[sitar plays in bright rhythm] (Rudy Maxa) I'm navigating the biggest city in the world that takes my way through the land of perfection.

I'm here to unravel the systems, secrets, and synergy that create the most celebrated food in the world-- Japanese cuisine.

(woman) "Rudy Maxa's World" is sponsored by Japan's Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries"-- committed to bringing authentic Japanese food products to the world.

Additional funding provided by United Airlines serving more than 330 destinations worldwide.

United-- fly the friendly skies.

(Rudy) From the hustle and bustle of Japan's capitol Tokyo, to the rugged beauty of the country's islands, I'm traveling in search of the culture behind Japanese cuisine.

Centuries of hard work, perfection, and reverence for nature have brought the world exquisite and wildly popular foods.

My quest begins in the birthplace of Edomae sushi, Tokyo, and then takes in Sapporo and its famous ramen on the wild island of Hokkaido.

And finally the culinary traditions of the lush island of Kyushu.

[rhythmic electronic dance music plays] (Rudy Maxa) Tokyo is the heart of Japan and its exquisite cuisine.

With 37,000,000 people and an uncountable number of restaurants, it's no surprise.

From the lowliest convenience store to the hautest of haute cuisine, Tokyo strives for perfection.

It's not a whim, this food fixation, it's a way of life.

It's history, it's effort, it's being the best and then getting better.

From its people to its cuisine, Tokyo is one of the most exciting cities in the world.

On previous visits, I've only scratched the surface of the culture of its food.

This time, I've got a secret weapon.

And that weapon is Daisuke Utagawa, my longtime friend and Washington, D.C. restaurateur who travels the world introducing people to food.

Daisuke.

Rudy, you made it!

And this time, I'm the lucky guy.

We're exploring Japanese culture and lifestyle through the country's cuisine.

So where are we right now?

Well, we're at Ochiai, my favorite sushi restaurant in Tokyo.

This place specializes in what we call Edomae sushi.

Edomae means in front of Edo, Edo is the old term for Tokyo.

And originally, it was the fish that was taken from the Edo Bay or Tokyo Bay.

Today it means a particular technique has gone into preparation of sushi.

(Rudy) So what will be begin with?

[Daisuke & the chef speak Japanese] What's good, what?

Well, he's got tuna, he's got what's called saori and he has what's called kohada.

(Rudy) And he's serving it as sushi?

(Daisuke) Oh yeah.

When the sushi is served, you have to eat it straight away, because from that moment on, it's going to go downhill.

That's why you should sit in front of the sushi chef.

(Rudy) I think we're in excellent position for that.

Can't get much more in front of the chef than this.

And this is the reason he's doing this place, there's only 8 seats here.

He could be serving more, but he just wants to make sure that each experience is very special and proper really.

How long do you suppose he's been a sushi chef?

[Daisuke & the chef speak Japanese] (Daisuke) 21 years.

This is tuna, it's a bit of vinegared rice, wasabi, but it's really something special.

Oh, that's the tuna, that's good.

So this is fresh wasabi he's scraping off here.

(Daisuke) Yup, not only is it fresh wasabi, it's called Mazuma wasabi, Mazuma wasabi has a lot more floral quality, and you can really tell it's a plant, it's a beautiful plant, you'll see it very soon.

(Rudy) How many people work in the kitchen for these 9 seats?

[Daisuke & the chef speak Japanese] This is just him.

Just him.

Yeah.

Runs the whole place.

That's right.

You know, he's not doing this for show, he has to kind of put an air pocket in the center, and what air pocket does is when you put it into your mouth, it makes that rice sort of fall apart.

Then you'll feel the vinegar, the vinegar goes up your nostril, and it gets so you really, really taste the fish when you chew, as you chew the fish and the rice, that sweetness of the fish will just sort of come out.

[the chef speak Japanese] Look at that!

Umm.

What kind of fish is this?

This is anago, it's sea eel.

Oh, sea eel; I love eel.

Mmmm!

See, this is poetry right here, this is like haiku.

It's simple but there's a whole universe in it.

There's a Japanese word called "kodawari," and that means the effort you put in and also the knowledge that you have of your craft to make it really good.

The pursuit of perfection-- "kodawari," new word to me.

There are all these people who are in the supply chain that have this kodawari, did their part of work, these unsung heroes, if you will, so I suggest we take a little trip around Tokyo, go see their work, and by the time we're finished, you might taste this a little bit differently.

I am perfectly ready to get my Ph.D. in kodawari.

Great, but before that, should we have some more of this?

Absolutely.

Yeah.

[speaks Japanese] [speaking Japanese] (Rudy) Our first stop, naturally enough, is the massive city of fish, Tsukiji Market.

Mr. Ochiai, whose restaurant is called Ochiai, is going to introduce us to his favorite fish mongers.

I love coming back here.

Well you know, without Tsukiji, there'd be no sushi as we see it today.

I mean, it's all about these fish mongers.

They really strive to get the best from all over the world really.

And then, they want to make sure the fish they've gotten is sold to the best guy who know how to pull it out.

(Rudy) They really care who buys it?

(Daisuke) Absolutely.

It's not just a business for them, it is their kodawari, so the work that they have done, they want to pass it on to somebody who understands it and who puts their own kodawari and then goes to the customers.

Here's our chef.

[speaking Japanese] Does the chef come here every morning?

Every morning, I mean he has to, the fish has to be fresh.

Watch out for these carts, okay, they have absolute right of way here.

When you get broadsided by one of these, you must apologize.

Do you think he generally buys all his fish from this one guy?

He goes to several places, but this is one of the places that he likes to come to.

It's all about the relationship, they know he's a very good chef, so they will sell him something very special.

(Rudy) They're pleased to have him offering their fish.

(Daisuke) Of course, yeah, because these are wild, it's not manufactured goods, sometimes you get really exceptional fish, and that, you save it for the person who can actually really bring out the goodness of it.

Well, all these fish look the same to me.

How does anybody decide which one to buy?

There's a Japanese word called mekiki, it means being able to grade just by sight, 'cause you can't eat them obviously.

But just by sight, you're supposed to be able to tell whether it's good or better or amazing.

So we're going to the clam store now.

(Rudy) Clam store it is.

(Daisuke) Yup, remember the clam we had last night?

I remember that clam from last night.

Very special clam.

(Rudy) This is the only guy who sells it.

Right?

That's right, the owner of this place is essentially a clam nut, so whenever this particular clam comes to the market, he goes straightaway, and he buys them all.

So as a sushi chef, you have to know where to go to because these are specialized people.

Right?

That's the clam king right there, and he has specially 5 kilos for the entire market, so you have to know that.

Arigato, thank you very much for your time and for your lovely dinner the other night.

[speaking Japanese] (Rudy) He's one great guy, he is a great guy.

After the frenzy of Tsukiji, it's a nice change of pace to travel to the front of Edo, the waterfront, on the ferry from Hamarikyu to Asakusa.

It's a serene trip along the waterways of a city that was once crisscrossed with canals.

Tokyo began as a fishing village and its waters teemed with all kinds of sea life.

Sure Tokyo is crowded and jumbotrons, neon, and high-rises dominate, but neighborhoods like Asakusa are among my favorites.

You can wander amongst local shopping and get a vibe for their way of life.

This is a pretty lively block.

(Daisuke) Yeah, and it's not all about high end, this kodawari.

Like this one, I mean, why is this one busier than the other ones, so on and so forth, it's also competition.

Right?

And these are clearly locals here.

Oh yeah, and it's very affordable.

The fragrance, it makes me hungry.

Are you hungry?

I'm hungry, yeah.

I am too.

In the late 1500s, a rising feudal lord named Tokugawa leyasu, established a new headquarters in a swampy fishing village on the east coast of Honshu Island.

The city he founded was called Edo, later Tokyo.

Leyasu forced samurai from across Japan to come live in Tokyo.

(Daisuke) These guys, samurais and workers, they were given a place to live, but it wasn't big enough for them to cook.

They did have money, so they would be out in the streets looking for something to eat.

And because of this, street vendors came about.

What happened was, the sushi, they wanted to sort of simplify the sushi, so these guys came out, they put together vinegared rice with fresh fish that you found on the bay and that's the beginning of Edomae sushi as we see it today.

So Edomae sushi began as street food in Tokyo.

Exactly, and rice is so important to us, the word gohan, which is rice, also means the meal.

Ah perfect.

Have some street food.

Sure, can I peel off some of those shrimp there?

That must be Edomae shrimp.

(Rudy) Rice is everything in Japan.

Back in the old days, rice was a commodity, people were taxed in rice, rice equaled wealth.

Along with the soil and the water, it takes a lot of hard work to produce great rice.

So this is the rice meister's place?

(Daisuke) That's right, you're going to know everything you need to know about rice here.

[speaking Japanese] Could you ask him how many generations the rice shop has been in the family?

[speaking Japanese] Fourth generation.

Fourth generation.

He's the third, and his son is the fourth generation.

And does the family live here?

[speaking Japanese] Yeah, he lives right here.

That is great.

Yeah, it's wonderful.

It seems like there's so many kinds of rice here, how does anyone know which one to pick?

At this point it's not so much about the best anymore, because the fact that it's here, it already means that it's in the very high level.

We have a rice meister here, he's a 5-star rice meister, which means he knows every characteristics of all these different rice, and he might blend them.

So this is the back of the store, and this is where they polish the rice.

This one is freshly polished rice.

I want you to look at each grain of rice.

You see how they're all even?

And also it's almost translucent.

(Rudy) They look like jewels, like little jewels.

(Daisuke) Absolutely.

And then the smell, well to me the important smell is that unmistakably sweet, faint, that comforting rice smell.

And the fresher the better.

[speaking Japanese] He just told me that he knows the farmer works so hard to make good rice, that he has to be part of the process and he has to make sure that he pulls the best from this by polishing it the right way.

God, this is just so comforting, especially for us Japanese, this is really the heart of Japanese food.

(Rudy) Tokyoites frequent any number of rice ball vendors called onigiri shops.

This onigiri shop is run by the son of our rice meister.

(Daisuke) With onigiri you use different toppings, either toppings or you put something in the center.

But what separates this place from other onigiri shops is how good their rice is, and what I want you to try is shio onigiri, which has no toppings, it's just rice and salt.

[Daisuke speaks Japanese] Take one, before you eat, I want you see that each grain of rice, I mean, look at that, see how glossy it is, and you can see it all apart.

That's really important, have it.

Ah!

This is the smell.

How does one eat it, right off the top?

Just like this, you bite into it like a hamburger.

Okay.

Just taste that lingering sweetness; it's still in your palate?

I mean, that sort of faint, sweet, very comforting sweetness?

That's really where it's at, I mean when I was growing up here in Tokyo, my grandmother would not let me leave a single grain of rice in the rice bowl.

And it was very difficult to work the chopsticks to take each grain off the bowl because it was quite sticky.

Right?

So after I'm done, she would pour hot water into my rice bowl and this way I can eat every single grain of it.

She said, a lot of people worked very hard to make this rice and you're not going to waste a single grain of it.

And you did what your grandmother said.

(Daisuke) Even today.

(Rudy) There seem to be a lot of family-run businesses in Japan.

(Daisuke) Yeah well, you know, if your family has been in the same business for generations, and perfected and kept working on making things better, why don't you pass it on?

It's the passing on, the kodawari to the next generation.

The next generation can even further it-- that's the whole point of Japanese cuisine.

(Rudy) The sun is setting and the neon city is coming to life.

The best time of day in Tokyo is about to begin.

One of my favorite stories involving Daisuke took place years ago in Washington, D.C. We'd gone to a movie, it let out very late, we were hungry, there was a restaurant across the street.

It was a chain restaurant, but a pretty good chain restaurant and I said, hey they have good salads there, let's go have dinner there, and he said, Rudy, you only have a finite number of meals in your entire life, you really want to spend one of them there?

And of course, we didn't.

You can bet we won't waste a meal in this city.

Sushi, yakitori, soba, tonkatsu, tempura, shabu shabu, udon-- the list goes on and on.

Lines spill into the streets and everywhere restaurants compete to be the best; to specialize in one thing and make that one thing perfect.

In 1630s, the reigning Shogun shut off contact with the outside world, and so Japan remained largely isolated for the next 200 years.

With no new materials or ideas, the Japanese set about to specialize and perfect what they had, and you can taste that perfection in every one of the traditional foods.

One of the subtle but important ingredients in sushi is the vinegar that gets mixed with the rice.

Edomae sushi uses a particular form of red vinegar.

It's made from the leaves of sake-- the residual yeast and other particles left over from sake production.

Alright, so behind me is the leaves, which is a beginning (Daisuke) That's right.

(Rudy) And this is the ending.

(Daisuke) That's right.

Ooh, that's rich, ooh!

Beautiful smell.

It really, this is like elixir of vinegar.

Lot of umami.

Wow!

A lot of umami.

Yeah, a lot of flavor, exactly.

(Rudy) We've traced the source of the fish, the rice, and the vinegar and witnessed the kodawari of the unsung heroes in action.

Now we head to the countryside in search of the final ingredient, wasabi.

A couple of hours' drive outside of Tokyo, on the lush Izu Peninsula, wasabi farmers cultivate this fickle plant.

Wasabi is in the same plant family as horseradish and mustard.

It's harvested year 'round, but spring wasabi is the best and most flavorful.

It takes a ton of kodawari to nurture these slow-growing plants.

(Daisuke) This is some major irrigation work.

(Rudy) It's very, very impressive.

Is it difficult to grow wasabi?

[man speaks Japanese] (Daisuke) Well he's being very modest, he's saying it's really working with the nature or sometimes fighting with the nature, so I wouldn't say it's easy.

The most important thing about wasabi farm is actually the water and certain quality of water.

(Rudy) It seems it has to be moving as well.

(Daisuke) All the time; essentially we're sitting on a creek.

Number 2 is the environment, that includes actually the farm that he actually made, and the third important part is human work.

His work.

(Daisuke) His work.

He's a fourth generation.

Oh my goodness.

He's been doing it for 10 years himself, but it came all the way from his great grandfather.

(Rudy) So this is a mature plant, Daisuke?

(Daisuke) Yeah, 2 years.

(Rudy) Right, and this is a particular kind.

How do you pronounce it, mazu...?

(Daisuke) Mazuma wasabi.

(Rudy) Mazuma wasabi; it's a particular kind of wasabi.

(Daisuke) Well, it's considered the best wasabi.

(Rudy) Is it time to taste the real thing?

(Daisuke) I sure hope so, I can't wait.

This is sharkskin.

(Rudy) That's sharkskin on there?

Have to get one of these.

[speaking Japanese] Oh!

Take a little bit and-- oh come on, pick it up, there we go.

Is that too much?

No, that's... More, more.

Like so?

Yeah.

[coughs slightly] Wow!

That is wasabi.

Whoo, and right to the top of the head.

It's beautiful, the flavor is great.

Oh my god.

Thank you so much Mr. Asada, that is-- it's good?

[Rudy & Daisuke laugh] [Rudy & Daisuke laugh] He's faking it, he's used to it.

Daisuke says that knowledge informs the palate, and it's true.

I can really discern now the flash of vinegar flavor on each glossy, hard-earned grain of rice, the fish that the fish monger only sells to someone who understands it, and the spark of wasabi that comes from the Izu Peninsula.

I've always loved sushi, but now that I understand the kodawari behind each element, I'll never eat sushi the same way.

So that was terrific.

It was, wasn't it?

So now you've taken this sushi journey around Tokyo-- what do you really taste?

Well, I taste the sea, I taste earth, I taste the rivers, I taste human pride.

That's haiku right there.

I've been telling you, sushi is poetry and frankly, I'd like to have some more.

We can do that.

Right on time.

(Rudy) Arigato.

From Tokyo we journey to the island of Hokkaido for a steaming bowl of ramen and much more.

(Rudy) Enormous national parks, dense forest, and rugged coastline-- this is Japan's wild, untamed island.

Volcanoes puff, and hot springs bubble under a layer of pure white snow.

Hokkaido is Japan's frontier, a mountainous, remote island largely unknown to the Japanese people until the 1800s.

These days, people from all over flock here for the powdery snow, the hot spring resorts, and the celebrated cuisine.

There are more than 100 volcanoes in Japan, 10% of all the active volcanoes in the world, so it's no surprise the ground is constantly bubbling.

Hokkaido is the hot spring or onsen capital of Japan.

Daisuke is leading me on an epicurean excursion into this wild land, but the first stop is an onsen.

Daisuke tells me it's the only way to begin a trip here.

Arigato.

Welcome to my Hokkaido, Rudy.

Good beginning.

Yeah well, big nature, big food.

As a matter of fact, Hokkaido is the breadbasket of Japan.

(Rudy) Really?

(Daisuke) Yeah, adding to that, plenty of fish because of the ocean currents, and they're delicious also.

And Sapporo ramen, of course.

(Rudy) I gather a lot of these onsens in this region?

There are plenty.

This is one of my favorite ones.

Did you arrange for this lovely, light spring snowfall?

As a matter of fact, I did.

It did cost a pretty penny, but for you, why not?

It works.

I love the snow.

(Rudy) Out of the bath into the frying pan.

Sapporo: Capitol.

Population: around 2 million.

Its pastime: ramen.

There are hundreds of ramen shops in this city.

People support their ramen like a baseball team.

Are people in Sapporo as crazy about ramen as I understand they are?

Yeah.

It's part of their identity.

Actually, all 3rd-grade students are taken to noodle factory.

as a field trip?

Yeah.

This is where I would have liked to have gone to the 3rd grade.

(Daisuke) Me too.

Daisuke's favorite ramen shop is outside of the city proper.

The chef at Oshou is a genuine shokunin, Daisuke tells me.

Shokunin means artisan or craftsman, but there's a lot more to it, the deeper meaning.

(Daisuke) This is the owner, and this is his next generation.

Oh my goodness, his son!

You're both the chefs.

They're both the chefs.

That's right.

All right.

Should we have some ramen.

I think that's a great idea.

Let's go sit over there then.

[Daisuke speaks Japanese] (Rudy) The shokunin feels both a spiritual and social obligation to prepare the food for us.

He respects the material.

He pays very precise attention to the ingredients.

It's a way to respect all the producers-- the flour mill workers; noodle makers; the farmer who grows the vegetables for the toppings.

They are the unsung heroes of Japanese cuisine.

(Daisuke) Oh, ho-ho!

Look at that!

[speaks Japanese] (Rudy) Arigato.

This is beautiful!

(Daisuke) Smell this.

Oh my god!

(Rudy) It's very, very rich.

(Daisuke) Oh yeah!

(Rudy) So tell me about this ramen.

No no no, Rudy.

Wait.

We eat first.

It's all about you and the bowl of noodles right now.

Just you two.

[Daisuke noisily slurps] It's alright to slurp, right?

Um-hum.

Okay.

(Daisuke) You see how the noodles are curly?

(Rudy) Um-hum.

(Daisuke) It's made to slurp.

So when you slurp it takes the right amount of soup with it.

But make sure you look down.

Because if you do it like this, it will flap about and be all over your face.

Right.

[noisily slurping] So in ramen shops, when the ramen arrives you stop talking, you stop doing whatever you're doing and you just start eating ramen.

It's just between you and the ramen.

It doesn't taste like any of that dorm ramen.

[laughs] I hope not!

Now you'll notice the first bite is different from the second, third, and so on and so forth.

And it should taste different until all the way to the bottom.

[slurping] (Rudy) Ramen is one of the few Japanese dishes that's not traditional.

Noodles and meat-based broths came from China in the 19th century, and flour to make the noodles came from the U.S. after World War II.

The worldwide phenomenon that is ramen started in the 1950s.

(Rudy) Here it is.

(Daisuke & Rudy) Konnichiwa.

I'm Rudy Maxa.

My names Nishiyama.

Nice to meet you, Nishiyama-san.

Nice to meet you.

Welcome to our factory.

Thank you.

[Mr. Nishiyama speaks Japanese] Hai.

70 years ago his father started from here.

This cart?

This cart.

This is a restaurant, a mobile restaurant.

And his father was really well-known for his noodles, so a lot of people started asking him to sell his noodles to other restaurants.

And this empire grew from that.

[speaking Japanese] (Daisuke) Whoa.

Hai.

He sells to 19 different countries.

(Rudy) 19 different countries.

Well, I can't wait to see the factory.

(Rudy) The noodles are the most important part of ramen.

Four sheets of noodles are pressed together and then cut.

Something happens at the molecular level when you gently press the noodles for a long time.

The molecules of protein bind in a way that gives it a distinct texture-- "a mouth feel" or a chewiness.

(Rudy) Daisuke's business partner, chef Katsuya Fukushima, is here to work with Master Ishida to develop recipes for their Sapporo ramen restaurant in Washington DC.

Tell me about ramen generally, for someone who might never have tasted it.

The 4 essential components of ramen are stock, noodles, tare, which is the sauce or flavoring, and the aromatic oil.

We begin with the stock, we have pork bones, pigs feet.

(Rudy) Ok, pigs feet.

Literally.

(Katsuya) Whole chicken.

Some aromatics, onion, ginger, garlic.

(Rudy) Is this sort of what I think it is?

Is this like a chicken foot?

(Katsuya) That's what it is.

(Rudy) So you got foot of pig, foot of chicken.

(Katsuya) Oh yeah.

(Rudy) Is this pretty common in ramen around the world?

(Katsuya) Oh yeah, oh yeah.

That's flavor right there.

(Rudy) That's flavor.

(Katsuya) Everything goes in that pot.

(Rudy) How long does it cook?

(Katsuya) It goes about 16 hours.

So tare is the flavoring, or the sauce that distinguishes the different types of ramen.

So we have shio tare, which is a salt ramen.

shoyu tare, which is a soy sauce.

And the miso tare, which is the miso...

These are all different kinds of ramen you can order in a restaurant?

(Katsuya) Correct.

(Rudy) You have a secret ingredient that you use?

(Katsuya) Of course, of course.

(Rudy) What is it?

I can't tell you that, otherwise it wouldn't be a secret.

(Rudy) That's true.

What are these other toppings here?

(Katsuya) So what we have here is chashu, which is the roasted pork.

sliced very thin.

We have the menma.

(Rudy) What is this?

(Katsuya) Menma, this is bamboo.

(Rudy) That's been marinated obviously.

(Katsuya) It's been marinated.

And this, one of my favorites, is the marinated egg.

(Rudy) Marinated in what?

(Katsuya) It's another secret.

(Rudy) Another secret.

Alright.

Okay.

(Katsuya) What we here are bean sprouts, sliced onions, pork, and garlic, and these are what get woked.

Right at the last minute?

Right at the last minute.

Then put on top.

And put it right on top.

This is what makes it unique to Sapporo style ramen.

What Ishida-san is doing here is fluffing the noodles.

(Rudy) Why do we fluff noodles?

(Katsuya) Because otherwise it's one big clump, and when you throw it into the hot water, it just congeals into one ball.

(Rudy) What makes these noodles so special?

Because I know different ramen shops get different noodles.

(Katsuya) You can specify length, the curliness, the thickness.

(Rudy) Where do your noodles come from?

Ours come from Nishiyama-san.

(Rudy) Right here?

Right here.

Rudy, so this is where everything comes together.

Everything's going to happen really fast.

[Mr. Ishida speaks Japanese] (Katsuya) Hai!

Ishida-san is dropping the noodles.

I got the aromatic oil.

(Rudy) How long does it take noodles to cook.

(Katsuya) A minute, 30 seconds.

(Rudy) A minute, 30.

Alright, (Katsuya) So that's our tare right there.

That's my pork.

(Rudy) And you're doing the bean sprouts and the oil right now?

Along with garlic?

No?

(Katsuya) And I got the soup right here.

(Rudy) Ahhh, there goes the broth.

Here comes the broth.

(Katsuya) Here we go.

We bring it back to a boil.

(Rudy) And does it generally take 2 chefs to do this?

Somebody doing the noodles, somebody doing the other?

(Katsuya) It takes 3 chefs.

(Rudy) 3 chefs.

(Katsuya) You're our third.

(Rudy) Yeah, I'm a big help.

Alright, there's the broth.

The noodles are ready.

That's the old, old style way of doing it.

(Rudy) I like it!

Noodles go in.

Bean sprouts.

(Katsuya) So there's the toppings that we had prepped earlier.

(Rudy) Alright.

Here comes the eggs, secret eggs.

(Rudy and Katsuya) Pork.

(Katsuya) That's the Tokyo negi, the scallions, and seaweed, and a little tuft of finely grated ginger.

It's really beautiful, it's pretty to look at.

And delicious.

Arigato chef, thank you very much.

And thank you chef.

Thank you!

[Daisuke speaks Japanese] (Rudy) Arigato.

(Daisuke) Thank you.

(Rudy) Oh my goodness!

Alright, I think I got this-- head over the bowl, let every noodle bring the soup to my mouth, taste every sip, and notice the difference.

No talking.

And no talking.

That's the hardest for me.

(Daisuke) A bowl of ramen is a contradiction.

You have the fresh and the aged all there.

And that's why it's so addictive.

Also, because every bite is different, our mind is always working, it's always stimulated.

Then ramen is highly nutritious with lots of amino acids, in soup form, which is easiest to digest.

Your body recognizes that it's good for you.

And all that comes back to nature-- ramen warms you up in the cold spring in Hokkaido.

(Rudy) Siberian winds dip into the Sea of Japan and dump heaps of powdery snow all winter long here in Hokkaido.

The number of words for snow in Japanese constitute a blizzard in themselves.

There's a word for first snow, a word for light snow, flying snow, a snowstorm, even a word for the sunny morning after a snowstorm.

Nature is good to Hokkaido.

We're headed south to experience the rich seafood.

There are onsen everywhere and volcanoes loom large.

We're encamped at the Hotel Windsor.

Look one way and you're looking at Lake Toya, a caldera.

Look the other way and there's the wild sea.

These volcanoes aren't dormant, either.

They're constantly having minor eruptions.

In fact, Japan leads the world with more than 1200 eruptions, since anyone started counting.

In 1943, after a series of earthquakes, a lava dome, called Mt.

Showa-shinzan suddenly burst up in a farmer's field.

Showa-shinzan means "new mountain in the Showa period."

I wonder, does it put an extra spring in your step, or make you live a little more fully to constantly be in the presence of these steaming giants?

Maybe you enjoy your ramen just that much more, knowing that life could be fleeting.

It's very clear that seafood is huge here in Hokkaido.

Oh yeah.

As a matter of fact people travel here, just to eat seafood.

Sea urchin, crab, salmon roe, live scallops.

(Rudy) These crabs are amazing, they look beautiful.

They don't even look real they're so gorgeous.

(Daisuke) It's a big thing here.

(Rudy) Unbelievable.

(Daisuke) The water here is really nice, the cold water, nutritious so they get really plump and tasty.

(Rudy) A-ha!

(Daisuke) As a matter of fact, I'm getting really hungry myself.

(Rudy) You are always hungry.

(Daisuke) What can I say, I'm a greedy eater.

(Daisuke) There he is.

Konnichiwa.

(Rudy) Konnichiwa.

(Daisuke) Rudy, this is Mr. Uchiumi.

He just went scallop fishing this morning.

And was it a good catch?

[Daisuke speaks Japanese; Mr. Uchiumi speaks Japanese] (Daisuke) Best conditions, he said.

So 8 to 10 hours a day out in the water, sometimes longer.

But when the sea is rough it takes a little longer to reel them in.

(Rudy) It could be snowing, right?

It's winter.

(Daisuke) Just the two of them.

(Rudy) Just he and his wife go out in this boat?

Every night at like 2:00 in the morning?

In the winter, it could be snowing.

(Daisuke) Yeah, yeah.

That's it.

Of course, unless when it's really rough and you can't take out the boat.

He's out there every day.

(Rudy) Scallop fishing, I gather, is a big industry here?

(Daisuke) Over here more than 90% of the fishing is the scallops.

As a matter of fact, this area has the majority of scallop culture and fishing in Japan.

(Rudy) Amazing.

Amazing!

I'm in awe of him, you can tell him.

[Daisuke speaks Japanese] Hard work.

(Rudy) Clearly.

(Daisuke) It's all about passion.

(Rudy) Clearly, clearly.

[Shiho speaks Japanese] (Daisuke) Look at this!

This is from this morning.

(Rudy) Well, I know these are scallops.

(Daisuke) That's right.

(Rudy) And what are these?

(Daisuke) They're all parts of scallops.

This is the roe.

(Rudy) Ah the roe.

(Daisuke) This is the gasket part.

It's all edible.

The only part you don't eat is that black part.

Every other part of scallop is edible.

This one is shashimi.

(Rudy) It's ready to go.

(Daisuke) It is, yeah.

It's so sweet.

That is great.

(Daisuke) Oh my god, this is amazing.

So now she's going to do grilled scallops for us.

(Rudy) Ah, okay.

[Daisuke speaks Japanese] (Rudy) Ah, we grill the whole thing.

And it pops open at some point?

(Daisuke) Yeah, It's very simple.

(Rudy) And it took 2 years for these to get to this size.

They're beautiful.

Look at this, look at this open up.

Oh, that looks terrific!

That looks so good.

A little butter on top now.

Oh, my goodness.

(Daisuke) Domo arigato.

(Rudy) Do you put the whole thing in your mouth at once?

(Daisuke) No, no.

You sort of bite off bits and pieces.

Different parts taste different, but you can eat the whole thing.

(Rudy) Right right right.

I get it.

[Daisuke speaks Japanese] The king of all scallops.

The finest scallop I've ever eaten in my long, long life of eating fish.

And the work that they put into make this, it's just incredible!

(Rudy) Well, it's an honor to be in this home.

(Daisuke) Domo arigato.

(Rudy) Thank you very much.

(Rudy) From the surf to the turf.

East of Sapporo lies a vast flatland, unusual in this mountainous country.

Daisuke tells me the finest vegetables in the world are cultivated here.

We're in search of the nagaimo, a large yam.

It's early spring, and the farms are covered in snow, but before long this area will be a cornucopia of wheat, potatoes, beans and sugar beets.

The climate's harsh, but the soil is rich.

Underneath the snow the nagaimo is ready to harvest.

A local farmer, Fujita-San, showed us what they look like.

(Daisuke) Domo.

(Rudy) Konnichiwa.

What's going on down here.

(Daisuke) Well these are nagaimo, and as you can see, they have to dig this trench to harvest it.

You can't just yank them from the ground, they're over 3 feet long.

Therefore, these trenches are dug, they go down there and by hand they dig them out.

Sort of like an archaeological dig.

They pull them almost out from the side?

That's right.

(Rudy) As so to harvest this whole field, they've got a dig a trench along every single row.

(Daisuke) As far as you can see, as far as you can see.

And he's the man to do it.

(Rudy) How long has he been doing this?

Is it a family thing?

[Daisuke and Mr. Fujita speak Japanese] He's the 5th generation, and he's been doing it for 20 years.

5th generation.

So that goes back, I don't know, what, 150 years or so?

Possibly?

That's amazing!

Is there going to be a 6th generation?

[Daisuke and Mr. Fujita speak Japanese] (Rudy) Okay!

(Daisuke) There will be 6th generation.

(Rudy) All right!

Would you ask him if he would be kind enough to pull a nagaimo out of the ground?

I'm sure he will.

Let me ask.

[Daisuke and Mr. Fujita speak Japanese] (Rudy) Oh my goodness, I can't believe the size of this thing, this is enormous.

This is huge.

I had no idea it was this large.

(Daisuke) That is some delicious nagaimo.

(Rudy) At the farmer's collective, we get a chance to taste the results of all this hard work.

(Daisuke) Nagaimo are highly nutritious.

You can eat them raw, or you can eat them cooked.

Both are great.

It's boiled nagaimo, then they make it into a mash.

They add a little bit of potato starch, they knead it, and then they make it into that shape.

(Rudy) Okay, and they're going to fry it up.

(Daisuke) A little bit of butter.

Mmmm!

That smells good.

Arigato.

(Rudy) Arigato.

[speaking Japanese] I see we got a little fork here.

They call it dumplings of nagaimo.

Dumplings.

Mmmm!

This is like dessert.

It's a combination of pancake and custard.

Mmm!

Arigato.

That's so nice.

[Daisuke speaks Japanese] (Rudy) Thank you.

(Rudy) Back in Sapporo again for one last bowl of ramen.

Daisuke's right-- I've been craving ramen.

In fact, I'm addicted.

(Daisuke) You're going to love this place.

(Rudy) Smells good.

(Daisuke) Let's take this one.

(Rudy) So everybody knows miso soup, right?

Well, miso soup and ramen were two different things entirely.

But back in the 1950s, in a ramen restaurant, the staff would eat miso soup for lunch and sometimes, they threw ramen noodles in it.

When the customers saw this, they started demanding it.

But the owner didn't want to put it on the menu because he didn't think it was good enough.

An American diplomat living here encouraged him to do it, and finally he relented.

The rest is history!

(Rudy) Here it comes.

(Daisuke) Domo.

(Rudy) Arigato, arigato.

(Daisuke) Oh, look at that!

(Rudy) We have here miso soup and ramen noodles.

Let me ask you something about... Rudy, time to eat!

Right!

[slurping] (Rudy) Time to concentrate.

As I explore every corner of this soup, I can taste the mountain water, the fine flour, and the perfect noodles.

It's steaming, like the bubbling onsen, and fiery hot, like Hokkaido's majestic volcanoes.

And like all the cuisine from Hokkaido, it's rich with the kodawari of the unsung heroes; the artisans who never stop striving to be better.

Nature is good to Hokkaido.

And the people of Hokkaido are good to nature.

Whew!

Can I speak now?

Yeah sure.

Well, you're lucky, because I'm speechless!

[laughing] Okay!

(Rudy) From Hokkaido we travel to the island of Kyushu to taste, among other things, the finest beef in the world.

(Rudy Maxa) It's spring in Kyushu and flowers explode in color, and everyone is out celebrating the new season.

It's the very impermanence of spring blossoms that raises their beauty to heartaching levels.

That's the core of the Japanese aesthetic called wabi-sabi-- elation and melancholy all at once.

Wabi-sabi is a sensibility, a reverence for the humble, the authentic, the impermanent.

With its seaside shrines, traditional gardens and dramatic landscapes, Kyushu embodies this aesthetic.

Add to that an ash-spewing volcano, long, curving beaches, fish-rich seas, and you have paradise.

Kyushu is renowned for producing a major ingredient in Japan's stock soup.

Arigato.

[Daisuke speaks Japanese] This is a great example of simple complexity.

This is called dashi, and this is a bedrock of Japanese cuisine.

Now, it's made from only 2 ingredients.

Kombu, which is seaweed and katsuobushi, the dried bonito.

But compared to say, French stock, which are simmered for hours with lots of ingredients, this is what it is.

(Rudy) This is the base?

This is what it's all about?

This is really the fundamental taste of Japan.

Oh, that's a lot of taste for a couple leaves.

And a piece of fish, dried fish.

Very deep.

(Rudy) It all starts at the southernmost tip of the Satsuma Hanto Peninsula.

This spectacular coastline, dominated by the Kaimondake volcano, is famous for its hot sand beaches and for bonito, a fish in the same family as mackerel.

The unassuming little fishing port of Makurazaki, also known as "Katsuo Town" produces some 50,000 tons of bonito each year.

(Daisuke) Katsuo fishing is quite unique.

The boats, they're equipped with special jets, and they go out and find a school of bonito, and when they do they splash the water with these jets, and to the fish it looks like a feeding frenzy so they go out there with mouth open and just ready to eat anything.

That's when you drop the line without any bait, you just throw them over your shoulder onto the boat, unhook it, then just keep going back and forth and back and forth-- it's spectacular!

This happens in the spring?

Well, there's two fishing seasons here.

One's in the spring which is called hatsu-gatsuo.

The other one is called modori-gatsuo when they come back after feeding in the north, and they're fatter.

But to make katsuobushi we use the hatsuo-gatsuo which is leaner and more aromatic.

[Daisuke speaks Japanese] (Daisuke) The fish arrive at the Katsuobushi factory.

They are cut up by hand very precisely using a curved knife to capture all the flesh.

Then the fish is boiled for 2 hours.

(Rudy) So what do we got going on here?

(Daisuke) Well, they're deboning here, and if it's not done right when they start to dry they can twist, and so if there's even a single bone left after this process, it's ruined.

Next they are smoked gently for 2 to 3 weeks over fire from cherry wood and oak from the mountains.

(Rudy) Now what is this gentlemen doing here with this?

(Daisuke) He's filling in the cracks with the paste of bonito.

It's a very important process.

Apparently there's not that many people that can do this.

After another drying, workers sand the fish into an oblong shape.

Last step is to dry and then age it to extract more moisture.

The entire process for the highest grade katsuobushi takes about a year.

Daisuke, if it didn't know this was a fish I would swear it was a piece of wood.

Yeah, it's extremely hard.

(Rudy) And where he's been shaving it, it's this ruby center-- it's just beautiful!

(Daisuke) In Japan we rarely make things beautiful just for the sake of it.

We see beauty in functionality, and that's wabi-sabi.

[Daisuke speaks Japanese] Aha, there you go.

Arigato.

Alright this is the bonito that I know.

(Daisuke) Ah, I can smell it from here.

That's quite a shaver, Daisuke.

Yeah, well, when I was a kid, every household had one of these.

My grandma would make me shave this every time, right before the meal.

Really?

Yeah, but now they're preshaved and sold in packages.

But this is the real thing!

Mmmm!

I wish my grandma was here.

(Daisuke) Oh, look at these!

These are fermented katsuo guts.

Wonderful!

Fermented fish guts?

Yeah, you had it; you loved it.

I just didn't tell you what it was.

I appreciate your not telling me what it was.

(Rudy) Japan straddles the "Ring of Fire," a seismically active belt that runs around the Pacific Ocean from Chili to New Zealand.

Kyushu has 9 volcanoes and hundreds of onsen, or hot springs.

The sands at the beach in the town of Ibusuki are naturally hot and thought to have healing and rejuvenating qualities.

We've opted for a private spa.

Daisuke insists it will relax us and prepare us for dinner.

This is getting very hot, Daisuke Utagawa.

Rudy, this is good for you.

Hmm.

I guess I should just relax and enjoy it.

Right?

Hmm.

Daisuke, I can't stay in here one more minute.

I am so hot, and I can't move my arms.

I can't get out.

How do you get out of here?

Rudy, we have to be rejuvenated to eat lots of katsuobushi tonight.

Another minute in here and I will be tonight's dinner!

[Daisuke laughs] (Daisuke) Look at that!

(Rudy) Oh this is beautiful.

Arigato.

What we have here is katsuo from A to Z.

Now, yours is katsuo sashimi, essentially sliced katsuo meat, it's tataki.

And this one has katsuobushi broth in it.

Now, you remember how much work that went into making katsuobushi.

And how long it takes.

And the result is this exquisitely, deceptively simple dish.

Mm.

This is really good.

Yeah.

Rudy, you know what umami is, right?

It means something savory.

Well, to me it's this textural savoriness that you feel in back of your palate.

It's the kind of taste that makes you want to have another bite, then another bite.

It's actually a type of amino acid, the umami.

Your body knows that it's good for you so it craves it.

It's a good thing.

That's right.

And I'm going to have another bite.

(Rudy) For a long time, fish and vegetables were the main diet in Japan.

Some Buddhist leaders even outlawed meat products, though the general populace never completely complied.

After Western powers arrived, meat became popular.

Today Japan produces the world's best beef called wagyu.

[Daisuke speaks Japanese] (Rudy) What makes wagyu special?

(Daisuke) Well, wagyu is known for its naturally marbled meat.

The lineage is important.

You should be able to trace back at least 3 generations.

This is quite an operation.

Well, just like everything else, raising wagyu in Japan there's a lot of great care and attention that goes into it.

I mean, the water is coming from the nearby stream, the feed is top secret, and creating this environment is a lot of effort.

Miyaji-san tells me they're cared for like they're members of his family.

(Rudy) You know, there's this, I think maybe it's a myth in America, that wagyu beef, they listen to Beethoven all day, they're massaged every day.

Is that a myth?

[speaking Japanese] Actually, he says some farmers do that.

The goal is to make them happy and relaxed, so whatever works.

(Rudy) These look like very chillin' cows, I gotta say.

They look pretty relaxed.

Might there be a chance we can taste the product of his work?

Well, he's just told me where we can try his beef in the city of Kagoshima.

Which is exactly where we're staying.

That's terrific.

(Rudy) Kagoshima was the capitol of the Satsuma clan.

Perhaps the fiery spirit of the people grew out of their relationship with Sakura-jima, the city's very own volcano.

Since 1955, Sakura-jima has been erupting almost every day.

Ash and rocks regularly spew forth and sometimes rain down on the heads of the residents of Kagoshima.

Some families, who live nearest the volcano, send their kids off to school with helmets on.

Ah, should we be wearing helmets?

[Daisuke laughs] No.

The most that's gonna happen is, you get some ash in your hair.

Wouldn't be a problem for me.

I didn't say that.

Once you try this wagyu, that's all you're going to think about.

Here in Kagoshima this is the way to eat beef-- simple, teppanyaki style.

But when done right, it's gonna melt in your mouth.

(Rudy) I am prepared.

(Daisuke) What's particular about wagyu is that the fat melts at lower temperature.

In fact, it melts at our body temperature, so when you put it in your mouth, it kind of melts away.

And obviously it's really sweet fat, and the meat has that intense beef flavor.

(Rudy) This is like performance art, she's clearly got a plan here.

This is not just taking it off the grill and slopping it on the plate.

(Daisuke) It's like a ballet of meat.

(Rudy) Ballet of beef!

[laughs] [Daisuke speaks Japanese] She said we can eat.

Let's have one without anything first.

Whoo.

So you get the meat flavor.

You get the meat flavor, without having to chew!

[Daisuke laughs] There you go.

That's how tender it is.

Very luxurious, just a great steak flavor.

Boy, this is... (Daisuke) Mmm.

Here's a term for you, "mechauma," (Rudy) Mechauma.

(Daisuke) Yeah.

Which means just amazingly good, or explosively good, or... (Rudy) Mechauma.

(Daisuke) You know what I love about wagyu?

Is that I don't have to eat too much of it.

Just a few pieces, and I'm completely satisfied.

This is without a doubt, the best beef I've had in my life.

(Daisuke) ♪ Whoooo.

♪ (Rudy) You should bring your kids here, that would be their favorite part.

[Daisuke laughs] (Rudy) At Kagoshima Bay, another unsung hero of Japanese cuisine is harvesting fish at his buri farm.

(Daisuke) Kyushu is really well- known for a fish called buri.

It's called yellowtail, or amberjack in the states.

Japanese have long understood the importance of aquaculture, and sustainable farming really, and buri is a perfect example.

(Rudy) How many fish are in this holding pen?

And how old are they?

(Daisuke) There are about 5,000 fish in there, and they're a year old.

At 2 years old they're shipped out.

[both speak Japanese] (Daisuke) He says mostly America.

America?

Really?

(Rudy) Every two days he feeds his fish.

What is in this feed?

(Daisuke) Mainly fish meal, but what's particular about his feed is he uses "kurozu," which is black vinegar made locally.

Black vinegar.

Is this unique to his mix?

(Kobayashi-san) Hai.

(Rudy) It is.

(Daisuke) Well, he told me that after trial and error he found the black vinegar to be really effective in keeping the fish very healthy.

And he says he noticed it the first day, that the fish were more vigorous, and also it tastes good.

(Rudy) It is tying on the feedbag time!

(Daisuke) Look at that-- they are so fast!

Whoo!

(Rudy) The black vinegar that these fish eat comes from a vinegar factory not far away.

Black vinegar is famous in this area.

I can already smell it Daisuke, it's 4 feet away.

Oh, it smells wonderful.

I can taste it.

Oh!

Oh my goodness.

You could drink this in a glass.

Oh, wow!

This is as complex as good wine.

How long has he been making vinegar?

Is it in the family?

[Daisuke speaks Japanese] [Takemoto-san speaks Japanese] (Daisuke) Third.

He says third generation.

Third generation-- I don't think there's a first generation making anything in this country, it's...at least the food products here have this family history that's very impressive.

Sure, if you want to make something really good... (Rudy) Practice, practice, practice.

(Daisuke) There you go.

This is gonna be good.

I always say it's gonna be good.

(Rudy) You always say it's gonna be good, and so far you're right.

(Daisuke) Oh look at that!

(Rudy) That is beautiful.

(Daisuke) Whoa!

So how good is Mr. Kobayashi's buri?

Delicious.

Fantastic.

Right?

It is the filet mignon of fish, it's unbelievably good.

You see, essentially this is sliced raw fish.

Simple things are really difficult to do.

You have to put in a lot of work and care into it.

So beautifully presented, which is I think, a hallmark of Japan.

Yeah, well you know, hard work by the fish monger, hard work by the fish producer.

And itamae, or the cook, has to respect that, and he has to put in his bit.

Plus nobody would want to eat raw fish if it didn't look pretty.

(Rudy) That could be true.

(Daisuke) I'm going to do the first shabu-shabu for you.

(Rudy) Okay.

You just kind of... (Rudy) Swish it through?

(Daisuke) Swirl it in there, I think that's good.

Now take that and dip it in there, and eat it.

(Rudy) Okay.

Thank you.

(Daisuke) I'll make my own.

Man!

Umm.

Melts in your mouth!

(Rudy) I need no encouragement to love Japanese food.

But once you have seen these islands with their fiery volcanoes and rugged coastlines... once you've taken the time to absorb the Japanese aesthetic... you can better appreciate the dishes that spring from this bounty.

(Daisuke) Look at that!

(Rudy) Delicious!

My goodness!

[Daisuke laughs] (Rudy) And having seen the work of the people: their diligence, the care and precision that goes into each ingredient, I have new respect for this island nation and its simple, but oh, so very complex cuisine.

(Daisuke) Now this is shochu, it's actually a Satsuma shochu, which is made from Satsuma potatoes.

From the local potato.

(Daisuke) That's right.

Alright.

That is some potato.

(Daisuke) Yup.

I gotta tell you, I hate to leave Japan tomorrow, but have they got any good food at the airport?

Actually, there is a convenience store right inside the airport and they have great food.

We can have take-away.

Why am I not surprised?

You think it's as good as the stuff we've had so far?

Sure.

This is Japan!

Well, here is a toast to "Taste of Japan."

Kampai!

To Japan!

(woman) For more information on the places featured on "Rudy Maxa's World," visit... To order DVDs of "Rudy Maxa's World," visit... (woman) "Rudy Maxa's World" is sponsored by Japan's Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries"-- committed to bringing authentic Japanese food products to the world.

Additional funding provided by United Airlines serving more than 330 destinations worldwide.

United-- fly the friendly skies.

[synthesizer fanfare]