Foods in Season– category –

Fukinoto is one of the very first wild vegetables that tells us spring has arrived in Japan. When the ground is still cold, sometimes even covered with snow, these small buds push their way up and quietly signal a change in the season. J...

I still remember going chestnut picking when I was a kid. They were probably wild mountain chestnuts—small ones wrapped in spiky burrs that hurt when you touched them. I used to nudge the burrs open with my shoe and pick the nuts out car...

Matsutake mushrooms are one of the true tastes for the upcoming season in Japan, much-loved for their unique fragrance. For many Japanese, it’s a wonderful aroma, but because smell preferences can be a cultural thing, I’ve heard some peo...

Edamame are young, green soybeans, with another name "azemame" (meaning “ridge beans”) in Japan, where farmers used to plant them along the ridges of rice paddies to protect the embankments. When you are boiling edamame, the main tip is ...

July-”Flying Fish” Flying fish (”Tobiuo”) are in season during the summer. When you're out on a boat on a hot summer day, the chances are you might see fish flying high and racing along at about the same speed. These are flying fish. Lik...

“Sazae,” or turban shells, are typical marine snails that you might start spotting around April and May, when sea temperatures go up. During this time, these snails become more active, making it easier to catch them. In the past, many sa...

Bonito, or “katsuo” is one of the staple foods in Japanese cuisine, with a history dating back to the ”Nihon Shoki,” one of Japan’s oldest historical records. The very first dish ever in the country is ”katsuo namasu,” sliced raw bonito ...

Kinome is the young sprout of the Japanese pepper tree called “sansho,” and is one of the signature scents reminding you of spring. From spring to early summer, we often use it as "suikuchi," a fancy garnish, in dishes like soups and sim...

When spring comes and the water warms up, shellfish start to taste really wonderful. One of the favorites is the "asari," or Japanese littleneck clam. Clam digging, known locally as “shiohigari,” has been a fun springtime tradition in Ja...

【かんたまご 寒卵】 In Japan, the season of “Setsubun” is coming up, and this means we will be welcoming spring soon! The time between the New Year’s and “Setsubun” is known in the traditional 24 solar terms as "Shōkan" (小寒) and "Daika...