okay because this is what makes it so special it's green it's got basil let's try it out foreign [Music] it's not a crazy intense herbal flavor it's not a punch to the mouth it's a kiss on the lips oh beautiful way to put it I was with Ramen expert Frank nearly one year ago he had like Ramen terminology you know it's a very dramatic pull-up with the noodles you've got noodle terminology he's like I'll do a deep and then an aggressive summer [Laughter] [Music] yummy noodle noodles are still a bit firm I like that they're very thin I would say a lighter tasting meal all right Kai check out this suck hit a nice close-up on this is there a better word for it no a slurp maybe a slurp yeah [Music] good that was an aggressive slurp so this is just under 10 bucks yes I'm very curious to see at the next location how they're going to elevate something from nine to ten dollars all the way up to a hundred dollars maybe like a couple extra meat slices oh maybe it'll be Rhino horn that's pretty exotic yeah you can't even get those in Japan modern day Ramen is versatile for eight to ten dollars you can get squid ink black as night darker than my heart this is the lunch of my dream this Chinese inspired Mega Thick broth it's hard to get out the broth is almost like fighting against you to pull it back yeah they even have soupless Ramen what I thought that was illegal I didn't think you could do that no it's legal but how would you elevate Japanese ramen to its Highest Potential if price was not an issue the answer lies here do you know anything about this place nothing great right now we're at noodle stand Tokyo it is both ethical and Ramen yeah do you know why it's ethical I have hadia I actually just noticed that noodle stand Tokyo just opened two years ago and they already have a loyal following they use only ingredients sourced from Japan even writing the origin of each ingredient on the menu I checked out the menu already their most expensive Ramen is only around 11 today they're making a hundred dollar Ramen it's not going to be 10 times the size they're doing something to it to make it more expensive what do you hope is on there I am hoping for truffles because I love truffles but they're known to be very expensive oh I'm hoping for diamonds diamonds like earrings [Music] Meet The Man Behind the noodles are you ready for this a demonstration of my respect for you making this hundred dollar Ramen [Laughter] Ramen Master Takeshi nishimaki he spent 20 years in the noodle game and today he's pushing past the limits of typical Ramen what is your approach for this luxurious 100 Ramen the main idea is to use Japanese locally sourced ingredients and also Japanese Wagyu that seems like the most logical step just upgrade the protein a lot is there any ingredient that you would never really find in your typical 10 Ramen food today we've decided to throw in a little bit of oh keep it fancy yes and also truffles you're right I called it if this is a big hit people come in here wanting 100 Ramen will you add it to your menu hi yes definitely sir I'm very excited let's do it first the Wagyu steak is seared in oil and garlic then sprinkled with salt and pepper he adds a blend of sake and soy sauce and finally cuts the steak into irresistibly succulent slices next up Sukiyaki thin beef slices dipped in a mixture of soy sauce sugar and seaweed now it's time to bring it all together our giant bowl that we're definitely sharing because I can't afford to is filled with a soy sauce base oyster sauce and a dreamy milky broth [Music] the noodles are delicately placed in the center stacked with slices of beautiful rare wagyu now the Sukiyaki white asparagus naganagi half a seasoned egg a dose of truffle oil on the beef Bonito or dried fish flakes and finally as a pure symbol of over-the-top opulence pure gold flakes [Music] here we are I've never met someone I think you're excited to eat something as I am right now neither have I I think this is a collection of all the finest ingredients in Japan the best Bonito flakes the best gold this is a very special brand of egg called okukujita which is Apparently one of the higher quality eggs in Japan it's a good egg we've got this beautiful wagyu on each side two different cuts I think we can get just a piece of this because it's one it's got gold two it's got truffle sauce three it's wagyu and that's enough [Music] thank you oh my God that was outstanding whoa that's one of the best bites of my life truffle can usually be too much or too little and that was perfect the wagyu just melts in your mouth very tender it's got some broth still clinging to it so it's Rich Savory that was amazing thing that was a taste of Heaven this here is the sirloin have you ever felt so fancy eating wagyu beef like covered in Gold God damn that is remarkably tender it acts very rich and very fatty take a look guys this might be the best bite of ramen that exists anywhere we've got wagyu A5 some Bonito some noodles some broth [Music] oh that is so good the culmination of everything just explodes in your mouth that broth has like a deep savoriness to it you can get that Umami in there yeah all together it's incredibly Rich here they have something I've never seen combined with Ramen kind of a Foie grub paste yeah so we can actually just kind of mix it into the broth and then even put a little extra on a bite so I want to try that it changes everything it's just like a more fatty Rich note at the end of the eating cycle you guys buying this the eating Cycles a little bit later we came to the nice folks here at noodle stand and we asked them hey can you make an outstanding top of the line luxurious opulent Ramen and honestly they delivered hardcore it looks amazing it tastes even better and I couldn't be more satisfied I agree like this is meant for one person we shared it but I would say good bang for your buck good bang for my buck that's for sure not my bag our Japanese cross-country food tour has officially begun moving from Tokyo to the city of Sunday is known for Sendai you which is uh sendaiwaki Sendai is the largest city in the tohuku region a city popular for Delicacies that you can't find just anywhere oh look at that egg yolk today is all about the famous Japanese tradition of eating meat raw honestly it's not really my thing that I want to be eating but I'm gonna do it I don't know how it's anybody's thing today we're taking raw meats to the extreme other than a normal food to eat concluding with the most dangerous food I have ever eaten raw chicken I am shocked that this food even exists welcome to Keturah a restaurant specializing in raw beef dishes including their own raw beef on Rice we are in the kitchen with Mr Daisuke Shoji sir thank you so much for having us today double handshake double handshake Ultra respect how long have people been eating raw beef in Japan historically speaking in Japan we haven't it is dangerous great eating raw beef can be highly risky since it may contain bacteria like E coli or salmonella and both could prove fatal is it worth the risk yes yes that's 100 confident that was a big yes what is so special about Robbie oh you don't even need to translate that I felt that in my heart I love this guy's passion for beef yes I saw this laying around can you tell me about this one this is actually just beef sushi sushi doesn't mean raw fish it means sour rice and it's the same rice used to make raw beef nagiri and oblong hand-pressed mound of rice and a thin slice of raw beef covered with a bit of Wasabi and finally brushed with soy sauce please share in this moment with me here's mine cheers [Music] that is so good surprisingly has a lot of layers for being so simple the little bit of Wasabi and then just the salt on top of the soy sauce that was a great appetizer thank you so much [Applause] [Music] today we came especially for the UK a Japanese dish similar to beef Tartar and Keturah was the first restaurant in Japan to serve it to prepare the raw beef safely the restaurant first blanches a large cut of top round at a high temperature to kill any existing bacteria on the meat surface then they cut away the cooked section leaving only pristine and bacteria-free raw beef that is perfectly safe to eat from here they mince the beef By Night adding an in-house sauce sesame oil and a mixture of vinegar and miso plate it top it with an egg yolk and garnish with cucumber green onions sesame seeds and a flour here we are we have this tiny cute adorable creation for about 15 right yeah but before we know that someone has actually died eating this book really actually died eating this this seems like folklore it actually happened in 2011 it was huge news all over Japan and because of that they forced lots of restaurants to stop serving it why are you so happy as you tell this story no not one person five of them died is that great let's do uh less thinking and more chewing [Music] break this is one of the gooiest foods I've ever tried here we go wow whoa whoa that's worth dying for yeah it really is the egg goes so well with this it's very creamy melty soft and the texture you know it's not just straight and minced it's like half chopped half minced there's still a lovely texture in your mouth too from here when will we find out if we might die good question I have no idea it won't be during this video our next stop nanbu Izakaya a Japanese pub run by Miss uchinda kanako since its Inception seven years ago the afterward crowd can't get enough of her odang Japanese fish cakes and our next raw food delicacy shark heart we are here right now with Miss kanako thank you so much for having us I'm told you have raw shark heart is this true this is true she says yes with pride how many people are eating this Shark hard about half of all the customers will order these shark Hearts to some in Japan shark meat has a long list of health benefits not the least of which includes skyrocketing male libido but I'm sure it's good for other stuff too I love your restaurant I love the feeling here I can see that you have a heart and I can't wait to see you put your heart into making the shark heart [Music] foreign especially the organs have an intense ammonia Aroma that needs to be flushed out over a couple hours can I smell it the meat itself is cut into thin slices and the arteries are chopped even more finely Boom the raw shark heart what I like is that it's not just heart it's heart and valves why don't you grab something all right it's all right just go from the heart one two three oh you actually did it I'm like I'm not gonna eat that I'm just kidding here we go the texture is very it's like a firm sponginess the flavor is not strong at all when you mix it with the sesame oil it's just kind of a rich Smoky salty flavor but here we have valve and that's got to be easier right you're doing great at the beef part what happened I'm not an organ girl must be a lonely life let's try it out here we go the texture is completely different chewing in Japanese we say oh it's so cold the only thing I can compare to is a penis fish it's like eating tendons I like it I like the texture it's a little funky and all you need on the side is like a couple liters of sake to really bring it home yep that'll do it our last stop today knee Diamond since 2008 they have been serving a specialty that if prepared incorrectly can actually kill you I'm talking about raw chicken how many people in Japan have died from eating raw chicken I actually haven't heard of anyone dying at least it hasn't become you know wild news or the raw chicken Mafia just sweeps it under the rug they're serving it behind us let's go inside and figure out how this works [Music] thank you so much for having us today hi are you terrified are you excited there's literally millions of people watching right now what is tokidoki onomatopoeia for your heart pumping oh okay here you have a couple of special things on the menu first of all horse meat [Applause] [Music] popular dish from Kyushu in southern Japan and it's actually more common than you would think eaten in Mexico Switzerland Indonesia I even tried some in Uzbekistan but Japan is the only place I've seen servit raw and what separates horse meat from any other animal like beef or beef horse meat is completely different from eating raw beef you can enjoy this and not be afraid of dying that's something I really look for when I eat food it's like ah not dying Mr keita tried his first Versace when he traveled to Kyushu it was love at first bite and he's been serving fresh Versace ever since he cuts the meat into paper thin slices served simply with a side of garlic miso paste and scallions let's go for it I love that oh that is really good a little more firm oh and then it has some interesting aftertaste it's a bit horsey what's the taste of horse it's hard to explain I mean it's heavy it's robust you gotta try a horse unless you like horses a lot but then you can still try it anyways and just don't tell the horse that was your friend oh our final dish raw chicken if any food kills me on this show it will be this one I mean I'm actually scared this time the Japan tour hasn't even started and it could be over already I am shocked that this food even exists I've been all over the world eating crazy stuff and honestly nothing scares me more than what we're about to try right now have you ever heard of someone getting sick from eating raw chicken those are the names of all the people who have died no no no it wasn't all the names this is a really common dish sir my life is in your hands and my bowels also in your hands let's do this [Music] the raw chicken achieves safe eating status using the same preparation method as the raw beef the outside chicken breast is briefly blanched killing any bacteria or salmonella what remains is the raw bacteria free inside the chicken Sashimi is sliced thin and spread on a plate like an alluring raw chicken flour raw chicken Sashimi I am Doki Doki Doki Doki all right let's do this I'm just gonna try it plain wow adventurous I just want to get the full effect it looks like it was cooked rare let's do it let's do it wow that is actually surprisingly very good I like it like I am very pleasantly surprised I was ready for like a raw chicken type of texture but no it's kind of melt in your mouth it did anything but melt in my mouth it was stubborn okay I'm gonna try it with some sauce it's literally like eating sushi I can definitely tell I'm eating raw chicken it doesn't take me to like a different world or anything I'm so confused like all the flavors are there but my brain is so conditioned to not eat raw chicken that it's like mistake mistake mistake with every bite like hearing his explanation seeing his preparation and knowing that he thinks that he probably hasn't killed anybody that was enough for me to feel pretty secure [Music] our cross-country Japan food tour continues as we move from Sendai to Fukushima I came here to see if life has returned back to normal after the tragic tsunami and nuclear disaster that occurred eight years ago there was a huge earthquake which caused the tsunami to come and then the tsunami affected the nuclear reactor how did Japan recover from that let's go while we're at it we're stepping back into Japanese Traditions that have withstood the test of time if you trust me I want to see how tight of a pattern we can get three two one including unique Foods you wouldn't expect to see in Japan [Music] yeah I could drop it in your mouth ending with the fish you do know from Japan but never expected to see on a dinner plate before we get into the cooking I do want to ask more seriously like what is koi in Japanese long as we carry the load to empty rolling country code safe [Music] let's get started as we set foot in Fukushima prefecture everything seems normal quiet Countryside Ambiance the smell of vegetation but deep inside these fields lies a unique creature that'll become part of an almost unheard of Japanese dish here we are we are in a field in where are we again Fukushima I'm told we're going to catch grasshoppers today yeah you seem like a pro because you're wearing gloves I mean look how I'm dressed he knows everything about Countryside living including what to do with these grasshoppers people in Japan used to eat them more commonly a long time ago but the tradition still continues today I came here about a year ago I posted a lot of videos about Japan Japanese food and there's comments here and there about people being freaked out about radiation in food because of what happened here how did Japan recover we had tons of volunteers who came out and actually helped clean up rebuild it was a huge effort it took years he says that now there's actually no danger anymore they actually eat the local vegetables like raw they actually do screenings and tests for the rice so it has become safe at this point although the food coming from this region has been thoroughly checked and vetted there's still a lot of work to be done in winning back the trust of other regions and other parts of the world what I know for sure is these grasshoppers are good to go I like that you're pushing yourself to do new things I try my best [Laughter] it's pretty easy right now we're literally walking past thousands of them spot your prey oh there's big ones here move swiftly here we go one two but above all else this one literally right here it's a gift from God you must commit yes [Music] you think I'm brave like a little bit I've tried delicious food from all over the world food that other people cook are they gone but there's nothing like the sense of satisfaction that comes from getting out there no no come in and catching your own meal I'll try another one I'm trying there's a grasshopper on this Leaf it almost wants to be cut it looks a little sad it looks a little depressed it's kind of over this whole living thing what it wants is to be caught and join his friends in the bottle but what it needs is for you to take some actions swoop it up okay like the hand of God [Applause] you did it there it is look you got a huge one do you feel that Adrenaline Rush don't you feel amazing like you accomplished something I am a hunter yeah yeah we've got today's secret ingredient masamichi brings us to a local home where all the cooking action is about to go down including Japan's riskiest food making procedure [Music] as far as I understand there's two people with hammers and then there's one unlucky person who has to stick their hand in there that's our friend right here how you doing are you scared you should be joining our lunch today Mochi a sticky gooey classic symbolizing Japan's Timeless ability to innovate with everything around them it starts by soaking rice in water overnight the next day it strained through a cheese cloth and steamed for one hour before it's pounded in a wooden mortar if you trust me I want to see how tight of a pattern we can get [Music] it here we go yeah one [Music] this is the product right here it's crazy sticky it won't even come off his hands oh my goodness this is more than I can chew let's try it out oh it's so weird it's like the unrefined version that's so sticky and clumpy pure Mochi freshly pounded rice cake with no flavoring are you gonna eat this part on your arm Mochi is a Carby amorphous base and there's so much you can do with it add vegetable broth to make a Mochi soup top it with red bean paste coat it in soybean flour creating a yellow vibrant dessert and if you want something more wild top it with natto Japan's Infamous sticky fermented soybean foreign I think we should jump into it so shizuka oh no have you ever had a bug never this is what we came here for the grasshopper is boiled in hot water to remove any dirt then it's stir-fried in a blend of sugar soy sauce and sake a blend that creates homemade teriyaki sauce I want you to grab a few should I help you I can dish you up some don't look at him that's the last thing you should do is look at them she got one oh yeah we'll do it together listen look at this I got two right here let's do this [Music] yeah I could drop it in your mouth oh God is that what you want coutini all right I'm gonna try it out oh that's really good it was sweet it's salty it's like Teriyaki grasshoppers grasshoppers [Music] yeah just crunchy papery there's no gooiness it's a pretty good cell so bad it's not bad [Music] right here this is mochi with natto natto natto oh two people here does it just smell good it's a pretty normal smell for them it doesn't smell bad but to me it's obviously fermented oh yes it's stringy it's so unique oh he just mixes it up like that mix it up the more you mix it the healthier it gets [Music] whoa that's a chewy mouthful yeah I took too much couldn't open your mouth for a second the smell is more intense than the flavor the flavor itself is a bit more mild definitely slimy it's like slime on slime crime over here it's all just a texture sensation I'm actually really liking this foreign people think it's such a strange food but in Japan they'll eat it like every morning right here it's our dessert let's try them [Music] mmm that's some good stuff same sticky text room a little bit sweet and then a little bit what do you call that like nutty earthy nutty might be the best way to describe it to me it seems like traditional Japanese dessert it's not like a cake with frosting it's just got some subtle sweetness to it talking about the event eight years ago what kind of impact did that have on your lives here if anything it was actually working in Tokyo at a company and then after the earthquake and the disaster happened that made him want to come back home and support his hometown that's incredible like yuchiro and his wife many others returned to Fukushima helping to rebuild it into what it is today [Music] before leaving Fukushima I've got a unique opportunity to try out a rare freshwater fish native to this part of Japan a species you may know as koi fish sir thank you thank you [Music] it's the perfect Retreat from the city restaurant hotel and hot spring in one open 146 years ago and specializing in traditional foods that reflect Japanese culinary history on your large menu you've got one dish that stood out to me but before we get into that I want to ask what is koi in Japanese koi is a carp fish it's about this big and they get it from local rivers in aizu this fish is most famous for its bright vibrant colors in Japan koi fish symbolize persistence determination wealth success and good fortune I've seen them in picturesque ponds but never on a dinner table can I tell you something funny I came here because I thought we're gonna eat one of those like koi goldfish it's gonna be like colorful and white and orange and then people are gonna be like no don't do it I'm gonna be like I'm doing it anyways um but I don't think it's that kind of fish what kind of koi fish do you have here you may have thought that you would be eating those beautiful colorful koi fish that are usually found in Japanese Gardens and ponds but actually those are not fish that are meant for eating and we have separate breed of koi fish that are actually designed for eatings are they still cute when you grab one can you try to find like just the cutest one of the ones that you have okay okay okay thank you okay thank you [Music] these fish well they'll meet the business end of a filet knife and join their friends in a dish called koi umani big pieces of fish simmered with soy sauce sugar and homemade sake for nine hours when the fish becomes tender and the broth becomes thick it's ready to be served [Applause] [Music] thank you everyone quiet I'm in character hey guys welcome back to the food show so right here this is a koi fish this is also a koi fish we're in like this restaurant Suite a private room which has a little bit of everything beautiful background over here is that a hot plate and there's a tea station over here they have a seven inch TV can you explain this place to me I kind of don't get it this is a room you can sleep in so you eat here and then you put your futons out and then you sleep sleep or pass out probably both because I mean [Music] smooth and here it is a nice kind of caramelized glaze on the outside it would see I think I'm gonna start in the middle you think that's egg I have no idea maybe it's grasshopper no better not be it better not be anything but grasshopper all right let's try it out Cheers Cheers [Music] it's kind of like crumbly on the inside but it's all kind of held together with this thick soy based glaze a little sweet a little salty it tasted like an actual chicken egg like the yolk that's been cooked let's bust into this meat right here it comes off real nice I don't think carp have scales they do I'm cutting my show [Music] oh that's very nice I would say Oishi it's so soft it's become tenderized from all the boiling but a powerful flavor I've never expected that carp was going to be this good it doesn't have any strange aftertaste and very tender it's delicious Fukushima a region acutely plagued With Disaster after disaster is now a symbol of Japanese resilience and persistence a feat only made possible through the incredible fighting Spirit of the Japanese people [Music] [Applause] [Music] welcome back to our Japan series we are a long way from Tokyo where we've got a surprise for you that you won't find in any of our competitors channels I'll tell you that definitely not [Music] this is enoshima host of the 2020 Summer Olympic sailing competition and famous for its enoshima Shrine but if you know our show you know that's not why we're here from this to this how did that happen this unique Island also boasts some of the most unusual food you'll find in Japan okay oh God and one local secret ingredient seems to find its way into almost every dish [Music] it's so creepy it looks like a fossil today shizzy and I are hitting the docks hello sir sneaking our cameras into the fish factories and sweet talking our way of kitchens I don't like gross little things all to attempt to get some answers to the question with gold what happened to the island of enoshima [Music] [Music] right now we're at the dock Pier what do you call this boat area yeah the piece of concrete that has many boats on it in the southern part of Kamakura City along the coast sits koshigo fishing port one of the biggest shirasu suppliers in the area right now we are awaiting the arrival of a local fisherman who has a shirasu Blog yes he does every day he's updating how many shirazos he caught shirasu in English is called White bait they're little tiny white fish we're eating the bait that's right white bait it's a term for immature fishes that are so small their only purpose is to swim around and get eaten by bigger cooler fish white baits are tender and edible in Japan these baby sardines are a delicacy our ship has arrived hello sir hello very excited back from sea you can see the enthusiasm in their eyes or oh and they're going past us it looks like they had an amazing catch all these huge coolers completely full of shirasu this is much more than I expected yeah oh these baby sardines are called shirasu processed chirasu appear in many Japanese Delicacies especially across the bay on the island of enoshima you guys need help nice that's a big deal it's used in snacks as a topping main ingredient or this today's shirasu catch is transported immediately in these coolers to keep them fresh from here they take a short ride to a nearby Factory for processing the processing of the shurasu is underway but are some people eating this raw they do actually enoshima is one of the places where you can eat them raw normally you would eat them over a bowl of rice oh you don't think it's normal just to hold no 20 pounds of fish in your hand eat it raw no okay oh come on you didn't do grasshopper you have to do this oh can I eat it if I don't look at it yeah I could drop it in your mouth oh God I don't like gross little things okay cool oh holding it I'm holding it let's try it out the Raw shirazu okay it's a little crunchy a little salty and a little like anchovies but it doesn't have any super strong flavor no it doesn't it's not bad oh you're holding it together pretty well now I did it I want some mixing you cannot touch me it's for the best you just learned to love me the fish are gathered and washed huge baskets are boiled for five minutes too long and the fish fall apart do you know why they choose to process it in this way is it to preserve it they usually ship it all across Tokyo so in order to do that they usually need to be boiled after boiling the fish are placed on a dry net spread out evenly and left Under the Sun for 30 minutes oh hey thank you that's a lot no that's the exact portion I wanted that's good [Music] let's go for it here we go better much better they're not as slimy anymore not as slimy and not as much like Oceanic flavor it tastes good from here they're gonna package it up many of these go to Tokyo but a lot of them end up at sardine Island which is where we're going next that's not what it's actually called that's what I've called it welcome to enoshima Island I call it shirasu heaven and I came ready to eat [Music] Asahi haunten is the only place on the island that sells shirasu crackers with their exclusive recipe made by Mr mitsurulone Sir yeah hi hello they've been operating for 16 years hugely popular for those who want to see how an entire octopus can become a cracker in seconds it's seriously mind-boggling stuff it doesn't seem feasible right now he's working on it he's putting some oil on this super hot flat top so he's got octopus and he's dipped it in potato starch that's it this is my favorite part so he closes it [Applause] [Music] [Applause] are they dying great octopus scream open open already and would you look at that three separate octopuses turned into one cracker how is that even legal right okay all right let's go for IT smash papery octopus know me a little salty seafoody but the texture is what I'm more amazed by it's legit cracker I thought there'd be some parts that were inconsistent some parts chewy some parts soft and it looks kind of beautiful at the same time I heard they have two more kinds here they make one with shrimp and they make one which rasu that's why we're here we're gonna try those next with almost the same technique and ingredients they take a shrimp sit it on a bed of batter press it for one minute and it's done it was kind of normal sized and then they just crushed it they flattened it's literally like paper thin that's amazing the shirasu cooks up a little differently first it's blue like the ocean and the fish are multi-colored also like the ocean press it in the cracker maker 3000 and bazunga a child's kindergarten art is revealed and you can eat it too oh that's pretty good it's fishy and the texture is super unique tastes like you're eating styrofoam oh yeah it's like a little bit of a foamy fish cracker [Music] so it looks crispy oh oh it's a little thicker a little tougher there do you want a head or a bun the butt oh that one's a little more crispy no don't break your teeth broke it this is like where the life force of the shrimp ended was right here you're right but it gives it a really strong shrimpy taste yeah that is shrimpy shrimpy [Music] and Oshima is just a day trip from Tokyo these days it's packed and the shirasu boom can be thanked for luring in Curious tourists hello according to the manager this restaurant started the shirasu trend over a decade ago here at Toby Cho the shirasu even makes its way into your booze well interestingly enough this shop actually may have been the start of us ice cream as well my main question is why is there a fish in the ice cream can you explain that real quick today's menu San churu noshirasudan a rice bowl with three different types of shirasu it starts innocent enough with a bowl of rice add some veggies mayonnaise sesame seeds and dry seaweed then boiled sardines soy sauce sardines and raw sardines it's finally topped with minced yellow Ginger minced radish and minced spicy radish along with our main dish shirasu Maki Sushi and shirasu croquette it is shirasu heaven in here if you were a fish that eats Bait fish you would love this restaurant or if you were a bird or something I think we should work our way around the table first of all this seems like an appetizer if I've ever seen one I want to go for half of it here we go oh fun I like it there's food it wouldn't be my usual choice for this style of sushi but man that is it's full of fish oh queer sake so before you came in here I put the sake a dried fish chip with gold you're right there's little gold plates in it it's opulent next I want to bust this open and I'm hoping a bunch of fish come swimming out bamboo charcoal where are the fish man I came here for the fish oh there they are they've been kind of minced and mashed a bit mmm I like that no gustatory evidence of fish I love it what we have here is the classic sivashu rice bowl with three different types of syrups shirasu on the side they have a cooked egg or a raw egg we can use either one add a little bit of soy sauce to it you gotta mix the yolk first with the soy sauce and then pour it over oh wow it's so thick and yolky did you go to the same food reviewing school as me I'm gonna try this one because this is the only kind of shirazo I haven't tried 80 times today it's one in soy sauce it's raw it's oh so it is raw also yeah foreign honestly because the appearance of foods takes me out of it quite a bit but I mean once you can get past that anything you set your mind to you can add fish too do you want to have a good time tonight [Music] believe it or not this is the only shirasu burger shop on this island shonan Burger first they toast the buns then the shirasu cake is fried and dipped in a bowl of soy sauce add some Wasabi lettuce shirasu cake a pile of boiled shirasu and lube it up with some mayo here's step one for me I'm gonna put his little hat on put the Hat on my favorite part is I thought they'd put like 10 fish but look how many fish are in there thank you [Music] I like that a lot I don't even taste them you wouldn't know that there was a should ask your fish in here unless someone told you I kind of feel them like they're small and Meaty but that's kind of it nice dense fish Patty in there just a pile of shirazu this is one shirazu dish that I think I could actually get on board with mmm oh wow all right [Music] shirasu they may be tiny but these little fish have had a huge impact on Japan's most unique food Island [Music] our cross-country Japanese food tour continues moving from Kanagawa to shizuoka my goal you gotta be a psycho to eat this in search of a food so strange most local people have never even heard of it this is an ISO pot a creature living on the ocean floor hundreds of meters below the surface this is a creature created by Satan himself a creature man was never meant to see let alone eat I don't know this should be illegal right they're hitting the high seats so exciting wading through the rolling waves and hoping for a lucky or not so lucky catch I'm stuck in an ocean nightmare it won't end [Music] welcome to shizuoka home of the famous Fuji mountain but we came here for something much more special sir thank you so much for having us here this morning we're about to jump aboard your ship do you have a cute name for your boat it's called what does that mean it's a boat name okay how long have you been a man of the sea since he was 16. and she's now 70. I thought you could say he's done 17. so for one year [Music] shark fisherman and later transitioned to isopods now he and his son provide deep sea tours to adventurous isopod craving Travelers like me but how did they come up with this isopod business idea one day he started getting them four aquariums and he tried cooking them in the steam pipe over here and it turned out that it was really delicious then TV crew came and that's kind of how the popularity spread and now you can even get rice crackers made with isopods by the way you're 70. why do you have more hair than me it's because he's drinking extract of the sharks that he catches and his hands are beautiful are there other benefits for men his wife gets tired of him because he's so energetic energetic if we fail with the isopods I'm getting some shark extract [Music] leaving the docks Fresh Ocean Air in my face feeling hopeful only one hour on the high seas Separates Me from the goal also shizzy is definitely excited [Music] oh no everything was fine a second ago now we're in the actual ocean I'm in the worst spot on the boat I don't know if you guys can see how crazy these are what considering Japan is one of the most strict rule following countries in the world I am now shocked that Mr hasagawa didn't even give us a short safety brief warning us about this 10 meter long death trap he calls a boat seasickness is inevitable morale is going from good down to why the hell did Sonny bring us here by far the shakiest vote I have ever been on I don't know how we're gonna actually survive being on the boat but it's all for a good purpose it's to show you guys one of the creepiest craziest strangest Foods they have in Japan it's called an isopod they're known as the janitors of the sea carnivorous Crustaceans munching on all the dead sea animals that fall to the ocean floor they're part of the circle of life essential to Ocean ecosystems if you were wondering what happened to your dead goldfish you flushed down the toilet when you were five these guys probably ate it we've come here to their buoy we've dropped anchor it's a little bit less Rocky now but still not that great everyone's feeling pretty sick how are you feeling right now I'm trying to fend off the emotion sickness yeah how deep is it 400 meters deep right here I can see land 400 meters away that is crazy deep below us fly their isopod traps long black cylinders filled with bait the isopods can crawl in but they can't crawl out right now the Trap line is slowly being lifted we don't know when it's going to come up it's going like a meter a second while we wait let me share some tips on how to shoot a show on the water tip one make it fun this is like the fourth level of fun tip two cast a fearless and articulate host are there cages down there they've got a big cage they had a buoy to Mark where the cage is as soon as they bring bring this cage up it's gonna be a big cage any minute this cage is going to come up here and maybe we got a Bonus cage tip three research you should know exactly what to expect oh here it is so it's not even a cage it's a cylinder oh what the what are those creatures it's got little ISO fun it's like a cross between the Cockroach Lobster and a nightmare these isopods look strong active and ready for eating first they must be dispatched sliced down the front expelling a toxic putrid ball of oceanic waste from their gut it's the worst thing I've ever smelled the camera guy can confirm that oh no [Music] was that the iso Potter the ocean sickness I don't know guys can we keep going I don't know if we can keep going [Applause] this isn't really what I had planned today was supposed to be a fun food Adventure on the high seas instead morale is low but it's not always about fun we're on a mission to dig up Japan's most bizarre food and now we have enough isopods for a lifetime the seas are a bit choppy the crew's taking a hit we had a little bit of a spew problem here and there I mean we did accomplish our mission we got the sea bugs I don't think you're gonna find this anywhere else in the world if these creatures weren't strange enough wait until you see how the captain Cooks them the gutted ISO pods are tossed in a wire cage and the cage is set in the boat's exhaust pipes roasting or rather scorching these creepy crawlers in fumes that can reach over 2 000 degrees before we Chow Down we're heading back to the dock so the team can get a much needed escape from the ocean's never-ending onslaught of choppy waves guys we have just got back to land oh sweet land look at it it's right there oh I love that lamp so now that we're not rocking so much I can get a closer look this is the isopod it's got this little tail kind of similar to a lobster and then its mouth what is its mouth even doing this whole part is soft and it's full of food every animal that dies and just drifts to the bottom of the ocean these guys munch on that it's honestly like God told Satan you can design one creature he made this and then he goes okay great but that can only be on the bottom of the ocean [Music] is out the producer is out the camera guys are out they tussled with the ocean and lost I found a deckhand to hold the camera and chizzy's loss has become Captain hasagawa's game as he joins me for a Seaside Continental brunch let's jump into it can you show me how to do it all right so he takes the head he kind of Hollows that out and he cuts that away it looks like there might be a bit of meat in there now cutting away the rest of the hard top whoa we can eat that mean wait only me what about both of us I don't know what he's saying but I understand what he's saying he's saying hey you're the one who paid to go on this trip I never wanted to eat isopods okay I'm gonna eat this one I'll do it I'll do it uh so I'm gonna just grab the meat here we go [Music] it's a little sweet little bit of exhaust fumes and charcoal and then a little bit of crabby kind of flavor and I think we're good and I think you guys feel good you feel resolution we went out there we got the thing I ate it did we capture the moment enough okay I'm gonna eat one more I made a rule a long time ago early on when I was in the Philippines it said if I can eat one of something I can eat two of something it's weak to take a bite and then just run when they have Japanese TV Crews come out here they'll actually take a bunch of these and go stir fry them but I kind of like his chimney smoking method more it's kind of romantic [Music] yes cheers hi go psycho you gotta be a psycho to eat this but actually psycho means excellent in Japanese from here do you have any of that uh shark um extract I'm gonna see my girlfriend in a few days and I want to make her happy cycle yeah I'm a psycho [Music] oh my God shark oil should I drink it or what do I do drink all right oh my God all right let's try it out oh yeah it's like fish oil hey don't don't no don't Zoom down too much we'll get demonetized incredible experience thank you so much you killed it [Music] come on isopods taught me more than I could ever learn about them they taught me that even if your goal is hard I'm almost definitely gonna puke today look forward to that even if the ocean is fighting against you even if your crew will never speak to you again yeah you're part of the story now sometimes you need to push past the pain in pursuit of something bigger foreign [Music] [Applause] welcome back to our Japan series my name is sunny and I'm shizuka and today we're in Kobe what if it was that kind of show it makes me want to vomit on me right around the world and Kobe is Japan's beef Capital first of all this city is obsessed with beef when you walk through and around the main station there are more beef restaurants than I've seen anywhere It's Not Unusual to see cattle selling at auction for 10 to 15 000 ahead I'm just so curious with Kobe I know there's the quality and the genetics but how do you justify that price in this video we're getting a rare look behind the scenes going where few Outsiders have gone before touring a Kobe beef farm and joining a live auction revealing the secrets behind how Japan has engineered the best beef in the world [Music] thank you welcome to n Kobe beef live performance a place that lives up to its name with veteran Teppanyaki chef and owner Mr Kita takahiro at the helm Teppanyaki is flat top Japanese cooking right before your eyes with your very own personal chef he starts off by getting some vegetables going wow such an appetizer so this is amazing it's like it's dinner and a show at the same time first [Music] before things really start heating up he's serving an appetizer a combination of Kobe beef tongue orange mint horseradish and green and purple onion today we'll experience the finest beef in the world Kobe wagyu a steak this big costs about 250 dollars according to the owner his restaurant only purchases beef that comes from local breeders and before we dive into that marbled chunk of Heaven we're gonna see exactly how it got here first of all thank you for having us today yeah America meet Mr nitoshi Farm has been passed down from generation to generation for the last 80 years today he'll confirm or dispel the rumors of Japanese Farmers massaging cows playing them classical music or feeding them beer all in an effort to produce top quality beef we're here because we want to know the secrets about Japanese beef especially Kobe here in in Kobe usually it's a secret but just for you he's going to tell you about it today and I won't tell anybody [Laughter] you have a cute laugh Japan has four famous domestic breeds of cattle this is one of them the black Tajima found exclusively in the Hyo prefecture where Kobe city is located does this cow have a name he calls him Kudo which means black but usually it's easier to be more specific by number well 8443 it's been nice getting to know you Farmers like nitoshi have no idea what their cattles meet will be raided or how much money they'll bring in until they go to auction so before that they try to ensure optimal living and growing conditions for each animal that means fresh Mountain Air a reasonable amount of living space at least compared to American factory farms and high quality food the main thing that he gives the cows is essentially just hay and water he gets the best from around the world the highest quality hay from Australia Canada in the US and that's what he feeds these cats not just hay but three times a day he feeds them a mixture of corn soy scraps and other mixed greens and roughage in the U.S up to 75 percent of the cattle's diet is made up of corn much more than in Kobe if someone were to buy a cow how much would that cost one cow would cost about a million yen how do you justify that price this breed is actually decreasing in numbers so there's higher demand but there's not as many cows only about 3 000 cattle qualify as Kobe quality each year despite the intense demand for Kobe beef around the world Farmers like natoshi still place an emphasis on quality over quantity they have water misting sometimes it's water but actually it's a no like a sanitization liquid so it's to keep them clean how often do they get showers depends on the day but about once every five minutes I'm just so curious because there's all this mythical lore about Kobe beef so what's real and what's it's right there so do farmers really massage the cattle the massage rumor is probably false maybe if a TV company came maybe they would do it could you pretend to massage them for our video all right then do they play classical music he actually tried doing that at the beginning playing his own music that he liked a little bit but then he just stopped so what music did you try to play that you liked it Green Day we see oh I can't even believe this is real well then they must at least be getting them buzzed on Japanese beer he drinks the beer the more likely reality is that Japan's beef cattle have better genetics and have been meticulously bred and developed for hundreds of years we are trying to protect the DNA they're known for having a particularly pure bloodline this is prize DNA that will never leave this country unless it's in the form of a steak I think we should cheer so I mean it's a special moment right now Cheers Cheers come by I love sake we have one more here I think we should try out this is Kobe on a leaf here we go very yummy nothing too crazy adding a little bit of Temptation yeah it's the perfect appetizer but we're ready for the real deal next we are moments from biting into the ultimate A5 wagyu beef that is world renowned I want nothing more than to get this started but I gotta know what A5 even means [Music] thank you [Music] [Applause] [Music] this is a site few Outsiders have been granted permission to see you've heard of Farm to Table this is the step in between hundreds of cattle from various Farms across the hilgo prefecture soon the auction will begin but beforehand each specimen is carefully photographed and graded there's no playing favorites here even if you have the best breed and the best intentions if your beef can't compete it's gonna get a lower grade what is the temperature in here below 10 degrees it's pretty darn cold rating is done by the Japan meat grading Association among all these tajimas only some are graded A4 or A5 qualifying as Bonafide Kobe beef this stamp makes it official I saw a lady a moment ago with a futuristic looking machine and she was like taking pictures here it is a camera and they're actually just taking photos of the meat for record purposes holy crap that's intense [Music] in Japan the beef grades go from B1 to A5 the higher the grade the better the quality and taste the letter is in relation to exactly how much meat is actually on the cow how thick it is how much meat is on there the number rating is related to the marveling and the actual quality of the meat besides yield and marbling they also examine the texture brightness and firmness of the meat as a farmer what can I do to ensure that my beef is always A5 is there anything I can do this is probably one of the difficult points even if you work really hard as a farmer you still end up with different grades of meat but in the end it kind of depends on the personal skill of the farmers this is why nakanashi Farm where we went earlier today is leading the industry with over 90 percent of their cattle rated as official Kobe beef after inspection the highest rated beef receives the champion Kobe beef award this priced beef kicks off the bids for the day setting the stage for what will be millions of dollars worth of beef sold Japan's usually a pretty quiet place not right now there's a lot of people in here a lot of anticipation butcher shops traders of meat all coming here to place their bid right now they're literally rolling in the beef the bidding has begun [Music] everyone's been looking at the beef kind of taking notes on which products they liked people are electronically voting for which one they want challenges all right they just made a sale bid on the price per kilogram the highest bid gets the whole head of cattle so this is 440 kilograms 3 800 Yen that was 15 000 for one cow that's crazy after it's been auctioned the meat takes a ride to a holding fridge until it's brought to a restaurant cut portioned and seared in front of two very hungry patrons let's do it the first thing he does is give it a spritz of salt a little bit of pepper the fat in Kobe beef it melts very easily and it can even melt in with just the heat of your own mouth so in order to make it just right they want to cook it a little bit and then it'll be not too oily for you oh he's gonna light it on fire what I felt that that was really hot that was fascinating that was amazing oh he's cutting it already oh there it is oh I'm gonna put just a little bit of salt on it gotta eat it while it's hot let's do it cheers um what have I done to the discern this moment like bite some delicious juices just squeeze out it's touching our hearts in fact the oils are rushing down to our heart but it's like having them tuned oh who is she I see him he's being transported to another land trip to heaven right now you might be prancing through some Fields like a happy puppy you fart and you're back I'm getting chills when they tell me son of a that's unreasonably delicious people who are familiar with Wasabi they're maybe used to having it with sushi but mixing it with the beef it's something special it elevates it it adds a different level to it but beyond that that's like the real Wasabi so it's coming like from the Wasabi root and not the fake Wasabi paste that's right I think a lot of people look at the price and you can think of it like oh I could go to the store and get a steak for cheaper it's totally about the experience it's about being here being in the city of Kobe having your own personal chef who's cooked thousands of cows in his life worth thousands of meals that's what I thought you were gonna say I think we could totally enjoy the meal just so much more just by watching the process of making it yeah and of course just seeing his smile he was such a lovely smile camera B do we have the smile hahaha [Music] Kobe beef is a living breathing Legacy symbolizing the meticulous unending effort of Japanese Farmers over hundreds of years when you drop 200 on a couple hundred grams of beef in this city you're not just taking a bite of the best the world has to offer you're taking a bite of History cheers oh that was amazing I'm just drunk at this point [Music] this trip has been amazing because of Sunny I've been able to go to a whole bunch of places that I never visited before yet in Japan I've tried many foods that I've never had before but also because of Sunny I've had to touch bugs I've had to eat raw shark heart oh you actually did it I'm like I'm not gonna eat that and I've had to endure three hours on the actual rockiest boat of my life so today is trying to get into shizuka's mind right now to figure out what she could be planning for today I'm guessing it's something uh cute enjoyable maybe sweet like a multi-colored cotton candy I don't know it's gonna be cute right cute green Kawaii Hawaii today I'm making Sunny eat water [Music] these are mud dwelling eels famous and Saga terrifying to look at but even better I'm gonna make sunny catch them first and he's gonna have no idea should be a pretty easy day I just hope it's interesting for you guys so let's see what she's got planned [Music] ariak AC from April through October low tides mean the sea turns into a huge mud flat revealing all the amphibious organisms as soon as I look in the water I see it's teeming with life there's little crabs there's mud skippers are we here for any of that actually no we're fishing for something else today it's a little different from a mudskipper but I would say they're kind of cute I knew you were going to make us do something cute you know me so well [Applause] [Music] our amphibious guide Mr Nakashima has been in the fishing business for over 10 years with his experience and our passion catching these creatures will be a piece of Coke cake is it Coke or cake hey is it Coke or cake Coke that doesn't make sense who wrote this well hello there thank you for having us today today we are here at the mud plats doing some epic fishing I'm told the animal we're fishing for today is cute is that right yeah yeah um some people would say it's cute yeah it's cute yeah yeah um are we guaranteed to catch some fish today recently he's been catching quite a lot of them so he thinks that we will be able to that's good okay here we go one two three hey hey oh let's catch some fish let's go to catch a fish you must become a fish starting with this unique surfing board it allows me to spread my weight out across a larger area preventing me from sinking into the mud we're pumped we're excited we're gonna jump in the ocean I mean the mud let's go oh oh yeah unlike a regular waterborne you don't use paddles you don't use your hands you only need a strong thrust from your leg region hey it's pretty slick you're going the wrong way no bye so we've come literally about five kilometers out here can you still see the short oh we've come very far out now what we're gonna look for some holes and then between the holes we scoop okay so what about here and here do those yes oh he just got one oh I mean not yet but are you making the Sashimi right now brother yeah why'd you have to say the word joke at the end of your translation my joke's not obviously jokes okay I'm just telling you we just cut the mud seven times now what well it won't actually cut because it's not sharp but this is the movement in places like this the mud gets a little bit harder to see so it might be better to split up oh okay yes you're afraid I'm going to steal all the fish [Music] okay guys I'm going off board oh no that was a mistake already there's a hole here there's a hole here so maybe in the middle there's a fish let's go for it come on all right there's no fish there did we bring any fish to like throw in the mud and be like oh here's a fish no that's what we usually do all right I'm getting back on my boat oh why did I get off my boat one would say that based on my body type and my spirit animal the mud would be my natural habitat but life out here is harder than I expected I hope it'll all be worth it when I meet these cute fish shizuka can't stop talking about Jizzy can I say I'm glad that I let you choose the adventure this time we're having a great time of course hold on guys I got something what's this what the hell is that it's a log it's not a fish oh sorry [Music] our four of mud fishing we're having a lot of fun and we've caught zero fish I lost my temper evidently there's fish somewhere in this mud I don't know who put them there we're trying to get them out it's pretty hard even the guy who's an expert he looks like he's given up to him but we can't give up if we don't get any goddamn fish we don't have an episode so we Press On he got one he did it it's possible I never had a shred of Doubt even he looks for Lauren and lost right now oh I can't wait to see it it did look kind of cute from here it's a long and it's a little muddy let's go say hi [Music] our effort is not fruitless he's caught one I just saw it from afar it did look kind of cute it's gonna be super cute I'm gonna pull it out right now as I look at this creature I start to realize it's a trap this isn't supposed to be a fun day this I'm not gonna eat that is Revenge oh what the that's not cute at all you made me suffer on this trip you deserved it this is a war of subo also known as the aliens of Ariake this eel-like fish has been caught and eaten by locals in the past these days this gnarly creature serves as a local mascot to promote tourism in the area you know I appreciate the tip about looking the holes but hey they bite you that would have been a good tip wow these things are fishes so you eat these uh yeah some people in Saga prefecture do I guess okay yeah not all people in Japan no we got what we came for but just one is not enough two eaters means we need at least two warsubo oh oh you going oh he's trying to bite me you little bastard oh I can't believe it there's nothing like the rush of hunting down your own food and providing for your family or co-host it's Nature's cocaine and I'm searching for another line well guys I would love to stay here all day up to my balls in mud but um I think we gotta go eat what we got can't wait for her to get a taste and really to just look it in the eyes maybe give it a kiss on the lips right Jizzy yeah yeah totally yeah [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] the creature which we will call food will be prepared in a local pub named Toki Izakaya run by Miss alalagi tokiko for the last 43 years her specialty drinking food which is perfect because I'm gonna need a buzz to get this one down hello there thank you for having us today we just caught these watersubo is she proud yes for people in Sega these are friends yeah it bit me on the finger did it hurt no yes even when you cook them they'll bite you what these cute creatures as shizuka calls them are normally impaled through their head while they're alive and hung to dry do you eat it like this like some fish jerky the best one is this and the second is in miso soup the third best way to eat it is sashimi and that's what we're here for the preparation method of choice is called ikezukuri a Japanese word that translates to prepared alive a method used for some octopi fish shrimp and today's unlucky war of subo so she starts from the tail Works her way towards the head the meat itself is super red like blood red not enjoying this it grosses you out I think it's not nice I'd rather them just chop its head off a lot of people would agree with you it's actually outlawed in some countries like Germany I think it should be but Japan values the freshness now she's told me to put this on it I'm not sure what this does oh this spoon oh shush what putting on this girl music it's okay it's sake oh and these are little alcoholics there's no way it's still alive it's definitely still alive but that's just its nervous system what does she think she's like yeah it's still alive are you gonna try it I don't know if I can try this one how about these two heads boom cover it with a lemon no no that doesn't make a difference it's just literally the skin of the fish that you just shaved off yeah I can't cover that that's the actual food all right I'm gonna try it out let's go hmm almost like a penis fish really it's very chewy I like it the taste itself it's not off-putting it's not fishy but honestly the outside skin is like Sandy and coarse it's like grade one sandpaper well little guys thank you for giving your life that was pretty good actually I'll try it again and that's only the third best way aren't you excited that there's still two more ways that are even better yes so excited [Music] Miss tokiko has offered us her three favorite Wars Sumo dishes and shizuka has promised to try at least one what a flipping day what an eventful day damn I think the surprise couldn't have gone better yeah here's my part of the surprise there are three forms of War of Subaru here which one are you willing to try today as scary as this is I'm curious to attempt that and even suck the head she told her she should right we asked her I can take a bite of the shumai apartment I think that sounds pretty good to me what I want to show you before we work up to this here so she said this is the favorite and most popular dish of vorosubo dried grilled warsubo this dish is served in sake but before that they have to tenderize it with a hammer and Grill them over an open fire for 20 seconds cut them up and pop them in your sake Appletini or Mimosa however you like it all right let's try it out that's so fishy whoa usually I can't tell much of a difference when I throw something in there oh I can tell yeah me too me too bold it's daring it's alt-right somehow this is like really changed experience and I can't say the tour the better or not yeah it's I don't really know why you would do I don't think anyone starts with that I think when you're trash then you're like let's start putting fish in there yeah so I got a little fishy buzz and now I'm ready to approach this shomai on Elm Street is not on the menu and with good reason our gracious host removes the warsubo heads and steams them then carefully removes the meat mincing it along with soy sauce sugar and sake you know what I would keep telling you the cooking instructions but I don't think anyone's following along at home anyways so let's move on [Music] I'm gonna go for this guy right here very erect astute good posture wow look at that foreign you gotta get rid of the head yeah it seems the head may just be for sure I think it is oh yeah I didn't even describe it I don't know can you just tell them what it tastes like it's like salty I'm so bad at myself good good effort good effort it's not bad at all well prepared well seasoned and then it's foam on the meat from tons of these little guys yeah lastly I got a munch on this head we got still a bit of fin here the teeth are just bleached white at this point oh God oh it's fun not a lot of meat it's a lot of hard stuff and fins no one does this do they no but the lady said you can um suck on that yeah well you can suck on anything technically doesn't mean you should shizuka we've done it all right all right boom revenge is a dish best served cold how could you do this to me but steamed is okay too very good it's pretty good after raw shark heart grasshoppers Japanese death boats and now this I hope shizuka and I are finally even no more cute creature hunting for me luckily you can't tell that I just hit my pants but next time you go to the mud flats be sure you know What Lies Beneath the surface [Music] today our cross country Japan Series has built up to this Grand Finale [Applause] in this port city of 1.5 million shizuka and I will explore Japan's dying food tradition when I heard street food I thought it was going to be just grilled and throw it on a plate but this is like we're sitting in a proper five-star restaurant look at this presentation a tradition locals are fighting for guys have you ever seen such a nice diaphragm I've actually never had diaphragm before but it may only be a matter of time until the government shuts them down [Music] these are the most strict street food stalls you'll find anywhere in the world right behind me these guys are setting up right now that's a crazy amount of work just so I can sit on my ass have some drinks and some damn good food this isn't ordinary street food I'm really good this guy is your time we have come to our first guitar can you tell me a little bit about this place this is a family-ren yetai business right originally the Dad who started this business and then the mother and the son are running it too that's dope right here this very spot this small chunk of sidewalk has been theirs every night for the last 35 years a not so ordinary Street stall with a wide-ranging menu but tonight I have a pork fetish and I'm into feet have you ever had pixie I've never had pigs feet oh man you're getting so many new adventurous opportunities so many many I get it maybe because it looks like a foot and I usually walk on the ground with the feet Yes but the foot is actually full of fat and collagen which is good here's your skin the skin yeah and wrinkles this not so commonly used Pig part is a favorite for those sipping sake in Japan the feet are braised into soy sauce base for five hours then thrown on the grill lightly seasoned and served simply with shredded cabbage and vinegar soy sauce we've got some skin here that's just pure gelatinous fat it's super tender it is a little bit gaming spelling Stone oh okay it's much better than I thought the texture really reminds me of like an undercooked very soft chewy rice like almost a Mochi rice it's a little bit of animaliness but the thing with drinking food is it's supposed to give you a jolt of intensity so that you have a reason to wash down your beer true how you doing true [Music] every night at dusk when the sun sets over Fukuoka City on Street sides and alleyways these yatai come to life but what does your time mean to Fukuoka [Music] meetigashi koichiro he owns a yatai called jonatsu No chido riyashi ensuring he can bring the best experience to his customers each night starts here hello sir thank you for having us today thank you higashi is a newcomer to this traditional style of dining only running his outdoor Eatery for the last two and a half years but his Izakaya the birthplace for most of his culinary Creations has been around for 50 years the words that you type does it have a literal meaning essentially what a yetai is it's a transportable food cart and for him what they do is they bring their card out onto the streets and then at the end of the day they pack up and they bring it back to the restaurant [Music] I was in the USA recently and I was talking to a lot of small independent restaurant owners about their restaurants and the regulation they have to deal with and they are finding it more and more difficult to meet the demands that are put upon them by different government agencies and I'm curious as somebody who owns a yetai what challenges do you face when it comes to regulation in Japan we have a very strict regulation for size of the space the actual size that you're allotted is three meters by five meters and the size of your actual yetai shop should be within three meters and 2.5 meters oh my God due to regulations you can only start from 5 PM and the needs to leave by 4 AM and of course you can't leave anything behind it needs to look exactly as it did before of course right the number of yatai have greatly reduced in Japan as governing officials attempt to clean up the streets but even some local people see them as eyesores creating more Ruckus than their work for some who stick to the old ways running a yetai goes beyond a profession for them it's a performance [Music] here we are can we talk loud in the confines of the yatai yeah we can yeah we're Outdoors how come your tie shop has been around for 62 years having passed through three generations a cozy space that seats 10 at most but still people line up for their turn at the yatai table here as part of their menu they served us up some of their Classics we've got the gyoza I'm going to split these apart it's super crispity it's been seared in a pan so you can see it's very serative gyoza dumplings filled with ground meat and vegetables wrapped in a thin dough here it's served with yuza kosha a hot citrusy soy sauce wait you're gonna dip it in the use of course it isn't complete without this oh oh that is so crispy it's the holy matrimony of deliciousness having its wedding reception on my tongue that's so nice this is a great metaphor it's crispy on the bottom chewy on the top and it's full of delicious spiced Meats I love it this is a great yet Thai food here somebody it's translated as diaphragm I've actually never had diaphragm before sagari is thin tender skirt steak put it on a skewer toss it on the grill sprinkle with salt and pepper and it's ready for an intimate night with your taste buds oh yeah it's like medium rare tender juicing the pepper really brings out a nice flavor to the meat everything here is just meant to be little bites full of taste flavors textures to go in between all the drinking so the more you eat the more you want to drink the more you drink the more you want to eat it's a vicious cycle it could get out of control pretty quickly it really can the variety of your Thai food is Limitless and the prices are more reasonable than you might think five dollars for ramen tofu soaked in odang broth and beef tendon for just a few bucks that's been pretty good for some tofu that's right I like it or this a rare wild meat you don't often see served in restaurants meet head chef yoshito Takahashi well hello there Yoshi working together with Mr hagashi they're winning over locals and newcomers night after night so right now he's debunking the hind quarter of a deer where'd you get a deer leg I'm dying to know what is the key to outstanding yetai service what is this he says that a lot of people feel a little nervous about going to yetai in the city it's hard to kind of like go and sit down next to someone you don't know he believes it's his role to help him feel at ease and enjoy the experience that's incredible the party's about to get started in five hours but first psycho yes when I was a teenager helping my dad butcher a deer I never thought of actually eating the tenderloin Raw [Music] just take a quick look at this this game meat it's so deep red like scarlet no fat in there this is a deer that's been eating organic its whole life he said they can't serve it to Guess that way but I'm in the kitchen I've got special access eat together yes all right let's do it let's go I like your enthusiasm for raw meat hmm it's like really good that's a lot of meat no super strong flavors at all nothing gamey it's just super clean salty like animal oil coating my mouth that's cool so every time you're preparing there's a boss vanilla and you just eat a couple [Music] right behind me these guys are setting up right now and I do not envy the work these guys go through each day first of all the cart which fits an incredible amount of stuff in there they have the sink chairs pot pans burners everything that fits inside now you can see they've opened it up set it up cleaned it up and then finally at the end get the food out and then start preparing the food that whole process takes about an hour and a half something I'm going to keep in mind next time I see these on the street is all the work that goes into it just so I can sit on my ass ask some drinks and some damn good food imagine us here we are after a long day seeing how they prepare all this food the results are here it is like five star street food Yoshi does not take his food prep lightly he's the captain of this ship monitoring each guest around him making sure they get whatever they need I ordered a deer sausage I thought he would just cut a hot dog into five pieces throw it in a bowl and give it to me and then it's like a work of art first a fried cheese roll then fried sausage along with veggies artfully plated Yoshi meticulously smearing sauces plating each vegetable with precision and then that cheese roll bringing the dish to life and a fat deer sausage plopped on Top This is my first venison by the way Bambi I wouldn't eat Bambi by choice but here we are oh that's really damn good that's very juicy I would guess that they put some pork in there too since deer meat is a little bit low on oil and fat he's cooking it in pork fat so the meat is still 100 deer what even is this that's some fancy ass cheese oh that's so good crispy Parmesan cheese that's wonderful high quality beautiful to look at food is Yoshi's strength like this deer steak set upon a bed of flower petals it's a game meat but it's not gamey at all and wild boar meat too there's a lot of different flavors in that one bite it's the next level of yum it's not just about the food or the booze although I am a big fan of both can we get three can you drink one I like it oh yeah it's about who you're here with me and who you might bump into along the way guys are we gonna be showing up huh [Applause] good right now I'm just a little bit past 9 pm they're just warming up in Japan you can feel this switch turn where people go from intense office jobs expectations obligation and then they flip the switch and forget about everything else I think in Japan the phrase Work Hard Play Hard really really if it's the bill yeah absolutely these days yutai is a tradition only found in Fukuoka a tradition whose time may be limited but while it's here vendors all around the city are going through the back-breaking work of prepping food setting up shop and pouring drinks just to break it all down that night leaving no trace of what hangovers and laughs were shared the night before you killed you kill rap on Japan I will see you next time [Applause] I'll go I was asleep I mean sleeping vitamins alcohol yes

Channel: Best Ever Food Review Show

Views: 10,322,245

Keywords: best ever food review show, befrs team, sonny side, asia, east asia, japan, cross country food tour, food, japan food, tokyo, ramen, koi fish, yatai, sushi, raw food, kobe beef, sashimi

Id: KktLi3UifPY

Length: 100min 54sec (6054 seconds)

Published: Wed Sep 07 2022