Sorry for dragging you into this again.
I felt bad last time because we just ate good stuff and that was it.
We've got to up the ante.
They want us to eat bugs today.
Bugs?
Yeah, as in insects.
Cicadas tasted pretty good, so I think we'll be okay.
It still grosses me out though.
Well yeah, they're bugs.
If I wanted to eat them, I would've by now.
I'm worried about what exactly is on the menu today.
We're watching them prepare the food too.
- The bugs? - Yeah, the cooking process.
Let's go pay them a visit then, shall we?
It's about returning to a balanced Japanese diet, like that of the past.
I think that's one way of describing it.
It's easiest to understand if you think of insects as seasonal ingredients.
For example, cicadas taste best in the summer when they come out.
Then in autumn, it's time for bees or grasshoppers.
Different seasons offer different insects.
There are only a limited number of insects, so you need to have a reserve.
Let's say you catch many cicadas in the summer.
You can use some then, and preserve the rest.
I preserve insects by freezing then.
Here we are.
This is an egg of the Japanese Giant Mantis.
You keep this in a cool place, like under the eaves of your house during winter.
They'll hatch in the spring, when the cherry blossoms bloom.
Hundreds of mantes will hatch from the egg.
You can fry them lightly
and sprinkle them on cold tofu or rice.
Like how we eat chirimenjako (dried young sardines).
These are pictures of some dishes I made in the past.
I used crickets for this one.
This one has worms in it.
These down here are hornets. Hornet skewers.
Larvae, pupae, and imago.
A single skewer allows you to enjoy the taste and texture of each stage of life.
This is the famous giant water bug.
This one is Taiwanese.
It tastes like citrus, so I used it to add flavor to the dish.
Japan has four definitive seasons, each with their own distinct edible insects.
This is a freezer I use exclusively for insects.
I cook these at events and such.
This is a giant water bug.
They look quite scary as you can see.
But they're very flavorsome.
These are silk worm pupae.
Also very tasty.
I always keep a stock of high quality silk worm pupae on hand.
They taste great and don't smell at all.
These are fully grown silk worms that have
become moths.
I boil them in soy sauce. They're great with rice.
These are giant mealworms. In Japan we call them "jaimiru" for short.
They're delicious.
When fried lightly they're like fried shrimp. Very crunchy.
These are Argentinian cockroaches.
I'm saving them until there's more.
This is where I'm breeding them right now.
They're easy to care for. Look at all the babies.
They're getting bigger and bigger.
I expect I'll fry them.
Use them as pizza toppings or something.
I think that's the easiest way to eat them.
Look at all this food.
And yet here we are, going off to eat bugs.
Is that the place?
It's December, the end of the year.
This isn't really a Christmas feast,
but today's banquet will be prepared with the festive season in mind.
Wow, they're moving!
In Japan, most people don't know about insect cuisine.
There are only a few places like Shinshu in Nagano prefecture,
in central Japan, where insect cuisine still has a strong fan base.
But overall, I think most Japanese people are still in the dark about insect cuisine.
I'd say locusts are the only insect that are commonly eaten here.
Quite a few Japanese have eaten locusts.
- Can I touch it? - Sure.
Can I eat the skin, too?
Yes, the whole thing.
That sounded tasty.
It's like popcorn.
Exactly like popcorn.
I want some salt on it.
They taste great with salt.
Wow, popcorn.
Right?
Mr. Uchiyama took me camping.
We spread a white screen outside and shined a light on it.
Then we ate all the insects that flew into it. I had no idea we'd be doing that.
Did you cook them?
We fried or boiled them.
And sprinkled some salt.
Some were tasty. It made me wonder why we consider some things edible but not others.
Does eating bugs give you a sense of superiority?
Maybe.
Like "I'm great, I can even eat bugs".
I'm curious about things that are considered inedible.
So you're an extreme foodie.
Right.
Pull the outer shell back.
Can I smell it?
It's strong.
Wow, it is.
It's like chewing gum!
Chewing gum.
Muscat.
- Grapes? - Yeah.
Quite a few of them are first-timers.
But they're ready to eat anything.
They actively get involved in the cooking, which I really appreciate.
That doesn't look right.
It's like the star on a Christmas tree.
This is worse than I expected.
It's difficult to describe what insects taste like.
For example, there's the beetle Longicom.
Their larvae are collected most often in wintertime.
They're in hibernation, so they have a lot of fat and are tasty.
People say they taste like fatty tuna.
But it's difficult to get a hold of them now, so we rarely get to eat them.
Also, bees, particularly the pupae and larvae of giant wasps
are delicious as well.
One way to eat them is to boil them lightly, like shabu-shabu.
Then they taste like soft roe.
Specifically they're said to taste like blowfish milt, which is why they're considered a delicacy.
Bees and wasps are easier to get, so you can enjoy them every year.
This is excessive.
They overdid it.
It's intense.
Check that one out too.
Mr. Uchiyama, what do you think?
I think they look magnificent.
Down the hatch.
That wasn't bad.
Oh yeah?
It actually tastes great. Plus, I'm starving.
Here we go.
- How is it? - Doesn't taste like food.
Does it feel like you're eating bugs?
And this
really tastes like muscat.
Just seeing you eat that gives me the creeps.
Does it gross you out?
Kind of.
Ouch!
It's a leg.
It's tough.
Probably one of these.
Cicada?
It's a cicada, right?
Down the hatch again.
Cicada cake.
Delicious.
Really?
The cake, that is.
That was rough.
We're forcing everything down.
How about another slice of this...
You had enough?
I can't take it anymore.
- You don't consider this food? - Nope.
Kawaguchi's gone down.
This may sound a bit strange, but
I want to eat the insects found in the Aokigahara Forest at the foot of Mt. Fuji.
There's a cartoonist who often draws pieces about our place.
She told me that she saw an unbelievable bug there.
She screamed and ran around to get away from it.
I want to go there with her and set up some night lighting
so that I can attract the insects.
I expect to see huge moths with plenty of eggs.
I'd love to eat them.
That's what I'm thinking of doing next.