index

• Check sustainable Japanese food
• See sustainable products from all over Japan
• Conclusion

Photo gallery [15 images]

Check sustainable Japanese food

Torotuna/shirotuna, produced in Shizuoka Prefecture: protecting the ‘delicious cycle of Shizuoka’.

The blue-colored torotuna is a high-quality canned tuna exclusively from the belly of the yellowfin tuna. It is recommended to pair it with pasta, rice, or enjoy as a snack.

Shirotuna is a flake-type canned tuna made from albacore tuna that goes well with salads and mayonnaise.

From a first glance, it might look like ordinary canned tuna but actually this is where the ‘delicious cycle of Shizuoka’ starts.

99% of the canned tuna in Japan is produced in Shizuoka Prefecture. After the catch is offloaded in Shimizu Port in Shizuoka prefecture, it is moved to the processing factory in Shimizu. Instead of throwing away not suitable fish parts such as heads, tails and bones, workers transport it to the factory to dry and use as animal forage and fertilizer.

Shizuoka has been using the tuna fertilizer to grow delicious tea and oranges for a long time.

In recent years, the amount of canned tuna made in Shizuoka has been slowly decreasing due to high production costs and price competition. It negatively impacts other agricultural businesses putting the ‘delicious cycle’ in danger.

Torotuna and shirotuna were created to bring more sustainability into the ‘delicious cycle’ in Shizuoka. Hand-made in Shizuoka, these two products are famous for the unique taste and packaging. Help Shizuoka protect its ‘delicious cycle’ by purchasing it.

Growing nori seaweed protects marine ecosystem (Seto Inland Sea, off the coast of Kasaoka City, Okayama Prefecture)

Only a few farms in Japan produce a nori seaweed called genshisai. Nori is a dried seaweed, an indispensable ingredient in Japanese cuisine. Marine ecosystem plays an important role in producing delicious seaweed but due to the recent changes it is getting more and more difficult to grow seaweed. One of the essential reasons is that the nutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorus and silicon disrupt the delicate balance in marine systems. Extra nutrients can stimulate the excessive growth of plankton and cause a red tide outbreak. On the other hand, low levels of nutrients prevent nori seaweed from growing, negatively affecting marine ecosystems.

There are other problems such as global warming and changes in the river flow. Seaweed plays an essential role in building the marine food chain.Genshisai is a seaweed cultivated in the Seto Inland Sea off the coast of Kasama city, Okayama prefecture. Don’t miss this product that has been contributing to the development of the marine ecosystem for more than 10 years.

Enjoy the products sold in the store cafe

All the products introduced earlier such as canned tuna, nori seaweed, and other sustainable items are available for a purchase at the store cafe. Meals served here are made with ingredients that take into account the local ecosystem and are earth-friendly. Learn and contribute to a sustainable future through food!

Typical menu:

Rice balls

Vegetables from Kasaoka

Seaweed soup

Mulberry leaf tea

*menu is subject to change.

The bowls for the seaweed soup are made from reused dead stock and antiques. Disposable chopsticks are produced at Gujo, Gifu prefecture and contribute to the protection of mountain resources and the local environment. Most of the ingredients used in the food and beverage menu are available for a sale. Menu also contains a wide selection of beverages.

See sustainable products from all over Japan

Aside from food, there are many other sustainable products in the store.

Ryukyu Glass, eco-friendly crafts made from recycled bottles (Okinawa prefecture)

These eco-friendly crafts are produced in Okinawa from recycled bottles and glass.

Unique hand-dyed scarf

This one-of-a-kind product is created by friends of the social welfare corporation “Dai-ni Ibuki. Scarfes are dyed without using chemical dyes, and are friendly to humans and the environment.

Unique Koishiwara ware made in a climbing kiln (Fukuoka Prefecture)

Koishiwara ware features a distinctive pattern that develops while rotating on a potter’s wheel and using the edge of the blade or a brush. Unlike gas kilns, firing in a climbing kiln uses heat in a different way to create irregular patterns. As a result, all koishiwara ware is beautiful and unique, with a distinctive twist. It pairs well with any cuisine, either Western or Japanese.

Conclusion

Sustaina Station DaiDai offers a wide selection of products produced by various amazing initiatives. It is a special place that collects sustainable products from all over Japan. Visit the store to get a consultation with an English-speaking staff or watch stories about its products on Youtube.

“Click here for Youtube“

Access

Photo gallery [15 images]

View all photo >