Food of the Gods: Discovering the Bonito Flakes of Mie
Discover everything there is to know about bonito flakes, and learn what goes into making this “Food of the Gods”!
Highlights
Sample world-class katsuobushi, aka bonito flakes
Enjoy dashi made from high-quality katsuobushi
Try your hand at shaving your own katsuobushi
Discover the importance of dried bonito flakes in Japanese cooking
10 meals
Experience Details
Mie Prefecture is famous for its high-quality food and produce. Many of the foods made here are known as “Foods of the Gods”, foods traditionally used as offerings at temples. These were given up to the kami (gods), including this katsuobushi (also known as bonito flakes). This ingredient is also widely used in Japanese cooking to make cuisine with extra umami. The bonito flakes in Mie are so renowned for their flavor that many prominent chefs have traveled to this site to sample it!
Bonito flakes, or katsuobushi, are made from skipjack tuna that has been smoked, fermented, and finely shaved into flakes. During this experience, you will step back in time and visit a traditional katsuobushi production workshop. Welcomed by warm and hospitable staff, you will enter the wooden building and immediately be surrounded by the rich, smokey scent from centuries of producing katsuobushi there. You can learn about the history of katsuobushi and the production process of this ingredient, which takes 6-months from start to finish.
After a tour of the workshop, you will sample some dashi broth made from this high-quality katsuobushi. You will also get the chance to make your very own bonito flakes! Try your hand at shaving the fish flakes using a special cutting board. To finish up this ultimate bonito experience, you will enjoy a simple yet flavorful meal that features katsuobushi. Cooked in a special pot unique to the Mie area, watch as the fish flakes move from the heat of the rice. The katsuobushi, fresh rice, and a little soy sauce combination is simple yet impactful.
Inclusions
Meal featuring rice cooked in the local Mie style, served up with freshly shaved bonito flakes
Detailed explanation of the katsuobushi making process
Guided tour of the katsuobushi workshop
Dashi tasting
Exclusions
Transportation to and from the venue
Meeting Point and Meeting Time
Meet your host at Bonito Flake Shop Tenpaku. Address: 393 Daiocho Nakiri, Shima, Mie 517-0603
Remarks
Since the inside of the workshop is very smoky, it is not recommended for small children or those with asthma
Please inform us in advance if you have any allergies
From October to May this experience is available from 11 am and 3 pm
From June to August this experience is only available at 10 am
Cancellation Policy
Cancel your booking at least 2 days before the experience start time to receive a full refund minus a 3.2% transaction fee.
Experience Location
Ise-Shima (also known as the Shima Peninsula) in Mie Prefecture is home to the famous Ise Jingu, a Shinto shrine that is one of the holiest and oldest in Japan. The area is famed for its natural beauty and resources, home to seafood like luxurious Ise lobster, and the pearl divers of Toba which you can learn about at the Ise-Shima Pearl Museum or Toba Sea-Folk Museum. The sacred Meoto Iwa “Wedded Rocks,” can be seen in the ocean in Ise City, symbolically connected by a rope.
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