Bean Sprouts

Shin Watanabe

President and Representative Director, Ichibankan Tailor / 1988 Faculty of Law

At the ceremony for the awarding of the Special Keio University alumni Certificate, I asked the "Old Man" of Jiro—who was frolicking about, oblivious to the bewildered former President—about "bean sprouts."

The bean sprouts at Jiro are sourced from Nakanobuen, which has been dedicated to this path for 70 years. They are produced at Nakanobuen's Gotemba Factory. Believe it or not, those bean sprouts sitting atop a soup covered in fat and mysterious white powder were grown using the pure spring water of Mount Fuji.

"If you boil bean sprouts to 70%, then pour cold water over them, they stay crunchy. By the time you eat them, they settle perfectly in the bowl!" I couldn't take the Old Man's explanation, which sounded like that of a skilled chef, at face value. The point is simply to use cheap ingredients to bulk up the volume.

I don't think Jiro is healthy by any means, but it seems to serve as a desperate excuse for students to tell their mothers back home, "Don't worry, I'm eating plenty of vegetables."

Thirty years ago, seeing the Old Man drunkenly rampaging at the Judo Club training camp, I didn't see even a glimmer of a distinguished businessman. The secret to Jiro's great success is the gift of love from the "Obachan" (the lady of the shop) and her desire for students to eat their fill. And we must not forget Nakanobuen's commitment to their bean sprouts. It is certainly not because of that white powder.

Kiichiro Nozawa

President and Representative Director, Nosawa & Co., Ltd. / 1990 Faculty of Law

In 2011, police in Shenyang, Liaoning Province, China, cracked down on bean sprout manufacturers using toxic additives, leading to a temporary suspension of the bean sprout supply. In 2012, Chinese bean sprout manufacturers turned their attention to Japan's safe, secure, and low-cost manufacturing technology and flocked to a Japanese machinery manufacturer (Company D). Company D had exported one packaging machine to a Chinese manufacturer in the past, but after the bitter experience of seeing that machine displayed without permission, they maintained a stance of refusing inquiries from China. Although our company had no experience handling bean sprout manufacturing machinery and no prior relationship with Company D, we decided to take on the challenge in accordance with our management philosophy of "Bushido Spirit and Business Savvy." After persistent negotiations with Company D, we reached an agreement on a three-party contract including our company. The only raw materials for bean sprouts are seeds and high-quality water; they are the "honor students" of factory vegetables that can be produced by a small number of people and shipped daily. Regarding water, we repeatedly conducted well-boring surveys at various local sites and finally secured appropriate water. The facility was completed in January 2014, allowing us to deliver safe and secure Japanese-style bean sprouts.

Daisuke Inaba

Hamamatsu Mita-kai Officer / 1997 Faculty of Economics

November 11th is "Bean Sprout Day." Speaking of bean sprouts, that means "Hamamatsu Gyoza"... Having received a request based on such simplistic reasoning, I took up my pen to promote Hamamatsu, wondering if the fact that the Hamamatsu Mita-kai is in its 111th year (according to some theories) and this string of ones is some kind of fate.

Hamamatsu Gyoza, which are primarily cabbage-based and served in a circular pattern with bean sprouts on top, have become a well-established image. In reality, it varies by shop, and every citizen has their own favorite specialty store. It is not widely known, but the Hamamatsu style also involves buying them to take home and frying them yourself rather than eating at the shop. One reason Hamamatsu competes with Utsunomiya for the number one spot in consumption is the deep-rooted takeout culture.

That said, many famous shops are now so popular that long lines form. While travel remains difficult due to the pandemic, hopping between gyoza shops might be a new way to enjoy Hamamatsu, timed with the next Hamamatsu boom expected for the Taiga drama "What Will You Do, Ieyasu?" two years from now. When you do, please also try Enshu-yaki and Torii Sauce.

I look forward to the day when we can once again gather around Hamamatsu Gyoza and interact with members of Mita-kai from all over.

Kasumi Nakamura

Part-time Lecturer, Keio University Graduate School of Human Relations / 2014 Faculty of Letters, 2021 Ph.D. in Human Relations

The "Bean Sprout Festival" is a festival said to be held every Thursday at home by Yayoi Takatsuki, a character in the game "THE IDOLM@STER." This term first appeared in a talk segment on the CD "MASTER ARTIST 02 Yayoi Takatsuki," and the details of the festival were later depicted in the 7th episode of the anime version. The sight of a massive amount of bean sprouts (and nothing else!) spread across a hot plate, sizzling with Yayoi's special homemade sauce and being eaten single-mindedly, is quite impactful. However, since everyone in the Takatsuki family says it's delicious, it seems to actually be quite good.

The buzz around the power word "Bean Sprout Festival" has been significant, with inspired fans actually practicing the festival and uploading many photos and videos. Furthermore, the popular set-meal chain "Yayoiken" has mentioned the Bean Sprout Festival many times on social media due to the connection with the name "Yayoi," becoming a secret joy for fans. Why don't you all try holding a Bean Sprout Festival next Thursday?