Peculiar pickles of Nozawa -- The 'Heirloom Vegetable' of Nagano
Where the locals/tourists go to cook vegetables and eggs in the middle of Nozawa Onsen, the Onsen (hot spring town) of Nagano prefecture.
It's the New Year and we are finally at the start of 2023. What a year for lofty goal planning and striving for more Abundance practices this year to usher in a more balanced lifestyle to create the right setting for more Abundance and Wellness in our lives...
For a few of us who may be undergoing 'New Year Blues' while we roll our eyes sarcastically at all the New Year hype, I might have fallen into this same group lately (only temporarily!) from unexpected events earlier during the New Year holiday. I am training myself to not dwell on the negative that happened but to cherish the things we usually don't pay attention to. Such as our bones and our health.
It was Day 2 of the New Year, 2023. I attempted to semi-reluctantly venture out snowboarding one afternoon during our vacation in Nozawa Onsen, Nagano. I fell hard on my outstretched arm, heard it make a popping sound, and was laying in the heavy snowfall immobilized, in pain, and terrified, I was concerned about what had just happened to my arm. Nearing hypothermia and almost buried under the snow every 3 minutes, my friend had to call for help while brushing the snow off me to remain visible to nearby skiers and snowboarders to avoid getting run over. After a complicated trip being scooped up under the snow onto a metal stretcher and then lifted onto the ski lift to get me off the mountain, I managed to arrive at the hospital by ambulance. Long story short, my upper arm broke at three different angles. It was worse than I imagined. Surgery was advised once I returned to Tokyo. Our vacation ended abruptly at that very moment. We were overtaken by anxiety and overwhelming stress of what my life was going to be like over the next few months.
However, I'd like to focus on the wonderful things I discovered during the 2 days that I was in Nozawa Onsen before the occurrence of the accident. Nozawa Onsen is known for its heavy snowfall and picturesque views of the mountain and quaint old Japanese cottages. One thing we noticed was the pickled vegetable wrapped in a bun, similar to that of the Chinese "bao". I had never tasted something so interesting before. It is similar to spinach but it has an all-rounded taste and some hints of vinegar. In Japanese, this pickle is called, "Nozawana". Its crunchiness is spectacular and its taste is so unique, unlike any of the other vegetables I've tasted while living in Japan for 6 years. The Nozawana are carefully washed in a Sotoyu (external bath) by villagers. It is said that washing the Nozawana with onsen water (hot spring water ) eradicates any insects.
Indoor onsen washing vegetables in hot spring water filled with natural minerals. Same water used for bathing/soaking.
"There has been a long, deep relationship between diet and the immune function as seen in Nozawana." Dr. Sachi Tanaka, Ph.D. in Agriculture at Tohoku University." She started her research on Nozawana around 2015. One of Nagano Prefecture's designated “heirloom vegetables,” Nozawana is a leafy green most often used for pickling, which is grown and consumed widely across the prefecture. Her research proved that the Nozawana pickle superseded the other vegetables in her research by far when researching the effectiveness of eliminating viruses and fighting off other toxic materials we absorb into our bodies.
“What is more, it has also been found that more 'mature' pickles that have been pickled for half a year or longer, are more effective compared to 'fresh' pickles,” Dr. Tanaka notes. And the likely factor behind it is the action of lactic acid bacteria. The more mature pickled Nozawana becomes the further lactic acid fermentation proceeds. Dr. Tanaka looked into what types of lactic acid bacteria are active in pickled Nozawana, and exactly how they are involved in the immune function. In addition, lactic acid bacteria may also inhibit viral infections, and studies are already underway to investigate their activity on influenza viruses." says Dr. Tanaka. https://www.shinshu-u.ac.jp/english/topics/2022/03/rediscovering-the-di.html Fermented vegetables tend to be healthier for our gut. For this type of fermented pickle though, it doesn't have an old moldy smell to it similar to that of other fermented vegetables. It is one that you find yourself instantly drawn to its unique bitter-sour taste, while you might find yourself already contemplating getting a second one before finishing your first Nozawana Oyaki bun.
In 1933, the name was changed from Kabuna to Nozawana.
Imagine having a lovely full-bodied coffee brewed from Nagano's homegrown coffee beans (or a local beer if you fancy that more), munching away at a Nozawana Oyaki bun ('Yaki' means to bake or grill ) for breakfast or a mid-day snack, while watching the heavy snowfall from your window by a fireplace with winter jazz playing in the background. Yes...imagine away...
In her article, Dr. Tanaka talks about another special type of food from Nagano, called, Kori-tofu (frozen soybean curd). Kori-tofu is a tofu that has been freeze-dried to be kept as a preserved food to prolong its shelf-life. Kori-tofu also has the same effect similar to Nozawana of fighting off viruses and toxic elements in our system.
For meat lovers, we found an interesting restaurant on New Year's Eve, that served "Yaki-Shabu". This was truly amazing and something I will try at home although the beef used was from Nagano prefecture, which I won't be able to get from Tokyo. However, Japanese beef tends to be pretty good anyway. Yaki means to grill, and Shabu means to boil. Never before have I seen this way of cooking beef before. It was mainly Yakiniku (BBQ) but you could choose to boil the thin slices of marbled beef or to grill them, or both. Then, you dip it into the citron 'ponzu' sauce and finally into the whisked raw egg cooked in onsen water for coating and extra flavor.
While Japan has loads of local and regional superfoods, I wanted to focus this blog on the
Nagano Prefecture from my recent trip. **I had a member who recently joined the HoFu network and she had enquired about Japanese vegetables as she was vegan. This post is also a tribute to her for suggesting this topic.** Feel free to suggest to us in the forum or comment here down below if there is anything you might be interested in related to Japan and wellness.
While I go through the motions of daily life with my broken arm, I am motivated to eat healthier, with Japanese vegetables packed with minerals. Wheatgrass is another good vegetable to easily add to your daily routine. High in Vitamin D (great for bones), and filled with calcium and fiber, it is another smart way to eat myself to recover. Once in a while, I resort to a cheat meal such as Mcdonald's Nuggets but then I wash that down almost immediately with a warm glass of wheatgrass! Aside from learning what foods are good for bone recovery and building, I am learning about Japanese-specific local produce which is great for my learning and I hope this blog is a good way to share my learnings with you all too.
Eating more healthily in baby steps is something I am trying to adjust to, but more importantly, I think God and the Universe showed me what the lesson was here with my fall. I think the message was that i was going through immense stress and required rest. I needed to slow down and recoup mentally, physically, and spiritually. Instead of trying to do more to validate to myself that I wasn't being slothful but was ready to push myself a bit more to prove something, I need to listen to what my heart REALLY wanted to do. not succumb to peer pressure to join others snowboarding when I didn't care for it and expected to fall many times as part of improving my skills. I should've gone to charming old-fashioned hot springs, littered across the town while my partner went snowboarding. "Do what your heart wants to do." "Listen to your body and just nourish it when it is calling out for peace and rest." After resting, your body would be able to be strong enough to look after you especially when it is more aligned with your heart's desire."
Therefore, I hope to impart to my readers here, to remember to honor what our heart sings to us, to hear her loud and clear, and to do what YOU want for yourself in that moment especially if you are feeling fragile from overwork or similar stresses from life. "Make yourself happy and find that inner peace and balance before venturing out on exerting yourself as that can wait." Even if you are rested and gung-ho, raging to start an extreme sport like snowboarding or the equivalent either physically or mentally; be sure to check in with your inner-being first and take all precautions if it is a physical activity.
As my cheerleader, I remind myself to keep my mind positive and to visualize my cells and bones recovering from the better nourishment I am feeding my body and mind.
More on nutrition and local Japanese produce next time! Starting today, 22/1/23 to 5/2/23, our e-commerce store will have a 10% discount on all products. Join us as a member by logging in and subscribing with your email on the homepage, to get the email with the 10% discount code!! Our products have been carefully curated and produced in Japan, Come check them out under the 'Shop' tab.
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Wishing everyone a Happy Lunar New Year! And to all my Chinese friends and readers here, sending you much Abundance and HoFu in 2023! @AlwaysHoFu, @AlwaysAbundance
笑口常开，恭贺新禧
(May your year be filled with Abundance of smiles and laughter, Good luck in the New Year)
万事如意，身体健康
(May everything go well for you, Wishing you good health)
Abundance coming your way,
The HoFu squad