Exploring Mie: Souvenirs of Mie

「三重を知ろう」三重のお土産

2014/02/24 Monday Exploring Mie

Souvenirs of Mie
Here are some of Mie Prefecture’s most excellent items, incorporating craftsmanship skills, techniques and traditions that have been inherited from ancient masters.

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Mie Brand

The Mie Brand signifies a product of Mie Prefecture, richly endowed by nature and certified by the government of Mie Prefecture.

Pearls (Toba City )

1It is the abundance of nature in Ago Bay, the home of pearls, and human skill that produces these high quality pearls.

 

Ise tea  (Northern – Central areas)

2Marking the third largest production region of Japan, Ise tea may be characterized by its rich flavor and mild taste.

 

Traditional Arts and Crafts in Mie Prefecture

 

Yokkaichi Banko Pottery (Yokkaichi City)

3Banko pottery began its own style ever since master potters stamped on their works a wish to have their pieces passed down to future generations, forever. These teapots are very famous.

 

Suzuka ink (Suzuka City)

4Suzuka ink is loved by many calligraphers. It is said that this ink was discovered after burning pine resin.

 

Iga Kumihimo (Iga string art)

6Kumihimo are beautiful, braded cords with silk, gold, and silver threads. Most of the kumihimo in Japan are produced here.

Iga pottery (Iga City)

7Iga pottery came into the spotlight as exquisite tea utensils during the Muromachi Era (1333–1573) and Azuchi-Momoyama Era (1573–1603).

 

Ise Pattern papers (Suzuka City)

8Ise pattern paper is a beautiful paper used for dyeing kimonos, carefully engraved with carving knives.

 

 

 

Exploring Mie: Gastronomic Delights in Mie

2014/02/24 Monday Exploring Mie

「三重を知ろう」三重の美食

Welcome to the kingdom of gourmet feasting!

Mie is a haven of fresh delicacies from the sea and mountains.

Here you’ll find a dish to suit your tastes whatever they might be.

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Matoya oysters (Shima City) Mie Brand Dengaku (Iga City)
6Thanks to nutrients flowing in from three rivers, Matoya bay is abundant with plankton that are food for oysters.You may enjoy delicious, raw Matoya oysters. 7Tofu dengaku is barbecued slices of tofu with sweet miso sauce, skewered on a bamboo stick.
It is a local specialty, popular among the people of Mie.
Abalone (Ise-Shima Area) [Mie Brand] Anori-fugu (Shima City)  [Mie Brand]
8Since ancient times, abalone continues to be treasured as an offering to the gods. Woman divers, called ama, carefully catch them even now, while preserving their ecosystem as a future resource.  9“Anori-fugu” is a wild Blowfish that are more than 700 grams of body weight in the waters between the Enshu and Kumano, including the IseBay. The fish is called “Anori-fugu” because they are mainly caught around Anori fisherman’s wharf.
Tekone Sushi (Ise-Shima Area) Ise-ebi Lobster and Seafood (Ise-Shima Area) [Mie Brand]
 10This dish made with fresh-cought katsuo (bonito) seasoned with soy sauce, was created by local fishermen as a ready-to-eat sushi.  11The sweet, pink, almost translucent Iseebi Lobster melts in your mouth, and this king of shrimp is delicious used in both Western and Japanese dishes. Other excellent local varieties of seafood include oysters, abalone, red snapper, and sazae.
Matsusaka Beef (Matsusaka City) [Mie Brand] Akafuku Rice Cakes (Ise City)
 1This high-quality beef is from prime Japanese Black Angus cattle which are fattened on beer and massaged with distilled spirits in order to enhance the texture of the meat. This delicacy can be enjoyed as steak, sukiyaki, in a shabu-shabu pot, or barbecued as yakiniku.  2Akafukumochi has been popular as a specialty of the town surrounding Ise Jingu since the middle of the Edo Era (1707). It is a rice cake, called mochi, covered with plenty of bean jam that is not too sweet and with an elegant flavor.
Ise Udon (Ise City) Mehari Sushi (Kumano City)
 3This famous udon dish of Ise includes plump noodles served in a dark broth seasoned with a unique tamari soy sauce and sweet mirin(rice vinegar) and flavored with green onions and red pepper.  4Mehari are rice balls wrapped around takana (Japanese pickled vegetables). They are named after the manner you must eat this food. Mehari (wide-eyed) sushi is so big that you have to open your eyes as wide as your month to eat it.
Clams (hamaguri) (Kuwana City)
5Kuwana City is famous for Kuwana-no-yaki-hamaguri (grilled clams) since the Edo Era (1603-1867). They are a blessing from the brackish delta where fresh water from the three Kiso rivers and seawater are nicely mixed.