Nobu's Japan

Japanese cuisine has become popular and is being enjoyed by many around the world today. The iconic flavor of Japanese food, umami, was discovered in 1908 by a Japanese scientist who found sodium glutamate in konbu (kelp). During the Edo period, ships that transported cargo from Osaka to Hokkaido would return loaded with konbu.

The island of Dejima in Nagasaki is the only part of Japan that was opened to foreigners and foreign trade during the Sakoku era of the Edo period (this was the Isolationist period when passage of foreigners through the rest of Japan was forbidden).

There are very few countries in this world where “fugu” (blowfish) is eaten. The reason for this is that fugu is highly poisonous and if the poison is ingested one is in danger of dying. The fugu poison is a substance called Tetrodotoxin, which is 850 times more poisonous than cyanide. Once the body is exposed to this poison, one experiences difficulty breathing followed by near certain death.

Sado Island located in the Sea of Japan is rich in natural resources. The island was the first in Japan to be placed on the list of the Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

Built in 788, Enryaku-ji (Enryaku Temple) is the head temple of the Tendai sect of the Buddhist faith. It is a massive temple, with the grounds of the temple covering the entire mountain of Mt.Hiei. The temple is considered by many to be the mother of Japanese Buddhism and this sacred site is also registered as a UNESCO World Heritage site.