Well, once again the department store food court turns up some yummies! Paku and I bought this, I think it was from a demise (出店) from Ishikawa Prefecture, it is called ika meshi. Ika means ‘squid’ and meshi is one of several ways to say ‘cooked rice’.

Ika meshi is a simple dish in which a whole squid is stuffed with seasoned rice and cooked. The stuffed squid can be steamed or grilled, or both. To serve, the squid is simply sliced and then tare (thickened sweet shoyu) is drizzled over the top.

Like a l lot the offerings in the department store food courts, ika meshi is another yummy treat that could make a tasty, reasonably priced meal for travelers at their inn or hotel or just along the river bank.

Ika Meshi Served

Related articles
demise (出店)
tako meshi (タコ飯)

The food courts of department stores in Japan are a near other-worldly experience. The offerings are exquisite in taste and beauty and nearly boundless in regional and seasonal variation. In addition to the regular stores, there are ‘demise‘, small stands that sell a product from a different region or local, small shop and these demise change every week. Paku found some amazing narazuke from a tsukemono house in Nagoya the other day at Takashimaya Department Store. Her favorite is ginger.

Narazuke (Nara pickles), as you might guess are originally from Nara, but they are made in other regions of Japan now. Yamatoya Moriguchizuke Honke (大和屋守口漬総本家) is a long established maker of narazuke from Nagoya and they have a demise at Kyoto Takashimaya several times per year.

About Narazuke

With narazuke various kinds of vegetables are pickled in a mix of sakekasu (sake lees, what remains after pressing sake mash), mirin, sugar and salt. Narazuke requires a minimum of 1 to 3 years to make.

Narazuke, originally from the ancient capital of Nara, has a history going back at least 1,300 years! That makes narazuke even older than the ancient city of Kyoto. The typical narazuke is often so strong in alcohol content that you feel a bit drunk after eating a few bits, especially if not eaten with food. A pickle that intoxicates!

Peko has been a fan of narazuke since he first washed up in Japan, because it’s a ‘drinkin’ man’s pickle’. To connoisseurs it goes especially well with Japanese winter cuisine, rice and of course beer and sake. Paku, like a lot of gals in Japan is no fan of narazuke.

Yamatoya Moriguchizuke’s narazuke is much lighter in taste and more accessible to modern palates.

Yamatoya Moriguchizuke’s Narazuke

Moriguchi Daikon: A daikon radish reaching more than 1.8 meters in length! That’s a big one! A rare vegetable and longest daikon in the world. Originally from Osaka but now mainly grown along the Kiso River near Nagoya, this daikon is used exclusively to make this tsukemono. (see image below)
Uri: A cucumber like gourd, translated as Armenian Cucumber or Japanese gourd. A very popular spring vegetable pickled in various ways. Peko is quite crazy about anything with uri.
Ginger: Traditionally an unusual vegetable for tsukemono. This ginger narazuke was exceptional.
Baby Watermelon: Another ‘modern’ narazuke. This is Peko’s all time favorite. About the size of an egg, this narazuke is very, very soft, yet still crunchy.
Cucumber: Another classic for narazuke. Tasty.

Yamatoya Moriguchizuke ‘Demise’ Stand

Yamatoya Moriguchizuke ‘Demise’ Stand – Narazuke Offerings

The very long ones are moriguchi daikon.

Yamatoya Moriguchizuke – Narazuke

From left to right, uri (a kind of gourd), ginger and cucumber. Notice they are still covered in sakekasu paste, which has turned brown with the fermentation process.

Yamatoya Moriguchizuke – Narazuke

Left to right, moriguchi daikon, baby watermelon and cucumber.

Yamatoya Moriguchizuke – Narazuke
Moriguchi daikon and uri.

Moriguchi Daikon – a LOOONG Veggie!

This is a scan of a pamphlet distributed by the shop.
credit: Yamatoya Moriguchizuke (大和屋守口漬総本家)

Yamatoya Moriguchizuke Honke

This tsukemono house was established in the 1920′s and has been serving the Imperial Household since 1948.

Yamatoya Moriguchizuke website (Japanese language)

Honten/Main Store (Japanese language)
The honten includes a restaurant that serves many tsukemono and tsukemono inspired dishes. (We haven’t been there, but the pictures on the webpage look very good! Nouveau tsukemono cuisine!!)

Shop Locations (Japanese language)
There are many shops around Nagoya and several in the Tokyo area. Well worth checking out if you are in the area.