GLOSSARY

Ainu Indigenous people of Hokkaido

ama Female divers who dive for shellfish and seaweed in waters off the easterly Pacific coast of Mie

anime Japanese animation

aonori Dried seaweed flakes

awamori Okinawan distilled liquor

ayu Seasonal freshwater fish, typically grilled whole

bata-kon ramen Hokkaido-style butter-corn ramen

beni imo Okinawan purple sweet potato

bonito/katsuobushi Oily, red-fleshed fish related to tuna/smoke-dried fillets of same fish

Bunraku Traditional Japanese puppetry

Burakumin Oppressed social minority group in Japan

butsukari-geiko Sumo training exercise where one wrestler attempts to push his opponent across the ring

cha-kaiseki Original, simple form of kaiseki multicourse meal devised to accompany the tea ceremony

chanko nabe Traditional hot pot prepared and eaten by sumo wrestlers

chikuto Fine-quality sugarcane

dai ginjo Exclusive type of sake

dankon Penis

deba Triangular knife for filleting fish

dengaku Skewered tofu coated with miso and grilled

depachika Department store food hall

dohyo Clay ring in which sumo wrestling takes place

engawa the frilly edges of a flatfish

enoki Long, thin, white mushrooms

fu Type of dough made from wheat gluten

fugu Puffer fish or blowfish

fugusashi Sliced raw puffer fish or blowfish

gaijin Outsider or foreigner

genshu Undiluted sake

goya champaru Okinawan dish featuring stir-fried bitter cucumber

gunkan maki “Battleship” sushi, where a block of rice and topping is wrapped in nori seaweed in the shape of a boat

gyoza Chinese-style dumpling filled with meat or vegetables

habu Type of snake

hamagiku White beach chrysanthemum

hamo Pike conger

hangiri Wooden rice bowl used for cooling sushi rice

hara hachi-bu Okinawan expression meaning “Eat until you are 80 percent full”

harusame Transparent noodles made from potato flour or mung bean flour

hashari Early-season crops

higuma Grizzly bear

hirami Thin-skinned flat lemon

hiyamugi Thick noodles made from wheat flour

hoko nabe Charcoal-heated samovar

honoki Non-resinous wood

ichiban dashi “Number one” basic stock infused with dried konbu seaweed and katsuobushi flakes, used as a base for many Japanese dishes, sauces, soups, etc.

ichigen-san okotowari “Entry by invitation only”

ichigo ichie “One encounter, one chance”

irabu-jiru Snake stew

izakaya Japanese-style pub-diner

jizo Statues erected as memorials to children and infants who have died

junmai ginjo sake Premium sake

kabuki Dance drama

kaiseki Elaborate, ritualistic, formal dinner of up to nine courses, inspired by the passing seasons

kaiten sushi Conveyor-belt sushi

kajimayaa Public party held to celebrate the ninety-seventh birthday of an Okinawan resident

kakiage tendon Scallop fritters (tempura)

kamaboko Fish cakes made from steamed fish paste

kami-sama Gods

kanji Chinese characters used in Japanese writing

katsuobushi Smoked and dried, fermented fillets of bonito fish, which are shaved on a special plane and used as a seasoning

katsuobushi kezuriki Upside-down carpenter’s plane used for shaving dried blocks of bonito fish

katsuramuki “Column peel”—a technique used for peeling vegetables

kimchi Korean pickled cabbage

kimo Liver of the fugu fish

kito piro Ainu mountain vegetables

kogyoku Japanese apple

koji Fermenting agent used in sake brewing, as well as to make miso and soy sauce and as a marinade/pickling ingredient

konbu (or kombu) Seaweed, dried for use most notably in making dashi; variations include rishiri konbu—konbu laid down and dried for two years to deepen its glutamate flavor; shio konbu—salt konbu; and tororo konbu—konbu soaked in vinegar, then dried and shaved

konnyaku Jelly-like substance made from the “devil’s tongue” root and used to add texture to dishes

koromo Enrobed

koshihikari Premium-quality, short-grain rice that has been dried naturally in the sun

kuidaore Osakan expression meaning “Eat till you go bust” (physically and financially)

kura-gakoi Method of preserving konbu using a temperature- and humidity-controlled drying process

kushikatsu Deep-fried breaded skewers

kusuimun Medicinal foods

kuzu Thickening agent

kyo ryori Kyoto cuisine

kyo yasai Kyoto vegetables

kyo-kaiseki Kyoto-style kaiseki

machiya Historic wooden town houses found in Kyoto

maki Sushi roll

makisu Bamboo mat for rolling maki

maoi Okinawan local “people’s banks”

matsutake “Japanese truffle”—a rare, rich, woody mushroom

mawashi Loincloth worn by sumo wresters

meishi Business card

miora MSG-laced flavoring added to rice

mirugai Geoduck clam

miso Fermented soybean paste for flavoring soups and stocks; variations include kome miso—made with rice and beans; mame miso—made with beans only; mugi miso—made with barley and beans; and sendai miso—salty miso

mushiro Method of maturing fermented soybeans for making soy sauce

mochi Japanese dessert made with rice-flour dough

modori Bonito fish, or katsuo, returning from the north in the autumn

moromi Koji mixed with brine to form the mash used in making soy sauce

mukkur Wooden Jew’s harp—a traditional Ainu instrument

nagari Late-season crops

natto Acquired taste, fermented soybean dish

negi Japanese-style baby leeks

nigari Coagulant used to make tofu

nigiri Edo, or Tokyo-style, sushi, in which body-temperature, hand-squeezed blocks of rice are topped with chilled seafood

nikiri Sushi dip made with dashi, mirin, sake, and soy

ninjitsu Technique for making nigiri that mimics the secret signal of the ninja

Nishiki Ichiba Kyoto’s main market

noren Traditional restaurant door curtain

nori Thin, dried, edible seaweed sheets used for wrapping around sushi rice

obanzai ryori Home-style Kyoto cuisine, largely vegetarian, centering on tofu and yuba

oden “Lucky-dip” stew containing any combination of tofu, meat, fish, and vegetables

oishii Delicious

okonomiyaki Japanese-style thick pancake with various fillings/toppings; variations include monjayaki—made with a runnier dough than okonomiyaki; and modanyaki—with fried noodles (yakisoba) mixed into the batter

omachi The original sake rice

omakase “I’ll let you decide” (meaning the chef will choose your meal for you)

omurice Rice-filled omelet

onsen Hot springs

o-toro The fattiest part of the tuna belly

pachinko Type of Japanese gaming machine, part pinball, part video game

ponzu Sauce made from dashi and yuzu juice

ramen Iconic noodle dish served in a meat-based broth with meat and vegetables; variations include Hakata ramen, a white, pork-bone (tonkotsu) broth; miso ramen, a thick, nutty, and slightly sweet broth seasoned with miso; and shio ramen, a clear, yellowish broth seasoned with salt

rikishi Professional sumo wrestler “strong men”

robata Open charcoal fire used for cooking

sakari Ripe-season crops

sakoku “national seclusion”

sashi Branches of fat in beef

sashimi Raw fish

senshu mizu Kyoto eggplant

shabu-shabu Boiled escalopes of beef

shiitake Chinese mushroom

Shingon Buddhism “True Word” Buddhism

shirako Cod’s sperm

shirataki Low-carbohydrate, thin, translucent noodles

shiso Leaf and flower used in salads, sushi, and sashimi dishes

shochu Japanese spirit distilled from wheat, potato, buckwheat, or black sugar

shojin ryori “Pure food”—the vegetarian cuisine eaten by Buddhists

Shokuiku Food and health education program run by the Japanese government

shoyu Soy sauce

shukubo Zen Buddhist religious hostel

soba Thin brown noodles made from buckwheat flour; variations on serving include kake-soba, noodles served in a large bowl of soup; wanko-soba, white, flour-based noodles served in mouthful-sized portions; and zaru-soba, cooked, chilled noodles served with a dipping sauce

sogi giri Technique for slicing vegetables

somen Ultrathin noodles (At a nagashi-somen restaurant, the noodles are cooked then dropped into a fast-flowing mountain river, from which diners, sitting on wooden platforms, pluck them—supposedly.)

sudachi Small, green citrus fruit similar in appearance to a lime

sukiyaki Quick-fried beef dish served with sugary, raw egg sauce

Tajima-gyu Black-haired, short-horn cows known as “Japanese blacks”

takoyaki “Octopus balls”—small doughnuts filled with octopus chunks

tamago Japanese rolled omelet

taro Edible plant root cooked as a vegetable or ground into paste or flour

tempura Deep-fried vegetables or seafood

tenkasu Cooked flour dough used for tempura

tenugui Headscarf worn by Japanese chefs

toishi Whetstone

toji Master sake brewer

tokonoma Small raised display alcove

tombi hawk Black kite hawk

tonkatsu Breaded pork cutlets

udon Thick, white flour–based noodles; variations include kama-age-udon—served with a cold dipping sauce; and kitsune udon—soft, squidgy udon noodles served in a slightly sweet dashi with deep-fried tofu skin

uimaru Okinawan social groups

ujinimun Nutritional foods

umami The fifth basic taste

umi-budo Seaweed with tiny pods arranged around edible stalks, sometimes called “sea grapes” or “sea caviar”

uni Sea urchin

ura maki Inside-out sushi rolls where rice is spread over dried nori sheets

usuba Rectangular bladed knife for cutting vegetables

Wagyu beef Japanese beef, typically tender and marbled with creamy white fat; often mistakenly called Kobe beef

wasanbonto sugar The “king of sugars”

yakuro Medicinal hunting

yakisoba Fried noodles

yanagi Sashimi knife (with only one beveled edge)

yatai Fukuokan street-cart food stall

yokozuna Highest rank in professional sumo

yoshoku Westernized Japanese cooking

yuba Tofu skin

Yubari Orange-fleshed cantaloupe

yuka Wooden platforms over water

yukata Short cotton kimono

yuta Okinawan healer

yuzu Citrus fruit resembling a small grapefruit