October 2025

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[Rice Storage Methods and Reheating Ideas]

How do you store cooked rice? It's not uncommon to end up with leftovers, is it? Many people use the rice cooker's keep-warm function, but prolonged warming can diminish flavor. Ideally, you should cook only one serving at a time, but that can be difficult in busy daily life.

Microwaving frozen rice wrapped in plastic or stored in containers is a common method. However, you can also get creative by turning it into risotto or rice porridge, or moving it from the freezer to the fridge the day before to make fried rice.

The ideal solution remains the traditional wooden rice tub (“ohitsu”). Its wood naturally absorbs excess moisture and releases it when the rice dries out, keeping it at the perfect humidity level and delicious even at room temperature. Another major appeal is how the aroma of cedar or Japanese cypress infuses the rice, deepening its flavor. Placing freshly cooked rice inside, covering it, and letting it steam briefly helps maintain its fluffy texture. Covering it with a clean cloth is also effective for preventing drying. When refrigerating, wrapping it in a furoshiki cloth helps prevent drying.

Visitors to our Ginza Showroom have shared that they use bentoboxes made of bent wood as substitute rice tubs. Recalling how my grandmother preferred cold rice, I tried it myself and found the rice's natural sweetness and aroma became more pronounced. Until recently, reheating rice in steamers or earthenware pots was common practice. Another method involves using a straw-made insulated container called a “waraizumi” to keep the rice tub warm.

Now, here's my suggestion for storing and reheating rice. While plastic wrap works, I recommend freezing it wrapped in parchment paper, aluminum foil, or a clean damp cloth. After cooking the rice, quickly fluff it with a rice paddle to incorporate air throughout. Shape it into portions about 2 cm thick, wrap each portion, then loosely cover with aluminum foil and let it rest briefly. Once cooled to room temperature, place it flat and freeze. Aluminum foil blocks air and moisture, preventing moisture loss and aiding rapid freezing in the freezer. To reheat, steam in a steamer, place in a heat-resistant bag and heat in boiling water, or add a small amount of water to a pot and steam-fry.

We hope you'll try these methods according to your lifestyle, preferences, and available equipment. May your daily rice always be delicious!

Kurikyu's Magewappa Lunch Box (Unpainted)
https://www.shokunin.com/en/kurikyu/mutosou.html
Kurikyu's Magewappa Ohitsu
https://www.shokunin.com/en/kurikyu/ohitsu.html
Yamaichi's Taketaga Ohitsu
https://www.shokunin.com/en/yamaichi/ohitsu.html
Yamaichi's Edobitsu
https://www.shokunin.com/en/yamaichi/edo.html
Kiya's Unbleached Cotton Cloth
https://www.shokunin.com/en/kiya/mizarashi.html
Waramu's Waraizumi
https://www.shokunin.com/en/waramu/waraizumi.html

References
https://www.kurikyu.jp/about_kurikyuproduct/kodawari.html
https://uchi.tokyo-gas.co.jp/topics/3746
https://kurashinofusen.com/warmrice
https://lessplasticlife.com/take-action/kitchen-grocery_shoping/refrigeration-and-thawing-rice-without-plastic-wrap/
https://macaro-ni.jp/165424

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[Shin Ramyun and Memorable Seafood Hotpot]

Shin Ramyun is a beloved national instant noodle brand that has maintained its position as the top-selling instant noodles in Korea since its launch in 1986. The secret to its popularity lies in its fiery chili heat, a special broth packed with the savory umami of beef and shiitake mushrooms, and its uniquely chewy medium-thick noodles. From its launch, the brand's relentless focus on achieving “the spiciness Koreans crave” captured the palate of spicy food lovers, propelling it to instant success. Its iconic red packaging, featuring the striking character for “spicy,” has become a symbol of Korean food culture.

By the 1990s, it had already expanded overseas and has since grown into a global brand sold in over 100 countries worldwide. In recent years, its global recognition has surged further amid the Korean Wave boom, fueled by K-pop and Korean dramas, cementing its status as a beloved synonym for “K-food.” In Japan too, it has permeated as the original K-food, gaining popularity especially among young people. Beyond eating it plain, recipes incorporating cheese, kimchi, eggs, and more have become a hot topic on social media, making it an indispensable presence on dining tables.

Personally, I used to eat it about eight times a week when I was single. Around the time I got married, I boasted to a Korean person I met while traveling that I'd eaten it about a thousand times by then. Surprisingly often, I'd get the kind advice, “You should stop eating so much—it's bad for you~.” Yet, they seemed somehow pleased that I, a Japanese person, ate so much Shin Ramyun. Personally, I think it's actually good for you—you get plenty of vegetables, and the capsaicin boosts blood circulation.

Today, I added clams and squid, bought at half price last night at the supermarket, and cooked them slowly in rice bran oil and a little sesame oil to draw out their umami. I added nutrient-rich cherry tomatoes, plus as much garlic and chili peppers as I liked. Eating this Shin Ramyun, infused with seafood broth, garlic flavor, and added heat, brings back memories of a cold winter night in Seoul 20 years ago. I recall sharing a seafood hot pot with a Korean friend at our lodging, each of us holding a glass of soju. If you ever want to recreate that delicious Korean hot pot you enjoyed there, along with the memories, I highly recommend giving this a try.

Yamada Kogyosho's Uchidashi Katatenabe L
https://www.shokunin.com/en/yamada/
Hakusan Porcelain's Noodle Bowl S Deep (White)
https://www.shokunin.com/en/hakusan/mendon.html

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[Wazuka Town]

The other day, I visited Wazuka Town for the first time. Located in southern Kyoto Prefecture, it's the main production area for “Uji tea,” a renowned tea-growing region. There, I encountered a beautiful, quintessential Japanese landscape that made me feel truly grateful to have been born in Japan.

Uji tea is defined as green tea made from tea leaves produced in four prefectures—Kyoto, Nara, Shiga, and Mie—and finished by Kyoto-based processors using methods originating in the Uji region. Wazuka Town produces about 40% of Kyoto's Uji tea. Tea leaf cultivation requires fertile, well-drained soil, high annual rainfall, and a gently sloping terrain that creates significant temperature differences between day and night. The area where the Uji River and Kizu River flow meets these conditions, making it a major production area for Uji tea.

Uji tea encompasses various types based on cultivation and processing methods, including tencha (powdered tea), sencha, gyokuro, hojicha, kabusecha, and genmaicha (Hourai tea). Among these, matcha—made by grinding tencha into powder—was refined and passed down alongside the tea ceremony culture established during the Warring States period, becoming the defining feature of Kyoto tea. Wazuka Town's tea, cultivated by master tea farmers and blended by skilled tea merchants, is distributed nationwide as high-quality Uji tea. This landscape, where nature, history, culture, and livelihood are integrated, truly embodies the “Teatopia.”

First, a must-visit in Wazuka Town is the “Ishidera Tea Fields.” Designated as Kyoto Prefecture's first Landscape Asset and registered as a Japan Heritage site. In Wazuka Town, tea is harvested three times a year: first flush in April, second flush in July, and third flush in October. When we visited the Ishidera Tea Fields in early October, they were harvesting the third flush, which was apparently the perfect time to see it. The lush green tea fields, completely uncovered, were truly spectacular. We gazed around in all directions, mesmerized for quite a while.

Afterwards, we had lunch at “Farmstay Atsuan,” introduced by a friend. Farmstay Atsuan is a completely private, one-group-per-day inn surrounded by tea fields, run by a wonderful couple who moved from Kyoto City to Wazuka Town. The healthy, colorful dishes made by owner Atsuko, using abundant local ingredients, drew an immediate “Wow!” from everyone. We leisurely enjoyed the delicious food in a warm atmosphere, leaving our stomachs and hearts full.

Before leaving, don't forget to pick up souvenirs at “Wazuka no Sato.” They offer a variety of teas from Wazuka Town, and I got some matcha and sencha. Matcha has been in short supply in Kyoto City lately, often hard to find, but here I had no trouble purchasing it.

I'd always thought I'd visit Wazuka Town someday, but it felt like I was guided there. Welcomed by the best season, weather, location, and people, I spent a truly wonderful day. On the train back, everything I saw and tasted felt like a dream—a strange sensation of returning to reality from the tea-growing village. In November, the annual “Teatopia Festival” is held, so if you're interested, be sure to look it up.

Wazuka Tea Fields
https://maps.app.goo.gl/seEZvbgkx1n6DUuB9
Wazuka Village
https://maps.app.goo.gl/xJssmbn67ApLoXMSA
Farmstay Atsuan
https://maps.app.goo.gl/zNSuBN4cSpHYzEtm7
Showroom Information
https://www.shokunin.com/en/showroom/

References
https://www.maff.go.jp/j/keikaku/syokubunka/traditional-foods/menu/uzitya.html
https://www.pref.kyoto.jp/keikan-sisan/sisan001.html
https://www.ana.co.jp/ja/jp/japan-travel-planner/kyoto/0000009.html
https://atsuan-wazuka.com/
https://www.town.wazuka.lg.jp/kakukanogoannai/chiikichikarasuishinka/eventjoho/4414.html