When you’re wedged between Japan’s highest mountain and deepest bay, there is no doubt you are standing in the presence of gastronomical greatness. Welcome to Shizuoka prefecture, home to the magnificent and ever-elusive Mount Fuji, and the abundantly stocked Suruga Bay on the Pacific coast of Honshu.
Shizuoka prefecture is divided into four parts: Central Area, Izu Area, Fuji Area, and Western Area. The bulk of what you’re about to read focuses on the Central Area, in which the prefecture’s capital Shizuoka City is situated. This historically rich city, which dates back to the Nara period (710 – 794), offers amazing views of Mount Fuji – if you’re lucky to witness her glorious beauty, that is!
Apart from its aforementioned prime location, the city is also blessed with a warm climate, making Shizuoka an incredible environment coveted by producers from not only Japan but also around the world. From the seasonal sakura shrimp, skipjack and green tea to year-round wasabi and musk melon, Shizuoka is truly the master producer of exceptional ingredients. In fact, it is responsible for 439 top-quality agricultural and marine produce – a quantity that’s among the highest in the country.
Truth be told, it is almost impossible to put into words the stirringly profound relationship between Shizuoka producers and chefs. Which is why there’s no one better than the world-acclaimed Chef Tetsuya Wakuda – Shizuoka produce ambassador, and head chef of Waku Ghin in Singapore and Tetsuya’s in Sydney, Australia – to take us on an exclusive culinary journey through the bountiful land to uncover some of the finest, most extraordinary ingredients that are found in no other.
So, are you ready to join Chef Wakuda on an epicurean adventure?
(Text Tan Lili photography Norio nagata, yoko fujimoto & Tetsuya onoda)
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Meet The Chef
Having been receiving a deluge of awards for his eponymous restaurant Tetsuya’s since 1992, including the top five spots in The World’s 50 Best Restaurants list for three consecutive years from 2005 to 2007, Chef Tetsuya Wakuda is clearly a name that needs no introduction in the global culinary scene.
Born and raised in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka, Chef Wakuda moved to Australia at the young age of 22, bringing with him a taste of Japan to Sydney where he would later open the world-famous Franco-Japanese restaurant in 1989. However, it was only when he launched Waku Ghin in Singapore in 2010 that Chef Wakuda started to truly explore and incorporate ingredients from Shizuoka into his cooking – an opportunity that is made possible thanks to Yuko Unno, CEO of Shizuoka Concierge, who has been tirelessly introducing Chef Wakuda to Shizuoka’s finest producers, serving as the vital link between the two.
Before we delve further into the highly revered ingredients, read on for our interview with Chef Wakuda to kick things off.
What prompted you to explore ingredients from Shizuoka when you started Waku Ghin?
Making up 80 percent of the menu, seafood is the key ingredient at Waku Ghin. As such, we have to source for the finest marine produce from around the world. About three years ago, when I was in Shizuoka, I met Yuko Unno. Having been in the business of Shizuoka tourism for around 20 years, she knows exactly who the best local producers and suppliers are, and she’s done a terrific job linking me up with them ever since.
One of the suppliers I met through Yuko-san is Naoki Maeda, who runs a seafood wholesaler as well as a family retail business. I have never met anyone like him – Maeda’s painstaking attention to detail and unwavering commitment to his craft makes him one of a kind. He practices ikejime, which is a meticulous and humane method of destroying the fish’s nervous system so as to maintain its quality and enhance its umami flavour.
What’s your fondest memory of Shizuoka?
When I was young, I used to go fishing for gobies, bring them home, and fry them tempura-style! Those childhood fishing memories are pretty special to me.
When is the best time of the year to visit Shizuoka?
Springtime, because it is when shirasu (whitebait) is in season – and I absolutely love shirasu!
Why would you recommend Shizuoka as a destination for tourists?
You will certainly have a multi-sensory experience – you get to see the allure of Mount Fuji; hear the soothing sounds of the mountain stream; smell the incredibly fresh air; feel the passion and dedication the locals put into their food practices; and, of course, taste some of the finest ingredients. It’s funny because when I lived there, I didn’t put much thought into the splendour of Shizuoka. But now that I’ve travelled around the world, it feels like I am only beginning to rediscover its beauty in recent years.
(TEXT TAN LILI PHOTOGRAPHY RAYMOND TOH/ Vinyard production)
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The Heart & Soul Of Shizuoka
When Chef Tetsuya Wakuda sings high praises about a particular ingredient, it is evidently the real deal. But the relationship between Chef Wakuda, Yuko Unno, and the following suppliers extends above and beyond a mere business transaction; what they share is a connection so genuine and deeply rooted, you know it is built for life.
Maeda is truly a master who knows how and when to prepare a fish so its umami would be fully developed by the time it arrives on my table. Impeccable timing. Shizuoka should be positively proud of having Maeda.”
Seafood
Naoki Maeda,
General Manager, Sasue Maeda
Fish dealer Naoki Maeda is at the helm of Sasue Maeda, a 60-year-old family business that boasts two arms – supply top-quality seafood like Amadai (tilefish) and Hata (grouper) sourced from Suruga Bay to F&B outlets, and also sell them at their own retail shop. And going by Maeda’s strong work ethic, it’s easy to see why Sasue Maeda enjoys a constant stream of demand from established chefs and customers alike.
For starters, the ability to tell the age and health of a fish based on its appearance and the way it breathes and swims sounds either like a superpower or a phenomenal feat. Well, Maeda is no ordinary man. Such is his esoteric knowledge of seafood that the abovementioned skill has become second nature to him! Not one to compromise on quality, Maeda and his team work remarkably hard to maintain the standards of the marine produce they prepare from the moment the catch arrives at the fish port, right down to when it is delivered to the F&B outlets. Case in point: They store the produce only in seawater, which ensures the quality of the fish – colour, texture, and flavour – stays consistent. Also, Maeda stresses that not all seafood is best served fresh; in order to optimally develop the umami in the meat, certain types of seafood have to be marinaded, while others have to be kept for hours or days before they are treated – once again, an intimate knowledge that examplifies Maeda’s dedication to his craft.
When asked what fuels his drive, Maeda says, “The fishermen whom I get seafood from are my friends. They are away from their families for months on end, risking their lives every second they are at sea to bring back marine produce of the highest quality. That’s why I hate compromising – I would not be able to live with myself knowing I had let my friends down otherwise.”
(TEXT TAN LILI PHOTOGRAPHY NORIO NAGATA, YOKO FUJIMOTO & TETSUYA ONODA)
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Aroma Melon
Tomohisa Yamashita, Owner, Yamashita Melon Farm
Branded under the name Aroma Melon, this coveted fruit is referred to as musk melon due to its intense musk-like bouquet. What sets the melons at Yamashita Melon Farm, Iwata city apart from the rest is the amount of dedication Tomohisa Yamashita (right) spends on the soil – using organic fertitiliser from Suzuki Farm (below), the melons boast a refreshingly juicy flesh, and are at once sweet and umami.
Yumesaki-Beef
Masaki Suzuki, President, Suzuki Farm
The moment we stepped into the ranch, the cows started inching towards us quietly, seemingly out of sheer curiousity. This peculiar behaviour can only translate to one thing – that the cows are relaxed around humans. Home to 750 Japanese black cows (or kuroge wagyu, the most prized wagyu) in Omaezaki city, Suzuki Farm takes exceptionally good care of its cattle to ensure the cows are living in a stress-free environment. Some examples, according to Masaki Suzuki: The ground is covered with a powdered mix of cedar wood and pine wood, which makes for great cushioning; the cows have easy access to a “salt cube”, which is made up of natural minerals and is said to improve their mental and physical health; and the ranch is installed with a cool mist spray, which cools the cows during summer. Suzuki’s careful rearing methods aimed at improving the well-being of the cows result in Yumesaki-beef, an A5-grade wagyu that is of the highest quality.
Green tea
Nobuki Mori, President and CEO, Marumo Mori
Can you recall the taste of certain teas you tried five years ago? Nobuki Mori can – and not surprisingly so. A 9th level tea examiner and the only certified tea appraiser in Shizuoka prefecture, Mori takes fierce pride in producing premier teas that cater to a wide range of consumer tastes. There are two powerful factors that contribute to his 138-year-old company Marumo Mori’s success: their expertise in sourcing quality leaves from all over Japan as well as blending flavourful teas; and their innovative use of technology and machines in the production of their teas. The gyokuro Mori specially prepares for Chef Wakuda is from a tea farm located in Asahina, Fujieda City. It is owned by a renowned gyokuro master called Mr Omura, who has received numerous awards for his exceptional tea. Gyokuro is considered the most precious and expensive among Japanese green tea. Named Hon-Gyokuro, the leaves are cultivated using an age-old method that involves shading the tea field with black plastic nets for 20 days before harvesting. This process is said to increase the levels of theanine, an amino acid that enhances the flavour of the tea.
(TEXT TAN LILI PHOTOGRAPHY NORIO NAGATA, YOKO FUJIMOTO & TETSUYA ONODA)
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Wasabi
Toshiho Miyahara, Owner, Miyahara Farm
There may be a few hundred different types of wasabi, but Miyahara Farm specialises in producing only four – one of which is used by Chef Wakuda at Waku Ghin. Now the president of the 60-year-old Miyahara Farm, located in Utougi area, the oldest wasabi valley. Miyahara shares that wasabi doesn’t grow particularly well under intense heat, hence they send the seeds to Hokkaido during summer to enable year-round harvest. Tip: Think wasabi only pairs well with sashimi? Miyahara will have you know that the Japanese horseradish goes amazingly well with wagyu beef!
Unagi-imo
Takuma Ito, Chairman, Unagi-imo Association
What do you do when you live in a city whose specialty food is unagi (eel), and whose land is suitable for harvesting sweet potatoes? You combine the two together to create an original produce, of course! Started only three years ago in Hamamatsu city, Unagiimo is the brainchild of Takuma Ito, who began experimenting with growing sweet potatoes using leftover eel as part of the fertiliser in 2009. Despite being fairly new, Unagiimo has been working with a myriad maufacturers to produce a wide variety of delicious treats, and will even be collaborating with Nori (see pg 24) at Expo Milano 2015!
Sake
Yoji Teraoka, President, Isojiman Premium Sake Brewery
“Working in this brewery is like working in a refrigerator!” The head of Isojiman Brewery wasn’t joking – the first brewery to be fully walled with stainless steel, the temperature is constantly kept between 5°C – 6°C so as to maintain the quality of their sake. This is just one of the many features that propel Isojiman Brewery into its international status as a top sake producer. Founded in Yaizu City in 1830 and the recipient of numerous awards around the world – including the gold awards at The National New Sake Awards in Japan as well as the International Wine Challenge in London – every step of the sake brewing process at Isojiman Brewery is prepared with military precision. The koji-making stage, for instance, is 100-percent handmade inside a chamber built entirely out of pine wood; even though the omission of machines prolongs the koji preparation process, this painstaking method serves to markedly enhance the fragrance of the rice.
(TEXT TAN LILI PHOTOGRAPHY NORIO NAGATA, YOKO FUJIMOTO & TETSUYA ONODA)
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