Taste Of Japan

Across Australia, there are plenty of spots to experience a little taste of Japan, writes ANNE HASEGAWA. You just need to know where to look.

- Anne Hasegawa

Kara-age. Yakitori. Sushi. And snacks – lots of snacks. For many Japanese Australians working in food and wine, the comforts of home come in bite-size pieces. From restaurants and supermarkets to gardens and festivals, it turns out there are plenty of Japanese gems hidden in our own backyard.

While our grand plans for picnics under cherry blossom trees, bento boxes on bullet trains, and 5am ramen in the city that never sleeps are still on hold, the land of the rising sun is not completely out of reach after all.

So just where do you go when you want a taste of Japan? We asked seven prominent Japanese Australians working in food and wine to share their rituals of reconnection and help us uncover the best spots to experience a taste of Japan in Australia.

SAVA GOTO

Tofu maker, Tofu Shoten, Melbourne

After moving here in 2015, Sava Goto found the locally produced tofu wasn’t up to the same standards as the soft, silky cubes found in Japan. So, she decided to do it herself, bringing her newly acquired skills from Japan all the way to Melbourne through her shop, Tofu Shoten.

If I feel like Japanese comfort food, I like going to Aka Siro in Collingwood, it’s so good! My go-to dish is kara-age, I think they’ve got the best in Melbourne. The owners have come in to buy tofu recently and I told them how much I miss their kara-age – I need to go back.

I go to Fuji Mart to buy very particular Japanese things, like gobo (burdock), sake kasu (lees), nigari or a good umeboshi (pickled plum). Something that you can’t get often. I go there and try and find things that they don’t always stock and are difficult to get in Melbourne.