sushi and sake magazine oct 2011

SS1011_Layout 1 10/3/2011 1:32 AM

SS1011_Layout 1 10/3/2011 1:03 AM

VÉÇàxÇàáOCTOBER

131 Vol. 11, No. 11

3OCTOBER 2011

EDITORIALExecutive Editor

Hiroshi Kawabata

EDITORAndrea Redeman

Erika JonesToshi Oyamada

COLUMNISTAndrea Redeman

Keiko AzumaIzumi Sunaoka

NatsumiYumiko HughartNancy UyemuraYuji Matsumoto

CREATIVEArt Director

Amazing Graphics

BUSINESSDirector of Sales

David Kudo

HONORARY ADVISORY BOARDTakashi Abe

Luis Diaz(Chinois on Main)

Andrea Guerrero (Max)Akira Hirose

(Maison Akira)Yujean KangToshi Kihara(Hamasaku)

Nobu MatsuhisaShunji Nakao (The Hump)Kimmy Tang (Michaelia)

Tommy Tang

COMMUNITY ADVISORFrances Hashimoto

Shige HigashiTim ItataniTom Kamei

Noritoshi KanaiNancy Kikuchi

Joanne KumamotoHoward NishimuraNobuyuki Okada

Pat SekiYoshinori Takamine

Satoru UyedaBill Watanabe

Koichi Yanagisawa

For advertising information, call(213) 680-0011. Sushi and Sake isdistributed throughout LittleTokyo, Greater Los Angeles, SouthBay, Orange, Ventura and SanDiego Counties. Sushi and Sakedoes not assume responsibility forthe accuracy of or opinionsexpressed in its contents. Sushiand Sake is always welcomes newproducts, films, music, etc. forreview. Please contact us at theaddress above for consideration.

PUBLISHERAll Japan News Inc.

222 S. Hewitt St. #10Los Angeles, CA 90012

P: (213) 680-0011F: (213) 680-0020

[email protected]

STAFFCOVER STORY07 The History of Sushi

-Enjoy Fresh Ingredients and Craftmanship-by Hiroshi Kawabata

EDUCATION19 Living Treasure

-Genki Living Expo and 50th Anniversary CelebrationKeiro Senior Health Care

20 Jet Alumni AssociationGanbare Nihon!by Sally Kikuchi

21 Let’s Learn Japanese-Autumn is said to be the appetite-stimulating season-By Natsumi

23 Story of Amino Pure / Episode No. 1 -What role do supplements play in maintaining health?-

ENTERTAINMENT 04 Event Calendar05 Photography Exhibit by Nobuyuki Okada

-71th Nisei Week Japanese Festival-05 Japanese Food Festival 2011

-Enter the Unknown Regions of Japanese Cuisine-06 Here & There

by Andrea Rademan11 “Arigato” Thank you for Supporting Japan. Appreciation Event held

-Japan will return Stronger-by Hiroshi Kawabata

12 Hurray! J-POP: Future idols to emerge from VOCALOID!by Yumiko Hughart

22 The Art of Sushi and Sake : -Pacific Standard Time-by Nancy Uyemura

FOOD & RECIPES15 Recipe Corner: Green Tea Omelet / Tofu Fried with Miso and Cheese25 Shifting from Making Delicious Sake to Sake-Making With A Purpose

by Yuji Matsumoto28 Little Tokyo Japanese Restaurant Map

TRAVEL13 Tokyo Report: -Visiting the Museums of Tokyo-

by Toshi Oyamada

WHAT’S NEW14 -JCHA’s 21th Nursing Scholarship Award Ceremony held

- Aomori Prefecture Product Exhibition held in Little Tokyo

SS1011_Layout 1 10/3/2011 1:32 AM

4 OCTOBER 2011 ENTERTAINMENT

OCTOBER 2011October 2Kosetsu Minami Aurora Benefit Concert

The Aurora Foundation promotesJapanese culture to mainstreamAmericans interested in Japanese lan-guage and culture by providing schol-arships and grants through the AuroraFoundation’s Scholarship Programs.Net proceeds from the event helpsfund the Aurora Japanese LanguageScholarship, the Aurora ChallengeGrant, the Aurora Speech Contest,and the Aurora Endowment Fundalong with Aurora Program activities. Aurora Benefit Concert is at El

Camino College-Marsee Auditorium. 16007 Crenshaw Blvd. Torrance,CA. Tickets are available at Aurora Foundation 323-882-6545, AllAmerican Tickets 1-888 507-3287, Kinokuniya Bookstores - LittleTokyo Store 213-687-4480, Costa Mesa Store 714-662-2319, andSanuki no Sato 310-324-9184. For more information, contact AuroraFoundation at 323-882-6545.

October 9Tea & Chamber MusicThe JACCC is pleased to present the The Colburn Academy for this spe-cial On the Veranda program featuring live chamber music accompanied

by light refreshments and tea-tasting. TheColburn Academy, the newest division ofThe Colburn School, offers highly gifted,pre-college age musicians a comprehensivecurriculum of music courses. The Acad-emy seeks to refine, enhance and developperformance skills and musicianship at the

highest of levels. As space is limited, reservations are highly recom-mended. $20 General Admission, $15 JACCC Members.JACCC Garden Room, 1-3pm / 244 S. San Pedro St. LA CA 90012. Formore information or to make a reservation call (213) 628-2725 ext. 133.

October 7 -23UtsuyakaThe JACCC is excited to present an exhibition by one of the most ver-satile, in-demand photographer Taka Kobayashi. Kobayashi’s interna-tionally celebrated work span from iconic ad designs to artistic stills and

l a n d s c a p epieces. Titled ut-suyaka, a wordin the Kyoto di-alect meaning“beautiful andgraceful,” theUS premier ofhis latest workexplores thrmystic beauty ofmaiko fromKyoto. The exhi-

bition features the U.S. premier of his latest work, in which Koabayashiexplores the beauty of maiko, or apprentice geisha, from Kyoto.Kobayashi’s fresh and modern take on the maiko is a juxtaposition oftradition in the digital age. Free Admission. Special Gallery Hours:Tues.-Sun., 11am-5pm / Extended Gallery Hours: Wednesday, 10.12 &Sunday, 10.16, 11am-10pm. Closed Mondays and Holidays. George J.Doizaki Gallery South Gallery, 244 S. San Pedro St. LA CA 90012. Formore information 213-628-2725

October 15Genki Living ExpoIn conjunction with Keiro’s 50th Anniver-sary celebration, Keiro will hold a one-dayExpo featuring informative presentations,“Ask the Experts,” cooking demonstra-tions, fitness and dance demonstrations,wine and sake tasting, a community book-shop, and 80+ exhibitors to nurture an ac-tive, healthy lifestyle! This is a sponsoredevent, and will be open/free to the public.Genki Living Expo is at Pasadena Con-vention Center, Exhibit Hall A. 300 E.Green St., Pasadena, CA 91101. For moreinformation. Visit Keiro’s Genki Living Expo page atwww.keiro.org/genki-living-expo or call (323) 980-7583

October 22LA Daiku presents-An Autumn Harvest of Choral Music -An unprecedented musical event in the LAJapanese Community occurred on July 10,2009. A chorus of 380 Japanese Americanand Japanese singers, mostly inexperi-enced but had rehearsed over eight months,sang Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 at theWalt Disney Concert Hall. The audiencewas impressed, awed, even stunned. TheLA times music critic. Mark Swed com-mented that “the forthright mega-choruswas exceedingly well drilled” and excitingto hear. “This marvelous monster chorus…sounded the fervid, disci-plined voice of a community.” Even more affected were the singers.Some who shared the emotional high of the glorious No. 9 wanted tocontinue singing and formed a chorus called L.A. Daiku. Daiku meansNo. 9 in Japanese, but more specifically it means Beethoven’s Ninth,which is endeared among Japanese to the extent that over 300 perform-ances given annually all over Japan. Officially established in September,2009, L.A. Daiku has weekly rehearsal of Beethoven’s No. 9, Handel’sMessiah and others from its expanding repertoire at the HollywoodJapanese Cultural Institute. L.A. Daiku welcomed Dr. Bernstein as itsdirector/conductor. Dr. Bernstein is also the director/ conductor of Hol-lywood Master Chorale and Pasadena Master Chorale as well as associateconductor of Grendale Symphony. In addition, Ms. Lauren Buckley leadsL.A. Daiku’s group and individual voice lessons. L.A. Daiku “An Au-tumn Harvest of Choral Music” is at Sunday, October 22, 2011 at MissionValley Free Methodist Church / 1201 S. San Gabriel Blvd, San Gabriel,CA 91776. For more information at [email protected] or 310-625-4222

SS1011_Layout 1 10/3/2011 1:32 AM

Nobuyuki Okada Profile1941 Born in Tokyo, Japan1965 - 1967 Studies at Tokyo Art Photography School1973 Moved to USA1991 - Current Japanese American National Museum (JANM) - Volunteer Photographer1991- Current Documented the Nisei Week Japanese Festival2007- 2011 Nisei Week Japanese Festival Photography

- Exhibit at Little Tokyo Koban (Every Summer-5years)2008 – Current Lantern of the East Los Angeles Member2010 August “Kabuki” Photo Exhibition at JACCC sponsored by The Japan Foundation*Documented Japanese Community Events. Photos Published in local and International Japanese Media

5OCTOBER 2011ENTERTAINMENT

The 12th Annual Japanese Food Festivalhosted by the Japanese Restaurant Asso-ciation of America (JRA) will be held at

the Kyoto Grand Hotel & Garden in LittleTokyo on Sunday November 13 from 11:00a.m. to 3:00 p.m. The Japanese Food Festivalheld annually this time of the year is now a“fall tradition” in Little Tokyo.

At this Food Festival, various traditionaldishes that one normally doesn’t try often is of-fered, along with Japanese foods considered tobe American favorites, such as sushi, tempura,sashimi, beef bowl, unadon soba, yakitori, yak-isoba, ramen noodles, okonomiyaki, anddeserts. The stage set at the main festival

grounds will showcasethe Big Tuna FilletingShow, Sushi EatingContest, Mega Roll,and Sushi Chef Con-tests. The professionalsushi chefs will viewith one another in ex-citing duels played outright in front of you.You may be asked to help select the winner ofthe contests. The third floor features a Japanesegarden with live jazz performances, ensuring anenjoyable relaxing evening for visitors.

The festival will also showcase koto (53rd

Grammy Awards winner Yukiko Matsuyama,and Saeko Kujiraoka performances this year)and taiko performances and other traditionalJapanese arts. By purchasing an admissionticket $50 per person, visitors can sample all

foods and drinks. However, populardishes are sure to disappear rightaway, so checking the availability inadvance is highly recommended.

For tastings of Japanese sake,beer, and shochu, visitors over age 21must remember to bring their ID. OnNovember 13, why not bring familyand friends for a fun evening at theJapanese Food Festival? For more in-formation, please contact the JRA of-fice at (213) 687-4055 or visit atwww.jraamerica.com

Japanese Food Festival 2011-Enter the Unknown Regions of Japanese Cuisine-

71th Nisei Week PhotographyExhibit by Nobuyuki Okada

This exhibition will explore the 71th Nisei Week Japanese Festival. Such as open-ing ceremony, Queen coronation, Grand Parade, Nebuta, Tanabata Festival andmore. It all takes place at the Little Tokyo Koban & Visitor’s Center on throughNovember 30. From Monday to Saturday at 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. Closed onSunday. More information at [email protected]. Little Tokyo Koban & Vis-itor’s Center is at 1st St and San Pedro St.

SS1011_Layout 1 10/3/2011 1:32 AM


In with Fall and out withFuhyo (bad rumors)

by Andrea RademanAccording to the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO), although there was a hugedrop in the number of visitors after the tsunami, things are pretty much back to normal outsidethe 50-mile radius of Fukushima. It’s time to stop the fear and fuhyo (bad rumors) that claimJapan is unsafe. This is an excellent time to visit. In Los Angeles it’s also an excellent time todine on Japanese cuisine. In the 2012 Zagat Survey, three of the five top food ratings went toMatsuhisa, Asanebo and pricey but perfect Urasawa, which also picked up the award for Serv-ice for “meticulous” hospitality.

With the lobbying effort to ban shark fin soup, and polling showing overwhelming supportfrom Chinese Americans, the Monterey Bay Aquarium released a recipe for faux shark fin soupthat is sustainable and less expensive, showing that we can respect ancient traditions in a waythat preserves endangered species.http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/cr/cr_seafoodwatch/recipes/sharkfin_pahk.aspx

Culinary Tour to Southern India January 15-25, 2012 Joan Peterson, PhD, is a world trav-eler and author of the EAT SMART guides to the cuisine of Brazil, Turkey, India, Indonesia,Mexico, Poland, Morocco, Peru, and Sicily, who leads culinary tours to Europe, Asia, andAfrica. Southern India differs from northern India in people, languages, food, culture, tem-ples, clothes, and fashion. The region has traditionally been somewhat detached from therest of the country, mostly due to its geographical location. India’s culture is a rich mosaicwhose myriad elements have ancient roots and foreign influences. It is vibrant and chaotic,a land of incredible contrasts and paradoxes. Info: [email protected]

Sept. 29 - Oct. 2 The first Singafest Asian Film Festival happens at Bigfoot’s MajesticCrest in Westwood, a 3D capable theatre that presents Hollywood first-run movies aswell as sneak previews, premieres and specialty programming. The festival promotesvarious Asian cultures, each with their own world view and methods of storytelling,merging Eastern and Western cultures to showcase films from the U.S. and Asia (shorts,docs, 3D and animation), plus guests and seminars with visiting filmmakers and Holly-wood professionals. Judges include: Ted Kim; Teddy Zee; Kenneth Bi; and Rosa Li.Oct. 1 Japanese action star Sonny Chiba (THE STREETFIGHTER; KILL BILL: VOL.1) and daughter Juri Manaseto will conduct a live martial arts demonstration. Chiba’s1981 film SAMURAI REINCARNATION (MAKAI TENSHO) stars him as the one-eyed master samurai Jubei Yagyu. BATTLE ROYALE director Kinji Fukasaku’s veryfirst film as director in 1961 co-starred a young Chiba. Specially-discounted tickets areavailable from Visual Communications.For the last 40 years, Visual Communications has created a space for Asian Pacific Americanmedia artists, cultivating emerging filmmakers such as Justin Lin (BETTER LUCK TOMOR-ROW, FAST FIVE) and Chickie Otani, whose humorous short, WHAT’S UP IN THE FU-TURE! was showcased at the annual Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival. The Armed Witha Camera Fellowship has mentored 72 filmmakers and the Digital Histories program has em-powered over 100 senior artists. If you believe in the power of film and media to achieve aworld free from cultural ignorance, join or renew by October 28 for a chance to win one offour $50 gift certificates to Little Tokyo’s Lazy Ox Canteen or Aburiya Toranoko. www.vcon-line.org/membership.

Oct 7 BENDA BILILI ! follows an unlikely group of musicians in Kinshasa, capital of thewar-torn Democratic Republic of Congo. The band, Staff Benda Bilili — in English, “look be-yond appearances” — is composed of four paraplegics and three able-bodied men. The Frenchfilm directors encountered them in 2004 and began documenting their struggles to survive,through music, in the volatile city. The resulting film follows their journey from the streets tothe world’s stages, culminating in the 2009 release of their first acclaimed album. LaemmleMonica.

October 7-13 TOAST Based on the amusing memoir of British food writer, Nigel Slater, whoseculinary interests were inspired by his adored mother (Victoria Hamilton)’s disastrous cooking.Toast, the only dish she mastered, rescued them from many an inedible supper. When she diesprematurely he is devastated, and when his lonely dad (Ken Stott) hires Mrs. Potter (HelenaBonham Carter) to cook and clean, he is soon bewitched by her sensuous charms and sumptu-ous lemon meringue pies. When they move to the country, Nigel (Freddie Highmore) shinesat his school cooking class and he and Mrs. P. competitive cooking duel, vying for Dad’s af-fections. Landmark’s Nuart Theatre.

October 12 to 17 The Bel-Air Film Festival will screen 36 films at the Luxe Sunset Hotel andthe UCLA James Bridges Theater. Tickets: www.belairfilmfestival.com. Good bets: My Fa-

ther’s Will; Summertime; and Challenging Impossibility, the odyssey of spiritual teacher SriChinmoy, who at the age of 53 took up weightlifting, inspiring people to transcend their per-sonal limitations and to abandon their concepts of the restrictions of physical age.

Film Independent at LACMA launches Thursday, October 13, presenting classic and contem-porary narrative and documentary films, artists, auteurs, international showcases, guest-curatedprograms, plus conversations with artists, curators and special guests. Curated by film criticElvis Mitchell with LACMA Film Coordinator Bernardo Rondeau and Film Independent’s pro-gramming team. October 13 – The Rum Diary; October 16 at 8:30pm – Martha Marcy MayMarlene; October 18 – Modern Times (1936); October 20 – Live Read of The Breakfast Club;October 27 – Accattone (1961). Tickets: www.lacma.org or 323-857-6010.

October 13 - 14. Japanese and Japanese Americans: Racializations and Their Resistances in-cluding resistance to oppression from initial immigration of the Issei to the present. December

10 Speaking out for Personal Jus-tice. Community activist andscholar Aiko Herzig-Yoshinagashares her experiences compilingevidence for the Commission onWartime Relocation and Internmentof Civilians (CWRIC) hearings ofthe Japanese American Redressmovement. Info: Mengning Li [email protected] or 310-825-2975

October 21 at the Royal. Aki Kau-rismäki’s LE HAVRE, named forthe French harbor city, is Finland’sentry for Best Foreign LanguageFilm and it’s already won a slew ofprizes. A young African boy, Idrissa(newcomer Blondin Miguel), windsup in Le Havre when the containerof illegal immigrants he’s in is acci-

dentally diverted from London, where he is going to unite with his dying mother. Escaping, hemeets Marcel Marx (André Wilms), a former Parisian bohemian who now shines shoes for aliving. Marcel and his neighbors protect the boy from the officials who want to deport him,hoping to raise the money to send him to her. Aki deserves an Oscar.

October 21 The Cult of Hatsune Miku In July 2011, Japanese pop idol Hatsune Miku performedto a sold-out Nokia Theater in Downtown LA. But Miku isn’t real: she’s the combination ofcomputer software and the online contributions of thousands of people. Alex Leavitt looks athow Miku epitomizes the success of networked, peer-produced media and illustrates the po-tential for new forms of youth identity in Japan. Pacific Asia Museum: 626-449-2742

Opens Oct. 22 James Hiroyuki Liao and Linda Park play the Deavers in the multi-ethnic castof Arthur Miller’s All My Sons about partners in a machine shop during World War II whoturned out defective airplane parts. The Kellers are black, white and bi-racial and their neigh-bors are white and Latino. This non-traditionally cast, multi-racial production sheds new lighton Arthur Miller’s powerful story about social responsibility and business success. The MatrixTheatre (7657 Melrose Ave. LA; 323-960-7773; $25).

October 22 to 30 The 24th Tokyo International Film Festival (TIFF) will be held at RoppongiHills and other venues in Tokyo. Kyoko Kagawa will receive the FIAF award on October 24,announced Hisashi Okajima (Chief Curator, National Film Center of Japan). All nine of herfilms will be screened, including the digitally remastered version of “Tokyo Story” (1953). Atotal of 975 titles from 76 countries and regions were submitted. Aside from the 15 films inthe Competition Section, represented by director Shuichi Okita and actor Koji Yakusho, around200 films will be screened.

DRIVE Director Nicolas Winding Refn’s opening sequence introduces an anonymous moviestunt man (Ryan Gosling) whose real talent is driving getaway cars with the skill of the speedracer he’s like to be. He falls for Irene (Carey Mulligan), a single mom with whom he’d liketo find happiness but will a botched robbery and a slew of violent murders stand in their way?

SS1011_Layout 1 10/3/2011 1:33 AM

The History of Sushi

-Enjoy Fresh Ingredients and Craftmanship-by Hiroshi Kawabata

Japanese cuisine has reached the heights of gourmet fare, and there are many epicureans who recognize it as the finest food. It is a cuisine that uses the freshest ingredients with a feeling for the season, which is what is at the

bottom of that evaluation, and the craftsmanship of the workers who create it is outstanding. Entering the 1980s, there was an explosive “sushi boom” that spread widely, and that made up the foundation of Japanese cuisine. Then, Japanese cuisine penetrated America with sushi as the representative compo-nent, and “sushi bars” are a brilliant stage on which to appear, are they not? Sushi is a traditional Japanese cuisine representative of Japan, dating back to the Edo period. When asked, “What is the most famous food from Japan?” Almost anyone will surely respond, “Sushi!” Today, the general public is interested in low-fat, low-calorie foods in the U.S. and abroad, and sushi has spread worldwide. Thanks to the expanded distribution routes, fresh seafood is available daily not only from Japan, but from various countries all over the world. Here in Los Angeles, various sushi restaurants using only fresh seasonal ingredients serving traditional, authentic sushi rivaling sushi served in Japan fills the city. Polite and humble sushi chefs work his magic transforming fresh colorful ingredients into great sushi! Sometimes, I can’t help but wonder, “Am I really in the states?” Some say, “Real sushi is only available in Japan,” but this isn’t true. There are various sushi restaurants all over Los Angeles that serves sushi that is just as good as sushi in Japan with reasonable prices. Diners can choose from a wide variety of authentic, Edo-style sushi to the latest fusion dishes.

Origins of Sushi

Sushi used to be a food for celeb-rities, and ordinary people did not have much experience with it. In particular, it was thought that “eating raw fish is something barbarians do.” Even in urban areas during the 1970’s eating raw fish was seen as something

strange. Forty years later, sushi is a part of the language. Starting with the American-born California Roll, numerous rolls of many types have appeared in the U.S. The naming and “topping” of many of these rolls are colorful, reflect the local feeling, and are available not only at sushi counters, but also in the deli section of

supermarkets and convenience stores. In this article I will try to retrace the footprints of the past to discover, “What is sushi?”

It is said that sushi originated around the Fourth Century B.C. in Southeast Asia. In those days, in order to supply all-important protein, the way of preserving fish was to soak salted fish in rice and allow it to ferment. The guts were removed from the fish, salt and vinegar were added, and the fish was soaked with rice. It was a food that was preserved well through the fermentation of the rice. This sushi was called “nare zushi” (a name given at the start of the era in which it was intro-duced), and after a period of several days to several months the fish was taken out and eaten while the rice was discarded. Sushi later came to Mainland China and around the Eighth Century it was brought to Japan. Eventually,

since the Japanese people liked rice, they began to eat the fish along with rice, and sushi known as “namanari zushi” appeared at the end of the Muromachi Period (1333-1573). The half-raw fish and the rice were eaten together. In another version of the story, “narezushi,” which still exists in the Shiga Prefecture area, is said to be the origin. Another version has it that “funazushi” in the Otsu area, for example, and other foods still remaining around the Lake Biwa area inherited the current of sushi as it went from preserved food to non-preserved food.

The Transformation of Sushi

In the beginning, rice was only for helping the fermentation process and its purpose was only for preser-vation. At the start of the Edo Period (1603-1867), other foods began to be eaten with this very same rice that

7OCTOBER 2011COVER STORY

SS1011_Layout 1 10/3/2011 1:04 AM

was unique to Japan, and the struc-ture of sushi was transformed. Unlike today, there was no technology for freezing food; to preserve sushi ingredients, a method of soaking them in “soy sauce” or “vinegar” was used. Because of that, items such as tuna are said to be typical and even in the present day, if you order at a sushi restaurant by saying, “give me the soaked stuff,” an order of tuna will be served. In those days, when sushi was made, sushi chefs sat Japanese-style, the place was called “a soaking place,” and if you didn’t have calluses on your feet from sitting, you were not consid-ered to be a full-fledged sushi chef. The reason it was called “Edo-mae sushi” is because fish caught in the Ocean around Edo (today’s Tokyo) were used at that time; and since the ocean and the town were close to each other, it was easy to preserve the fish. Instead of waiting for fermentation, vinegar was added to the rice; and not only fish, but also vegetables and dried foods were used as well. This method is strongly connected to the local products of a given location, and even now there are still special products or “local specialties” in many regions of Japan.

Birth of Quick Sushi and Nigiri Sushi

Around 1700 in Japan, “sushi” restaurants appeared and “pressed sushi” and “inari zushi” were born. In about 1800, during the Edo Period, eateries centered on street stalls were popular in the towns. For the food lifestyles of ordinary people the thinking was, “if it’s quick and fulfilling, it’s good enough” and what is today known as fast food flourished. Among those foods, “quick sushi” appeared, and this was to be the origin of nigiri sushi. However, there was no official record of “by whom, when, and where it was started.” What is almost established is that at the beginning of Edo Period culture (1803-1830), “quick sushi” was invented at “Matsu no Sushi,” a high-end restaurant in a place known as Fukagawa Rokken-bori, and one of the chefs from that restau-rant, Hanaya Yohebei, made further innovations and spread “nigiri sushi” throughout Edo from his own restau-rant in Ryogoku. At first, it was called “quick sushi.” However, other sushi chefs presented an opinion of “this isn’t real sushi”, and a huge uproar ensued;

however, it had a good reputation for being quick and delicious, and it started gaining acceptance around Edo. At that time, preservation technology was not yet developed, so once it sold out, patrons were told, “ojare zushi, ” meaning “come back in a few days.” Also, “machare sushi” was so named because of its meaning: “wait a second.” In those days, it was said: “If you steal ten ryou [a current value of one million yen], you will get the death penalty.” Yet, high-quality tastes became popular among the populace of Edo and “three ryou sushi” sold very well. This was at a time when if a sumo wrestler managed to get “ten ryou,” his salary would be that “ten ryou,” and it was said that he could live for one year on that amount of money. From that time and through the Meiji Era (1868-1912) and Taisho Era (1912-1926), there were a lot of street stalls doing business next to public bathhouses, and the size of the sushi was as the same as the present day “rice balls” - even for adults it was said “if you have two, you will be full.” Around the Yoshiwara district in Edo, businessman-type chefs appeared who had balance bars with hanging tubs containing a rice tub

on one end and sushi ingredients on the other. The style whereby a towel is wrapped tightly around the head was called “Yoshiwara Maki” and it came to have a good reputation for being “smart and cool.” Moreover, by the end of the Edo Period, sushi styles were divided into “Kanto-style” and “Kansai-style.” “Kanto-style” is the mainstream of current sushi styles and is based on “nigiri” sushi. “Kansai-style” is based on “pressed sushi.” It is a style made by a square-shaped mold, and even today “battera” and “kera sushi” continue to convey the tradition. After the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923, sushi chefs in Tokyo who were victims returned to their own hometowns and spread “nigiri sushi” all over Japan. “Nigiri sushi” was a part of “local Tokyo food” but misfortune turned into a blessing and it spread nationally.

Why Sushi is Served in Two piece?

When you order sushi at the sushi restaurant, most places will serve two pieces at a time. The reason for this actually comes from religious origins. Since ancient times, “rice” was something very important and it was respected as

8 OCTOBER 2011 COVER STORY

SS1011_Layout 1 10/3/2011 1:05 AM

9OCTOBER 2011COVER STORY

oreno-yakiniku.com

both “a god” and “Buddha.” Once upon a time a customer requested, “Please make a smaller piece of sushi because this one is too big,” so the sushi chef cut the sushi in half. It was said that two pieces of sushi being created from one began thusly; however, because of the implication of “cutting the precious god and Buddha,” the rice portion remained small, and could still be used for just one piece. Depending on the sushi restaurant, therefore, some still serve only one piece per one order. Generally “high quality” restaurants employ this system. Accordingly, these sushi restau-rant owners say: “It is good that customers can order one or three pieces - or as much as they want - per order.” By way of example, with regard to naming ingredients, “a sushi chef calls squid legs ‘geso.’ But if you don’t know the name, you can just order ‘squid legs.’ It is the chef ’s job to serve sushi in ways that make customers happy. Making comments if a customer doesn’t know the name of the ingredients, or making an unhappy face if there is a strange order of one or three pieces - these are not the actions of a real sushi chef.” I asked around at sushi restau-rants in Los Angeles, and in the last two or three years there have been cases of American customers ordering one or three pieces. This is due to the influence of setting up happy hour events with “one dollar sushi” and promotional sales of certain ingredi-ents. Some restaurants say that there is only one person in a hundred who orders in such a way.” Incidentally, restaurants and sushi chefs answered: “We would accept such orders.” Japanese customers, meanwhile, think, “one order equals two pieces,” and orders of “one piece each, please” are “nearly zero.” Currently, the price for “one order of two pieces” of sushi averages from four to six dollars. The price at

cheaper restaurants ranges from three to five dollars.

Sushi of Today

Around the 1960’s, in order for “common people to be able to eat sushi more easily,” revolving sushi appeared in Japan. Nowadays, it has spread all over Japan and not only do revolving sushi establishments have cheap prices, but quality and quantity have also improved as sushi has grown into a major industry. Because fish and rice are good for one’s health, sushi has boomed in America since around the 1980’s, and sushi bars have spread. The first revolving sushi restaurant, moreover, appeared in Japantown in San Francisco in about 1985. At that time, the method for revolving was not a conveyor belt; there was a narrow channel of water between the counter and the customer, and small boats were tied together with a chain and made to float in a revolving fashion. The health depart-ment here in America had never seen such a facility and spent a lot of time

checking the sanitary conditions and the restaurant had a hard time before it could open. Once it opened, the idea and the unique way of serving - dubbed “boat sushi” - gained a good reputation, and it was said that so many customers came every day that the chefs had no time to look up from making sushi. Later, Los Angeles and other big cities in each state came to have revolving sushi restaurants. The fresh-ness of the sushi on the conveyor belt diminished after a while, and to avoid that, the restaurants added covers or tags to the plates, removed the plates after a certain time, and made efforts to keep the sushi fresh all the time. Sushi chefs used to stand in the center of the revolving conveyor belt to make sushi, but recently there is a new method of standing on the outside and placing the sushi on the

conveyor belt. Not only is sushi served with this method, but there are also fried foods such as tempura, a variety of side dishes, desserts, and “anything that can be put on the conveyor belt and delivered to the customer.” On the whole, however, the saturation level of the revolving sushi market has not yet been reached, and it is said that “the market still has plenty of room for development.” Revolving sushi has become popular in European countries such as France, and it is considered to be one of the developing industries. In Europe, they have a custom of eating “raw” or “nearly raw” fish, so sushi was easily accepted. Not only are there skillful sushi chefs, but sushi machines have also appeared. Sushi has become popularized, and the boom has spread not just to America, but also to all over the world.

SS1011_Layout 1 10/3/2011 1:06 AM

l Popular Toppings for Sushi l

l Tuna l Each part of this fish has a different taste. The red lean flesh (used for this serving) has a nice fragrance, while the fatty toro flesh offers a richer flavor.

l Conger l Becomes very tender after simmering. This is become each restaurant has its own individual way to simmered, cook and steam the Conger. Tokyo Bay is to be the best.

l Fluke l After raw slices are placed on clumps of rice, soy sauce and sudachi citrus juice are dribbled on too. Has a refreshing taste. Living up to the appearance of the semitransparent flesh. The portion near the fin is called “engawa” and is popular.

l Jack Mackerel l Rinsed a moment in vinegar to improve the flavor of the fatty fish. They are best eaten with scallions and ginger.

l Yellowtail l The meat has relatively high fat content and the taste is close to fatty tuna or salmon. A Yellowtail is a “shusse-uo” a variety of fish that as they grow larger, acquire different names.

l Gizzard Shad l The more skillful the sushi chef, the better he or she will adjust the tang of the vinegar and the bite of the salt. Kohada fry, called shinko, are only eaten in summer.

l Octopus l The Edo-mae recipe calls for pieces to be boiled in salted water. They are not popular with Americans because they are hard to chew. They are good for digestion and the taste actually becomes better as you chew.

l Salmon Roe l The eggs are harvested from the winter until the beginning of Spring, and are preserved either in salt or soy sauce. Their use as an ingredient of sushi if fairly recent. Mesmerizing rich and salty flavor with the fragrance of the seashore.

l Shrimp l The contrasting red and white colors and the elegant shape are pleasing to the eye. The prawns are boiled, then slit open. Traditional Edo-mae sushi used boiled pawns.

l Sea Urchin l Mesmerizing sweet flavor with the fragrance of the seashore. Served as a topping on gunkan-maki (sushi rice wrapped in seaweed). Purple Sea Urchin is harvested from the west coast. House Dung Sea Urchin is harvested from the east coast.

l Abalone l There are different ways to prepare abalone, depending on the variety: raw, steamed or simmered. The crisp, chewy texture, when taken from the shell and eaten raw with salt and lemon, is very pleasant.

l Giant Clam l A luxury item, partly because so few are available. When firmly slapped against the working surface during preparation, the flesh constricts and becomes firmer, giving the clam a chewy texture.

10 OCTOBER 2011 COVER STORY

SS1011_Layout 1 10/3/2011 1:06 AM


On September 7, “Arigato:Thank you for SupportingJapan. Appreciation Event”

was held at the Noguchi Plaza of

Little Tokyo with approximately300 attendees. This event was heldto express gratitude to the outpour-ing support received from Los An-

geles County and suburbs follow-ing the Great East Japan Earth-quake. Seven Japanese Americanorganizations cooperated to hold

this event: Consulate GeneralJapan, Japan Business Association,Japanese Chamber of Commerceof SC, Japan Prefectural Associa-tion of SC, Japan Foundation LA,Japan External Organization LA,and Japan National Tourism Or-ganization LA. The event startedwith a moment of silence by allmembers dedicated to the innocentvictims of the disaster.

Consul General Junichi Iharaexpressed gratitude for the manysupport received and commented,“As September 11, 2001 changedthe U.S., March 11, 2011 changedJapan. However, we receivedmuch support from people world-wide, which we would like tocherish this bond of friendship fora very long time. As we have beengiven support, we will also do thesame for others in the future.Japan will overcome this disasterand become even stronger as a na-tion to contribute globally to othernations upon our recovery.”

Attendees for this event in-cluded Mayor Ronald Loveridgeof the City of Riverside, whostarted to gather public donationsfor afflicted sister city Sendai im-mediately following the disaster;Jan Perry, city council memberwho stopped cars coming andgoing near the downtown city hallto ask for donations; and IrenaAdams, deputy mayor for the Cityof Los Angeles, etc. At the venue,Miyagi Prefecture, Iwate Prefec-ture, and Fukushima Prefecture,each region afflicted by the disas-ter put out a booth, exhibited pho-tos of the aftermath and servedregional sake from their prefec-tures to guests.

“Arigato” Thank you for Supporting Japan.Appreciation Event held

-Japan will return Stronger-by Hiroshi Kawabata

SS1011_Layout 1 10/3/2011 1:34 AM

While anime andvideo games isrepresentative of

Japanese culture expandinginto the U.S. market, aJapanese idol now active inthe U.S. is a recent unex-pected addition to this trend.The largest animation festi-val in North America wasrecently held with thisJapanese idol’s debut con-cert as the main event. Theband is on stand-by withover 5,000 fans waitingwhen a virtual 3D idol withgreen hair emerged on stage.Her name is Hatsune Mino,a voice synthesis software tocreate songs, developed inJapan in 2007.

The concept is that any-one who type in their originallyrics and melody into thesoftware can have Miku Hat-sune sing their songs. Userswho created songs using thissoftware uploaded them oneafter another to websitesusing video clip distributionservice “Niko Niko videoclips,” which lead to its bigbreak. This software was de-veloped by Crypton FutureMedia in Hokkaido, releasedas Desk Top Music (DTM)software for Windows thatsynthesizes singing voicesused by voice synthesis sys-tem “VOCALOID 2” devel-oped by Yamaha.

In the DTM software genrewhere 1,000 software sold in ayear is considered a major hit, this

software sold an unprecedented70,000. Also, when an album is re-leased with songs created usingthis software, the album was so

popular it rankedamong the top onthe Oricon weeklyalbum chart abovemajor artists. Thisyear, her popular-ity crossed theocean and ex-panded into theU.S. The concertorganizers pre-pared 4,000 seatsthat quickly soldout.

Over 1,000seats were hastilyadded, but theyquickly sold out as

well. According to the organizer,this was the first time a concertsold out. Also, Miku Hatsune’spopularity wasn’t limited to the

anime festival and emergedin a commercial for ToyotaMotor North America, Inc.,who announced the reasonfor using Hatsune was dueto the “commonality weshare: a compact packagethat contains a largedream.”

Hiroyuki Ito, CEO ofCrypton Future Media whodeveloped the softwarestated, “I believe the humanrace experienced 3 revolu-tions: first, an agriculturalrevolution; second, the In-dustrial Revolution; andthird, informational revolu-tion. The informational rev-olution is currentlyunderway with anyone ableto transmit information into

the world using the web, twitter orustream, and dramatic reduction incommunication costs. The con-ventional pattern for artists havingto move to Tokyo to pursue amusic career is now broken, withanyone with the chance to obtainopportunities as an artist, evenfrom Sapporo.

Music created by the software‘Miku Hatsune’ developed by acompany in the countryside top-ping the music chart. We’d like tocapitalize on this chance to en-courage music to be contributedfrom Sapporo, Hokkaido, andother rural areas.”

Future successes to be ex-pected from Miku Hatsune, a soft-ware that became widespreadamong large corporations is un-limited.


Hurray! J-POPFuture idols to emerge from VOCALOID!

by Yumiko Hughart

SS1011_Layout 1 10/3/2011 1:34 AM

Surprisingly, Tokyo is home toover 200 galleries and muse-ums. For those who love the

arts and culture, Tokyo offers awealth of places you can visit to seeworld renowned paintings and arti-facts. Why not decide on a theme andareas of interests for a visit? Whilewe can’t possibly introduce everyvenue in Tokyo, we can definitelygive you some great recommenda-tions for a museum tour in Tokyo for your next visit!

Bridgestone Museum of Art 1-10-1 Kyobashi, Chuo-ku. Tokyo 03-3563-024110am – 8pm General Admission \800, Student \500,Senior \600“For the welfare and Happiness of all mankind” wasthe personal motto of our founder, Ishibashi Shojiro.And his phrase sums up the core ideals of the Bridge-stone Museum of Art to this day. Since it opened in1952, the Bridgestone Museum of Art has added toits collection on a continuous basis; it has held exhi-bitions on a wide variety of themes, organized lec-

tures and education programs, and published art-re-lated texts. All the Museum’s activities are designedto provide people with the opportunity to encounter,enjoy, and learn about masterpieces of art. In the fu-ture, the Museum is aiming to widen the range of itscollecting activities and its exhibitions to cover agreater variety of periods and regions. The Museumalso plans to engage more with contemporary move-ments in the art world.

Mitsui Memorial Museum2-1-1 Nihonbashi-muromachi, Chuo-ku. Tokyo 03-5777-860010am – 5pm General Admission \1,000, Student\800, Senior \500The Mitsui Memorial Museum opened in October2005 in Nihonbashi, a site closely related to the Mit-sui Group. The collections from the Mitsui BunkoMuseum in Nakano ward, with many treasures ofJapanese and Asian art, will move to the new mu-seum. Members of the Mitsui families have assem-bled the art works in the collection over the past threecenturies and their preservation as a collection makethese art works a preeminent element of Japanesecultural heritage. Display of the “beauty of function-ality” in the selection of tea ceremony utensils willbe contrasted with the display of Japanese and Asianart works in a western architectural setting. Thesegalleries will allow visitors to rediscover the “beautyof form.” Viewers will be encouraged to explore thetrue meaning of art and culture.

TNM & Toppn Museum Theatre13-9 Ueno-koen. Taito-ku. Tokyo 03-5777-8600Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays, and national holidays:10am – 4pm / Free of charge (The admission fee forthe Tokyo National Museum is needed to enter thetheater.) The TNM & Toppan Museum Theater is at the TNMResearch and Information Center. The theater givesvisitors a new way of viewing cultural assets and art-works. The 30-seat theater features a super-high-res-olution projector and 240-inch screen. The theaternavigator explains about the featured artwork to en-able viewers to appreciate them more deeply. Worksdesignated as National Treasures or Important Cul-tural Properties are selected for virtual reality pres-entation due to their age and fragile condition, whichdo not permit them to be publicly viewed for longperiods. The first work presented - the “IllustratedBiography of Prince Shotoku” - is an example. Bril-liant colors in the internal space of the buildingwhere entry is prohibited for tourists can be closelyviewed in addition to many artifacts used for the cer-emony.

Yamatane Museum of Art3-12-36 Hiroo, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo. 03-5777-860010am – 5pm General Admission \1,000, Student\800Yamatane Museum of Art was founded in 1966 byTaneji Yamazaki who has donated his numerous col-lection of Japanese art. The ex-chairman of the Ya-matane Art Foundation, Tomiji Yamazaki collected105 works of Hayami Gyoshu known as one of themost respected Japanese artists among scholars andcollectors. The Museum displays 6 to 7 exhibitionsthroughout the year by selecting paintings accordingto the respective topics. The collection mainly focuseson Kindai Nihonga (ModernJapanese paintings after Meijiera). The Museum also has col-lections of oil paintings,Ukiyoe, and Ancient JapaneseCalligraphy. The wide varietyand the level of the collectionhas a very high reputationamong experts in Japan.

The Railway Museum3-47 Taisei. Ohmiya. Saitama048-651-008810am – 6pm General Admis-sion \1,000, Student \500The Railway Museum wasbuilt in Onari, Saitama City asthe centerpiece of the JR East20th Anniversary MemorialProject. This is a railway mu-seum, and it preserves both thephysical elements and heritageof railways in Japan andabroad. It also preserves mate-rials relating to JR East and theJNR privatization reforms.The Railway Museum alsoconducts research and devel-opment. This is a historicalmuseum that tells the indus-trial history of the develop-ment of the railway systemwhile introducing the histori-cal background of each periodwith displays of actual models.It is also an educational mu-seum. Children can learn aboutand experience railway princi-ples, systems, and the latesttechnologies (including futureplans) through models, simu-lations, and play equipment.

The Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum1-3-61 Koraku, Bunkyo-ku. Tokyo 03-3811-360010am – 6pm General Admission \500, Student \300The Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, first of itskind in Japan, was opened in 1959 next door to Ko-rakuen Stadium, the mecca of professional baseballin Japan. The stadium gave way to the Tokyo Domein 1988. In the same year the museum moved to thepresent site within the Tokyo Dome. The new mu-seum is twice as large as the old one. Its purpose isto contribute to the development of baseball in Japanthrough dedication of baseball greats—players, ex-ecutives, and umpires— as Hall of Famers and theexhibition and collection of as many memorablebaseball materials as possible, including variouskinds of baseball literature.

NHK Museum of Broadcasting2-1-1 Atago, Minato-ku, Tokyo 03-5400-69009:30am – 5pm Free AdmissionThe NHK Museum of Broadcast opened inAtagoyama, dubbed “the birthplace of Japanesebroadcasting”.Japan’s broadcasting history started in1925. Since then, broadcasting has greatly pro-

gressed from radio to televi-sion, to satellite broadcasting,to High-Vision (HDTV), and todigital broadcasting. The Mu-seum houses various exhibitson broadcasting history, includ-ing original items used in ac-tual programs, and has anon-demand video library and areference library, opened topublic for free.9.30 a.m. on March 22, 1925,Japan’s first radio broadcastwas transmitted from a tempo-rary studio of the Tokyo Broad-casting Station in Tokyo’sShibaura district. “J-O-A-K”,the announcer pronounced thestation’s call sign as if he werecalling to someone afar. Thesign-on was followed by an ad-dress from the first governor ofthe station, Goto Shimpei. Mr.Goto expressed his expecta-tions towards the potential ofradio broadcasting, stressing onfour aspects: equal access tothe benefits of modern culture,higher quality of family life,promotion of public education,and invigoration of the econ-omy. Then, in July of the sameyear, regular radio broadcastsbegan in Atagoyama, whichcame to be known as “the birthplace of Japanese broadcasting.

13OCTOBER 2011TRAVEL

Tokyo Report-Visiting the Museums of Tokyo- by Toshi Oyamada

SS1011_Layout 1 10/3/2011 1:34 AM

Amedical volunteer organi-zation, Japanese Commu-nity Health Association.

(JCHA)’s Nursing ScholarshipAward Ceremony was held onSunday September 18 at theMiyako Hybrid Hotel in Torrance.For Japanese patients who speakJapanese as their primary lan-guage, the challenges in commu-nication when one is sick arecause of great anxiety. Due to thisreason, JCHA provides scholar-ship annually to bilingual nursingstudents in the hopes of increasingJapanese-speaking nurses.

JCHA is a California non- profit organization dedicated tothe promotion and advance-ment of health related mat-ters in the JapaneseAmerican Community ofLos Angeles and its envi-rons. The physicians, nurse,and other professionals whovolunteer in JCHA are activein the following areas withinthe community.

Scholarships for bilin-

gual nursing students. JCHA free medical consulta-

tions in Japanese and English.Health exams for atomic

bomb of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.Clinical and financial support

of various community health fairs.Providing current health infor-

mation for the Japanese speakingcommunity.

At this Scholarship AwardCeremony, six students ErikoSuzuki, Keiko Kanzaki, ChikaPichardo, Ryoko Kawasaki, MarkKumagai and Emi Fuyuki wereawarded the scholarships.

Fred Sakurai, President of

JCHA asked for support, “Thanksto all of your support, I am pleasedto announce the six new bilingualnursing students. We were able toaward scholarships to more than66 students to this day. JCHA pro-vides free medical consultation inboth English and Japanese, andsupports blood tests for JapaneseAmerican Health Fairs, medicalexaminations for atomic bomb sur-vivors, disseminates informationon the latest medical care in Japan-ese, and provides a wide variety ofmedical volunteer services. Pleasehelp us by continuing to provideyour generous support.”

14 OCTOBER 2011 WHAT’S NEW

WHAT’S NEW

WHAT NE W‘ S

The Aomori Prefecture Product Exhibition was held at Woori Marketof Little Tokyo on September 17 from 12:00 noon. The event fea-tured a Tuna Filleting Show which delighted over 1,000 attendees.

Also, attendees from Japan include Yoshihiro Tanaka, Director ofJETRO Tokyo branch; Shinichiro Kasiwazaki, Chairman of Aomori BlackGarlic Association; Toshisada Kushibiki, Kanesho Corporation; andKiyoshi Takada, Kanesa Co. Ltd. Musical accompaniment by NebutaPreservation Association from the local branch of the Association of Ao-mori Prefecture that started at 4:00PM added excitement to the festivities.

Aomori Prefecture ProductExhibition held in Little Tokyo

JCHA’s 21th Nursing Scholarship Award Ceremony held

SS1011_Layout 1 10/3/2011 1:34 AM

15OCTOBER 2011FOOD & RECIPE

YUZU PEPPER SAUCEAll Natural

Pour, Dip and Cook. Spice it up!

MIYAKO ORIENTAL FOODS [email protected] Tel. 626-962 9633

Green Tea Omelet ( or Sandwich )

ingredients directions1 medium potato3 oz sausagesvegetable oil for frying1 oz processed cheese, any kind4 eggs2 Tbsp milk1 tsp tencha or senchasalt and pepper to taste 2 Tbsp butter4 – 8 cherry tomatoesa few leave of fresh mint, fresh basil,

or any other herb

Matcha Sauce1 tsp matcha + 1 Tbsp warm milk4 Tbsp mayonnaise2 Tbsp plain yogurt (low sugar)

1. Cut the potato into 1/2 inch cubes and cook 2 minutes ina microwave oven until soft. Set aside.

2. Cut the sausages into 1/2 inch segments. Pour a little oilin a fry pan and fry sausages over low medium heat untilcooked. Set aside.

3. Cut the cheese into 1/2 inch cubes.4. Beat the eggs. Add the milk and tea, season with salt

and pepper, and mixwell. Combine the potato, sausages,and cheese with the eggs.

5. Heat the butter in a fry pan. Over medium-high heatcook, the eggs quickly, stirring all the time. Shape intoan omelet and put on a serving dish.

6. Make the matcha sauce by mixing matcha and warmmilk and stirring until the paste becomes smooth.

7. Combine the mayonnaise and the yogurt, and add thematcha paste.

8. Pour the sauce over the omelet and serve with cherrytomatoes and any fresh herbs.

Note: Omelet with green tea sauce is also excellent servedon a slice of any kind of bread. Together with a fewlettuce leaves.

SS1011_Layout 1 10/3/2011 1:22 AM

SS1011_Layout 1 10/3/2011 1:17 AM

Tofu Fried with Miso and Cheese


Ingredients1 cake momen tofuDash of salt and pepperWheat flour1 2/5 oz Mozzarella

cheeseFlavorings

2 Tbsp miso1 Tbsp sugar1/2 Tbsp sake

2 tsp salad oil1 oz broccoli

ingredients 1. Drain the tofu in a bamboo colander.Cut it into 4 cubes. Coat it withwheat flour and sprinkle with saltand pepper. Break the broccoli intoflorets and boil.

2. Combine the flavorings and placethem in microwave safe container.Heat them in a microwave for about50 seconds to 1 minute to makemiso paste.

3. Heat the salad oil in a frying panand fry both sides of the tofu.

4. Place the tofu and broccoli in amicrowave safe dish. Spread themiso paste over them and top withcheese. Heat them in the microwaveuntil the cheese is melted.

directions

SS1011_Layout 1 10/3/2011 1:15 AM

SS1011_Layout 1 10/3/2011 1:15 AM

SS1011_Layout 1 10/3/2011 1:14 AM

My red and white wrist-band, which says “Gan-barou Nihon (Let’s pull

through, Japan!),” means more tome than just remembering theMarch disaster. It embodies whatI’ve come to appreciate all overagain as I visited Japan this sum-mer.

Before I left for Japan, I wasasked repeatedly whether I wasconcerned about radiation or whatfoods were safe to meet. AlthoughI was determined to go, I, too, hadno idea what to expect.

I first noticed the GanbareNihon posters upon my arrival atNarita Airport, encouraging Japan-ese residents and international vis-itors alike. But as the days wentby, I began to wonder if the samesigns plastered throughout Tokyohad simply become a coined say-ing. The more people I talked to,the more it seemed that peoplewere cautious and anxious. Wait-ing for the government to do more,some compared the economic stateto that of America, while othersmentioned having changed their

diet or awaiting another earth-quake. But it was also at this pointthat I began to notice more thanwhat I had been told.

Despite the sense of uneasi-ness surrounding Tokyo, the senti-ment of ganbarou was evident.Everywhere I went, there was noair-conditioning, limited elevatoruse and appliances normally takenfor granted, like hand dryers in thebathrooms, shut off. While it mayseem superficial, it was simplyamazing to see how much every-one was contributing to the con-

servation effort. I also started tonotice different signs: those thank-ing volunteers or thanking touristswho contribute to Japan’s future ofrecovery and hopeful success.Everyone I had talked to eitherpersonally volunteered in Tohokuor knew of someone who had vol-unteered. I couldn’t help but thinkanymore that perhaps it is only theinternational community that hasbegun to lose faith in Japan’sprogress, wrapped up in the fearsand worries created by the media.

One day in August, I was wait-ing for a friend in Shinjuku stationwhen I noticed a group of newJETs wandering through Tokyoafter their orientation. It made mesmile to know that the programcontinues to draw those who rep-resent the world in their support ofJapan and their commitment tofostering better ties with a countryin need. As a firm believer thatlong term rewards come from con-tinued investment, I am hopefulthat former JETs will stay investedin Japan and in the people whotaught us about a beautiful cultureand values. I am even more hope-ful, however, that future JETs willrelay to friends and family backhome that Japan is in fact address-ing its current situation and has abright future ahead – so as long asthe world continues to believe inJapan.

Here’s to hoping that everyonehas an invisible wristband of theirown and that our support remainsstrong for a country that has givenus so much.

20 OCTOBER 2011 EDUCATION

Ganbare Nihon!By Sally Kikuchi, JET participant 2008-2010, Yamanashi City

SS1011_Layout 1 10/3/2011 1:35 AM

21OCTOBER 2011EDUCATION

OKAERI NASAI WELCOME BACKMESHIAGARU ATEOKOME RICEKURI CHESTNUTSTAKU COOKEDKOUKA EXPENCIVESHOKUZAI INGREDIENTSAKI AUTUMN / FALLSHINSEN FRESH

“Autumn is said to be the appetite-stimulating season”

ko

Tom: Welcome back, Mr. Suzuki ! How was Kyoto?

Suzuki: We had a good time. We ate many goodthings.

Tom: What did you eat ?Suzuki: We ate sushi, Shabu-shabu, Sashimi, Kuri-

gohan, Matsutake-gohan and many otherfoods.

Tom: Kuri-gohan ? Matsutake-gohan ? What arethey ?

Suzuki: Cooked rice together with chestnuts is “Kuri-gohan”. Cooked rice together with matsutakemushrooms is “Matsutake-gohan”. Matsutakemushroom are expensive ingredients inJapan. There are many fresh and good ingre-dients available in autumn in Japan. Fall is thebest season to eat Kuri-gohan and Matsu-take-gohan.

Tom: Suzuki san, okaerinasai. Kyoto wa ikagadeshitaka ?

Suzuki: Tanoshikatta desu. Oishii mono wo takusantabe mashita.

Tom: Nani wo meshiagari mashitaka ?Suzuki: Sushi desyo, Shabu-shabu ni Sashimi, Kuri-

gohan ya Matsutake-gohan Hokanimi iroiro tabe mashita.

Tom: Kuri-gohan ? Matsutake-gohan ? Sore wanan desuka ?

Suzuki: Kuri-gohann wa okome to kuri wo issho nitaita mono desu. Matsutake to issho ni taitamono ga Matsutake-gohan desu. Nihondewa Matsutake wa kouka na syokuzaidesu. Nihon no aki niwa shinsen de yoishokuzai ga takusan arimasuyo. Kuri-gohan ya Matsutake-gohan wo taberunowa aki ga ichiban desu.

SS1011_Layout 1 10/3/2011 1:35 AM


The Art of Sushi and SakePACIFIC STANDARD TIME

“Drawing the Line” at the Japanese American National Museum

by Nancy Uyemura

Pacific Standard Time is acollaboration of more than60 cultural institutions

across Southern California tellingthe story of the birth of the LosAngeles art scene and how it be-came a major force in the artworld.

The significance of the crucialpost WWII years through the dif-

ficult times of the 60’s and 70’sare showcased through a multi-tude of simultaneous exhibitionsand programs.

Drawing the Line: JapaneseAmerican Art, Design and Ac-tivism in Post-War Los Angeles,curated by Kris Kuramitsu andopening at the Japanese AmericanNational Museum, this October,will explore the cultural resonanceof several key Japanese American

artists in Post-World War II LosAngeles. By situating the work ofa diverse group of creative figuresin the context of resettlement anda subsequent shifting sense of cul-tural identity, the exhibit will bringto light a complex story that inter-weaves art and com-munity as part of thesame fabric. Whilethis story is specificto the unique circum-stances of JapaneseAmericans from the50s to the early 80s, it also res-onates with other social and cul-tural movements, like the CivilRights, Black Power, andWomen’s Movements. The Japan-ese American National Museumshow is taking a broad view of ac-tivism and art to create a nuancedreading of politics in the creativework that crosses the generationswith a focused view of the timesand with specific focus to theJapanese American community.

Works of industrial andgraphic design will be seen side byside with paintings and photo-graphs; performances, theatricaland musical, will be shown withperformance art and film. Theshow includes works by artistssuch as painter Matsumi “Mike”Kanemitsu; musician and dancerNobuko Miyamoto, founder ofGreat Leap; photographer andfilmmaker Bob Nakamura; per-formance artist Linda Nishio;painter and printmaker BenSakoguchi; automobile designerLarry Shinoda; the art of Gidra;graphic designer Qris Yamashita;filmmaker and visual artist Nor-man Yonemoto; and visual artistBruce Yonemoto, among others.

The Getty Foundation and

Getty Research Institute has beenworking on Pacific Standard Timefor a decade in the documentationand presentation of works of art thatis representative of Southern Cali-fornia’s vibrant artistic culture from1945 to 1980. With Getty support,

over a period of ninemonths, more than 60museums and gal-leries, from Santa Bar-bara to San Diego andout to Palm Springs,will present exhibi-

tions, performances, symposia, lec-tures, and publications that tell thestory of Southern California’s keyrole as a center of artistic produc-tion in the mid-20th century.

Drawing the Line is part of Pa-cific Standard Time and for sixmonths

beginning in October 2011 itwill give a glimpse of how LosAngeles evolved, giving birth tothe L.A. art scene and whereJapanese American artists were apart of this vibrant and diverse his-tory. Hopefully you will be able totake advantage of some of themany events going on at JANM aswell as some of the many otherparticipating institutions. Whenyou experience PACIFIC STAN-DARD TIME, you will gain agreater understanding and appre-ciation for Los Angeles’ importantcontribution to the art world andsee the rich fabric that is wovenwith all the creative energies thatwere present at the time.

“Drawing the Line” is madepossible by a lead grant from theGetty Foundation. The JapaneseAmerican National Museum is lo-cated at: 100 North Central Av-enue • Los Angeles, CA 90012

janm.org • janmstore.com

SS1011_Layout 1 10/3/2011 1:36 AM

This statement is commonsense, but the base of ourhealth is what we consume.

Unfortunately, people aren’tequipped with the ability to createour own nutrients through “photo-synthesis,” so in order to maintainour health daily, we must con-sciously consume necessary nutri-ents. In terms of meals, thiswouldn’t be difficult if all we hadto do was to consume what wewanted to. However, when weconsider meals to create health,then we it’s a challenge to con-sume the appropriate amount ofnecessary nutrients at the appro-priate time.

While it’s up to the individuallifestyle to feel that this task thatrequires much brain power isbothersome compared to photo-synthesis or to take joy in thischoice in our lives, if we have toconsume nutrients either way, it’sbest to enjoy the process to con-tinue a healthy lifestyle for thelong-term.

While one idea to condensenecessary nutrients for easy andefficient? Consumption is spacefood; meals aren’t strictly to con-sume the necessary nutrients. Toenjoy the texture and color of eachfood ingredients with someoneyou enjoy spending time withgreatly aids the psychological as-pect of maintaining health. Sepa-rate from that idea, I personallyfeel it’s best to obtain nutrientsfrom food prepared the most nat-

ural way possible. However, inthis busy day and age, it’s difficultto take the time to prepare a well-balanced meal for each and everymeal.

If you feel at time you’re “I’mnot consuming enough nutrients?”it’s appropriate at times to takesupplements for convenience.Supplements line the shelves satany store, so please have a pur-pose in mind when taking choos-ing a product. Ask yourself, whatam I lacking and what am I need-ing? Try to understand the amountof blended nutrients from the per-

spective of protectingyour own health.

My recommenda-tion AMINOPUREcontains amino acidsthat produce proteinsfor the body and L-glutamine. While var-ious results can beexpected, one thinkI’d like to point out is

its role in enjoying sake. It doesn’tchange the flavor of sake, buthelps to prevent bad hangoversand sickness from intoxication

with no concerns for the aftermathof drinking. In other words, this isa supplement that aids the enjoy-ment of great food!

23OCTOBER 2011EDUCATION

AMINOPURE -Episode No. 1-What role do supplements play in maintaining health?-

SS1011_Layout 1 10/3/2011 1:36 AM

SS1011_Layout 1 10/3/2011 1:13 AM


When I spoke to a ku-ramoto recently, I sug-gested the necessity of a

sales talk narrowed down to a de-fined purpose. He replied, “Wewant tens of thousands of peopleto sample our sake, so we don’twant to narrow down our salespitch.” I wondered to myself, “Isthere a more convenient productthan sake?” For example, there areno clothes that’s suitable for cere-monies, sleeping, and dates; buteven if there were such clothes,who would buy them? By narrow-ing down the sales pitch, vendorsare forced to offer products thatbest suit consumer needs and stim-ulate demand for their product.

While Japanese sake tests thelimits of various processing tech-niques to produce various flavors,the flavor of wine is largely deter-mined by the flavor of grapes fromwhich they’re made of; similar toproduce. In other words, flavors ofJapanese sake can be varied tosome extent (through the selectionof rice, the degree of rice polish-ing, processing and storage meth-ods (such as Junmai Ginjo orGinjo, according to the type ofsake made), while the flavor ofwine depends largely on the qual-ity of grapes harvested that year(but varies to some extent accord-ing to how it’s blended, the fer-mentation temperature, processing

and storage methods). In that case, the quickest way to

understand Japanese sake is to learnthe objective (design purpose) ofthe brewery. Unfortunately how-ever, many breweries (includingimporters) don’t understand thisfact. On the other hand, some do un-derstand but doesn’t know how toimplement this. Various marketinglingos such as “delicious sake,”“traditionally made,” “suits manycuisines,” “made with Yamadan-ishiki” (the ‘king’ of all sake rice),“Won the Gold Award in the XXXCollection,” “YY sake is made ingreat nature,” “Junmai Daiginjo,”etc. However, none of these market-ing lingos are helpful for the con-

sumer to understand the flavors ofsake when selecting a brand of sake.

Customers are left wondering,“What does delicious sake mean?”“What does homemade sake tastelike?” “What does sake made in greatnature taste like?” It’s most importantfor the brewery to communicate their“principle and purpose of the flavorof sake” to their customers. For ex-ample, to capitalize on the waterquality (hard water), to select XX ricefor the best pairing with meat dishes,select YYY as the processingmethod, to produce an original flavorthat’s competitive with wine andshochu, etc., and other marketing lin-gos would be more direct and recom-mended for consumers.

VOL 42

Master Sake Sommelier

Shifting from Making Delicious Sake to Sake-Making With A Purpose

SS1011_Layout 1 10/3/2011 1:13 AM

SS1011_Layout 1 10/3/2011 1:12 AM

28 OCTOBER 2011 FOOD & RECIPES

$8.50 $10.00

MAP 45

MAP 33

SS1011_Layout 1 10/3/2011 1:12 AM

29OCTOBER 2011FOOD & RECIPES

CAFÉ & BAKERY2 CAFÉ TAKE 5

213-621-30041st St. Miyako Hotel 1F

8 FRANCES BAKERY213-680-48992nd St. Honda Plaza

10 FUGETSUDO213-625-8595315 E. 1st St

28 MIKAWAYA213-624-1681panese Village Plaza

37 SALON DE CAFÉ FOCUS213-680-30152nd St. #202 Little Tokyo Mall

39 SENKA CAFÉ213-617-8699123 S. Onizuka St. #103

56 YAMAZAKI BAKERY213-624-2773123 Japanese Village Plaza

60 FOUR LEAF877-797-4582318 E. 2nd St

CURRY4 CURRY HOUSE

213-620-0855123 S. Onizuka St. Weller Court

FAMILY STYLE RESTAURANT1 AOI RESTAURANT

213-624-8260331 E. 1st St

29 MITSURU CAFÉ213-613-1028117 Japanese Village Plaza

44 SUSHI & TERI213-687-8368Japanese Village Plaza

43 SUEHIRO CAFÉ213-626-9132337 E. 1st St

51 TOKYO CAFÉ213-628-3017116 Judge John Aliso

53 T.O.T213-680-0344345 E. 2nd St

62 MATSUI213-625-2111123 S. Onizuka St. #302 Weller Court

IZAKAYA7 EBISU

213-613-1644329 E. 2nd St

12 HARU ULALA213-620-0977368 E. 2nd St

16 HONDA-YA213-625-1184333 S. Alameda St. #314Little Tokyo Market Place

17 ISSEN JYOKI213-626-5780333 S. Alameda St. #301Little Tokyo Market Place

19 JOY MART213-680-9868137 Japanese Village Plaza

32 OIWAKE213-628-2678122 Japanese Village Plaza

36 RAKU PLUS213-625-1751424 E. 2nd St. Honda Plaza

55 YAGURA ICHIBAN213-623-4141101 Japanese Village Plaza

61 FUGA213-625-1722111 S. San Pedro St

KAPPO KAISEKI15 HAZUKI RESTAURANT

213-626-68582nd St. #205 Little Tokyo Mall

18 IZAYOI213-613-9554132 S. Central Ave

ORGANIC JAPANESE42 SHOJIN

213-617-0305333 S. Alameda St. #310Little Tokyo Market Place

RAMEN3 CHIN-MA-YA

213-625-3400S. Onizuka St. Weller Court

5 DAIKOKUYA213-626-1680327 E. 1st St

14 HANA ICHIMONME213-626-3514333 S. Alameda St. #303Little Tokyo Market Place

24 KORAKU213-687-4972314 E. 2nd St

31 MR. RAMEN213-626-4252341 1/2 E. 1st St

34 OROCHON RAMEN213-617-1766Onizuka St. #303. Weller Court

38 SAN SUI TEI213-613-0100319 E. 1st St.

SHABU SHABU20 KAGAYA

213-617-1016418 E. 2nd St. Honda Plaza

26 KUSHISHABU213-621-0210Onizuka St. #306. Weller Court

40 SHABU SHABU HOUSE213-680-3890127 Japanese Village Plaza

41 SHABU SHABU YO213-808-1211356 1/2 E. 2nd St

SUSHI9 FRYING FISH

213-680-0567120 Japanese Village Plaza

13 HAMA SUSHI213-680-3454347 E. 2nd St

23 KOMASA213-680-1792351 E. 2nd St

27 MAKO SUSHI213-613-0083123 S. Onizuka St. #307. Weller Court

30 MITSURU SUSHI & GRILL213-626-4046316 E. 1st St

33 OOMASA213-623-9048100 Japanese Village Plaza

35 R 23213-687-7178923 E. 2nd St. #109

45 SUSHI GEN213-617-0552422 E. 2nd St. Honda Plaza

46 SUSHI 55213-687-0777333 S. Alameda St. #317Little Tokyo Market Place

47 TAKUMI RESTAURANT213-626-1793333 E. 2nd St

48 TAMON213-617-7839328 E. 1st St. Miyako Hotel 2F

49 TENNO SUSHI213-625-0602207 S. Central Ave

52 TOSHI SUSHI213-680-4166359 E. 1st St

54 USUI RESTAURANT213-680-1989343 E. 1st St

57 ZENCU SUSHI & GRILL213-687-7780319 E. 2nd St. Little Tokyo Mall

58 ZIP FUSION SUSHI213-680-3770744 E. 3rd St

59 WAKASAYA213-621-2121104 Japanese Village Plaza

YAKITORI22 KOKEKOKKO

213-687-0690203 S. Central Ave

25 KOSHIJI213-626-4989123 S. Onizuka St. #203. Weller Court

Little Tokyo Japanese Restaurant

MAP 2

SS1011_Layout 1 10/3/2011 1:11 AM


SS1011_Layout 1 10/3/2011 1:11 AM

SS1011_Layout 1 10/3/2011 1:10 AM

sushi and sake magazine oct 2011

Documents

aurora challengegrant

aurora endowment fundalong

aurora speech contest

aurora program activities

japanese food festival

japanese language

delicious sake

sushiand sake