How Japan Keeps the Oldest Traditions In The World Alive | Still Standing | Insider Business

Japan is home to many of the most ancient traditions in the world some have thrived for centuries like the art of making wagashi a dessert that was once available only to the wealthy but others are on the brink of Extinction like aging soy sauce in wooden barrels we traveled the country to meet five Artisans fighting to save their methods and to learn how their crafts are

still standing our first stop is shodor Island to meet one of the last Artisans making soy sauce the traditional way soy sauce is one of the most important ingredients in Japanese Cuisine yet only one percent of the country's Supply is made through the traditional method of barrel aging that's because it can take four years for one batch to go from Barrel to bottle Yasuo Yamamoto is

a fifth generation soy sauce maker and one of the only Brewers in the country who hand builds his own barrels it's good at all reminds you most fermented seasonings in Japan used to be made this way but industrialization replaced almost all the country's wooden barrels with steel today the average soy sauce is made through a shorter chemicalized process so what does it take to make authentic

soy sauce what makes the soy sauce special is the wooden barrel called kyoke one can last for over a century yusuo makes bamboo strips to wrap around the barrel because the saltiness of the soy sauce can corrode metal um [Music] people to assemble one barrel but not many do this anymore after Modern Machinery took over the market almost all kyoke makers in Japan went out of

business so Yasuo learned to make his own [Music] before these barrels are put to use crushed wheat and steamed soybeans are mixed with Koji the fungus that will kick start the fermentation process this giant vat regulates temperature so the fungus can grow after two days the mixture goes to the moromi house this is where the wooden barrels help create the breeding ground for the bacteria over

one ton of the soybean mixture fills each Barrel along with salt water while Yasuo and his team stir the soybeans bump up against each other and create tiny tears so that other bacteria can get in and start to break them down the workers pump air into the barrel to make the aerobic yeast more active even though Yasuo says the microbes do most of the work his

part of the job is still demanding things foreign and based on their scent and appearance he can tell where they are in the process ity the soybeans will ferment here for at least a year and a half yusuo has 87 Barrels in different phases he believes a good Barrel is one that will outlive him these types of Barrels have been in production in Japan since at

least this 17th century everything changed during World War II when materials became more scarce and expensive in Japan the government knew its people couldn't live without their staple seasoning so they ordered factories to make production cheaper and faster cutting the process from years to months so while many Brewers expanded and modernized small businesses like yusuo's families could barely keep up stepped in in 2003 just before

his father suddenly became sick and had to retire so we had to take over and pull a struggling business out of debt he also had to teach himself a lot of the process like how to use the Press after a year and a half of fermentation yusuo pipes the soybean mixture into this machine he layers on a piece of traditional wrapping cloth then the machine slowly

squeezes out the soy sauce over 10 days foreign factories press it all at once but Yasuo says getting a quality product is all about patience after this stage some of the soy sauce goes back into the barrel with more soybeans and wheat for two more years to make yasuo's main product saishkomi a darker stronger tasting soy sauce when the microbes have enough time to naturally ferment

the soybeans it gives the soy sauce a sweeter aftertaste some industrial Brands mimic this by adding sweeteners foreign for five years for almost every dish he cooks with naturally fermented soy sauce including yusuo's brand honey foreign [Music] in order for traditional soy sauce to continue Barrel production needs to keep up that's why yusuo holds Barrel making workshops every year [Music] tomorrow 's authentic soy sauce to

people all over the world a bottle goes for 35 on Amazon around triple the price of a commercial alternative um passing down the legacy of barrel-aged soy sauce is part of his life's mission foreign [Music] next we go to Kyoto to see why Japan's national dessert has been considered an art form for thousands of years for over 400 years one family in Japan has been shaping

rice flour beans and sugar into tiny edible sculptures these sweets are called wagashi and making them is a precise and delicate art confectioners have to be quick and their hands have to stay at just the right temperature or the dough is ruined because is the 17th generation owner of his family's shop in Kyoto so how did this dainty art go from a delicacy only a few

enjoyed to a National Dessert kiwaki learned to make wagashi from his father when he was 22 years old at 68 he trains all the workers at the family's confectionery shop kamea [Music] outside they specialize in kyogashi a type of wagashi made only in Japan's ancient capital of Kyoto is most recipes start with simple ingredients like rice flour sugar and beans pastry chefs heat and mix it

all into a paste is they strain the paste for about five minutes to remove any lumps [Music] wagashi comes in many shapes but there are three main varieties namagashi are soft and moist ranges from gooey to dry and higashi a dry and have a longer shelf life here they're making a namagashi shaped like a Chrysanthemum flower a symbol of fall just a few drops of dye

we'll color the dough to the right here of pink s getting the perfect color is essential for kiyoki um timing is everything [Music] pastry chefs have to sculpt the confectionery in about two minutes if they work too fast the design will look sloppy too slow and the sweets absorb body heat and won't turn out well [Music] this simple wooden stick called the Sanka kubera is the

only tool they use to sculpt the petals [Music] if one line is out of place they have to start the process again it's a good thing to stand up cook them up chrysanthemums are a Japanese national symbol and represent longevity and rejuvenation countries changing seasons shape the sweets pumpkins are made only in the fall and cherry blossoms in the spring kisses is involved in every step

this got a sorry foreign he mostly follows old recipes and styles but has also added nearer ideas to the menu he mixes yellow and pink food dyes to create the perfect orange hue designing each piece is all about using the right tools and techniques records show that Japanese envoys brought wagashi-like sweets from China around the 7th century sugar was a rare commodity and only Aristocrats and

the wealthy could afford it kiwaki's ancestors learned how to make wagashi from a priest and opened their shop in 1617. it was one of only 28 shops chosen to cater to the Royal Family they delivered their sweets to the Palace in boxes inlaid with mother of pearl foreign [Music] began arriving in Japan during the late 19th century after the country opened its ports to foreign trade

wagashi literally translates to Japanese sweets and it became the term used to differentiate between the two kameham offers a wide variety of confectionery every season [Music] the shop also makes your gun a hanamagashi type confectioners make the base with red Zuki beans brown sugar and agar a gelling agent once everything is boiled they pour it into a mold and mix in walnuts the name of this

yokan is which translates to Moonlight it calls for at least two hours before it's ready to serve [Music] to contrast the moist desserts the shop also makes higashi the dry sweets workers press the Daryl in traditional wooden molds this one translates to Good Fortune in Japanese higashi Suites are small in size and have bright colors and detailed designs wagashi comes in numerous shapes and styles influenced

by each Region's unique history and geography [Music] piece is named after a season or a reference from Japanese classical literature but when it comes to enjoying the treat kiwaki says Simplicity is key Zen Buddhist monks introduced tea ceremonies in Japan in the 12th century the practice evolved into a social gathering for friends and became a ritual that represents Harmony and respect wagashi's sweetness made it the

ultimate dessert to serve in these ceremonies to complement the bitter tea anymore today wagashi is sold across Japan from specialty shops to department stores to Street vendors despite the competition kiwaki never Cuts Corners when it comes to the materials and production methods you know he knows he has a long history to live up to decorations he is working to pass this tradition on but says the

hardest part is securing workers foreign stable one way of doing this is to appeal to the younger generation is but long before social media kamehame's place in history was documented in this 300 year old book listing all businesses in Kyoto forever is passed it's what motivates him to forward to the future foreign has been running the oldest business in Japan the 25 Generations this is one

of the oldest businesses in Japan and aburi mochi is the only food on the menu for over a thousand years the restaurant has served worshipers who visit the Shinto Shrine next door to pray for good health many believe eating the roasted rice cakes will protect them from diseases too the shop has survived fires civil and World and even smallpox epidemics through it all 25 generations of

one family kept it going blending food and faith but covid-19 has threatened the business more than anything else it all starts the skewers owner Naomi hasagawa Cuts them from a special bamboo grown for ritual purposes around the shrine that's why they're considered sacred and treated with as much care as any ingredient [Music] the important job of sterilizing them is only for the Okami the owner and

manager next she makes the sweet miso dipping sauce Naomi knows the recipe by heart she measures ingredients by eye and feels the mixture for consistency she learned it all from her aunt the former Okami um she combines today's batch with yesterday's leftovers for a richer flavor ichiwa uses a machine to make the Mochi dough instead of the traditional method of steaming and pounding with a mallet

[Laughter] is foreign every day she makes the first Mochi as an offering for the gods and her ancestors then it's time to put it all together Naomi and her employees work on a woven mat covered in roasted soybean powder they cover the Mochi in it then measure thumb size pieces to stick on a skewer um to roast the Mochi she shuffles them until they reach a

consistent dark color it only takes about one minute but it requires close attention since the Mochi could easily overcook or even worse the bamboo could burn she's even particular about the charcoal she uses it's been show time a high quality Oak charcoal that's much harder than regular holes foreign means to roast so this is what makes the snack a burimuchi [Music] um she dips the Uber

Emoji into the Miso sauce while they're still warm 11 skewers and a cup of green tea cost 500 yen are just under five dollars Naomi and her predecessor have kept that price steady for over 30 years but have had to bring the number of skewers down from 15. you are [Music] the imamiya shrine that ichiwa serves was founded in 994. as Kyoto was suffering from epidemics

like smallpox locals worshiped Shinto deities who were believed to cure diseases and Grant long life Naomi says ichiwa's original Founders served the chief priest and then started the shop to serve worshipers as well they used to give a burimuchi away for free and only sometimes received a small gratuity from pilgrims from the beginning it's been traditional for women in the family to run the business is

cocoa Naomi is the 25th Okami to run ichua taking over for her aunt 13 years ago and she has made a few improvements to bring the business into the Modern Age like providing Insurance to its employees and installing a time card system she draws the line at using delivery apps tonight although ichiwa was born from a time of plague nothing could have prepared the staff for

the coronavirus pandemic the shop was forced to close for nearly two months in 2020 and it took on debt to ensure employees were still getting paid even while it was shut even the government's National tourism incentive program wasn't enough to bring many customers back is Naomi's hopes for the future lie in the next generation of her family she believes her children or nieces and nephews will

take over for her but there's no set succession plan and that's intentional story [Music] says she'd enjoy retirement but until that day there are faithful visitors to feed yeah foreign is home to one of the only Master blacksmiths crafting Bonsai Scissors by hand the secret to making some of the best Bonsai scissors in the world lies in learning how to forge samurai swords is one of

the only blacksmiths in Japan who still makes these scissors using methods that date back to the 5th Century professional gardeners are willing to pay thousands and wait a whole year to get their hands on a pair s yasu Heroes family Workshop Sasuke has been around for 155 years but he worries it may end with him Hindi yasu Hero's family business is one of the last in

Sakai that specializes in Bonsai scissors in addition to knives like knives these scissors start with a small piece of metal yasuhiro cuts it down to about 10 centimeters it's Japanese yasugi steel because it's more durable and helps the blade stay sharp he starts with a softer kind to make the handle and the base of the blade it's the metal in an old wood burning furnace instead

of a modern gas burner Because he believes the heat is more concentrated that way it's about an hour for it to reach the perfect temperature foreign ER to stretch it then he switches to a manual one to perfect the round shape of the handle it is to make the blade he forges a hard piece of Steel over the softer base he started with this is called

called Forge welding it's one of the oldest and most essential skills in blacksmithing yasuhiro uses powdered borax and iron oxide to bind them and help prevent oxidation he heats the metal once more and hammers it again to flatten it into the shape of a blade these short TAPS at a low temperature make the particles finer and smaller and the metal denser and stronger slowly it'll start

looking like scissors [Music] yasu hero files the handle to make it slightly rough and uneven this will help people keep a tight grip on them [Music] he uses this mold to bend the handle into its signature butterfly shape he files a straight line onto the blade to complete the signature Sasuke look the most crucial part is a technique called quenching yasu hero heats the blade one

last time at 780 degrees Celsius you can tell it's the right temperature just by looking at the color of the fire then he immediately submerges it in water the sudden change in temperature will harden the bleed he prefers to do it in the morning before the Sun is up foreign [Music] if done incorrectly the metal can turn brittle today he's the only person in his family

who's mastered all of the steps and he often works alone [Music] he Buffs the scissors to make them smooth yasuhiro says this can be exhausting foreign both sides have to fit perfectly together Bonsai scissors have to be as sharp as a razor to make precise clean cuts foreign it can take him a month to make one pair but it can last a lifetime yasuhiro also repairs

scissors that are more than 100 years old foreign has been famous for its metal work since the 5th Century people from across the country would come here looking for knives swords and even guns yasuhiro himself comes from a long line of blacksmiths spanning 22 Generations but it was his great great grandfather satajiro who made scissors the focus of the family business in 1867. and when yasuhiro

took it over in the late 60s he was determined to grow the business is [Music] foreign foreign but it wasn't always easy to find new customers [Music] today yasuhiro is one of the few people in the country making such high quality scissors Bonsai specialist yoshikawa masakazu was willing to wait a year to get his hands on a pairs without Clean Cuts needles can turn brown and

branches can wither and sometimes bad blades can stop small buds from growing up using good scissors is also essential for masakazu because Bonsai are an important symbol in Japanese and Buddhism foreign [Music] [Music] he's most proud of this 26 thousand dollar pair that took him three years to make and is decorated with gold [Music] he dreams of making another similar one coated with a wine red

lacquer but it would take him at least four years and orders keep piling up organizations foreign people can order custom scissors online or visit his Workshop in person but there may not be another successor to the brand yasu Hero has two sons but he isn't sure they'll follow in his footsteps I um meanwhile he carries the responsibility of crafting better scissors on his own um next

we go to tukuyama where people have been brewing a rare type of black vinegar since the 1800s 52 000 ceramic jars hold a Japanese black vinegar known as gurozu that can only be made in this part of the world one batch can take up to five years to age and Brewmasters like Kenji tachiwada keep track of the quality by checking the taste sound and smell um

one bottle can cost at least double the price of a regular mass-produced rice vinegar chefs across the country seek it out for its smooth and mellow taste is [Music] one of eight vinegar breweries in the southern Japanese town of fukuyama that still use this 200 year old fermentation method but ramping up production is nearly impossible because it's difficult to find more land to lay out Jaws

[Music] Kenji starts his work at the sakamotokuro zoo facility at 8am he's been working here for the past 40 years brown rice is one of only three ingredients in kuruzu workers Harvest it from nearby fields they steam the rice and mix it with a mold that's also used to make sake and soy sauce this is called Goji and it's the first ingredient to go in the

jar um Genji fills up the rest with planes steamed brown rice it makes the vinegar less Tangy and acidic then he fills the pot with around nine gallons of fresh water from a natural spring [Music] [Music] a final layer of Koji goes on top it will later turn into a thick slab of mold that protects the vinegar from other microbes entering the mixture [Music] the Brewers

usually fill the jars up in the spring and fall when the temperatures are just right this specific region has a perfect climate to make Guru Zoo because of its relatively warm weather year round the natural outdoor heat accelerates fermentation over a three to six month process the mold turns the rice starch into sugar then into alcohol as the vinegar ages it turns darker and richer in

taste it takes at least three years to reach its signature brownish hue Genji checks all 52 000 pots to keep track of the Aging um each pot ages at its own pace but most reach the dark brown color in three years Kenji selects a few to ferment for up to five and those are the most expensive up foreign at all stages of Aging these ceramic pots

also play an essential role in the process their dark exterior absorbs heat from the Sun and the porousness of the clay allows the mold to keep fermenting has been buying them from chinjucan Pottery for the past 200 years and they last for centuries the company still has about 1 000 original pots from two centuries ago is a 15th generation Potter running the 420 year old family

business or not doesn't it people have been making black vinegar in fukuyama since the 1800s in the early 20th century there were about 24 kuruzu makers here but many close their doors during World War II when the government implemented food rations and restricted Brewers from using rice sakamotokuro Zoo managed to stay afloat by briefly substituting sweet potatoes for rice today it's one of only eight gurozu

businesses left it's also one of the largest covering 35 000 square meters the size of more than six American football fields akihiro Sakamoto is the sixth generation to run the family business is foreign on site where visitors can taste the vinegar foreign like miso and soy sauce rice vinegar is one of the basic seasonings used in Japanese Cuisine it's usually aged for three months and some

can be ready in just days with modern technology kurosu's years-long natural process gives it a milder and less acidic taste than regular rice vinegar the restaurant sweet and sour pork is the most popular item on the menu a 1 000 milliliter bottle of kurosu costs around twenty dollars that's double the price of standard mass-produced rice vinegar the older it is the more expensive it becomes but

akihiro is not worried about cheaper competitors Japan's Ministry of Agriculture forestry and Fisheries certified gurozu with a geographical indication in 2015. that means authentic uruzu can only be made here in this region using these techniques just like champagne can only be produced in a certain region of France and nowadays akihiro has chefs and customers from across the country seeking his vinegar year-round the company expanded its

line to include vinegar-based products like jam ponzu sauce and flavored drinks customers for its supposed health benefits like weight loss lower cholesterol and increased energy studies suggest people who use it regularly see benefits but usually when paired with other healthy lifestyle habits [Music] but there's no simple way of expanding most of the land in fukuyama is already taken and moving the business somewhere else would mean

losing the geographical indication [Music] the company also needs a flat area to lay out pots and the terrain here is hilly and steep [Music] and there's no way of accelerating the natural fermentation process or changing the size of the pots so for now he's making as much as the 52 000 pots can produce [Music] [Music] and none of that is possible without veteran boom Masters like

Kenji ensuring that the quality is top notch anymore [Music]