We extend our heartfelt sympathies to all those affected by the recent earthquake.

For many years, Yahata Sushi has undertaken a variety of initiatives to prevent food loss.

By combining techniques developed long ago to preserve fish and other ingredients, before refrigerators existed, with modern preservation methods, we have continued our research under the guiding principle of making food both more delicious and longer-lasting.

Of course, kohada is cured in vinegar, as are sardines, horse mackerel, herring, mackerel, trout, and more.

Delicately flavored white fish, such as the popular renkodai and kinmedai, is cured with kelp.

More strongly flavored fish, including tuna and yellowtail, are prepared as zuke, marinated in soy sauce.

Depending on the type of fish—as well as the season and how richly it is fattened—we adjust the degree of curing and soy-marination.

After curing, we further age the fish in the refrigerator, carefully finding the balance between deliciousness and preservation.

Naturally, we also make use of fish trimmings and bones.

Fish trimmings that are popular with our guests are used not only for ara-jiru fish soup; our herring namerō, served at lunch and on other occasions, is ecology itself.

It is made by carefully removing the bones, heads, and bloodline meat from herring and sardines, softening them in a pressure cooker, then mincing and seasoning them.

We also remove the kazunoko roe from the belly of the herring and prepare it from there, so there is absolutely no waste.

At Yahata Sushi, we are engaged in many initiatives such as those described above—there would be no end if we were to list them all in detail.

Working within our limited resources, we will continue our research to reduce food loss and connect those efforts to even greater deliciousness.

Once again, we thank you for your continued patronage of Yahata Sushi this year.

The photograph shows three kinds of herring. At front right is aged herring, cured in vinegar and rested in the refrigerator for three weeks. At left is minced herring trimmings. The kazunoko roe was removed from the herring’s belly and prepared.