Freezing tech allows luxury sushi to reach anywhere in Japan
In May, Ginza Onodera, a high-class sushi restaurant in Tokyo's Chuo Ward operated by Onodera Group, launched a service shipping sushi meals that are quickly frozen after being freshly made. The group has won bids for the first tuna of the year auctioned at the Toyosu fish market in Tokyo's Koto Ward for five consecutive years.
The restaurant has been working on the freezing method for about three years in cooperation with DayBreak, a special freezing technique developer in Tokyo's Shinagawa Ward, in order to make sushi made with tuna purchased from Yamayuki, an intermediate wholesaler in Toyosu, available for customers even in distant locations.
Artlock Freezer, a commercial freezer sold by DayBreak, "can prevent sushi toppings from drying and changing color, as it freezes them with gentle cold air from all directions," a DayBreak official said.
Ginza Onodera sells vacuum-packed frozen sushi using this technology online. Customers can store the meals in their home freezers for about two weeks after their arrival.
"The meals taste good, as water does not come out of them when thawing them with weakly running water for about 1 hour and 10 minutes," a Ginza Onodera official said.
The sushi restaurant sells a set of frozen sushi meals for ¥5,400, with 10 different kinds of fish toppings available, including those sent directly from landing ports to the Toyosu market, such as medium-fatty and lean parts of tuna from the town of Oma, Aomori Prefecture, and splendid alfonsino from the city of Katsuura in Chiba Prefecture. The toppings vary with the season.
Collaborating with a home appliance maker, Ginza Onodera is developing a microwave oven that enables short-time thawing to meet business-use demand from hotel restaurants and others.
"We've become able to thaw frozen sushi meals in a delicious way in some 5 minutes, by adjusting the microwave irradiating the sushi rice and toppings," the sushi restaurant official said, aiming for commercial use.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yomiuri Shimbun
38 minutes ago
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Iwaya Tells Rubio Japan Will Use Own Judgment to Strengthen Defense Capabilities; No Spending Figure Discussed
WASHINGTON — Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya held talks with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington on Tuesday. Iwaya told reporters after the talks that Rubio had emphasized the importance of strengthening Japan's defense capabilities. In response, Iwaya had replied that 'Japan would proceed with a fundamental strengthening of its defense capabilities based on its own judgment.' The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump has expressed its view that its allies in Asia, including Japan, need to increase their defense spending to 5% of their GDP. Iwaya told reporters that in the meeting there had been no discussion regarding a specific figure for Japan's defense spending or its share of the cost of stationing U.S. forces in the country. At the meeting, the two sides confirmed their commitment to supporting ministerial talks on U.S. tariff measures with a view to reaching an agreement that would be beneficial to both Japan and the United States. They also agreed to work closely together to further strengthen the deterrence and response capabilities of the Japan-U.S. alliance. Iwaya and Rubio also agreed to proceed with arrangements for the Japan-U.S. Security Consultative Committee meeting, a 2+2 meeting between both countries' ministers in charge of foreign affairs and defense. They exchanged views on China's activities and shared the importance of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.
Japan Times
4 hours ago
- Japan Times
Nippon Steel aiming to prove value of Japan-U.S. cooperation, chairman says
Nippon Steel Chairman Eiji Hashimoto said in a meeting with Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on Wednesday that he wants to prove the value of cooperation between Japanese and U.S. manufacturers through his company's acquisition of United States Steel. "We want to improve the quality of U.S. Steel and prove that cooperation between Japanese and U.S. manufacturers is useful," Hashimoto said at the start of the meeting at the prime minister's office, in which other Nippon Steel executives also attended. He reported to the prime minister that the takeover has been completed, and expressed gratitude for the Japanese government's support over the buyout effort. Ishiba explained that Tokyo is continuing to urge the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump to review its high tariffs, saying that Japan is calling attention to investments rather than tariffs as it advances negotiations with the United States. Nippon Steel's acquisition of U.S. Steel, made possible through a commitment for massive investments, "can be a model case for future Japan-U.S. relations," the prime minister said. "The trend of the government strengthening its involvement in the economy and business will not change," Hashimoto told reporters after the meeting with Ishiba. "I think it will continue." On Trump's dissatisfaction over automobile trade between the two countries, Hashimoto said that "there is too much focus on the competitiveness of Japanese cars in the U.S. market as (the U.S. government) places importance on the manufacturing industry."
NHK
4 hours ago
- NHK
Trump remark on Japan tariff hike may be mere threat, Japanese economist says
A Japanese economist has said that signaling by US President Donald Trump of a tariff hike on Japan is probably just a threat reflecting dissatisfaction with an uncompromising trade partner. Kiuchi Takahide, executive economist at Nomura Research Institute, spoke to NHK on Wednesday. He said the United States preferentially held talks with Japan initially to conclude a deal with Tokyo as a leading example for trade negotiations with other countries. Kiuchi added that Trump seems frustrated that Japan has conceded less than he expected in the talks so far. The economist said Trump's remark that he would force Japan to pay higher tariffs is merely a threat at the moment because if tariffs are tightened, US import prices will rise, affecting the country's economy this summer. He said if that happens, criticism of Trump's tariff policy within the US will increase, and financial markets could be thrown into confusion. As for Japanese delegates' repeatedly visiting the US for the negotiations, Kiuchi said such action can emphasize Japan's desire to reach an agreement with the US but will not necessarily lead to a deal. Kiuchi concluded that the US tariff policy will come to a standstill and the country may cut tariffs on its own in the next few months, so it would not benefit Japan to make concessions before that.
