Bean Sprouts

2021/11/16

Shin Watanabe

President and CEO, Ichibankan Tailor; 1988 Law/Politics

At the ceremony for the Special Keio University alumni Award, I asked the "Old Man" of Jiro—who was frolicking about, oblivious to the bewildered former President—about his "bean sprouts."

Jiro's "bean sprouts" are sourced from Nakanobuen, a specialist with 70 years in the business. They are grown at the Nakanobuen Gotemba Plant. Believe it or not, those bean sprouts sitting atop a soup covered in fat and mysterious white powder were raised on the pure spring water of Mount Fuji.

"Boil the sprouts 70% of the way, then splash them with cold water to keep them crunchy. By the time you eat them, they'll settle perfectly in the bowl!" I couldn't take the Old Man's explanation, which sounded like that of a master chef, at face value. The point is simply to use cheap ingredients to bulk up the volume.

I don't think Jiro is healthy by any stretch, but it seems to serve as a desperate excuse for students to tell their mothers back home, "Don't worry, I'm eating plenty of vegetables."

Thirty years ago, seeing the Old Man drunk and rowdy at the Judo Club training camp, I didn't see a single trace of a brilliant businessman. The secret to Jiro's great success is the gift of love from the "Obachan" (the lady of the shop) who wants students to eat their fill. And we must not forget Nakanobuen's dedication to their bean sprouts. It's definitely not because of that white powder.

Kiichiro Nozawa

President and CEO, Nosawa & Co., Ltd.; 1990 Law/Politics

In 2011, police in Shenyang, Liaoning Province, China, cracked down on bean sprout producers using toxic additives, leading to a temporary suspension of the supply. In 2012, Chinese producers turned their attention to Japan's safe, high-quality, and low-cost manufacturing technology and flocked to a Japanese machinery manufacturer (Company D). Company D had previously exported one packaging machine to a Chinese producer, but after the bitter experience of seeing that machine displayed without permission, they maintained a stance of refusing inquiries from China. Although our company had no experience handling bean sprout machinery or any prior relationship with Company D, we decided to take on the challenge in accordance with our management philosophy of "Bushido Spirit with Business Savvy." After persistent negotiations, we reached an agreement on a three-party contract including our company. Bean sprouts are the "star students" of factory vegetables; they require only seeds and high-quality water, can be produced by a small number of people, and can be shipped daily. Regarding water, we repeatedly conducted well-boring surveys at various local sites until we finally secured appropriate water. The facility was completed in January 2014, allowing us to deliver safe and secure Japanese-style bean sprouts.

Daisuke Inaba

Officer, Hamamatsu Mita-kai; 1997 Economics

November 11th is "Bean Sprout Day." Since bean sprouts mean "Hamamatsu Gyoza," I received a request based on that simple logic. Perhaps it is fate that the Hamamatsu Mita-kai is in its 111th year (according to some theories), so I took up my pen to promote Hamamatsu.

Hamamatsu Gyoza has established an image of being cabbage-based and served with bean sprouts on top of a circular arrangement. In reality, it varies by shop, and every citizen has their own favorite specialty store. It is not widely known, but the Hamamatsu style also involves buying them to take home and frying them yourself rather than eating out. One reason Hamamatsu competes with Utsunomiya for the top spot in consumption is the deep-rooted takeout culture.

That said, many famous shops are now so popular that they have long lines. While travel remains difficult due to the pandemic, a new way to enjoy Hamamatsu might be to go on a gyoza crawl to coincide with the next Hamamatsu boom expected for the Taiga drama "What Will You Do, Ieyasu?" two years from now. When you do, please also try Enshu-yaki and Torii Sauce.

I look forward to the day when we can once again gather around Hamamatsu Gyoza and interact with members of Mita-kai from all over.

Kasumi Nakamura

Part-time Lecturer, Keio University Graduate School of Human Relations; 2014 Letters, 2021 PhD (Human Relations)

The "Moyashi Matsuri" (Bean Sprout Festival) is a ritual that Yayoi Takatsuki, a character from the game "THE IDOLM@STER," reportedly holds at her home every Thursday. The term first appeared in a talk segment on the CD "MASTER ARTIST 02 Yayoi Takatsuki," and the details were later depicted in episode 7 of the anime. The sight of a massive amount of bean sprouts (and nothing else!) spread across a hot plate, sizzled with Yayoi's special sauce, and eaten relentlessly is quite impactful. However, since everyone in the Takatsuki family says it's delicious, it seems to actually be quite good.

The buzz around the power-word "Moyashi Matsuri" has been significant, with inspired fans actually holding their own festivals and uploading numerous photos and videos. Furthermore, the popular restaurant chain "Yayoiken" has mentioned the festival many times on social media due to the shared name "Yayoi," becoming a secret delight for fans. Why not try holding your own Bean Sprout Festival next Thursday?