TOKYO, Oct 15 — When one thinks of Japanese cuisine, one could be imagining a hot bowl of ramen or udon noodles.
Or perhaps considering a midnight run to the nearest konbini for a quick snack of an onigiri rice ball. Even Japanese curry is utterly Japanese as it’s really a roux-based stew rather than a curry.
What we often forget is that many, if not most, of these dishes benefit from a smidgen of Japanese pickles or tsukemono.
There are onigiri rice balls that are flecked with chopped up umeboshi (salt-pickled plums). A bowl of yakisoba noodles is elevated with the addition of bright red beni shoga (pickled young ginger).
So imagine our delight when we realise there is an entire festival market dedicated to the humble Japanese pickle in Tokyo, specifically the former Odenma-cho neighbourhood in Nihonbashi.
Known as the Nihonbashi Ebisu-ko Bettara Market, the streets in this area are filled with between 400 and 500 street stalls every October 19 and 20.
The entrance to the fair has a festive feel, with chochin (lanterns) hanging overhead. The market-goers are a mix of visitors from other parts of Japan, foreign tourists and the local Nihonbashi community.
Everyone is curious: how do you organise an entire festival around pickles?
While the fair is specifically named after bettara-zuke, a local specialty of sweet and salty daikon pickles, its history started centuries ago.
Records show that the market started in 1606 when the villagers of Takarada-mura had to move due to the expansion of Edo Castle.
Their new home became known as Odenma-cho, and in its heart a statue of Ebisu, the Japanese god of fishermen and luck. Residents, especially merchants, would gather in front of the Takarada Ebisu Shrine every 20th of October to celebrate the Ebisu-ko ceremony in honour of the deity.
Naturally, vendors began to set up stalls selling temple wares and produce such as fish and vegetables; they did this the previous day on the 19th as the 20th was reserved for prayers and the festival proper.
Thus every October 19 and 20, the pickle fair pays homage to the earlier festival by sharing the same dates. This is Nihonbashi’s version of Oktoberfest, if you will.
While there is a vibrant, carnival-like ambience, the Nihonbashi Ebisu-ko Bettara Market is far less commercial than Oktoberfest of course. There are no drunken American tourists here slumped by the side-walks, and that’s a fine thing.
Despite the name of the market, the stalls don’t only sell bettara-zuke. Some of the most popular tsukemono include kyuri asazuke (salt-brined cucumbers) and nozawana (pickled turnip greens). If you’re lucky and have a sharp eye, you’d be able to spot some hard-to-find gobo (burdock root) pickles.
Every colour and cut of pickle — from the brilliant neon yellow of crunchy takuan radishes to translucent, sweet rakkyo scallions typically served alongside Japanese curry — reminds us of a meal we have had in Japan.
Indeed each prefecture in the country seems to have its own regional style of tsukemono. Slivers of carrot-based matsumaezuke from Hokkaido recall the sea thanks to use of squid, konbu kelp and kazunoko (herring roe). Nara is famed for their dark brown narazuke, cured in kasuzuke (saké lees) for years with a resultant alcoholic pungency.
Kyoto, a haven for tsukemono, has shibazuke — immediately recognisable thanks to its deep purple hue. This Kyoto specialty is made from ginger, cucumber, eggplant and shiso leaves, deriving its mildly tangy kick from being pickled in umezu or plum vinegar.
It can be quite an education. While most visitors busy themselves with tasting the tsukemono or taking pictures, some eagerly chat with the vendors to learn more about the pickles. How is it made, the farms the produce are harvested from, what dish to pair each pickle with: the questions can seem endless.
Especially if you’re standing behind the curious customer, waiting for your turn. That’s just the way it is here in Japan; people are more patient and joining a queue, in particular a long one, seems to be a badge of pride for many.
While waiting, we occupy our time observing the vendors, colourful in both speech and attire. They call out to prospective customers at the top of their lungs, without tiring apparently. Some vendors wear traditional haori jackets with their shops’ emblems; others go casual, inadvertently advertising big sports brands.
It’s not quite chaos but it certainly is fun.
As we reach the end of the street, leaving the Odenma-cho grounds behind us, the aroma of freshly fried foods entice us. There is a lively albeit different atmosphere here at the edges of the market. Instead of tsukemono stalls, other food vendors take advantage of the higher than usual foot traffic to offer a plethora of Japanese street food.
How about some savoury okonomiyaki, Japanese pancakes stuffed with cabbage and thick cut bacon? Those with a sweet tooth can go either the traditional or fashionable route: yako imo (baked sweet potatoes) or crêpes filled with autumnal fruits such as kaki (persimmons) and nashi (pears), and plenty of whipped cream.
Small kids clamour for sticks of tomorokoshi or corn grilled with a glaze of miso, butter and soy sauce. For adults, this is the taste of their own childhood.
There are ikayaki (grilled squid) and jaga bata (baked potatoes); the latter has a uniquely Japanese flourish as they are peeled rather than baked in their jackets, but still topped generously with butter. Everyone seems to be nursing a can of Asahi, Kirin or Sapporo beer.
Truly, there’s nothing like some cold beer and deep-fried kushiage skewers to fill up hungry bellies. (Even if we didn’t know we were hungry before.) The pickles, of course, are for bringing home to be enjoyed with a proper home-cooked meal.
Here, it’s a gathering, a celebration, a community of tsukemono lovers. And all are welcome.
Nihonbashi Ebisu-ko Bettara Market
October 19 and 20, 2019; 12pm – 9:30pm
Located in the area around Takarada Ebisu Shrine. Walking distance from the Mitsukoshimae Station (on the Tokyo Metro Ginza and Hanzomon Lines). Entry is free.
