What is Sakura-mochi? Sakura-mochi is a type of wagashi, or Japanese confectionery, made with sweet azuki bean paste wrapped in sticky pink mochi rice and a salted sakura leaf. Unlike traditional wagashi desserts, sakura-mochi has a slightly herbal aroma to it, and the salty-sweetness from the leaves is said to pair well with sake. The […]
Archives for March 2020
Rethinking Food As Nature, Not Diet Science: Japanese Shoku-Iku
What is Shoku-iku? Shoku-iku refers to food and nutrition education in Japan, but it is quite different from the food education you might receive in the United States or other western nations. While western eating guidelines tend to focus on diet science–technical calculations on when to eat, how to eat, and what not to eat–, […]
A Simple Solution to Making Your Meals More Flavorful, Colorful, and Nutritious– What is furikake?
Furikake is a Japanese seasoning, often used on top of rice, cooked vegetables, or fish. It is traditionally made of dried fish (most often bonito), dried seaweed, sesame seeds, salt, and a bit of sugar. Hundreds of different versions exist, including variations using salmon flakes, shiso herbs, dried vegetables, kombu and hijiki seaweed, wasabi, dried […]
Yasuharu Mizuhara and the Spiritual Tradition of Japanese Wagashi Sweets
The World of Plant-Based, Seasonal Desserts Recently I had the opportunity to meet Yasuharu Mizuhara, a 4th-generation owner of a well-known wagashi shop called Seigetsudo. First established in 1907, the shop is now over 100 years old. *Note: Wagashi is a Japanese confectionary. There are many kinds to it, but it tends to be a […]