Japanese cuisine, which is called washoku, is famous for its subtle flavors and deep association with nature – and these are the qualities for which it received UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage status. Now, some of the best Japanese chefs are working together with Fukushima Prefecture's finest producers to bring you a kaiseki menu that honors the region's superior ingredients. Prepare to embark on a food adventure that brings together masterful techniques and the bounty of Fukushima's land and sea in a memorable, authentic kaiseki experience.
The Special Bento Menu born out of the Collaboration of Fukushima Ingredients and Chefs
“The project of linking up culinary cultures: in Fukushima” Special Bento Box (Japanese Culinary Academy, Hotel Hananoyu)
This sumptuous six section bento box is a combination of eight items based on the kaiseki menu announced February 18th, filled with a variety of spring ingredients sourced from Fukushima.
【Main Fukushima Ingredients】
(Primary items based on the kaiseki menu)
Sasamaki Sushi (sushi wrapped in bamboo leaf) with Grilled eel “Fukuunagi” from Takine Town and “Heaven's Pearls” from Fukushima Long taro potatoes from Iwaki, Aizu jidori chicken meat balls, Maple salmon from Shirakawa grilled with Aizu miso Premium grade Koshihikari rice from Koriyama ASAKAMAI 887
(New menu additions)
Joban whitebait simmered in red plum, Joban shirasu white fish steamed in kama pot, Soma pickled horseradish in white soy sauce, and more.
Not on sale
A Taste of Fukushima: 45-Ingredient Locally-Sourced Musubi Bento Box (Hotel Hananoyu)
Inspired by “The project of linking up culinary cultures: in Fukushima” special bento box, this two-tiered bento box features an original menu with 45 locally-sourced ingredients from Fukushima.
【Main Fukushima Ingredients】
Joban Grilled soy-sauce pickled mackerel, Maple salmon from Shirakawa grilled with Aizu miso malt, fried Joban Mehicali(fish), pickled with Miharu herbs, jumbo Koriyama mushroom tempura, Haikara Rikkun brand Koriyama vegetables, White peach from Fukushima “Yuzora” and more.
Available for sale at Hotel Hananoyu starting March 23rd
(3,850 yen, tax included)
Hama, Naka, and Aizu Wappa Round Box (Original Round Box Meal, Traditional Japanese Cuisine, Aizu Cuisine Takino)
Taking ingredients from the kaiseki menu, such as “Fukutora” Joban tiger fugu(pufferfish), this bento box showcases the restaurant's signature round box meal.
【Main Fukushima Ingredients】
Deep fried Joban tiger fugu(pufferfish) “fukutora”, aosa seaweed tempura, grilled eel “fukuunagi” from Takine Town boiled Koriyama rape blossoms, Koriyama butterbur sprouts deep-fried white fan style, Maple salmon from Shirakawa grilled with miso and yuzu, Rice with Aizu mushroom in round box, and more.
Available with pre-order at Takino starting March 23rd
(2,160 yen, tax included)
Top-Grade Makunouchi Bento 887 (Fukumameya)
A bento box packed with enticing Fukushima grown ingredients, such as Koriyama premium Koshihikari ASAKAMAI887 rice and Aosa nori seaweed tempura. Developed in conjunction with “Ekiben Station Box Lunch Day” (April 10th).
【Main Fukushima Ingredients】
Hand-rolled tamago yaki omelet with Fukushima eggs, tempura of aosa nori seaweed from Matsukawaura, Date grilled chicken meatballs, Fukushima beef stew, Miharu fried tofu triangles, Furudono konjac balls, Koriyama's finest Koshihikari ASAKAMAI887 rice, Fukushima white peaches in syrup.
Available for sale at Koriyama Station and Tokyo Station
(limited time) starting April 1st
(1,200 yen, tax included)
For detailed sales information, please contact the respective sales operators.
Each bento box is also available at the Fukushima Prefecture Tourism and Local Products Center. For more information, please visit the Fukushima Prefecture Tourism and Local Products Center website.
The bento contents may be subject to some changes depending on ingredient procurement constraints.
Story behind the Kaiseki Menu
The skills and wisdom of the nation's top chefs come together here! Learn about Fukushima's food culture
The creation of the kaiseki menu was part of the Reconstruction Agency’s “The project of linking up culinary cultures: in Fukushima” designed to highlight the appeal of Fukushima’s local delicacies. The group's backbone consists of Kyoto ryotei owners who are also members of the Japanese Culinary Academy, a non-profit dedicated to promoting Japanese cuisine. These chefs worked hard toward the recognition of Japanese food as UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage, aiming to elevate its global prestige. In January, the team visited Soma City and other locations in Fukushima Prefecture. They gathered insights on the fisheries’ status directly from local fishermen and interchanged with chefs specializing in Fukushima's culinary traditions and seasonal offerings. This collaboration resulted in the kaiseki menu.
Kaiseki Menu Debut Event in Fukushima City Experience “A Treasure Trove of Ingredients”
Fukushima City witnessed a special event on February 18, 2024, that showcased the launch of the new kaiseki menu. Renowned chefs from across Japan, including Kyoto and Fukushima, as well as proprietors of historic ryotei establishments from Tokyo, Aichi, Niigata, and beyond, came together for this culinary presentation. Twenty culinary experts collaborated to craft the menu offerings which were then served to about 100 specially-invited guests who came from a diverse array of local sectors such as agriculture, fisheries, food and beverages, tourism, education, government, and media. Each of the 10 carefully prepared meals featured a selection of enticing ingredients sourced in Fukushima.
Attendees were impressed by the “exquisite flavors” and “familiar ingredients transformed into remarkable dishes.” Their feedback was enthusiastic. Reconstruction Minister Shinako Tsuchiya, after tasting the malt-pickled “fukutora” tiger fugu(pufferfish) remarked, “This is my first fukutora pickled in malt. It's extremely tender and has a rich taste,” she praised. Governor Masao Uchibori of Fukushima Prefecture, upon savoring the kombujime flounder, characterized the dish as having “a complexity of flavors, as though the flounder were still swimming.”
Shingo Sonobe, the vice president of the Japanese Culinary Academy and owner of the historic Kyoto ryotei, Yamabana Heihachi Chaya, played a central role in the overall development of the kaiseki menu. He emphasized the promotion of Fukushima's rich variety of ingredients, by reminiscing, “Fukushima boasts an incredible array of produce, and it was thrilling to consider how these captivating ingredients could be transformed into our dishes.”
Toru Fuseki, the esteemed Director of the Japanese Culinary Academy and President of Koshien University, and a Professor Emeritus of Kyoto University, offered his expertise in food science and nutritional chemistry to comment on the subject.
Fukushima Prefecture, third only to Hokkaido and Iwate in size, is renowned for its abundant delicacies from the sea and mountains. Local chefs with a deep knowledge of Fukushima's produce have collaborated with master chefs nationwide to showcase the region's culinary wealth through kaiseki cuisine. Rigorously tested to meet the world's most stringent standards, all market ingredients are confirmed safe. We invite you to savor Fukushima's distinctive flavors, with assurance of the food's safety and quality.
The event's kaiseki menu inspired a partnership between Fukushima chefs and the Japanese Culinary Academy, resulting in a unique bento box lunch. This bento, derived from the kaiseki selection, was revealed on March 12.