Shiso

Yoshihiko Koga

Professor Emeritus, Kyorin University; 1971 Medicine

While scent is often called the third sense in humans, its significance has not been highly evaluated. Considering our daily lives, we live buried in a flood of visual and auditory information, and we have rarely shown much interest in scent.

Recently, however, it has been pointed out that scents act on brain function and have a significant impact on cognition and emotion. Research is also being conducted to clarify such effects through the latest brain functional imaging and EEG analysis. Unfortunately, however, results for Japanese herbs are currently scarce, with the exception of a few such as Yuzu and Kuromoji.

Shiso is a modest-looking herb that can be grown in gardens or on balconies, and its role is typically as a garnish (tsuma) for main ingredients. For some time, I have held expectations that the scent of shiso activates brain function and, to put it a bit grandly, might even be useful in preventing dementia. I hope to provide physiological evidence that it improves cognitive function and help shiso transition from a supporting role to a leading one.

Ryuya Kudo

Former Proprietor of Fugado; 1974 Political Science

If I told you that every household in Naruko has been making "shiso-maki" (shiso rolls) for generations, you would surely be surprised. However, that was the case until around the beginning of the Showa era. Today, only three or four shops remain that make them while preserving that tradition. In today's busy world, they are tastier and more affordably obtained at shops than made at home. Speaking of Naruko's "shiso-maki," they were once very popular among hot-spring guests as souvenirs of Naruko Onsen, which is famous for kokeshi dolls. Over time, they gained a reputation as a local product of Tohoku and are now treated as a popular item at regional product fairs nationwide.

Let me introduce a simple recipe. Mix sesame seeds, walnuts, miso, and a little sugar, knead well, and wrap the mixture in green shiso leaves. Add chili pepper if you like, skewer three pieces, and flash-fry them in oil. When freshly fried, they are crispy, and the scent of shiso and the sweet-and-salty taste of miso fill your mouth. If you have this as an accompaniment to a meal or sake, you won't need anything else.

I hope you will all give it a try.

Masaaki Hosaka

Representative of Marukatsu Odawaraya; 1975 Law

Plums in Odawara City are cultivated mainly in the Soga Plum Grove, which is counted among the three major plum groves in the Kanto region, and boast the largest production volume in Kanagawa Prefecture. The Soga district is blessed with a warm climate and nature, with the Sakawa River nearby providing good water quality and the sea close by. Historically, plum cultivation has been carried out since before the rule of the Hojo clan, warriors of the Sengoku period, and in the Edo period, pickled plums appeared as a famous product of Odawara in the comic novel "Tokaidochu Hizakurige." Among them, the Juro Umeboshi is an original Odawara variety whose name is derived from the Soga brothers, Goro and Juro, the protagonists of the "Tale of the Soga" which also became a Kabuki play. The harvest season is from mid to late June.

Compared to general varieties, Juro Umeboshi are considered the finest variety for pickling because the fruit is thick and soft and the seed is small. Because the skin is thin and easily torn during the harvest season, they are carefully picked by hand one by one. There are two types of pickled plums: red umeboshi, which use red shiso for coloring and flavoring, and white umeboshi, which are pickled only with salt and plums. Juro Umeboshi are traditional white umeboshi that have soaked up plenty of the sun's blessings during the midsummer drying process (doyoboshi). Why not take this opportunity to compare the tastes?

Mitsuya Okubo

Associate Professor, Hokkaido University of Education Iwamizawa Campus; Vocalist; 1988 Law

Shiranuka, a nature-rich town overlooking the Pacific Ocean in eastern Hokkaido, is my hometown. In the spring, I used to spend time with nature, going to pick Siberian onion, ostrich ferns, and bracken, or going to the sea with my father to fish for saffron cod (sometimes a red fox would run off with the fish we caught...). Blessed with rich fishing grounds, the area is known for seafood such as shishamo smelt, salmon, and whelk, and in recent years, it has become known nationwide for cheese production. A particularly prominent presence in Shiranuka is the shiso shochu "Tantakatan." It was born when shiso producers began mixing shochu with juice made from shiso, and was later manufactured and sold as part of a town revitalization project. I hear it spread nationwide initially through word-of-mouth from "succhi" (meaning female cabin attendants). Shiso-based products are not limited to shochu but extend to ramune soda and soy sauce. Just before the harvest in September, the shiso fields turn the entire landscape purple. Why not visit sometime? By the way, "Tantaka" means flounder in the Ainu language.