JAPAN Coast-Conscious Taking Seafood into a New Era

COAST-CONSCIOUS: TAKING SEAFOOD INTO A NEW ERA

While blessed with a culinary culture that celebrates fish, seafood and seaweed, chefs in the land of the rising sun are increasingly concerned about the future viability of beloved oceanic staples and ancient coastal communities. Three chefs from Relais & Châteaux share their vision for a sustainable future.

Text Alena Eckelmann – Photos Nathalie Cantacuzino

A dish at Kashiwaya composed of seabream and tsubasu (young yellowtail) with tofu, wasabi, red sprout from Tade and oba (shiso leaf).

FISH, SHELLFISH AND SEAWEED ARE THOUGHT TO HAVE BEEN STAPLES in the Japanese diet for millennia–there is archaeological evidence for this dating back to the fourth century. Undoubtedly this reflects the nation’s 400 inhabited islands and 18,600 miles/30,000 kilometers of coast. Each year the Japanese eat over 50 lbs/23kg of fish and seafood and up to 20 lbs/9kg of seaweed per person: marine products are eaten year-round at home; at izakaya, Japan’s casual eating and drinking outlets; and as part of kaiseki, the country’s most refined cuisine. So embedded are ocean products in Japanese culture they are also offered at Shinto shrines to Japanese deities. But in recent years marine resources have come under threat from global warming, over-fishing and over-harvesting, sparking concerns about future food stocks, and the fate of both Japanese culinary tradition and ancient coastal communities. In turn, this has prompted discussion around how chefs can calm these troubled waters, spreading knowledge about how people can positively impact the health of the ocean. In 2019 our Japanese chefs pledged to work with their Korean counterparts to promote sustainable fishing. They have also publicly committed to uphold ‘Life below Water’, one of the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals.

The life-and-death dynamics of kelp: Chef Hideaki Matsuo –Kashiwaya, Osaka

Hideaki Matsuo is a keen observer of the oceanic environment and has seen how many coastal areas in Japan have suffered not just from a decrease in seaweed, but often its total disappearance. This is known as isoyake, or sea ‘desertification’. It is partly a direct effect of global warming but is also caused by expanding populations of seaweed-eating fish and sea urchins. “The harvest of wild kelp in southern Hokkaido where I obtain ma kombu has declined sharply,” he says. “In 2021, no wild kelp was harvested at all and the catch was recorded as zero.” This is a problem because Chef Matsuo uses wild ma kombu to make dashi (soup stock) and kelp rolls. He also uses hidaka kombu, another high-quality kelp, in all dishes except dashi. And while he sources seaweed such as mozuku and nori direct from fisheries, for kelp he must continue to use specialist wholesalers. “Distribution of ma kombu is traditionally very unique and different from the rest of seaweed because it is seen as precious and highly valuable,” he says. He tries to procure two-year-old kelp as it is considered to be of premium quality, whereas one-year-old kelp is regarded as second-class. Twoyear-old kelp dies once before the summer of its first year, but the kelp that grows from its remaining shoots then becomes the bigger and tastier two-year-old kelp. “In recent years, the remaining shoots from first-year kelp have been unable to withstand summer water temperatures and have died out,” he says. As a result, the price of two-year-old kelp has soared, which has helped producers’ incomes, but not halted the overall decline in their number. “There seems no way out. The type and quality of kelp in each region is unique, and local producers depend on it for their livelihoods, so the decline in resources is a direct life-and-death issue for them. I’m currently seeking a way to make dashi without using kelp, while I pay close attention not to waste any kelp in my cooking.”

NATHALIE CANTACUZINO Photographer “In my teens, I traveled to Tokyo alone and gradually fell in love with Japanese culture, including its food. Talking to the chefs, I got an insight into their food philosophy and their perception of the seasons and its ingredients.”

KASHIWAYA, Osaka, Japan

Left: “We want our small actions to have a big impact. The depletion of marine resources is something we must tackle head on.” – Chef Matsuo. Right: An arrangement of appetizers all containing seaweed. Below: In his restaurant, Chef Matsuo uses lesser-known fish such as rockfish, black scabbardfish, or a variety called kasago in Japanese.

THE TYPE AND QUALITY OF KELP AND OTHER SEAWEED HARVESTED IN EACH REGION OF JAPAN IS UNIQUE.

L’EFFERVESCENCE, Tokyo, Japan

Left: Rosy seabass and snow crab with chrysanthemum flower, taro, yuzu and wild sansho. Right: Wakame and firefly squid sasanishiki risotto. Below: “As a chef I can connect people’s consciousness and invite them to embrace ocean revitalization.” – Chef Namae, speaking at the UN’s World Oceans Day event in New York, June 2022.

Free diving to the depths of the problem: Chef Shinobu Namae –L’Effervescence, Tokyo

In addition to its role as an ingredient, seaweed is recognized for absorbing atmospheric carbon and for having the potential to regulate global warming. But scientific findings have already proved a link between higher sea temperatures and negative effects on the survival, growth and re-production of seaweed. Warmer waters also enable predators of seaweed, for example sea urchin, to be active even during winter–a crucial time for Pacific seaweed to mature. Chef Shinobu Namae wanted to observe what was happening with his own eyes and to settle the contradictory opinions he heard about the state of the ocean. “Every time I go to a fishing village I hear about a lot of change in the ocean compared to decades before,” he says. “Are we over-harvesting or are we facing the environmental effects of changing temperatures?” His solution? Training to become a free diver and setting out to the seabed to investigate for himself. What he immediately witnessed was a devastating decline of seaweed. Since then he has strived to spread the word about the damage caused, including speaking at the United Nations for World Oceans Day, in June 2022, and the opportunities to reverse the damage– which he has, happily, also witnessed in some communities. A seaweed educational workshop for children in a coastal community is typical of how he seeks to engage people with the issues. A morning dive is followed by a lecture from a biologist, then a talk with a fisher, before the group gathers to eat his seaweed-themed dishes. “Through this event we were able to provide the children with a physical and an intellectual connection with the otherwise unseen beautiful seaweed forest in the ocean,” says Chef Namae. “This experience, backed up by evidence, helped instill a sense of wonder about the coastal water world in the children. “With my cooking, I hope to spark people’s awareness and start the discussion about its importance over delicious dishes containing seaweed.The revitalization of seaweed forests and global warming just cannot be considered separately.”

Shifting seasons, changing minds: Shinichiro Takagi – Zeniya, Kanazawa

“Ten or fifteen years ago, chefs used to create menus simply with our guests in mind. Now, just considering the menu is not enough: we have to consider preserving the environment.” These days, Chef Shinichiro Takagi cannot always get the ingredients he wants. He needs abalone for his restaurant’s signature dish but sometimes it is not on sale in the market because it has not grown enough. That’s just one example– there are many others. The cause? Global warming has altered the timing of when the seasons change and, in turn, when and how oceanic biodiversity reacts, prospers or declines. “The species of seafood we can enjoy in different seasons is changing bit by bit, but over time it is noticeable,” he says. “As a chef, I have to recognize these changes and adapt my cooking and presentation.” Thinking of the menu in relation to the seasons means trips to the market, to fisheries and distributors are not just about sourcing fish and seafood but staying up to date with what is going on in the ocean. He then passes the news on to guests sitting at the counter of his restaurant. “To learn about the environment by eating good food is fun, and the memory of this experience is much stronger than any social media post,” he says. Most of his guests, for example, do not know that abalone feeds on seaweed, so when seaweed forests diminish, so do the species that depend on them. To maintain abalone stocks, modern means of harvesting them have been outlawed in favour of preserving the old ways. “Our area is well-known for abalone, and it is why guests come to Zeniya,” he says. “Abalone eats seaweed and fresh seaweed grows in spring. In our region we have a regulation that only ama-san (diving women) can collect wild abalone. The local government does not allow scuba divers with oxygen tanks to harvest abalone. This has been in place for more than 50 years.” Being so responsive to the ocean, adapting to what is available, and retaining the human touch to preserve biodiversity on the seafloor all helps ensure the future prospects of traditional communities known as satoumi, literally ‘village and ocean’, where people co-exist with the sea. The hope is they can continue to thrive for centuries to come.

Above: Chef Takagi buys sheets of kombu in Omicho Market, the local food market in Kanazawa City, where he is based. Left: “I want my menu to be good not just for the stomach but also for the mind.” – Chef Takagi.

Learn more about ocean health

Left: Chef Tagaki filters freshly made dashi with sheets of kombu and katsuobushi (bonito). Below: The final preparations of Zeniya’s signature dish. Bottom left: Abalone steak dashi sauce with Wakame seaweed and ginger.

TO LEARN ABOUT THE ENVIRONMENT BY EATING IS FUN, AND THE MEMORY OF THIS IS STRONGER THAN ANY SOCIAL MEDIA POST.

ZENIYA, Kanazawa-shi, Japan