In this new episode of Explore Sustainable Japan, we discover the sustainable food and drink culture in Niigata Prefecture – a region known for its salmon, rice, and sake.
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00:00One of the best times to visit Niigata Prefecture is at the very start of salmon season.
00:06It brings a wave of excitement to riverside communities.
00:09Niigata is known across Japan for its exceptional local products like salmon, rice, and sake.
00:15And I'll be diving headfirst into its sustainable food and drink culture.
00:26My journey begins on the banks of the Okawa River in Murakami.
00:30In October, the river becomes a haven for spawning salmon.
00:33And fishermen still use a primitive technique to catch them.
00:53Every season, these wooden platforms are rebuilt and dismantled to preserve the natural
00:57environment.
00:59Salmon is intricately tied to Murakami's identity, so much so that it's often referred
01:04to as Salmon City.
01:06Murakami's salmon culture almost died out several times throughout history, but residents
01:10like Shinji Kikawa and his family fought to keep it alive.
01:25Longtime sake brewers, the Kikawa family had lived in Murakami for 15 generations.
01:30But they only entered the salmon industry after World War II, when Murakami's food habits
01:34were becoming more westernized.
01:36They practiced the traditional way of preserving salmon.
01:39Using only sea salt and the blustery winds off the Sea of Japan.
01:58The fish are hung up to mature for one month to one year, and are always handled with the
02:04respect.
02:05Nothing goes to waste.
02:18To try more of Murakami's famous salmon dishes, I visited Mr. Kikawa's restaurant, Izutsuya.
02:31The grilled skin is like a spectacle.
02:34The salmon's fins become crispy chips, and the internal organs are showcased with pride.
02:39My final dish was salmon soaked in what's perhaps Niigata's best known specialty, sake.
02:48Niigata's geography is practically made for sake brewing.
02:52The crystal clear mountain waters irrigate some of the country's finest rice paddies.
02:56I'm heading to Nagaoka City's largest brewery, Asahi Shuzo, to learn why this sake is coveted
03:02around the world.
03:04To my surprise, the master brewer suggested a walk in the park first.
03:27This entire garden overlooking the brewery was planted by Asahi Shuzo, as a solid foundation
03:32for its sake production.
03:34On a tour of the brewery, I got to see the laborious process behind each bottle.
03:39The use of machines is now standard, but human knowledge remains crucial.
03:44Mr. Moriyoshi spent three decades training to become a toji.
03:48He can tell if his sake will be good just by touching the cooked rice, or tasting the
03:52koji, a mold used in the fermentation process.
03:56Let's see.
03:57Mmm.
03:58It is a little bit sweet.
04:00You can taste the sweetness and a little bit fruity.
04:05Using different rice polishing methods, yeasts, and aromas, Asahi Shuzo can make a variety
04:09of different sakes.
04:22After getting my fill of salmon and sake, I'm relaxing at one of Niigata's 144 hot
04:32springs, or onsen, with an extraordinary backdrop.
04:35This is the perfect place to sit and reflect on my experience here in Niigata.
04:40There's a huge respect for nature here, and all of the many gifts it gives us.
04:45Nature is Niigata's lifeblood, and its residents help keep that blood pumping.