November 2023

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[The Place of Tokyo's Autumn Foliage Spot and the Place Name Not Shown on Maps]

"Rikugien" (六義園) is one of the best spots for autumn foliage in Tokyo. Rikugien, one of the two major gardens in Edo, is a metropolitan garden located in Hon-Komagome, Bunkyo-ku, and was built by Yanagisawa Yoshiyasu, an official of Tokugawa Tsunayoshi, the fifth shogun of the Edo shogunate. In 1878, Yataro Iwasaki, the founder of Mitsubishi Zaibatsu, purchased the garden, and in 1938, Hisaya Iwasaki III donated it to the City of Tokyo for the purpose of "preserving Rikugien in perpetuity" and "opening it to the general public." The garden is illuminated during the beautiful season of autumn leaves and is open at night for special viewing.

Here is the outside of the garden. The garden is surrounded by a quaint brick wall, and a park with playground equipment and a field used for tournaments are adjacent to the garden, making it a place for community interaction. The residential area surrounding the west side of Rikugien is called "Yamatomura" (大和郷), a high-end residential area well known by those in the know in Tokyo. In one corner is Yamatomura Kindergarten, where Her Majesty the Empress Emerita Michiko attended. Yamatomura is a place name that does not appear on maps, but it is said that the aforementioned Yanagisawa family used Rikugien as their residence after they moved to Yamatokoriyama, and the name Yamatomura remained.

It is also a familiar autumn foliage spot in Tokyo. When you visit, you can walk around the outside of the wall.

Rikugien
https://maps.app.goo.gl/TE3wosQPZoKCCEa37
Ginza Showroom
https://www.shokunin.com/en/showroom/ginza.html

References
https://www.tokyo-park.or.jp/park/format/index031.html
https://www.city.bunkyo.lg.jp/bunka/kanko/spot/teien/rikugien.html
https://oniwa.garden/rikugien-garden-%E5%85%AD%E7%BE%A9%E5%9C%92/
https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/六義園
https://www.mecyes.co.jp/column/article/history-of-yamatomura

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[Mizore-Nabe and Onioroshi]

The first snow fell in Hokkaido the other day, and we will soon start to hear the sound of snow here and there in Honshu as well. As the weather gets colder, nabe (hot pot) appears more frequently on the dinner table. Among them, "mizore-nabe" with plenty of grated daikon is one of the most popular, and even its name is reminiscent of winter.

"Mizore" (sleet) refers to the phenomenon of snow and rain falling at the same time, when the temperature is around 0 degrees Celsius and the snow is melting. The appearance of grated daikon in the nabe, which has become translucent after being cooked, is very similar to this sleet. Mizore-nabe is also known as yuki-nabe, yukimi-nabe, or awayuki-nabe, and is an interesting glimpse into the Japanese sense of beauty in which grated daikon is likened to snow to remind us of the season.

Onioroshi is characterized by the speed at which the daikon is grated and the crunchy texture that can be enjoyed. The daikon season is winter. If you can get delicious daikon, why not enjoy a flavorful mizore-nabe? There are two types of mizore-nabe: one in which grated daikon is first put into the pot and cooked together with the ingredients, and the other in which the ingredients are cooked through before being put into the pot. Please enjoy the difference.

Due to the rising cost of raw materials, the price of Kagoshima Takeseihin's Onioroshi will increase as soon as our stock runs out. If you are considering ordering, please place your order before then. Of course, even after the nabe season is over, Onioroshi can be used for dressing, condiments for noodles, bowls of rice topped with grated daikon, hamburger steaks, and so on throughout the year.

Kagoshima Takeseihin's Onioroshi
https://www.shokunin.com/en/kagoshima/onioroshi.html
Kiya's Sukiyaki Pot
https://www.shokunin.com/en/kiya/sukiyaki.html

References
https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%81%BF%E3%81%9E%E3%82%8C%E9%8D%8B#%E9%96%A2%E9%80%A3%E9%A0%85%E7%9B%AE
https://tenki.jp/suppl/d_tokuno/2023/07/07/31057.html#sub-title-c

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[Noriben]

Do you like seaweed bento, also known as "noriben"? Take-out bento shops are very helpful when you are on a business trip. When I go into a store to ask what I should eat, I usually end up choosing a large portion of rice for my noriben. On a recent business trip to Nara, I also added tartar sauce. It is a wonderful bento that I never get tired of even if I eat it hundreds of times.

So, how did this typical Japanese to-go fast food, noriben, come into being? In the Azuchi-Momoyama period (1568-1600), bento boxes with the same shape as today's appeared, and in the mid-Edo period (1603-1868), ita nori (dried laver) began to be produced. By the 1950s, "nori okaka bento" (seaweed and bonito flakes mixed with soy sauce bento) seemed to have become popular among the general public.

The well-known noriben with fried white fish and chikuwa tempura on top was first sold by "Hokka Hokka Tei," which opened in 1976. The original grilled hoki fish marinated in miso was replaced by fried hoki, and chikuwa tempura was added on the idea of the founder, Michiyuki Tabuchi.

With the recent global price hikes hitting household budgets hard, we sincerely respect the company's efforts to offer such a delicious meal for only 300 yen. We too will do our best to maintain our flat rate of 2,800 yen for international shipments and free shipping nationwide, regardless of quantity.

Matsuya Shikkiten's Shirakinuri Lunch Box
https://www.shokunin.com/en/matsuya/

Reference
https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E6%B5%B7%E8%8B%94%E5%BC%81%E5%BD%93