Loquat Leaf Tea (びわ茶)
Producer: Totsukawa Nojo
Prefecture: Kagoshima
Vegan, Gluten-free, Dairy-free, Soy-free
Suggested uses: Add 1 tea bag to a mug, pour in 250ml of hot water and let steep for 3 mins. You can also just add room temperature water and microwave for 1-2 mins at 600W. Try it iced or with a slice of orange for an even more refreshing drink. The tea can also be used instead of water when cooking rice, hot pot, and even curry!
Storage: Room temperature.
Specializing in all things loquat leaf, Totsukawa Nojo offers everything from traditional loquat leaf tea to tea flavored noodles and jelly, all produced with their award-winning manufacturing methods. Since the farm’s founding 20 years ago, Totsukawa Nojo has become a leading producer of loquat leaf tea and a leader in the community - involved in everything from festivals and town beautification efforts to social welfare and crime prevention.
Producer: Sowa Kajuen
Ingredients: Mandarin oranges (Wakayama Prefecture), sugar, starch, agar/gelling agent (thickening polysaccharide), vitamin C
Suggested uses: Enjoy as is. Best served cold.
Beloved for their subtle sweetness and delightfully tangy taste, mikan (mandarin oranges) are quite popular in Japan. Arita City is the largest mikan-producing region in the country and has been cultivating citrus for over 450 years. Made with 50% Arita mikan juice from Sowa Kajuen’s own orchards, this unique mikan jelly provides a rich citrus flavor with each bite. The unique and luxurious “mochi mochi” chew of the pudding is achieved using kanten (agar), a natural plant-based thickener, making this refreshing treat vegan-friendly.
Founded in 1979 by seven local mikan farmers, Sowa Kajuen makes every effort to deliver the best-tasting mikans and mikan-flavored products. The company’s dedicated farmers are involved in every step from farm to table and have received several awards from the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fishing for their practices.
Yuzu Kosho (Citrus Chili Paste) (ゆずこしょう)
Producer: Kushino Farm
Prefecture: Oita
Ingredients: Green chili peppers (Oita Prefecture), yuzu peel (Oita Prefecture), salt, yuzu juice
Vegan, Gluten-free, Dairy-free, Soy-free
Suggested uses: Use as a substitute for chili paste. Try it as a seasoning for soups (miso soup, noodle soups, etc.), grilled meat, fish, or vegetables, or add it to pasta dishes or stir-fries. It also makes a great dipping sauce for gyoza (Japanese dumplings). Try using it in the Yosenabe Hot Pot recipe available on our website.
Yuzu kosho is a versatile Japanese citrus chili paste. Seeking to replicate the nostalgic taste of their grandmother’s yuzu kosho, this yuzu kosho is made from pesticide-free yuzu, Japan’s beloved citrus fruit, which combines the tartness of lemons, the sweetness of mandarins, and the fragrance of grapefruits. Within one day of being harvested, the yuzu peel is salted and mixed with local, handpicked green chilis, then fermented for at least one year to enhance all the rich flavors.
Affectionately known as the “Village of Yuzu”, Inai Town in Usa City in Oita Prefecture produces some of Japan’s best yuzu. Kushino Farm cultivates its yuzu using organic farming methods and has received several agricultural awards for its creative yuzu products.
Nori Okaki (Seaweed Rice Cracker) (磯部おかき)
Producer: Houzenji Arare
Prefecture: Osaka
Ingredients: Glutinous rice(domestic), soy sauce (contains wheat and soybeans), nori (seaweed), starch hydrolysate
Vegan, Dairy-free
Suggested uses: Enjoy as is. Pairs well with tea, beer, or your favorite alcoholic beverage.
Storage: Room temperature.
Japan’s Ariake Sea is famous for producing high-quality nori (seaweed) that is said to be some of the best in the world. Houzenji Arare has improved upon this already incredible nori by carefully grilling it to delicate, melt-in-your-mouth perfection and wrapping it around these perfectly crisp okaki (rice crackers). The luxuriously savory aroma and taste of the nori and a touch of authentic soy sauce give these okaki a flavor similar to isobe yaki (grilled mochi (glutinous rice)).
Working closely with local farmers, Houzenji Arare has invested in their community and environment. The company’s rice crackers are made from the highest quality, locally sourced rice that is grown using eco-friendly practices to reduce the number of pesticides and impact on the natural balance of the rice paddies. Houzenji Arare believes in transparency and traceability, striving to create trust with farmers and customers alike.
(柚子すっぱいチップス)
Producer: Suki Tokusan
Prefecture: Miyazaki
Ingredients: Yuzu peel, granulated sugar, citric acid, vitamin C
Vegan, Gluten-free, Dairy-free, Soy-free
Suggested uses: Enjoy as is or chop finely and sprinkle on yogurt or ice cream. Also works well in baked goods like muffins and scones.
Storage: Room temperature.
Yuzu makes another appearance in this package, this time in delightful sweet and sour candied yuzu peels. Our producer, Suki Tokusan, artfully stews locally harvested yuzu peels in natural sugar to candy them. This balances their tartness and emphasizes their natural sweet and sour flavor.
Suki Tokusan was founded as a way to bolster the declining population of Suki, a small village in Miyazaki Prefecture located on Kyushu island. Suki Village merged with the nearby city of Miyazaki after its population fell to only 2,000 people. To revive the area and bring attention to its agricultural treasures, Suki Tokusan began specializing in locally grown produce, such as yuzu, and using them to create their own regional specialities.
Strawberry Yokan Jelly Cake (いちごようかん)
Producer: Morinoya
Prefecture: Saitama
Ingredients: Sugar, white bean paste, strawberry, maltooligosaccharide, agar
Vegan, Gluten-free, Dairy-free, Soy-free
Suggested uses: Enjoy chilled and sliced into domino-sized pieces with a cup of tea (find your favorite tea on our website or discover new ones in our Japanese Green & Specialty Tea: “Ryu” Package). It can also be thinly sliced and used in place of strawberry jam on toast or sweet bread.
Yokan, a firm jelly-like dessert, is a popular Japanese sweet typically made from red bean paste and sugar and thickened with agar, a naturally vegan-friendly gelatin derived from seaweed. This unique yokan is made with white bean paste, which has a milder, more delicate taste than traditional red bean paste. Flavored with plenty of fresh strawberries from local farms, it perfectly captures the refreshing sweet-tart taste of summer berries. Lightly sweetened with just a touch of sugar, this bite-sized jelly cake makes for the perfect not-too-sweet treat.
Specializing in yokan, a classic Japanese sweet, Morinoya works in close collaboration with local Saitama farmers and their families to source its ingredients. As interest in Japanese sweets and teas continues to grow globally, Morinoya works hard to create innovative new products, like green tea cola, and expand their line of confections with daring new flavors inspired by regional agricultural specialties.
Sudachi Citrus Ponzu (すだち ポン酢)
Producer: Shokaku
Prefecture: Hyogo
Ingredients: Fruit juice (sudachi citrus), naturally brewed soy sauce, tamari (contains soybeans and wheat), grain vinegar, mirin, katsuobushi (dried skipjack tuna), kelp, sugar
Dairy-free
Suggested uses: Enjoy with sashimi, grilled fish, poached fish, or even a seafood hot pot/shabu shabu. It can also be used in dressings and sauces. Try it in the Pan Fried Ponzu Butter Tofu Recipe included in this booklet.
Storage: Refrigerate after opening.
A specialty of Tokushima Prefecture, sudachi are a type of small, green citrus fruit often used to flavor soups, sauces, and seafood dishes. Developed by a skilled sushi chef, this unique ponzu sauce uses the bright lime-like aroma and tart zesty flavor of the fruit’s peel and juice to beautifully balance the rich savory flavors of the bonito flakes (dried skipjack tuna) and naturally brewed soy sauce.
Once only available to devoted local customers, today Shokaku’s secret sauces can now be enjoyed anywhere in the world. First developed by chef Mamoru Fujiwara in a small but beloved sushi shop located on the Itayado shopping street near Kobe, these creative condiments feature fresh, locally sourced ingredients. Fujiwara founded the shop at the age of 33, after training as a sushi chef in Osaka, and since then, the shop has remained a community favorite for over three decades.
