Summer food in Japan is a tantalizing contrast between hot and cold | Eat Drink

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Skewers of ‘ayu’, a popular summer fish in Japan prized for its sweet flesh, grilled over hot charcoal. – Photos by CK Lim

TOKYO, July 13 – Snap, crackle, pop. The sound of the charcoal grill igniting and cracking fish skin. The slippery watering of cold, slippery noodles with the spiciness of umami. It’s the sound of summer coming to Japan.

Eating seasonally is a way of life in most temperate countries. Nowhere is this more prevalent than in Japan, where food has been elevated to an art and a national obsession.

In autumn when the leaves are fiery and golden, there is the sweet delicacy khaki or persimmon, eaten fresh and crunchy or dried, with a smoother bite and more intense flavor.

When the temperatures drop again, there are winter dishes like nabe, a traditional Japanese pot and bowls of shiruko (soft adzuki bean soup) to keep you warm.

Come in spring, the season of Sakura or cherry blossoms, more subtle flavors prevail: fresh bamboo shoots, simply grilled over charcoal or Takeoko gohan (bamboo rice), and sakura ichigo (literally “strawberries with cherry blossoms”) or white strawberries.

And now it’s summer in Japan.

Rather than just one scoop, summery flavors can be a tantalizing contrast between hot smoked grilled foods and refreshing chilled specialties full of juicy crunch.

Perhaps the clearest sign that summer has arrived in Japan is the sight of skewers of fish, jaws down and tails in the air, grilled over hot charcoal. Known as Yes, this small freshwater fish is appreciated for its sweet flesh. So sweet that it’s considered more refreshing than even melons!

Another popular grill item on the summer menu is Yakitori or grilled chicken on skewers. Although available year round, the summer months are when a stick of kawa (chicken skin) or reba (chicken liver) is best enjoyed with a cold beer.

Yakitori connoisseurs learn early to hit the stores early if they want to get their fill of the most wanted part of chicken, the bonjiri or chicken tail. Also known as the Bishop’s Nose, there is only one per bird so they run out quickly.

Hot from the smoky grill: 'yakitori' or grilled chicken on skewers.
Hot from the smoky grill: ‘yakitori’ or grilled chicken on skewers.

Once you’ve experienced its warm, rich, and oily taste, you’ll always make a point of never being late. The early bird gets the delicious bird’s bottom, if you allow me the mixed metaphor.

However, not all grilled foods should be enjoyed on skewers. Perhaps the most famous summer dish (at least for those of us who aren’t Japanese) is unagi or freshwater eel.

Passing by a sunny river in Japan, you can’t help but wonder if your future charcoal grill meal unagi always swims in its waters. Let it be a bowl of unadon (eel brushed with a sweet and savory sauce on rice) or unaju (premium eel fillets layered inside a jubako or traditional Japanese lacquered box), know that you will be in for a treat.

During the summer in Japan, 'unagi' or freshwater eels are caught in rivers all over the country.
During the summer in Japan, ‘unagi’ or freshwater eels are caught in rivers all over the country.
Unadon, eel brushed with a sweet and savory sauce on rice (left), and 'unaju', premium quality eel fillets in a 'jubako' box (right).
Unadon, eel brushed with a sweet and savory sauce on rice (left), and ‘unaju’, premium quality eel fillets in a ‘jubako’ box (right).

Different regions of Japan have their own summer specialties. In Kyoto, where tofu-making is an age-old craft, order a few hiyayakko or cold tofu topped with a simple soy sauce and garnished with green onions, perilla leaves or yuzu rind.

South to Okinawa, goya champuru (bitter gourd saut̩ed with tofu, meat and eggs) is considered a remedy for heat. Further north in Morioka, the capital of Iwate Prefecture, look for the famous Morioka reimen Рcold noodles garnished with kimchi, cucumber and the essential hard-boiled egg.

'Hiyayakko' or cold tofu dressed in a simple soy sauce (left).  'Goya champuru' or bitter gourd sautéed with tofu, meat and eggs (right).
‘Hiyayakko’ or cold tofu dressed in a simple soy sauce (left). ‘Goya champuru’ or bitter gourd sautéed with tofu, meat and eggs (right).
'Zaru udon' or cold wheat noodles (left).  Morioka 'reimen', cold noodles topped with kimchi, cucumber and a hard-boiled egg (right).
‘Zaru udon’ or cold wheat noodles (left). Morioka ‘reimen’, cold noodles topped with kimchi, cucumber and a hard-boiled egg (right).

Speaking of cold noodles, other ways to enjoy them include zaru udon and zaru soba (wheat and buckwheat noodles) as well as hiyashi chuka, chilled ramen noodles served with strips of ham, omelet, tomatoes and cucumber.

There is something wonderful about enjoying your zaru soba by dipping these buckwheat noodles in a dashi based sauce. The act itself seems to welcome summer in all its glory. Each loud sip is followed by a smile: satisfaction.

Savor the
Savor the “zaru soba” by dipping these buckwheat noodles in a “dashi” based sauce.

It’s time to eat something sweet to end your summer meal. Fruit is an obvious choice and the reigning summer fruit champion has to be watermelon.

Juicy and refreshing, watermelons are a popular summer gift, with a cute bow and a picnic staple where picnickers sprinkle a little salt to accentuate the flavor of the fruit.

Some kids even play a watermelon slamming game while blindfolded, resulting in a juicy and very messy piñata. But it is summer after all; there is no better time to have fun. And you can devour the mess you make, and it’s such a sweet mess too.

No surprise then, watermelons are also popular as another chilled treat – kakigori or crushed ice topped with syrup. Besides watermelon syrup, other summer flavors for kakigori include strawberry, melon and an edgy “rainbow” option.

Refresh yourself with a slice of watermelon (left) or ice cream (right).
Refresh yourself with a slice of watermelon (left) or creamy ice cream (right).

For something creamier and less icy, you can’t go wrong with ice cream. Japanese ice cream benefits from high quality local milk and cream, especially from Hokkaido.

Less sugar is generally used to retain the natural flavor of the milk, resulting in a paler scoop. Take advantage of “safe” options such as hakutō (white peach), black tea and sweet potato, but also the most unusual like ikasumi (squid ink), wasabi and sweet sake.

Whatever you choose, rest assured, summer in Japan tastes of the season itself: vibrant, joyful, and full of hope for the best to come.

For more Slice of Life stories, visit lifeforbeginners.com.

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