00:00It's one of the many treasures of Japan, the washoku, beef, algae, sake,
00:11plunged into the fantastic universe of Japanese gastronomy,
00:15which has seduced as many amateurs as the greatest European chefs and sommeliers.
00:21The washoku is on the UNESCO list of intangible cultural heritage.
00:26Japanese gastronomy is the perfect illustration of these traditional customs
00:31that have transcended generations and of this unique spirit of respect for nature
00:36in a country where the water is omnipresent and of an exceptional quality and purity.
00:48The prefecture of Mie here, the breweries perpetuate the Shintoist tradition
00:53which considers sake as a sacred offering to the gods.
00:59In this family brewery, rice alcohol is produced by fermentation
01:03and the degree of alcohol is similar to that of wine for six generations.
01:18The secrets of a good sake, a very carefully selected rice,
01:22is that the fermentation is not too voluminous to perfectly control the process
01:26and that it is, above all, a quality water.
01:53The sake of Shimizu has received awards from all over the world.
01:57Today, it exports 15% of its production.
02:01Xavier Tuiza is the sommelier chef of the famous hotel in Crayon in Paris.
02:06He is also the best worker and sommelier in France.
02:10He has been a member of the French Association of Sake and Wine for more than 20 years.
02:15He has been a member of the Association of Sake and Wine for more than 20 years.
02:20He has been a member of the Association of Sake and Wine for more than 20 years.
02:25He has been a member of the French Association of Sake and Wine for more than 20 years.
02:31He has been a member of the French Association of Sake and Wine for more than 20 years.
02:37He is a wine from the terroir which reflects the place,
02:41the soul of the place and the soul of the one who makes it, like wine.
02:46So, sake is on the table of the restaurant in Crayon.
02:51The iodine, the seafood, the shells, the oysters,
02:55the beautiful combination, the vegetables, the bitterness,
02:58the green asparagus, especially in the spring.
03:01You can also imagine the white meat, the veal, the beef.
03:04It's great.
03:05So how do the customers react, those who discover the Japanese sake?
03:10It's always an incredible emotion.
03:12Even here in this shop, people come back to say,
03:14I tasted your sake, it was great, it was very exotic,
03:17white fish, dried rose, it's a bouquet that's fabulous.
03:20And I want to make my friends taste it.
03:25In 2017, Xavier Tuisa launched Kura Master,
03:28a competition of Japanese sake,
03:30judged by the best French sommeliers.
03:34Europe opened up to our sake, thanks to Kura Master,
03:37because it's 30% more sake imports in France since its creation.
03:42Because the consumer is reassured to see sommeliers
03:46who taste sake.
03:51JAPAN
03:55Back to Japan, this time in Gifu province,
03:58where they raise the beef of Hida,
04:00one of the most prestigious of the famous Wagyu.
04:03The animals come from a Japanese cattle breed in Black Rome,
04:06whose breeding in labelled farms lasts at least 14 months.
04:13The origin of these animals, which date back nearly a century,
04:16but also their strict breeding conditions
04:19and their rich and controlled diet,
04:21nothing is left to chance.
04:23Branded beef is something that Japanese people eat on special days,
04:28to reward themselves.
04:31Thank you very much.
04:33Thank you very much.
04:35Unfortunately, Hida beef only produces 6,000 to 100,000 tons a year.
04:41I think it's a lot less than the average production area.
04:44So I don't think many Europeans have the opportunity to get it.
04:48If you ever see Hida beef, I hope you can taste it.
04:57It's a very fine cut.
04:59It's a very fine cut.
05:02It looks pink when it melts.
05:05That's the characteristic of Hida beef.
05:07You enjoy it before you grill it.
05:10You enjoy it after you grill it.
05:12You put it in your mouth,
05:14and you enjoy the sweetness that spreads in your mouth.
05:19Hida beef has gained international notoriety.
05:22It can be found, for example, here in Jean-Yves Schillinger's restaurant,
05:25double Michelin star, in Colmar, France.
05:34The chef discovered this meat about ten years ago,
05:37and since then, it has never left his menu.
05:40I was with my father once in Japan,
05:41and it's true that this powerful taste of beef in the mouth,
05:44and especially this tenderness in the mouth, it impressed me.
05:49We see that the Japanese really gave their love and their heart to make this meat.
05:53For them, it's their national pride.
05:55They are very serious people,
05:57who have a culture that defends ours,
05:59and who respect the product.
06:03The clientele is delighted.
06:05Many are those who come here specifically for Hida beef,
06:08and the unique experience it provides.
06:11It tastes like French beef.
06:13You can taste the beef, of course,
06:15but especially the fat behind it.
06:17And it's the fat that gives this tenderness to the meat.
06:23It's wonderful, it's like butter.
06:25A taste in the mouth that never ends.
06:33Last step of our culinary adventure in Japan,
06:36this time in the province of Miyagi,
06:38on the Pacific coast of the northeast of the country.
06:41The city of Kisenuma is famous for its production of oysters,
06:45and wakame seaweed.
07:09The secret is freshness,
07:11but the role of water is also fundamental.
07:15And not just seawater.
07:34Japanese people have always been crazy about oysters.
07:37They eat up to 9 kilos a year, and by person.
07:45This is the food fiber and minerals
07:48that are in the body,
07:50so please, European people, eat them too!
08:04He is considered the ambassador of oysters in Europe.
08:07The Belgian chef Donald Deschartes
08:09runs a restaurant near Ostend,
08:11but he also organizes conferences,
08:13workshops and training courses
08:15with the aim of democratizing the quality of the oysters.
08:19There are certain nutrients in our seaweed,
08:21such as antioxidants, iodine,
08:23omega-3 fatty acids,
08:25and for me, protein is very important,
08:27that is, protein.
08:29So Donald, 15 years ago you didn't know anything about oysters,
08:32and today you say it's the food of the future.
08:34We are already too much on earth.
08:3675% of the world is water,
08:38but it is necessary that we grow and use seaweed
08:42in the future,
08:44because there are always more people on earth
08:46and less food.
08:55Hello Donald, how are you?
08:57I'm fine, great!
08:59I have a little surprise for you.
09:01I brought you some very nice oysters from Japan.
09:08The texture is delicious,
09:10especially the sugar,
09:12I really like it.
09:14The algae is a varied and complex product,
09:16qualities that the chef particularly appreciates.
09:20Seaweed can be fried to a bacon taste,
09:22that is, seaweed to truffles, olives.
09:24Seaweed can also taste like nuts.
09:26The drying process also changes the taste.
09:30So for me it's nice,
09:32as a seaweed chef,
09:34that there is a different taste.
09:36There is even seaweed in it that starts to smell like chocolate.
09:39I think it's very interesting for a seaweed chef.
09:47Sometimes simple and healthy,
09:49sometimes rich and sophisticated,
09:51Japanese gastronomy never stops surprising
09:53and seducing us.
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