Mamakari dishes such as grilled mamakari with salt, fried mamakari, pickled mamakari, and sashimi (raw fish) are eaten along the coastlines of the Seto Inland Sea in western Japan.
Mamakari is said to originate from words in the local dialect for rice (mama) and borrow (kari). The pickled mamakari is so delicious that you have to go to your neighbor to borrow more rice.
The official name is Muscat of Alexandria.
It’s one of the fruits symbolic of Okayama Prefecture, which is known as the “Fruit Kingdom”.
Muscat are known as the “Queen of Fruit” because of their beautiful emerald green color and rich and sweet flavor.
Pione Grapes are a cross between Kyoho grapes and Cannon Hall Muscat grapes.
One seedless kind of Pione, called New Pione, is bred in Okayama.
Plump, seedless and sweet. These grapes are perfect in every way so they’re very popular for everybody from young children to adults.
Its color is very beautiful, and its high sugar content makes it juicy. The name Haku (white) originates from its milky white skin even after it’s ripe. Okayama's white peaches cultivated with a fine texture are the best. People often purchase and give Okayama Hakuto as a luxury gift.
Melons are grown mainly in the Ashimori area of Okayama. The farmers take good care of every single melon in special greenhouses. They have a graceful flavor and are like a treasure. One type is Muskmelon which is considered to be a top-class melon as well as Earles and Honeydew.
Sawara is a symbol of promotion, and also indicates that spring has come. It has delicious white meat, and there are various sawara dishes such as sashimi (raw fish), grilled sawara with salt, simmered sawara, teriyaki sawara, sawara soup, and vinegared sawara. It is symbolic in Okayama as a product representing Okayama’s seafood.
Okayama reminds people of Momotaro (the folktale “Peach Boy”), and Momotaro reminds people of kibi-dango. You never get bored of the sweetness of kibi-dango since it’s light and simple in a good way. In the folktale, Momoraro gave his companions (a dog, a monkey, and a pheasant) kibi-dango to fight the ogres. Once you eat it, you’ll understand why the monkey, dog, and pheasant decided to accompany Momotaro on his quest.
Nowadays, you can enjoy various kibi-dango flavors.
Bizen ware is one of the Nihon Rokkoyo (The Six Old Kilns) in Japan, and has a proud history of over 1,000 years.
The combination of clay, flame and human skill create this great artwork.
Bizen pottery may appear to be simple, but it’s deeper than you think.