The Origin of HANGOBEI Grocery Store

Ltd., located in Sanjo City, roughly in the center of Niigata Prefecture, began its business as a grocer dealing in malt, fruits and vegetables, and grains in 1811 (Bunka 8), during the Edo period (1603-1868). At that time, brewing malt and controlling temperature and bacteria required a high level of technology. It is said that the origin of this business started when the first generation, Hangobei, started a business using malt called “chinkouji,” in which he received one square of rice, brewed it, and exchanged it for one square of malt. They also began making miso and pickles by utilizing the techniques of controlling temperature and bacteria cultivated in the malt-making process, and started dealing in local special vegetables as well.

Making use of technology for “delicious food for everyone, anytime

As the times changed and households stopped making their own soy sauce and miso, miso and soy sauce began to replace them, and along with pickles, became the mainstay of sales. As food became more Westernized, sales of miso and soy sauce began to decline. Then, in 2011, the flooding of the Igarashi River damaged the miso and soy sauce warehouses at the time, and that was the end of miso and soy sauce production.

Currently, the company’s main business is processed foods such as pickles.

Today, pickles and other processed foods are the mainstay of the company’s sales, but it also continues to utilize its grocery store aspect as a wholesaler of fresh vegetables for restaurants and a middleman who wholesales cut vegetables to supermarkets.

In this snowy area, there is not much variation in the vegetables available in the winter, so the company has devised a way to make a wide variety of vegetables available even during the winter season by pickling fresh vegetables in salt. Through Nojima Shokuhin’s processing technology, even those vegetables that are not widely available in the market due to their short harvest season or freshness can now be enjoyed by anyone at any time of the year.

Niigata is Japan’s largest eggplant producer. Eggplant Processing: High Technological Strength

The know-how accumulated since the company’s establishment has enabled Nojima Foods to successfully commercialize “Juzen Eggplant,” which was considered difficult to commercialize due to its poor shelf life.

In fact, Niigata Prefecture is Japan’s largest eggplant producer. Juzen eggplants for pickles are smaller than most eggplants. They are also known as “nashi nasu” (pear eggplant), and are widely loved by local residents. Nojima Shokuhin is said to be the only company in the world that handles everything from cultivation to processing.

New Products Promoting Niigata’s Attractiveness

The fresh vegetable procurement routes and vegetable preservation and processing technologies that Nojima Shokuhin has cultivated over its history as a grocer are now being developed into new products that are being sold throughout Japan.

The “Grocery Store Dressing” series was developed as a new product for the next generation of Nojima Foods in the midst of the dwindling pickle consumption market.

In order to deliver fresh vegetables to consumers nationwide, the company had to solve the inevitable problem of freshness, such as transportation time, which could not be overcome. By choosing to make a dressing, the company was able to ensure the longevity of the product and expand its sales channels. The company also decided to take the plunge, believing that the convenience of the dressing would make it easier for people of all ages to accept the product and win over more fans. The company aims to expand nationwide under the brand “Yaoya Hangobei,” named after the first generation Hangobei.

Attention to making the best use of the taste of the ingredients themselves

The lineup consists of six kinds of vegetables and three kinds of fruits. The lineup consists of three kinds of vegetables, three kinds of fruits, “Carrots under snow” whose sweetness is enhanced by wintering under snow, “Uonuma Wasabi” cultivated in the subsoil water of Mt. Echigohime” strawberries are large, high in sugar content, have a gentle acidity, and a mellow aroma. We were particular about making the most of the characteristics of the ingredients themselves. In order to bring out the original taste, aroma, and color of the ingredients, no chemical seasonings, synthetic preservatives, or synthetic coloring agents are used, and a non-heating process is employed.

As can be seen from the lineup, the company is dedicated to making people aware of the deliciousness of Niigata’s unique vegetables and fruits.

Niigata’s delicious vegetables are not available outside of the prefecture

There are many delicious vegetables in Niigata, but most of them are consumed within the prefecture. That is why they are not famous throughout Japan,” says Yusuke Nojima of the company. Perhaps due to its low name recognition, the company struggled when it first began selling the dressing, but once it was used in the first-class in-flight meals of a major airline, inquiries came in from supermarkets in the Tokyo metropolitan area, and the product gradually gained recognition.

Koshihikari is not the only underlying strength of Niigata’s agricultural products.

Niigata has a strong image as a rice-producing region, with Koshihikari and other rice varieties often hidden from view, but the variety of crops harvested in Niigata is actually quite rich. In the Edo period (1603-1867), Niigata was a port of call for the Kitamae Ship, which brought in a variety of crops from both cold and warm regions, from east, west, south, and north. With cold winters and hot summers, abundant snowmelt, and fertile land on the lower reaches of the Shinano River, there were clear reasons for the development of agricultural technology, both in terms of weather and geography. In the past, people did not understand the preciousness of something they had taken for granted for so long. Our channels for purchasing local vegetables are one of the strengths of a company with such a long history.” That is why Mr. Nojima says he wants to take this opportunity to make the taste of Niigata Prefecture agricultural products more readily available to people all over Japan.

Dressing that enhances dishes

The “Grocery Store Dressing” series can be used not only as a simple dressing for salads and other vegetables, but also for meat and fish dishes. For example, after lightly salting fried meatballs and colorful vegetables such as bell peppers, use “strawberry” as a flavor enhancer to bring out the sweetness of the meat. Also, simply sprinkle “Uonuma Wasabi” on white fish carpaccio, etc. to complete the dish. It can also be used as a sauce for sweets, such as milk pudding, and can be used in a variety of dishes. Depending on your ingenuity, your dishes will be enhanced. The flavor of the dressing can also bring out the essence of the vegetable itself. For example, the dressing for carrots under the snow removes the off-taste of the carrots and their sweetness stands out more than if the carrots were eaten as they are. Furthermore, because the original color of the ingredients is preserved, the dressing is visually vibrant.

Aiming for Further Evolution

Now, even more new efforts are underway. This is the development of products utilizing “flash freezing” technology. By flash freezing at -30°C, the cells are not destroyed and the deliciousness of the ingredients is preserved. As long as the defrosting process is carefully followed, it is possible to reproduce the taste of the product as it was before freezing. By making full use of this technology, “Yaoyahan” is striving to let people all over Japan know the deliciousness of vegetables and fruits that are familiar to Niigata residents and that they cannot usually taste, and to continue to promote the appeal of Niigata through dressings so that Niigata producers will be more energetic. We hope that you will taste the world brewed by “Gobei”.

The post Taste the deliciousness of Niigata Prefecture-grown vegetables and fruits with dressing from “Yaoya Hangobei” / Sanjo City, Niigata Prefecture first appeared on NIHONMONO.

Sake Brewery Making the Most of Abundant Water Resources

No region of Akita Prefecture is immune to snow, and this is no different in Yurihonjo City, where the Saiya Sake Brewery was founded in 1902. Yurihonjo, the largest city in the prefecture, is located along the Sea of Japan in southern Akita Prefecture, but it is also surrounded by mountains, with Chokai-san to the south and the Dewa Hills to the east. The snow in the mountains is surprisingly deep, and the melted snow, rich with nourishment from the mountains, brings abundant blessings to people’s lives. The Saiya Sake Brewery, where Toichi Takahashi, a master sake brewer who is admired by many sake lovers in Japan, is located, is also blessed with an abundant supply of high-quality water. Mr. Takahashi is a one-of-a-kind master brewer who creates excellent sake by his unique method of “no oaring and no watering,” which means that he sticks to brewing sake by the power of nature, i.e., microorganisms and yeast. In most sake brewing, oaring is used to mix the ingredients well and to accelerate the fermentation process by stirring. After the unrefined sake is pressed, water is added to adjust the alcohol content and balance the flavor and aroma.

Saiya Sake Brewery’s Specialties

The brewing process at the Saiya Sake Brewery is based on the simple principle of “brewing with only water, rice, and mash. Oar is only used for a short time during the brewing process. The rest of the time, no oar is used and no water is added. When I asked him if the lack of oar additions would, for example, prolong the fermentation process, he replied clearly, “In fact, it will shorten the fermentation period. The result is better if you let the natural convection in the tank do the work. He has stopped using oar irrigation since the day he realized this. He also does not add water for adjustment because it weakens the sake,” says Mr. Takahashi. This is because the addition of raw water, or wari water, to the finished sake can cause the sake to lose its maturity, which has been carefully calculated based on years of experience and intuition. The sake brewed in this way is somehow simple and soft, and the miracle of “deliciousness” created by the power of nature attracts people who drink it.

Akita Sake Komachi, the main rice used at Saiya Brewery, is grown by the brewer himself and by local farmers under contract. The advantage of starting with the rice is that we know what kind of rice we are going to brew with that year,” says Takahashi in a simple voice. If you have good rice, water, and koji, all you have to do is let the sake do the rest,” he says with a smile, as if asking the Zen question about sake brewing.

Letting the Sake Do the Work

The inside of the brewery is filled with a fresh, invigorating aroma. Nakada is impressed by how clean and limpid the brewery is, and the brewery ‘s sake is slowly brewed by the power of its ingredients. This process of letting the raw materials do the brewing is the secret to producing a clear, beautiful sake with a full-flavored flavor. One of the characteristics of its representative brand, “Yukino Bosha,” is that it offers a wide range of flavors from daiginjo to regular sake. Among these, the Daiginjo, the standard sake, is a gem of a sake, with a light mouthfeel and a refreshing fruity aroma. Mr. Takahashi, who has been involved in sake brewing for a long time and has trained at a number of breweries since he was a young man, says that “each brewery has its own habits. He says that each brewery has its own unique characteristics. The rice, water, and yeast used, as well as the air in the brewery and the people who work there, all contribute to the brewery’s unique characteristics. Rather than a habit, it may be more like a cosmos. Saiya Brewery’s beautiful sake is the result of Mr. Takahashi’s belief in the power of sake and his understanding of the cosmos. Today, the whispers of yeast are still playing in the tanks, awaiting the day of shipment.

read more

Asamai Sake Brewery, which focuses on sake brewing starting with rice cultivation / Yokote City, … The Yokote Basin in Akita Prefecture, known as the largest basin in Japan, is surrounded by majestic mountains and is one of the largest breadbasket regions …

read more

Ryoseki Shuzo, a long-established brewery brewed in a building designated as a national tangible … Ryozeki Shuzo” has a history dating back to the Meiji era Ryozeki Shuzo, located in Yuzawa City in southern Akita Prefecture, has a history dating back to 18…

The post Saiya Sake Brewery, brewed in its natural state by a master sake brewer who believes in the power of rice, water, and koji (malted rice) / Yurihonjo City, Akita Prefecture, Japan first appeared on NIHONMONO.

Located in Soma City, Fukushima Prefecture, a prosperous castle town, is Yamagataya Shoten, a small soy sauce and miso brewery that has been in business for about 150 years. Founded in 1863, the company has been in business under the name “Yamabun. The fifth-generation owner, Kazuo Watanabe, is the man behind this long-established business, which has been loved under the name “Yamabun. In the six years since he became the owner, he has won the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries Award, the highest award at the National Soy Sauce Competition, which has been held since 1973, four times. The name is spreading throughout the country.

Nationally Recognized Soy Sauce from the Fukushima Method

The wooden house has a time-honored charm. The storefront boasts an array of products, including shoyu, miso, koji (malted rice), amazake (sweet sake), and sagohachi (koji pickles). Hidetoshi Nakata turned his gaze toward the back of the store, following the aroma of the miso.
You also sell miso by weight,” Nakata said.
Kazuo Watanabe, the owner of the store, nodded smilingly and offered him a sample. We start with a taste of their signature product, Yamabun Honjozo Tokusen Soy Sauce. The deep, mellow umami and appetizingly savory flavor spreads in the mouth.

The process of making shoyu begins with the preparation of koji (malted rice) from soybeans and wheat. The malted rice is then used to brew the moromi, which is aged for six months and pressed to make kiage, or raw soy sauce, a labor-intensive and costly process.
In an effort to ease the burden on breweries, Fukushima Prefecture has decided to establish an integrated production system at its kiage factory. The Fukushima method of centralizing the production of namaage, pioneered in Japan, has spread to other parts of the country. Today, half of all shoyu sold on the market is made using this method.
There are various types of namaage, such as round soybeans and dark soybeans, and Fukushima Prefecture offers several types of namaage for each type. By combining them, it is possible to create a brewery’s own unique flavor.

Polished secret techniques enhance the flavor.

After the soy sauce is cooked, each brewery performs a fire-working process, which is said to be the most important step in bringing out the best of the shoyu. Mr. Watanabe takes us on a tour of the factory, explaining the ingenuity of each brewery.
The secret of adding “kaeshi” has been passed down from generation to generation at Yamagataya. The mirin (sweet sake) is boiled down, sugar and shoyu are added, and the mixture is left to simmer for 10 days before adding the kaeshi, which is added just before the temperature reaches 80°C. “Some of the brewers I know also use kaeshi,” says Watanabe. This is a unique technique that even the brewers I know have never heard of, but it adds depth of flavor and aroma to the finished product,” he says.
The process of heating the soy sauce over a period of time and then raising the temperature allows the higa, or aromatic flavor, to become more pronounced and to persist.
What kind of dishes does this shoyu go well with?
Mr. Watanabe thinks for a moment before answering, “Since it’s a shoyu from the sea, it goes well with fish,” he says. He recommends it for boiled fish such as flounder.
The color, shine, and taste are so good, and it doesn’t fall apart easily, that some professionals, including inns and Japanese restaurants, say they can’t use any other soy sauce,” he says.
In recent years, orders from all over Japan have been increasing due to the good results of the product at the competition. Mr. Watanabe’s smile is as happy as ever that the local people are so pleased with his product.
In the old days, every castle town had a brewery. In the old days, every castle town had its own brewery, and Soma used to be lined with many of them, but now it is the only one. I would like to pass on the castle town of Soma to the next generation through the taste of my hometown and its food culture of shoyu and miso.

The post Yamagataya Shoten, a soy sauce and miso warehouse that has been in business for about 150 years / Soma City, Fukushima Prefecture first appeared on NIHONMONO.