Ozu Castle Town

Once a key military outpost and bustling river town nestled in the mountains of western Shikoku Island, Ozu has reemerged as the vibrant cultural center of the region, owing to its acclaimed approach to sustainable tourism. Discover more about Ozu's captivating transformation in my feature for BBC Travel—a testament to its charm as one of Japan's most delightful destinations.

Sugar 砂糖

The use of a variety of unique sugars by Japan’s cooks as an essential seasoning in all kinds of savory dishes is one of their key ways of making foods better tasting and dishes more satisfying, and, perhaps surprisingly, it also leads to healthier eating.

Fujii Shuzo's "Ryusei" Sake

Fujii Shuzo’s “Ryusei” brand ginjo and dai-ginjo sake have been winning prestigious awards for over one-hundred years because their uniquely complex, acidic flavor profiles pair well with all foods and cuisines and make them delicious to drink on any occasion.

Ishigaki no Shio

Tokuhige Togo has created one of the purest and most nutritious, mineral-laden sea salts found in Okinawa by “brewing” the sea salt he makes from the waters off Ishigaki Island in jars filled with brine for eight years.

Hiroshima’s Green Lemons

By harvesting their famous lemons early, when they are still green, Hiroshima’s lemon farmers have created a uniquely-flavored new type of citrus, which is helping their small businesses and, in turn, the local food makers who have been inspired to create new foods and dishes with them.

Usagi no Moshio Seaweed Salt

On a rugged wind-swept peninsula in the Sea of Japan in northern Shimane prefecture known as the Land of the Gods, septuagenarian Isamu Abe is making mild-tasting, nutritious, and very dry, fine grain seaweed salts that are as excellent for baking and making desserts as they are as table salts.

Tea Stand Gen

By sustainably farming a sencha green tea with a naturally unique flavor and serving it up at Tea Stand Gen, Genki Takahashi is reaffirming the important cultural role of green tea in Japan as a bond with nature and between people in addition to providing a soothing and healthy cup of tea.

Hakusen Shuzo's Hon-Mirin

An aromatic, beautiful, and delicious full-bodied alcohol made from rice, artisanal hon-mirin has an essential role in the pantheon of fermented Japanese seasonings by virtue of its flavor-extending umami and complex sweet-savory flavors created by the Maillard reaction. It is also a delicious and healthy liquor to drink.

Meitou's Handmade Koji

Trained by their blind grandfather to work by hand as much as by eye, the brothers Ryuhei and Yohei are making intensely rich, nutritious, and robust koji that cooks can use to easily make delicious miso and other fermented foods at home.

The Torii Family of Sauces

At Torii Sauce, third generation artisanal sauce maker Daishi Torii is making a family of Japanese brown sauces that are not only essential to the Japanese pantry but, in many respects, are more delicious and useful in all kinds of cuisines than equivalent Western and Asian brown sauces.

The Fishermen of Ine

As part of a community-led program of marine ecotourism that is successfully bringing new life to the fishing village of Ine while preserving the integrity of its traditions, the fishermen of Ine have opened their unique funaya boathouse-residences to guests so that they can experience the camaraderie, delicious seafood, and beautiful marine world that the fishermen have enjoyed for centuries.

Mirasaka Fromage

By making all grass-fed, artisanal cow and goat cheeses in the highlands of western Japan, Mirasaka Fromage is adding deliciously light and uniquely-flavored cheeses to Japan’s pantry of fermented foods and is also helping to preserve the area's rural way of life by adhering to the ancient, sustainable, and ethical way of using the land by mountain grazing its dairy animals.

Muroi

In a farmhouse on the outskirts of northwest Kyoto, Chef Shigeru Muroi is redefining Japanese cuisine and fine dining by restoring the primacy of place, flavor, and beauty to vegetables in his cooking and serving his delicious and complex creations in an elegant yet comfortable and affordable manner.