Matsuri, authentic Japan

“Fashionable furniture or a sushi bar are not enough to offer authentic Japanese cuisine”. Hirazawa Minoru, president of the Italian Association of Japanese Restaurateurs and owner of Poporoya and Shiro in Milan goes straight to the point. There are 350 Japanese restaurants in town but only about fifteen are authentic Japanese establishments – that is to say restaurants that follow a strict list of quality conditions: the experience of the chef, the training and organization of the staff in both kitchen and dining room, the selection of raw materials, the processing techniques, the preserving and presenting of food, the following of the rules of harmony that are essential in Japanese cuisine.

Only from this rigour could the idea of the Milano Matsuri, the Festival of Japanese gastronomy and culture, be born. It is organised by the AIRG with the patronage of the General Consulate of Japan, expressively inspired by the original Matsuri, the Japanese traditional festivals during which the harmony between man and nature is celebrated. Our idea of Japan, enclosed between Mazinger and Goldrake, between a kimono and a samurai, between a manga book and a super fast and super punctual train will be enlarged to include a mostly unknown aspect of Japan: its popular soul. “The spirit of the Japanese people is also founded on games, tasty food, music and an intense relationship with nature”.

The Milanese matsuri will be the perfect occasion to taste authentic Japanese culture, in which even food plays an essential role. Like in Italy, in Japan too there are many different souls in the kitchen and many regional traditions. Sushi will be present, but the true protagonist will be Japanese street food, cooked by the chefs of the Poporoya, Shiro, Osaka, Finger’s, Finger’s Garden, J’s Hiro, Higuma and Zero..

You will be able to taste takoyaki (squid meatballs with ginger), udon (the typical soup with noodles), karaage (marinated fried chicken), yakitori (grilled chicken on a spit), gyoza (the traditional meat and vegetable ravioli), yakisoba (Japanese spaghetti fried with vegetables), onigiri (fish and rice meatballs), wagashi (typical Japanese cakes). If your interest in Japanese restaurants had began only because it’s fashionable, this is the right moment to redeem yourself and let your curious palate capture the profound harmony of Japanese cuisine. Even through the most rustic and popular food which, as president Minoru points out “illustrates ancient traditions, wise gestures, very careful balances”.

We are sure that the small and discreet Japanese community formed by 3 thousand people, mostly living in the Bande Nere neighbourhood, will enthusiastically participate in this event. It will be nice to mingle with them and, following the rhythm of drums, choose where to stop for a view of a large tuna fish being cut, or of the preparation of a bento (the typical lunch basket) or of a kimono ceremony. May 26th is the day in which a country that for centuries remained isolated from the rest of the world will be able to illustrate some of its history. With no intermediation, but within a big feast.

Milano Matsuri
May 26th 2013
Via Giovanni Keplero, 2
Milan
from 11 to 9 pm
Info and tickets:
www.milanomatsuri.eventbrite.it
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