Must Try 1: See the golden Shachihoko at Nagoya Castle
Golden Shachihoko at Nagoya Castle
Nagoya Castle is one of the most famous castles in Japan. It was built by the order of Ieyasu Tokugawa, the founder of Edo Shogunate, and was completed in 1615.
Nagoya Castle is especially famous for the golden Shachihoko (the imaginary creature with a tiger head and a fish body on its roof). The golden Shachihoko was exhibited at the World Exposition in Vienna, Austria, in 1873 as a cultural asset representing Japan.
The shachihoko is said to spit water out of its mouth to ward off fire as a guardian deity.
Golden Shachihoko outside Nagoya Castle
Sculptures with the image of a golden Shachihoko can be seen outside Nagoya Castle as well.
“Kinshachi Yokocho” (golden Shachihoko side street) is located right next to Nagoya Castle which you can see in the above photo. There are many restaurants and souvenir shops associated with Nagoya. They include Japanese restaurants for famous “Hitsumabushi” (chopped eel fillets cooked over charcoal on rice) and souvenir shops selling confectionery etc. associated with golden Shachihoko.
You can find the water dispenser in the shape of golden Shachihoko inside the Kinshachi Yokocho which supply chilled tap water to your own bottle
For more information about Kinshachi Yokocho, please see the website of Kinshachi-yokocho from here.
There is also a large art work of golden Shachihoko at Nagoya Port, although it is a bit far from Nagoya Castle.
You can buy a charm in the shape of golden Shachihoko at Wakeoe Jinja shrine.
For more information about Wakeoe Jinja shrine, please see the website of Aichi Now/Wakeoe Jinja from here.
Must Try 2: Savor unagi kabayaki by Hitsumabushi
Unagi Kabayaki
Speaking of eel, its cooking method is kabayaki. The eel is cut open and dipped in a thick sauce made of soy sauce, mirin (sweet sake), sugar, and sake (Japanese rice wine), and then grilled over charcoal.
Kanto (the eastern part of Japan) and Kansai (the western part of Japan including Osaka) regions have different cooking methods for kabayaki. In the Kanto, the eel is spread open on its back, grilled, then steamed and grilled again with the sauce. In the Kansai, the eel is opened from the belly and grilled with the sauce without steaming.
The Kanto style is generally fluffy and with slightly lighter flavor, while the Kansai style is firm and rich in flavor.
In the Kanto and Kansai regions, unagi kabayaki often served over cooked rice as “Unajyu” (unagi kabayaki over rice).
Unagi is eaten all year round, but especially on Doyo-no-ushi-no-hi (late July and early August), many Japanese make it a rule to eat unagi. The below illustration is a restaurant curtain saying Doyo-no-ushi-no-hi.
According to an anecdote, in the Edo period (1603-1867) when unagi was eaten in the fall, the owner of a unagi restaurant troubled by poor sales in the summer consulted with the famous inventor Hiraga Gennai, who advised the owner to write “Today, Doyo-no-ushi-no-hi is the best day to eat unagi,” on the restaurant curtain, and many people started eating unagi.
Hitsu-mabushi
In Nagoya, when it comes to unagi, the typical dish is “Hitsu-mabushi”. Unlike “Unajyu”, unagi kabayaki is sliced into thin strips and placed on rice in an “Ohitsu”(wooden container) for hitsu-mabushi. In addition, wasabi (Japanese horseradish), chopped nori (seaweed), chopped green onion, and other condiments are served along with dashi (Japanese soup stock) and tea etc. In addition to these ingredients, a bowl and a rice ladle are also provided.
Hitsu-mabushi is a dish in which unagi kabayaki can be enjoyed in a variety of ways. There are no strict rules on how to eat it, but the general rule is as follows:
First, dish out a small portion of unagi kabayaki and rice into the bowl out of ohitsu by the rice ladle and enjoy unagi kabayaki and rice only. Second, dish out unagi kabayaki and rice and put condiments on it and enjoy the mixed flavors of unagi kabayaki, rice and condiments. Finaly, do the same as the second, and then pour dashi (Japanese soup stock) or tea over the ingredients. You can enjoy the mixed flavors of char grilled unagi kabayaki, other ingredients and dashi followed by the mixed texture of soft unagi kabayaki, rice grain and dashi or tea. It is up to you how you enjoy the rest of the dish.
Must Try 3: Have traditional cafe meals in Nagoya
Breakfast Special
In cafes in Nagoya, there is a breakfast special called “mo-nin-gu” which came from “morning”. By ordering a cup of coffee, a piece of bread, a bowl of salad, a boiled egg etc. are provided free of charge.
Teppan Spaghetti
Another typical menu at cafes in Nagoya is “Teppan spaghetti” which is a spaghetti stir-fried with onions, green peppers, shredded ham, etc., together with tomato ketchup, and served in an iron hotplate called teppan-zara in Japanese.
Ogura Toast
We cannot forget “Ogura toast” as a representative menu in cafes in Nagoya which is a baked toast topped with red bean paste and butter. Bean paste and butter are the perfect combination. The sweetness of red bean paste goes well with the milkiness of butter.
There are variations of Ogura toast. Ogura croissant is one of the examples which can be seen in cafes as well as bakery shops in Nagoya.
Advice and Recommendations from a Native Japanese
Make Ogura pancakes at your home
Preparation of Red Bean Paste
1.Prepare 15.5oz(439g) of canned red beans and throw away the juice contained in the can.
2.Put the beans in a pot, add 6floz(180ml) of water and cook over low heat until bubbles appear.
3.When the water is gone, add 9oz(260g) of sugar a little at a time. Add a little salt if you like.
4.Remove from the heat when it is slightly soft as it becomes a little hard when the mixture cools down.
Making a Pancake
1. Prepare a frozen pancake and heat it by microwave.
2.Decorate the pancake with red bean paste, whipped cream and sliced banana. Sliced strawberry is another option to replace the banana. It is good for breakfast as well as for tea time.
Learn about the difference between Kabayaki and Teriyaki
Unagi kabayaki (grilled eel) is a favorite dish of the Japanese. Kabayaki is a cooking method to cook fish etc. after dipped in a sauce of soy sauce, mirin (sweet sake), sugar, and sake (Japanese rice wine). Japanese people like this sweet and salty taste.
When making kabayaki, eel meat is dipped in the sauce. By repeatedly dipping the eel meat in the sauce, the extract from the eel meat is dissolved into the sauce. When the amount of sauce runs low, the sauce is continuously replenished in many restaurants.
By the way, teriyaki is another Japanese cooking method. This is also a Japanese favorite, and cooking method to cook food with sauce of soy sauce, mirin (sweet sake), sugar, and sake (Japanese rice wine).
Both looks very similar, but one of the purposes of teriyaki is to glaze the food stuff (or make the food stuff glossy) with mirin for beautiful appearance. ”Teri” is luster and “Yaki” is to cook, and it is used for both fish and meat. On the other hand, teriyaki known in the U.S. represents mainly a chicken dish. Teriyaki is recognized not as cooking method but as sweet and spicy flavored sauce.
They say that kabayaki could be one of the categories of teriyaki.
Savor local foods in Nagoya
Miso-nikomi Udon
Miso is soybean paste. Miso-nikomi Udon is udon (thick Japanese wheat noodles) cooked in a miso-based soup served in a pot. The udon noodles are served boiling hot at the restaurant, so be careful not to burn your mouth when eating them.
Miso
They use Hatcho -miso. While most miso uses rice malt, soybeans, and salt soybean koji (malt) as ingredients, Hatcho miso uses soybean malt, soybeans, and salt as ingredients. Hatcho miso is aged for at least one year, and some are aged for as long as three years. Hatcho-miso is darker in color than other miso, and although it is less sweet, it has a rich, thick flavor.
The more hatcho miso is simmered, the stronger the umami (pleasant savory taste) becomes. Using this hatcho miso as a base, mirin (sweet Japanese sake), sugar, and other ingredients are combined with dashi (Japanese soup stock) to make soup.
Udon
Udon for Miso-nikomi is made with only flour and water, without salt unlike standard udon. The reason for not using salt is that the udon does not soften easily when cooked, and remains firm like al dente pasta. The udon for Miso-nikomi is not boiled before being added to the soup, but is simmered raw in the soup. Simmering the udon from the raw state thicken soup.
Since the hot miso-nikomi udon cannot be eaten all immediately, you can enjoy the change of the noodles from hard at first to soft by the end of the meal.
Donabe
Miso-nikomi udon is usually served in an Donabe (Japanese earthenware pot). Since it simmers for a while after being served, you must eat it carefully not to burn your mouth.
Some restaurants provide a small plate to take the udon and in other restaurants you use the lid of the earthenware pot as a plate to take the udon.
Miso Katsu
There are several dishes in Nagoya that use miso sauce. Miso katsu is one of them. Miso katsu is tonkatsu (pork cutlet) served with a unique sauce.
Tonkatsu are tender deep-fried pork cutlets served by Japanese-style which is breaded with flour, egg, and bread crumbs and then deep-fried in oil. It is a popular Japanese dish with the combination of the crispy texture of breaded bread crumbs fried in oil and the texture of juicy pork that is cooked just right.
The sauce is made by Hatcho miso mixed with various ingredients such as bonito soup stock and sugar etc. which suit for fried breaded pork incredibly well.
Nagoya Oden (Miso Oden)
While regular oden is clear soy-sauce based, however, Nagoya oden uses hatcho miso, which gives the soup a dark black color. The ingredients stewed in the broth also have a dark color derived from the miso. Typical ingredients are daikon (Japanese radish), egg, tofu, chikuwa (fish cake), and konjac.
Nagoya oden sometimes contains a red ingredient called akabo (direct translation is red bar). When you see it for the first time, you may be a little surprised. It is a fish paste colored pink. When stewed in miso, it turns red.
Nagoya oden has another variety which is “miso dipping type”. Oden its self is a regular oden, but it is dipped in miso sauce when eaten.
Kishimen
Kishimen is a wide, thin, flat noodle. Because of its thin shape, boiling time is shorter than for regular udon. The ingredients of Kishimen is as same as the regular udon, but the water content is higher in order to stretch it flat, making the texture less firm and the surface smooth.
The kishimen is boiled, then rinsed in cold water, and topped with hot sauce and other ingredients such as thin fried tofu and chicken.
It can also be eaten as cold kishimen with condiments such as grated ginger and chopped green onions in the summer.
Ten-musu
Ten-musu is a onigiri (rice ball) with shrimp tempura wrapped in nori (seaweed). It originated in a Japanese restaurant where the owner was so busy that he did not have time to cook lunch. His wife came up with the idea of ten-musu so that he could have a quick meal during his busy work.
For more information about onigiri, please check it from here: “2 Beautiful Japanese Foods in Boxes to Learn About” / “Bento”/”Japanese Soul Food — Onigiri”
Access Information
To Go to Nagoya Castel
5 minutes from Nagoya Castle station of subway Meijo Line
15 minutes from Higashiote station of Meitetsu Seto Line
To Go to Wakeoe Jinja Shrine
Take Nagoya City Bus bound for Kamiiida from Nagoya station for 30 minutes and get off at Kaneda-cho 5-chome bus stop, and walk 5 minutes.
