TRG Info and Advice

Komatsuna, a leafy, green vegetable, used to be grown around the Komatsugawa River (now Edogawa City) during the early Edo Period (17th century), so the vegetable was named after the river. Komatsuna is a nutrient-rich vegetable, containing five times as much calcium as spinach, as well as a lot of carotenes and vitamin C.

Its name means “tomorrow leaf,” because Ashitaba grows so fast that the leaves picked today will grow replacements by the following day. Ashitaba contains chalcones, which are said to have antimicrobial effects.

Along with butterbur stalks (fuki) and wasabi, Udo is one of the few vegetables native to Japan. It features subtle bitterness and a crispy texture. It is carefully cultivated over time by planting stumps in shade such as in a special dark room or semi-underground tunnel. Udo consists mainly of water, and is rich in fibre. It is also high in aspartic acid, which is said to boost metabolism.

Wasabi is harvested in small wasabi fields along clear streams in Okutama Town, the area at the Tama River headwaters. This pungent plant grown here features an exceptional fragrance and a sticky texture, so it is said to have been offered to the Shogun family in the Edo Period (17th–19th centuries).

The Nerima Daikon radish is said to have been first cultivated to serve the fifth Shogun, Tsunayoshi Tokugawa, who suffered from a disease caused by vitamin deficiency. The large ones measure as long as 80 cm – 100 cm. After the Russo-Japanese War in the early 20th century, demand for takuan (pickles made from daikon) increased and Nerima Daikon was mass-produced. Because of changing food fashion and soil damage caused by repeated cultivations, however, production sharply fell. Nerima Daikon is mainly processed into takuan pickles, and the pungent taste is perfect for grated daikon.

Okura Daikon was cultivated throughout Setagaya City until the first half of the 1970s. It disappeared briefly, as the more disease-resistant and easier-to-grow green-neck daikon (aokubi daikon) gained popularity. Farmers in Setagaya, however, began re-cultivating the crop in 1997, and production returned to full swing in 2002. Okura Daikon contains less water than green-neck daikon, so it holds its shape well when simmered. Okura Daikon is perfect for Oden stew and simmered dishes, as it absorbs the soup and flavour well.

Magome Hanshiro (half white) Cucumber is a cross between a cucumber and a gourd. The upper part is green and the colour gradates towards white at the tip. Originated from Magome Village (currently the Magome area in Ota City), the cucumber measures from 20 cm to 25 cm. Compared to most cucumbers in Japan, they are thicker and the tips are rounded. Magome Hanshiro Cucumbers taste as cucumbers should really taste, and feature a fresh and crispy texture.

Terajima nasu is small in size compared to common eggplants. The skin is relatively tough and the flesh is firm.  It can also be harvested earlier than other eggplant varieties.  The fertile soil along the Sumida River was suited for cultivating this vegetable, and so it was grown in the areas around Terajima Village (now Sumida City). After the Great Kanto Earthquake in 1928, production diminished as available farmland decreased, but it made a comeback in 2009.

In Japan, blueberries first began to be grown commercially in Kodaira City, and from here this fruit’s production spread all over Japan. Some farms are still scattered around Kodaira today, selling their fruit directly, fresh from the farm or offering blueberry picking, as well.

Ogasawara Islands boast the highest yield of passion fruit within Tokyo, which is the third largest producer in Japan (after Kagoshima and Okinawa). Passion fruit farming is spreading around the Izu Islands, and this tropical fruit is being cultivated in Hachioji City, too.

The Tokyo Ukokkei (silkie) has black-coloured meat and bones. Ukokkei’s meat and eggs have been highly valued as an ingredient of medicinal dishes in China and Korea since ancient times, and is thought to have some benefits in traditional Japanese herbal medicine, too. Tokyo Ukokkei birds are reared in various parts of Tokyo, and their eggs are sold mainly at farm shops.

Tokyo X is a kind of pig that was developed by the Tokyo metropolitan government and Live Stock Experiment Station (now Oume Livestock Center of Tokyo Metropolitan Agriculture and Forestry Research Center) in 1997, over a period of seven years starting in 1990. It is a cross between the Beijing Black, the Berkshire and the Duroc, all pigs which have high quality meat. The colour of the Tokyo X meat is pale pink, and it features high quality fat, a fine and tender texture, and juiciness.

Only four chicken farmers are allowed to raise Tokyo Shamo chicken, and that makes it a very valuable brand of meat. The meat of the Tokyo Shamo chicken features a firmer texture and less fat than others. It also has a rich, but not too heavy, taste. When used in a hot pot dish, Tokyo Shamo chicken meat makes a good broth.

Asari clams can be found in sand and mud shores along the coast of Tokyo Bay. The catch is about 200 tons per year.

Suzuki, or sea bass, is a “shusse-uo,” a fish that is called by different names as it grows larger. The body is flat from side to side, and measures about 90 cm. Often found in Tokyo Bay, they ascend to the lower parts of the rivers of Tama, Arakawa, Edogawa and others from spring until autumn. Suzuki is one of the typical kinds of fish caught in Tokyo Bay (140 tons per year). Suzuki tastes good when prepared as sashimi, sea bass meuniere, or grilled with salt and butter.

Conger measures one meter long. The yearly catch is about 800 tons. Conger is one of the most typical ingredients in Edo-style whitefish tempura, along with freshwater goby (haze) and sand borer (kisu). It is also eaten as sushi, either grilled and basted or sauce-less.