Fukagawa Meshi
Have you ever heard of Fukagawa meshi? Fukagawa is a shitamachi (old town) area in Tokyo. It is located next to Nihonbashi, on the other side of the Sumida River, between the Monzennakacho and the Kiyosumi-Shirakawa Metro stations.
At the beginning of the 17th century, this area flourished as a fishing village. Many streets were filled with stands serving easy-to-eat dishes. One of these was Fukagawa meshi. The fishermen, who used to fish for asari clams there, originated this dish, which has since become one of the five most famous rice dishes (meshi) in Japan. (Others in the five are the Kayaku meshi of Osaka and the Sayori meshi of Gifu).
Fukagawa meshi gained popularity for the subtle taste of asari clams that soaked into the rice .Nowadays it is said to be a little difficult to find fresh asari clams in Tokyo Bay. In fact, the population increase, coastal development, and the extensive progress in fishing techniques are some of the factors that may have led to the decline of clams in the region.
However, there still are a few nice traditional restaurants in this area, which serve Fukagawa meshi made with fresh asari clams (usually fished in Kisarazu in Chiba or in Mikawa Bay in Aichi). So, that's why I thought, why not revive the ancient fisherman's tradition and make this Fukagawa meshi where I live, in the very southernmost part of the Spanish coast!
Asari clams may look like they don't have a lot of nutritional value, but they certainly are rich in iron and Vitamin B12. They're especially suited for people with low blood pressure or anemia, and pregnant women. What's more, this dish is easy to prepare, and the nice subtle flavor of fresh clams is really out of this world. So why not give it a try!
Actually, there are two types of Fukagawa meshi: one is cooked in miso soup and the other is cooked in soy sauce. This time I'll present the second type, a perfect dish for a seafood party or even for a lunch box the next day. And of course one day, if you have the chance, you could go to Fukagawa to try a traditional Fukagawa meshi after you've had a go at making your own at home! But anyway, don't ever worry about what other people say; the "best" one is always the one you like best! These are only guidelines, so just have fun cooking. You can even customize it to your own taste. Who knows? You may discover a whole new recipe...

Submitted by Yuko Tamaki-Welply
A member of TranNet and freelance translator based in Southern Spain

♦ INGREDIENTS
(4 servings)
c   =  cup
g   =  gram
T   = tablespoon

200 g     clams, shelled
40 g       ginger, peeled and chopped
1 T        sake
3 T        rice
pinch     chives, finely chopped
1/4 c     soy sauce
2 c        mirin (sweet sake)

♦ How to make Fukagawa Meshi
1. Put the shelled clams into a strainer and wash them. Drain them and put a bit of sake in a skillet. Stir-fry them and throw away the juice.
2. Into the shelled clams, put the ginger, soy sauce and mirin, and boil down the juice.
3. Cook the rice. When the water starts simmering, add shelled clams and all the other ingredients from step 2.
4. Serve it hot, with chopped chives sprinkled on top.

How do you study the written Japanese characters known as kanji? You stare at each kanji and make up a story in your head that you can mentally "attach" to the kanji to help you recall its meaning when you meet it again in the future. Some types of kanji have retained their pictographic forms and look very much like the objects they represent.