Food & agriculture - Fresh ideas

Japan prides itself on the craftsmanship behind producing and preparing food – and its agricultural sector is benefitting from consumers paying more attention to where food is grown.

FOODEXPORT
On the world's menu

Japan's Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries is now marketing farm produce, fish and timber in other countries with its “Made FROM Japan, Made BY Japan, Made IN Japan” strategy. It's also backing businesses that promote Japan's food with the aim of topping ¥1trn in exports by 2020 – up from ¥450bn now.
maff.go.jp/e

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FRESH FISH
Off the scales

Hours before sunrise the staff at Kamewa Shoten in Tsukiji market fill orders of almaco jack, snow crabs and pike conger for the Hotel Okura, the Imperial Hotel and the city's speciality supermarkets. Owner Kazuhiko Wada, his father and grandfather have built their reputation over nearly eight decades. While upholding the family tradition, Kazuhiko, 51, is trying to usher in change. His company was the first in Japan to be certified by the London-based nonprofit organisation Marine Stewardship Council, which sets standards for sustainable fishing and seafood traceability.
kamewa.co.jp

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CULINARY EDUCATION
Passing on the skills

Shizuo Tsuji's 1980 cookbook Japanese Cooking: A Simple Art demystifyed Japan's culinary traditions. The Tsuji Culinary Institute (TCI), which he founded in Osaka, trains chefs from around the world. Instructors sharpen their skills at Brushstroke, a New york restaurant opened by the TCI group and chef David Bouley.
tsujicho.com/index.html

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Q&A
Kaoru Izuha SAKE SOMMELIER

Izuha manages the Sushi Sora restaurant at the Mandarin Oriental Tokyo and is the 2012 kikizake-shi(sake sommelier) champion.
Question: How do you become a sake sommelier?
Kaoru Izuha: You study sake history, brewing methods, rice types and flavour profiles.
Q: Are there different sakes for different seasons?
KI: In summer I'd suggest an aromatic sake to accompany a fish such as mackerel with its light flavour. In winter a robust, full-bodied sake can stand up to fatty chutoro(bluefin tuna belly).
Q: Does temperature matter?
KI: Sake can be chilled, served at room temperature or warmed to 60C.
Q:What non-Japanese food does sake complement?
KI: Sake and goat's cheese go well together and a sake with a lively bouquet is nice with Italian or French cuisine.
mandarinoriental.com/tokyo

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ORGANIC FOOD
Market force

As Japan’s appetite for organic food grows, so too does its interest in food provenance. Osaka design firm graf expanded its activities in 2010 with Fantastic Market, which connects producers from areas such as Shiga and Awaji Island with consumers and restaurateurs. It even helps farmers with design and packaging.
graf-d3.com/market

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CROP OBSERVATION
Farming's future

Yuriko Kato (right) is a former agriculture researcher who has worked on everything from growing plants in space to electronic chips. She now heads M2 Labo, a firm based in Shizuoka that is helping farmers to modernise their trade. On a nearby tea plantation she shows off a white cylinder packed with a camera and sensors that keeps tabs on temperature, humidity and sunlight and allows tea producers to analyse how weather influences productivity. Such information is crucial as farmers look to teach the next generation.
m2-labo.jp

KITCHEN UTENSILS
Sharp operator

Yoshikazu Tanaka (above), a 63-year-old master knife craftsman, has been hammering blades by hand for more than 40 years. His workshop is in Sakai, a city in Osaka prefecture where knife-making has been a tradition for centuries; the area's artisans are now renowned globally for their super-sharp knives for the kitchen.
Tanaka's blades are highly prized by top chefs all around the world and he's making sure that it's a reputation and tradition that remains intact: as a matter of priority he's now passing on the secrets of the trade to his son, Yoshihisa.

FARMING RECRUITMENT
New generation

Farmers in Japan are an ageing breed but Pasona Group, a staff-recruitment firm specialising in clerical, technical and IT services, is helping to persuade younger Japanese people to shed their suits and go back to the land.
Since 2010, the company has used its Tokyo headquarters as a showcase for urban farming. In the lobby, pumpkins dangle from trellises and mist machines spray a patch of aubergines, while lettuce grows in a room full of hydroponic (soilless) trays. “Young city dwellers don't feel close to what farmers do”, says Sayaka Itami, who heads the company's urban-farm division. “We hope to raise awareness in the city about farming and the goal is to create farm-sector jobs”. pasonagroup.co.jp/english