(From left) Jun Okubo, Sogen Ichizumi and Keita Nakagawa, members of Hoxai Kitchen, pose for a photo in front of vegesushi served on bamboo leaves in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Participants of an event held in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward help themselves to vegesushi.
Vegesushi, pressed sushi that uses only vegetables, is recently drawing attention due to its colorful design and consideration for vegetarians. The new sushi was released in April by Hoxai Kitchen, a group of designers working abroad, bringing a new wave of sushi in and outside Japan.
Vegesushi is created by pressing sushi rice and vegetables in a rectangular wooden mold. The group uses Akitakomachi brand of rice when making vegesushi in Japan, and Italy-made Koshihikari rice when making the product in Europe. They always use locally produced vegetables as fillings and toppings.
Vegesushi is taken out of a wooden mold in Narashino, Chiba Prefecture.
The group, which conducts activities mainly in Europe, came up with the idea of vegetable-only sushi so that the Japanese dish can be enjoyed by everyone who is interested in Japanese culture, including vegetarians and those who cannot eat fish.
Vegesushi is designed based on the expertise of the creators: Sogen Ichizumi, 36, the leader of the group who comes from a farming family; Keita Nakagawa, 33, who used to run a restaurant in his hometown of Kyoto; and Jun Okubo, 34, a qualified wine expert. “We wanted to overturn the fixed image that most types of sushi are hand shaped,” Ichizumi said.
Keita Nakagawa makes vegesushi in Narashino, Chiba Prefecture.
They offer vegesushi at events held in Japan and abroad, showing the finishing part of making the sushi and letting visitors taste it. Their sushi is well received and they are getting catering requests from people, especially women, holding parties.
Some 20 people participated in the group’s event held in Tokyo in August. Thirty vegesushi, designed like cakes using colorful vegetables such as pumpkins, zucchinis, bell peppers and okras, were eaten up in about an hour.
Colorful vegetable cuts are placed in a wooden mold to make vegesushi in Narashino, Chiba Prefecture.
The group has also received a request to cooperate in an event to promote Japanese-grown rice overseas. “Just as Kawaii culture first came into fashion abroad, we hope to spread (vegesushi) in Japan by (making it popular overseas and) reimporting it,” Ichizumi said.