NHK WORLD JAPAN- A TASTE OF TOKYO-Trails to Oishii Tokyo

[Music] tokyo this world-class metropolis is a veritable gourmet wonderland discover the stories behind the ingredients that make this city so delicious so oishii a metropolis with a population of nearly 14 million a famous gourmet city tokyo boasts a vast number of food producers [Music] a tasty treat from urban flowers and friends [Music] smells so fruity and take a look at this dark sauce you can't have tasty fried foods without it [Music] and we can't fail to mention seafood [Music] so many mouth-watering tokyo delights to choose from follow our reporters on a special journey as they get a taste of tokyo [Music] trails to oishi tokyo [Music] first up is our american reporter kaylene she found a vending machine selling vegetables [Music] now cultivated all across the country its origin lies right here in tokyo this eastern part of the city facing tokyo bay is known as the birthplace of komatsuna [Music] thanks to its rivers and flat land the area has supported farming for centuries today about 120 farms here grow komatsuna in the midst of a residential area greenhouses this combination is uniquely tokyo [Music] foreign is an edogawa native his farm has been passed down through his family for generations here [Music] it's great even when eaten raw [Music] to try it heads to a japanese pub or izakaya near tokyo skytree this place features tokyo produce in its dishes owner sato katsuhiko prepares simmered komatsuna a staple komatsuna dish [Music] the dashi stock is made from skipjack tuna and kombu kelp with soy sauce and sake the stems are added first [Music] when it comes to a boil he adds the leaves and turns off the heat komatsuna holds its form even when boiled it soaks up dashi well making it perfect for simmered dishes in order to promote ingredients from tokyo sato uses things like vegetables meat and fish from the city [Music] the peppers and garlic he uses are grown in tokyo too the metropolis is home to a surprising number of foods olive oil and anchovies enhances its aroma and umami shrine to learn more about the origins of komatsuna kattori shrine and komatsuna are deeply intertwined [Music] legend has it that in 1719 shogun tokugawa yoshimune went hunting in komatsugawa part of modern day edogawa he took a break at this shrine the shrine priest served him soup with a rice cake and a local leaf vegetable he was impressed by the flavor of the vegetable [Music] despite being long grown in the area it had no specific name the shogun named it after the area komatsugawa calling it komatsuna [Music] kayleen visits a farmer who grows the variety thought to have been eaten by the shogun grows faster and larger than ordinary komatsuna [Music] um this variety preserves the original flavor of komatsuna even in edogawa there are few farmers who grow this variety must be handled with special care it can be easily damaged during harvesting or delivery that's one reason fewer farmers grow it but the efforts of farmers like ishii have led to a growing recognition of this historical variety and calls to protect it style ishii prepares some traditional komatsuna dishes for kayleen [Music] the spiciness of the fresh komatsuna turns to sweetness when heated she pours clear soup over a rice cake to make zoni an important dish for new year's celebrations in japan [Music] oh is she this guy [Music] is an essential part of the tokyo diet [Music] our next taste of tokyo is pork cutlet or rather the special sauce that goes on top in japan the word sosu literally meaning sauce refers specifically to this dark type it's been made and enjoyed in tokyo since long ago the tsukishima area offers a relaxing atmosphere in the center of a bustling metropolis it's home to over 50 restaurants specializing in tokyo soul food monjayaki monjayaki is made by loosely mixing wheat flour and water adding cabbage and other ingredients then frying on a grill it's flavored with just one main condiment sauce our canadian reporter kyle will try monjayaki for the first time place the ingredients on the grill in a ring shape a sort of damn [Music] next pour the wheat flour dough flavored with plenty of sauce into the center of the dam oh how big it is all right here we go finally mix it up spread it thinly and your moon jayaki is complete beautiful take a look at that use a small metal spatula to grab and eat pieces right off the grill wow sauce there's a lot of sauce in there oh it's so good though [Music] this place was founded by kondo's grandmother in 1950 soon after the end of the second world war it specialized in cheap candy and toys for children but began offering monjayaki as a filling snack for those hungry kids it's been serving up monjayaki ever since [Music] m [Music] [Music] my that flavor so beloved by those post-war tokyo children remains the same today that's because kondo still uses the same order made sauce his grandmother did every monjayaki restaurant has a special bond with the maker that supplies its sauce [Music] the roots of japanese sauce lie in worcester sauce born in england in the 19th century that sauce is made using things like fruits and vegetables vinegar and spices from india it's often used in small amounts to enrich flavor it said worcestershire sauce came to japan in the latter half of the 19th century when the country was modernizing japanese culinary culture was adopting ideas from the west and the use of meat and oils was growing sauce was the perfect condiment for such new dishes soon many domestic sauces were born and the market for sauce expanded it's thought that pre-war tokyo alone was home to some 150 sauce makers [Music] kyle visits a tokyo sauce maker that's been in operation for over 100 years wow do they make sauce here it looks almost like a parts factory this is koni mariko the fourth generation owner the factory is run by just three people call me her husband and her mother just like in the old days they make their sauce by hand today they're cooking up a made-to-order sauce for business use in goes apple puree [Music] followed by tomato paste then sugar and salt and a mix of 11 spices komi's own recipe she's putting in countless buckets of soy sauce wow so going this place makes several types of sauce all with their own recipes after a batch is heated it's siphoned into a storage tank [Music] the final ingredient is vinegar [Music] oh i bought this thing [Music] the sauce made here runs the gamut from smooth and spicy to viscous and sweet [Music] the factory's most famous type produced here since its founding is its busta sauce that's japanese style worcestershire sauce the bottles are sealed by hand just like back in the day [Music] [Music] here's their legendary passed down through the generations for 100 years ooh smells great ah it's quite tart this family recipe was passed down from comey's grandfather that's a lot of sugar here we go [Music] kyle doesn't seem convinced but here he goes oh bon appetit [Music] [Music] [Laughter] [Music] [Laughter] a sauce with uk roots has found a loving new home for itself in tokyo [Music] joining us now is yani from sweden our next taste of tokyo is fish flying fish that is fujita slices up some flying fish sashimi for yanny's [Music] yeah where in tokyo can flying fish be caught to find out we'll need to board a plane here [Music] it takes just under an hour to reach hachijojima from haneda hachijojima rests in the pacific ocean and is a popular tourist destination though it's almost 300 kilometers south of central tokyo it's technically part of the city [Music] warm year-round with subtropical plants and vegetation it's sometimes referred to as the southern tip of tokyo [Music] is rainy and windy and days when the weather is nice enough to fish are limited [Music] [Music] the crew at the bow see something flying fish move just below the surface of the sea making them hard to detect on fish finding gear fishermen must rely on their well-trained eyes [Music] in a single bound the fish can leap two meters above the water and travel anywhere from 100 to 300 meters five crew members worked together to set the fishing net the crew used the natural movement of the fish to their advantage flying fish swim against the current so the crew heads them off and sets the net where the school is headed a big catch can bring in as many as ten thousand fish [Music] a variety of techniques have been devised for the enjoyment of this gift from the island waters [Music] my destination is a minshku a japanese-style bnb konichiwa [Music] oh has run this minshuku for over 50 years she prepares some popular island dishes that include flying fish the most famous among them is sushi there leaving the skin on she cuts the meat into thick slices the fish is dipped in a sauce made from soy sauce and medium sweet sake then placed on the rice um next i visit a manufacturer that uses flying fish in a very different way [Music] what is this storms can leave hachijojima without access to fresh food that makes kusaya at times a literal lifesaver flying fish kusaya is rich in calcium protein and vitamins [Music] working with his parents and wife osada prepares 500 kusaya fish per day during peak season [Music] most fish are dressed belly first but because flying fish bodies are stronger than those of most fish they can be cut along the spine next they wash the fish thoroughly a white stomach is a sign of [Music] freshness preparation is complete onto the main area [Laughter] the pungent odor comes from this liquid the liquid which is used to soak the fish contains compounds like ammonia and sulfur which can leave a strong impression on the uninitiated it's said that this process was born centuries ago when salt was a precious commodity the same salt water was used repeatedly and over time the proteins in the fish seeped in to create this fermented liquid this producer has been replenishing its precious liquid for over 100 years by adding salt when necessary after soaking for about 12 hours the fish are washed then dried in this space at roughly 25 degrees celsius for an entire day hey foreign it's grilled for about 15 minutes um [Music] a unique creation born on this island at first i was shocked by the smell but once i had the taste i couldn't get enough i even bought some to bring home [Music] ogeekobo has numerous market streets lined with gourmet shops and restaurants a short walk from the station brings you to a quiet residential area kayleen is here for a taste of tokyo provided by beautiful urban flowers and their tiny friends [Music] honey but where are the bee hives oh [Music] [Music] the white residue tells us that honey has accumulated kaneko says the western honeybee can produce a large amount many times over within a short period of time after starting six years ago he's really begun to recognize the benefits of urban beekeeping in parks yards and gardens you'll notice there's actually a lot of flowers around as cities have fewer farms less pesticides are in use which offers a safer environment for bees [Music] gathering nectar and pollen from different flowers gives the bees a balanced nutritious diet [Music] flower lovers play an important role in the production of big city honey japan is home not only to the western honeybee found throughout the world but also the native japanese honeybee honey from the japanese honeybee only accounts for under one percent of the market kailen heads to hachioji to meet a man fascinated by this phantom honey [Music] mainly works with western honeybees but has recently been putting more effort into the conservation of the japanese honeybee yamaguchi rents a hill behind a friend's farm japanese honeybee hives stand vertically imitating the natural ones they build in the hollows of trees unlike the domesticated western honeybees seen earlier these are essentially wild so they must be kept in an environment similar to their natural habitat yamaguchi used to have six hives filled with japanese honeybees but half are now empty they're extremely timid even the slightest change in climate will drive them away this hypersensitivity makes for an unsustainable harvest and is why their honey is so rare for mr yamaguchi the reward far outweighs the risk the honey produced by these native bees is just too delicious [Music] [Music] yamaguchi has been testing different methods for keeping japanese honeybees he's come up with a special hive [Music] an encyclopedia of honeybees published 150 years ago detailed beekeeping methods used during the edo period yamaguchi discovered a picture of a hive that was no longer in use he searched documents for a detailed drawing of the design and was soon able to recreate it testosterone the results have been stunning the entrance can be slid open to air out the hive in the summer [Music] setting the board about 10 centimeters in creates a wooden entryway this was done to protect the vulnerable bees from snow storms and strong winds yamaguchi discovered helpful records left behind for future generations [Music] even leaving one third of the honeycomb behind ensures the bees have enough food to survive the winter means foreign this ancient hive gives the bees a safe home that can withstand harsh weather [Music] [Music] a rewarding coexistence between humans and bees wisdom passed down in tokyo for centuries our next taste of tokyo can be found in hinohara further west from hachioji [Music] a long history of production using the area's fresh water was halted by a lack of successors produced here was wasabi an indispensable part of tokyo's food culture that includes sushi there's a young person working hard to restore the wasabi fields here and to restart cultivation [Music] [Music] after graduating from the tokyo university of agriculture hosokai moved here in hopes of revitalizing the village he quickly realized that rejuvenating abandoned wasabi fields would be a key place to start all right we're going into the wilderness foreign is once people stopped coming through this area vegetation and other life quickly took over oh foreign hosokai diligently maintains trails so that people can one day easily access the revived wasabi fields [Music] the one-hour walk is complete [Music] [Music] [Music] in rejuvenated paddy fields when he first came here the fields were in dire shape after having been abandoned for a decade clearing away fallen trees and other debris was extremely tough work he reconstructed the terraces with the help of villagers and volunteers recruited through social media after three long years the wasabi fields were finally starting to take shape good morning fresh water began to flow into the fields again [Music] [Music] foreign a lovely green color going on [Music] they take the freshly harvested wasabi to a restaurant in the village the chef here experiments with new wasabi dishes destined to be future favorites it's actually an italian restaurant previously a professional sommelier in tokyo matsumura tetsuro moved to hinohara where his wife is from to open a restaurant nine years ago he shares hosokai's enthusiasm to revitalize the village his role in the effort is his cooking expertise [Music] this locally procured venison was cooked at a low temperature for the sauce he uses boiled tuna and anchovy paste [Music] then add some capers a hard-boiled egg yolk [Music] a garlic clove boiled in milk and of course a generous amount of grated wasabi the final additions are salt and pepper wine vinegar and olive oil the mixture is processed but not cooked as wasabi doesn't respond well to heat the sauce is lathered over the meat [Music] it's then topped with slices of wasabi along with pieces of his leaves and stems wow um [Music] wow [Music] before eating comes production and growth the valleys fields nearby ocean and forests of tokyo add a storied food culture to a bustling metropolis offering tasty treasures that'll surely be enjoyed for generations to come [Music] in tokyo every ingredient has its own story

Channel: Van Ta

Views: 65,903

Keywords:

Id: 2_cNqdv7dxM

Length: 48min 59sec (2939 seconds)

Published: Tue Sep 07 2021