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[Pressed Sushi with Prosciutto and Cream Cheese]

Today we tried our hands at western-style pressed sushi.

We marinated thinly sliced lemons and zucchini in a marinade based on white wine vinegar and lemon juice, and after removing the ingredients, we used the marinade as is for the sushi rice.

The main dish is prociutto, zucchini, and lemon, with avocado and cream cheese in between the sushi rice.

Enjoy western-style pressed sushi that is like a combination of sushi and salad.

*Ingredients
4 or 5 slices of cured ham
Moderate amount of zucchini
1/2 to 1 lemon
1/2 of an avocado
A little cream cheese
A pinch of black pepper
A pinch of sprouts

(Marinade)
2 tbsp of white wine vinegar
1 tbsp of lemon juice
1 tbsp of sugar
2/3 tsp of salt

(Vinegared Rice)
1.5 cups of rice
Marinade (with lemon and zucchini removed)

*How to Make
Cut the zucchini into thin slices with a peeler to fit the length of the pressed sushi box.

Rub the lemons with coarse salt before sprinkling the zest, then run them under water and pat dry.

Marinate 1 and the sliced lemon in the marinade and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Sprinkle the sliced avocado with the juice of the lemon.

Mix the cooked rice with the marinade after removing the zucchini and lemon to make sushi rice. Cut the rice into pieces and fan it with a fan to cool it down to about human skin temperature.

Place the ham, drained zucchini and lemon in a well-balanced row in the pressed sushi box, then fill with half of the sushi rice and press.

Arrange the avocado and cream cheese on top, then top with the remaining sushi rice and press.

Once cut, remove from the box, top with sprouts, and sprinkle with black pepper.

Yamaichi's Pressed Sushi Box
https://www.shokunin.com/en/yamaichi/oshi.html
Yamaichi's Sushi Handai
https://www.shokunin.com/en/yamaichi/sushi.html
Kurikawa Shoten's Shibu Uchiwa
https://www.shokunin.com/en/kurikawa/
Okubo House Mokkosha's Chestnut Rice Scoop
https://www.shokunin.com/en/okubo/shamoji.html
Yoshita Handi-Design Studio's Peeler
https://www.shokunin.com/en/yoshita/peeler.html

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Many of the temples and shrines in Kyoto have dry landscape gardens with a feature called “ameniwa (rain garden).” Ameniwa is a garden where rainwater that falls on the ground is not discharged directly into the sewer system, but is instead poured into a hollow to be stored temporarily and slowly infiltrated.

Ameniwa has many benefits for society, the first being its ability to control flooding. The garden collect rainwater and allow it to slowly percolate into the soil, thus preventing it from instantly flowing into the sewer system. By doing this, it can also prevent water pollution, since rainwater passes through the soil of the ameniwa and pollutants are decomposed and adsorbed. Ameniwa can create valuable habitat space for urban creatures as well, while the water that evaporates from ameniwa can also mitigate the heat island effect. 

Since there is no need for landscaping work to install an ameniwa, there is a growing movement in Japan to expand the use of rain gardens in both residential gardens and public spaces. In Kyoto in particular, rain gardens are attracting a lot of attention because they provide an environment for growing plants that are familiar to Kyoto culture, such as fragrant eupatorium and chrysanthemum boreale.

Why don't you try an ameniwa in your home? Please visit our website for a wide selection of tools perfect for the rainy season as well.

Komiya Shoten’s Mira Toray Folding Umbrella
https://www.shokunin.com/en/komiya/
Syouryu's Suzugami
https://www.shokunin.com/en/syouryu/ 
Ao's Stereoscopic Weaving Towel
https://www.shokunin.com/en/ao/rittaiori.html 

References
https://www.city.kyoto.lg.jp/kensetu/page/0000277659.html 
https://www.rakuten.ne.jp/gold/sessuimura/c-raintank/ameniwa/ 
https://www.kyotoliving.co.jp/article/170805/front/index.html 
https://mainichi.jp/articles/20181212/k00/00m/040/091000c 

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Kyoto people have a strong Japanese image and a strong impression of eating white rice for breakfast. However, interestingly, Kyoto City has one of the highest consumption of bread per person in Japan. In Kyoto, where there are many people who like new things, the culture of bread, which can be eaten with one hand, spread along with the culture of cafe and coffee for traditional craftsmen doing manual work. Today, a wide variety of bread is offered at various stores, including the long-established bakery Shinshindo.

Moyai Kogei, one of Japan's leading mingei (folk art) stores that sells handcrafted goods in Kamakura, has created a wooden bread plate that allows you to enjoy Kyoto's delicious bread at home. The unpainted wooden surface absorbs the moisture from the toast, so you can enjoy your bread until the very end, not only with white bread, but also with red bean paste bread, sandwiches, croque monsieur, and various other bread.

When visiting Kyoto, be sure to enjoy unique and delicious bread from long-established bakeries to hole-in-the-wall bakeries using Moyai Kogei's bread plates.

Moyai Kogei's Zelkova Bread Plate
https://www.shokunin.com/en/moyai/