Planet Food: Japan

Merrilees Parker travels to Japan to learn about its unique food culture. She begins her journey in Tokyo, at Tsukiji, the world's biggest fish market, where she encounters weird shellfish and 500lb tuna! Master chef, Romeo teaches her how to make the ultimate sushi, an art that takes years to master. Then it's off to a ramen museum, where you can try various regional styles of the noodle soup. Although the Japanese have one of the iest diets on the planet, many of their ingredients are alien to the average westerner. Merrilees meets Elizabeth Andoh, a food writer who guides her round the unfamiliar ingredients of a Tokyo food hall. Escaping the city, Merrilees takes the bullet train to Matsusaka where she visits a farm that produces the most expensive beef in the world - the cows are fed with apples and and massaged daily! On to Kyoto, the old seat of the empire where she's immersed in traditional Japanese customs such as the tea ceremony and visits a 400-year-old restaurant. After shopping in its ancient market, known as Kyoto's Kitchen, she learns about the Japanese art of -crafting. Merrilees visits a local restaurant to try Japanese stes, soba noodles and tofu before meeting the master brewer of a local sake brewery - a Brit! After a quick look at the ancient practice of cormorant fishing, Merrilees travels to Japan's iconic Fuji for the annual Summer Fire Festival to gorge herself on wonderful street food. Back in the suburbs of Tokyo, Merrilees is invited to a private home and is taught how to make tempura. Then, Merrilees watches the preparation of fugu - the ultimate Japanese delicacy - a poisonous fish which can be deadly if prepared in the wrong way. Her journey ends with a lesson in Japanese/European fusion cuisine.

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