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Perhaps the most spectacularly attractive aspect to summer in Japan is the fact that this is the time of year for fireworks to take to the skies. Some places around the country, though, have a bigger appetite than most for these dazzling displays, and such is the case with Daisen. Situated in Akita Prefecture, at the northern end of the main Japanese island of Honshu, Daisen has such a penchant for pyrotechnics that it calls itself the "city of fireworks." Daisen earns its sobriquet through the five great firework displays it holds throughout the year, the first of which takes place in the decidedly unpyrotechnic month of March.
Akita is a very rugged prefecture, and the mountains that add so much to the physical attraction of the place also make a significant contribution to the local cuisine in the form of sansai . vegetables that are traditionally gathered wild on the mountain slopes. Including such plants with the delightful
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names of angelica, butterbur and wormwood, sansai are succulent when simply fried as tempura. Akita likewise prides itself upon its locally produced pickles, with iburigakko - smoked daikon radish - being a particular favorite. Daikon also makes an appearance in daikon to nishin no misoni, a delightful dish in which the root vegetable is gently simmered with herring in a miso-based sauce.
Visitors to Akita will find the perfect accompaniment to the local fare in the form of the local sake, and here the name of note is Akita Seishu Brewery. Under the brand name of Dewatsuru, the company produces a fine range of sakes, among which are such notable finds as the flowery, mildly sweet Daiginjo Hishonomai and full-bodied, mellow Junmaishu Tamaki, while under the company's Kariho brand are such sake treats as the very dry, yet robust, Junmai Namahage and smooth, fruity Junmai Ginjo Rokushu. |
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