Perceptive Travel

Rebuilding After Disaster, Tohoku's Food Industry Has Bounced Back in Japan
Story by La Carmina and photos by Joey Wong

The 2011 earthquake and tsunami devastated the coast of Fukushima. A decade later, a new breed of farmers, fishermen and sake brewers have found innovative ways to rebuild in Tohoku.

I was outside Japan when the most powerful recorded earthquake and tsunami overwhelmed the islands on March 11, 2011. However, I saw the catastrophic fallout for myself a few months later when a TV job sent me to Fukushima. I remember that the main roads were ghostly quiet, and parts of the city were littered with debris and sunken roofs. In stark contrast, the surrounding fields were gloriously green with produce. Regrettably, most of this food would go to waste, as consumers feared it contained radioactive substances from Fukushima's damaged nuclear power plant.

Eleven years later, I had the chance to return to Tohoku, the food-abundant region northeast of Tokyo that was hardest hit by the disaster. I was curious to learn more about the enticing cuisine that I had seen but not tasted on my original visit. I wanted to know: what happened to the farmers and fishermen whose industries were decimated in 2011?

If I had to sum up my experience in a word, it would be "rebirth." Younger generations have returned to their hard-hit hometowns, bringing new and inventive perspectives to the food cultures of Fukushima, Ishinomaki and Iwate. Tohoku's ingredients have long been deemed safe, and chefs are serving up creative dishes that honor the traditional cuisine. In the name of research, I dug in—and had some of the most memorable seafood and sake in all my travels.

Fukushima: Kingdom of Sake and Koji

My journey began at Tokyo Station, where I boarded the one and a half hour shinkansen (bullet train) ride north to the mountainous Fukushima Prefecture. The area is now mostly known as the site of the 2011 nuclear accident caused by the earthquake, but for centuries, Fukushima's claim to fame was its nickname of "Japan's Sake Kingdom." Four hundred years ago, local samurai made sake-brewing their primary industry. Ever since, Fukushima has been considered the nation's most distinguished sake-producing region. Looking out at the landscapes that zipped past my window, I understood why: the cooler climate and fresh mountain water were ideal for cultivating rice and liquor.

I began my sake-tasting tour at Daishichi Brewery, which is still run by the family that founded it in 1752. Since the Edo period, Daishichi has used a labor-intensive kimoto method to prepare its yeast starter. Hideharu Ohta, the tenth generation descendent and current president, showed me an enormous wooden tank that dates back centuries. His factory now brews sake in metal tanks but preserves the traditional pole-mashing of ingredients by hand for thirty days. I tried a Daishichi flight and could taste the difference; the kimoto method resulted in a mellow and elegant sip.

Pleasantly tipsy, I went to another award-winning brewery—Okunomatsu—and was surprised by its very different approach. Okunomatsu was founded in 1716 by a family of masterless samurai, or ronin. The current president, Shoji Yusa, is very much a descendent of the warrior lineage with his wild hair and love of 1980s heavy metal (the conference room displays memorabilia from his favorite bands, Iron Maiden and Scorpions). Yusa showed me how he employs the latest computers and technology to produce accessible sake, while maintaining his family's centuries-old dedication to craftsmanship.

Then at Horaiya Honten, I learned about koji: rice inoculated with a mold culture that is key for fermenting sake. On the factory floor, I saw how the ingredient is used in nutrient-rich foods like miso and amazake, a fermented rice beverage that improves skin and gut health.

These companies suffered significant losses due to the negative perceptions of Fukushima products after 2011. But with unwavering resilience and innovation, they've won back the trust of consumers worldwide.

Ishinomaki: Seafood and Sea Squirts

I then set out for Ishinomaki, a coastal city in Miyagi Prefecture whose fishing ports were obliterated by the tsunami. It has been a long road to restoring the facilities and clearing debris from the water. Leading the charge is Fisherman Japan, an organization led by young, ambitious people committed to bringing others into their field. The twenty-somethings I met have an infectious energy for modernizing and expanding the fishing industry while putting a focus on sustainability.

These young men and women eagerly showed me Ishinomaki Fisherman's Wharf, which holds the world record for the longest fish market and ranks in the top three for best fishing grounds. Although it was barely past dawn, the open-air space was abuzz with buyers haggling over glistening sea creatures displayed in rows of containers. Thanks to two mineral-rich ocean currents that merge in Ishinomaki, local boats bring in an abundant and diverse catch.

Next, I got on a small vessel and went out into the ocean for what felt like an alien encounter. The fisherman pulled up a harvest of red "hearts" covered in bumpy protrusions, reminding me of props from a sci-fi movie. This was my introduction to the sea squirt or sea pineapple, which thrives in these calm waters. My guide split open the "heart" so that we could slurp down the raw, clam-like flesh. Sea squirt hits all the five tastes of the tongue, with dominant notes of bitterness and sweetness as well as the "sixth taste" of umami.

By now, my appetite was well whetted for a kaiseki seafood dinner at Imamura. Moved by TV footage of the 2011 destruction, Chef Masateru Imamura traveled to Ishinomaki to volunteer in the clean-up. The young chef ended up staying and opening his namesake restaurant, which puts the spotlight on seasonal produce and the freshest catch of the day. I sat at the counter to watch him and his team prepare small plates with big smiles. They served up eleven dazzlingly presented dishes with subtle fusion elements, such as local mackerel with couscous and edamame.

Iwate: Wagyu and Beyond

I finished the journey in Iwate, which is a food lover's paradise: the rugged, northern Pacific coast makes the prefecture a haven for agriculture and fishing. Here, the apples drip with honey-like juices. Bite into local abalone, sea urchin or scallops, and you'll taste hints of the nourishing marine environment.

I made my way to Tetsuo Nakamura's farm to investigate Iwate beef. While Kobe beef is the most well-known, Iwate has won the "Best in Japan" award eleven times. I arrived at what felt like a scene from a Hayao Miyazaki anime—the farm stood next to a lush grass field framed by blue peaks crowned with clouds. Nakamura treats his wagyu (Japanese cattle) with great care, and they thrive in this picture-perfect natural setting.

Later at yakiniku restaurant Ginga Rikyu, I was presented with six types of raw wagyu slices with varying ranges of flavoring, fat, and texture. Diners cook the meat on the table grill for five to ten seconds on each side, and then dip it into the accompanying sauces or salt. The clean taste and delicate marbling were better than what I've had at top American steakhouses, and at a fraction of the price.

Tohoku: A Food-Rich Region of Resilience

On the bullet train ride back, I reflected on how many of the people I met experienced the Great East Japan disaster at its epicenter when they were children. Remarkably, over a decade later, it is primarily these young people that are taking the lead in rebuilding their communities and putting Tohoku's outstanding food back onto the world stage.

Despite enduring enormous setbacks, local chefs, fishermen, cattle farmers, and sake brewers have reinvented and revitalized their industries while honoring local traditions. Now that Japan is allowing restriction-free tourism, the time has come to see—and taste—Tohoku's rebirth.

La Carmina is an award-winning travel journalist and blogger. She is the author of four books, including two about Japanese food and pop culture. Her latest release for Simon and Schuster, The Little Book of Satanism, chronicles the evolution of Satanic organizations and practices. La Carmina is known for her stories about Japanese and alternative / Goth subcultures worldwide. Check out her blog and add @LaCarmina on social media for colorful updates.

Related features:

Living in the Moment Along the Kumano Kodo of Japan by Heidi Siefkas
Village of The Dolls in Skikoku by Judith Fein
Lunch from the Surf: Foraging for Seaweed on the California Coast by Sherry Shahan
From Milano to the Tokyo Olympics on a Vespa During a Worldwide Pandemic by Marco Ferrarese

See other travel stories from Asia in the archives.