Only here in Tohoku! Richly aromatic aonori (green laver) grown in Matsukawaura Bay
2023.03.09
Matsukawaura Bay, a lagoon in Soma City, Fukushima Prefecture, is a famous production area for aonori (Monostroma nitidum). From winter to spring, its surface is covered with lush green nori beds. Aonori from Matsukawaura Bay is known for its excellent aroma and texture and is popular in the local area in various dishes such as tsukudani (food boiled in soy sauce), tempura and vinegared dishes.
Preparations for the harvest begin in early September. On clear days, hundreds of nets are set up in Matsukawaura Bay. It takes three to four months for the aonori seeded on the nets to grow and become ready for harvest. Harvesting usually takes place from December to April each year, early in the morning when there is no wind. The locals aim for the timing of high tide.
Matsukawaura Bay is the only place in Tohoku region where aonori is grown. What makes the aonori harvested here so special? And how is it used locally? We spoke with “Obisuya” and “San-ei Nori Co., Ltd.”, which produce processed products such as tsukudani and dried nori.
Tsukudani brought back to life after 10 years.
Obisuya is a tsukudani processing and sales shop located on Matsukawaura Bay. They used to run a guesthouse that had been in business for over 60 years until it was hit by the Great East Japan Earthquake. The building was completely destroyed, forcing the guesthouse to close down. Mr. and Mrs. Hisata, Norio and Sachie, took on other jobs for a while, but then, they began receiving requests from people who wanted to taste “that tsukudani” again.
“That tsukudani” refers to a side dish that was served at their guesthouse. It was aonori tsukudani prepared by Norio-san’s mother and was very popular with the guests. Due to customers wanting to buy it as a souvenir, it was commercialized and sold not only at the guesthouse but also at local farmers’ markets and supermarkets. Although it was a popular product with many fans, production and sales stopped after the earthquake. Furthermore, with the passing of Norio-san’s mother, it once became a “phantom taste”.
As the 10th anniversary of the earthquake approached, calls for the revival of the tsukudani grew louder. Apparently, some people went around supermarkets with the old label in their hand, saying, “I can’t forget that taste”. The desire to make it for those who wanted to eat it encouraged the couple, and they kept making test batches in between their other jobs.
After much trial and error, recalling the “mother’s taste”, they perfected “Obisuya’s Aonori Tsukudani”.
All the steps in making “Obisuya’s Aonori Tsukudani” are done by hand. Using machines would ruin the texture of the ingredients like burdocks, carrots, squids, and aonori. Norio-san says, “The more you simmer it, the deeper the flavor becomes”.
After registering the product on the prefecture’s e-commerce site, orders came in from all over Japan, from Hokkaido to Okinawa The couple were surprised by the response, which exceeded their expectations. They received many comments such as “It disappears quickly once it’s on the table” and “I want to share it with my relatives and friends”.
One day, they received a phone call from someone in Miyagi Prefecture who said they received the tsukudani as a souvenir. The caller mentioned that they had been struggling with how to get their mother, who had lost her appetite due to illness, to eat. However, after eating Obisuya’s tsukudani, her appetite returned. Yukie-san recalled, “I was happy to realize that our tsukudani had helped someone”.
The popularity of “Obisuya’s Aonori Tsukudani” is due to the collaboration of three people: the son of Mr. and Mrs. Hisada, his friend, and a local designer. Initially, there were few sales channels and it didn’t sell well, but the three held daily discussions late into the night. They revamped the packaging and design concept and expanded sales to the local “Hama no Eki” market. Mr. and Mrs. Hisada’s willingness to “incorporate the ideas of young people” led to the establishment of the “Obisuya’s Aonori Tsukudani” brand.
Norio-san says that the aonori from Matsukawaura Bay “tastes and smells great, it’s delicious, and it’s also good for your health”. With the help of their sons, “Obisuya’s Aonori Tsukudani” also began to be sold online. Keep an eye on their aonori tsukudani, which is likely to attract even more fans in the future.
●Obisuya
Address：228 Obamahara, Soma City, Fukushima Prefecture (inside the Yamaki Suisan Factory)
Tel：0244-26-7450 (10 AM to 5:30 PM)
Aonori from Fukushima making its way overseas
There are efforts to promote Matsukawaura Bay aonori overseas. To learn more about this, we visited Mr. Koichi Tachiya of San-ei Nori Co., Ltd.
San-ei Nori Co., Ltd. is a long-established company that was founded in 1947. The company is also known for popularizing Korean nori in Japan. They manufacture and sell various products centered around nori, with their main product being “Matsukawaura Aosa”, dried aonori from Matsukawaura Bay.
According to Tachiya-san, Matsukawaura Bay aonori is appealing for its “unique, rich aroma”. The aroma is further concentrated when dried. In addition, the drying process allows it to be stored for long periods of time, which is very convenient. It is commonly used in Japanese dishes such as miso soup, but is also delicious as an ingredient in pasta and pizza. Tachiya-san mentioned that when added to ramen, “the aroma of aonori was so strong that it stood up to the rich flavor of the ramen, which was surprising”.
Tachiya-san is working on a plan to export the highly aromatic dried aonori from Matsukawaura Bay overseas. Japanese cuisine is popular around the world, and while black nori is already well known, “there may be no seaweed like aonori that is consumed globally”. He saw an opportunity in aonori’s lack of international recognition and striking flavor. Additionally, Tachiya-san’s background includes graduating from an American graduate school and having a long-standing focus on international markets. During the earthquake, Tachiya-san was in the United States and watched the situation in his hometown on live TV. At the time, I could only watch from afar, feeling frustrated. After returning home and starting work in his hometown, he always had “overseas expansion” on his mind. However, the hurdles were higher than he had imagined. They obtained internationally recognized standards to ensure the safety and reliability of their products. Finally, in 2022, they took their first steps towards exporting.
The first target is Asia, where there is a culture of eating nori, as there is in Japan. They have had buyers looking for new Japanese foods and local chefs sample their products. As a result, they say they have received strong interest from several countries. Particularly praised is the rich aroma unique to aonori. Additionally, its ability to be stored at room temperature for long periods has also received high praise. Tachiya-san says, “We hope that new value will be created in the export destinations, going beyond our ideas of what would go well with our aonori”. The technology that San-ei Nori has cultivated over many years has become a direct strength in their overseas expansion.
Tachiya-san declares, “aosa (aonori) that grows in Matsukawaura Bay is the pride of Soma”. Spreading this throughout Japan and the world will not only benefit San-ei Nori, but also the local community as a whole. He spoke passionately about wanting to use his communication skills and broad perspective gained in America to spread the pride of his hometown.
●San-ei Nori Co., Ltd.
Address：1-15-8 Okinouchi, Soma City
Tel：0244-36-2724
