SRDas, 5 months ago

#DasInYuasa #Lunch 1/3
'Grabbed' was such a poor choice of word for the fabulous lunch we had. Had seen (online) they shirasu-(whitebait)-don [over rice] besides sashimi and udon and other items so went it. All of us got the sashimi set and 2 of us opted for the shirasu add on (except raw rather than fried as on the 'set').
#Food #Japan #Travel #Wakayama

Inside of a small restaurant. The kitchen is behind a counter that leaves a narrow passage between the seats and wall behind. The picture is taken looking at the sliding door entrance from a table space past the counter
Sitting area with raised table and space underneath table to keep legs and feet.
Menu in Japanese with pictures of lunch sets. The set at the bottom left has sashimi and also fried shirasudon

SRDas, 5 months ago

#Lunch #DasInYuasa 3/3
Why not? Got some #sake as well - Nihonshu please, and said yes when the lady asked if we wanted it hot. Came in lovely water bath tokkuris with the cups as lids (is there a name for this ? @YamaguchiSake )
Good sake too! (Meant to but forgot to ask brand)
Most terrific and satisfying lunch.
Plenty of tea as well and with sake was just over 6K¥ - spectacular
Truly ごちそうさまでした。
#Japan #Food #Travel #Wakayama #Yuasa

The sake cup taken off the top to reveal a tokkuri in a cup (that is filled with hot water)
Fingers lifting rhe tokkuri out of its hot water bath container
Shirasu with (gingeted) soy poured over, atop rice with some nori shreds

SRDas, 5 months ago

After lunch we walked over - and just as we saw on the train ride, there were citrus trees , - mandarin oranges (marin) everywhere - different sizes (also a kumquat or kinkan)
Otherwise #Yuasa had fun narrow alleys with old buildings.

We went over to our reserved appointment atbthe soy sauce maker. That'll be a mini thread I'll tell you about and link to later.

#DasInYuasa #Wakayama #Travel #Japan

A big shrub, bush filled with orange kumquats
Narrow road with old wooden sided buildings
Narrow alley with grey concrete brick wall on one side and the sides of houses on the other

SRDas, 5 months ago

Catching back up here to add this mini thread 1/4 on our #SoySauce #FactoryTour at #Yuasa
I had made a timed tour reservation (via email via website) - not because of the historical reason (Yuasa town is where soy sauce started in #Japan - via kinzanji-miso, though heydays here are well past), but mainly because this place still does cedar cask (kioke) #fermentation and we wanted to see (and smell) that tradition

#Wakayama #Food #Travel
#DasInYuasa

Huge Cedar fermentation casks with metal cable and rope around
Printed sign with history of soy sauce in Japanese and English: The origin of Soy Sauce from Kinzanji-miso The birthplace of Japanese soy sauce is south of Osaka in Yuasa which is in Arida-gun Wakayama. It is said that the origin was in 1254 when Hottoukokushi (1207-1298) of Koukokuji temple of Yura (10km south-west of Yunsa) came back from the Southern Song. He had also learned how to make kinzanji miso as well. He began to propagate his knowledge of making soy sauce and how to make kinzanji miso. At present, kinzanji miso is made as a side dish for rice, by fermenting soy beans, rice, barley and several type of vegetable with salt and the other flavorings. Since the water of Yuasa was good making for miso, it was started to be made as a daily. In the process of making miso, the liquid that came up to the surface of the miso in the barrel was found to be good for cooking food. Soy sauce finally came to be brewed in various ways. This is said to be the origin of soy sauce in Japan.
Narrow poster with cartoon map and illustration of items for soy sauce production. A person is leaning forward to speak into a mobile device to translate

SRDas, 5 months ago

4/4 I won't belabor this (though Yuasa thread continues) but after the mixing, we saw other bits of the facility and then, and then (to the kids surprise!) we got to mix up and bottle our own (koji pre-inoculated) soy sauce! With instructions to aerate etc and to be filtered in a year. This took about 30+ mins
A terrific soy sauce factory tour and making experience (also ahem #homeschooling )

#SoySauce #Yuasa #FactoryTour #Wakayama #Japan #Food #Travel
#DasInYuasa

A table and stools in room. The table is set up with 4 stations with empty bottles and bags of soy sauce dry ingredients and instruction sheet
A clear plastic bottle with a brown slurry inside
Two kids sitting across a table, reading instructions and pouring and measuring water and with soy sauce ingredients in bottles in front of them

SRDas, 5 months ago

There is s quite a selection of items to get if you are so inclined (that are not in stores further away)
from various kinzanjimiso to soy and ponzu.
Even a smoked soy sauce (which I passed on, simpler to smoke my own).

#Yuasa #SoySauce
https://maps.app.goo.gl/3eo6GUketNNuefVR9

#DasInYuasa

Several shelves with rows of soy sauce (different grades/types and bottlings)
Tubs of kinzanji miso (different kinds - ume and yizu and other) on shelves
Yuasa Soy sauce sign on the road side outside theit building, and a large porcelain bottle with the Yuasa name on it.