# リスナー情報コーナー(月) 集まれ！全国アレコレ物産展：『ご当地の”葉っぱに包まれた食べ物”特集』 - Show: ジェーン・スー　生活は踊る - Published: 2026-10-12 - Canonical: https://podc.club/en/episode/1630372322_c5d1a38d3953.html - Audio: https://pdst.fm/e/pscrb.fm/rss/p/traffic.megaphone.fm/TBS5697512945.mp3 - Source: Edited from a machine transcript of the first 30 minutes of the episode. Not an official summary. TBS Radio's listener information corner on Jane Su: Seikatsu wa Odoru (ジェーン・スー 生活は踊る) dedicated its Monday slot to a nationwide feature on "local foods wrapped in leaves," with three regional specialties tasted live in the studio. The lineup spanned Iwate Prefecture's wagashi Kenjō Tamura no Ume, the traditional Shonai dish sasa-maki from Yamagata Prefecture, and Okinawa's seasonal confection Kāsa Mūchī. All three shared a defining quality: the fragrance of the wrapping leaf migrates into the food inside, giving each a distinct, region-specific character. ## What this episode answers ### What kind of wagashi is Kenjō Tamura no Ume from Iwate Prefecture, and where can it be purchased? Kenjō Tamura no Ume is a wagashi by Iwate confectionery shop Shōwadō, made by sandwiching umeboshi (pickled plum) and white bean paste inside a green shiso leaf; it originated in the Taishō era at the request of the 14th-generation head of the Tamura clan and has been sold for over 100 years, available through Shōwadō's website at ¥713 including tax. ### How is sasa-maki from Yamagata Prefecture's Shonai region made, and what is it served with? Sasa-maki is made by folding large bamboo leaves into a triangle, packing them with glutinous rice, sealing the parcel completely, tying it with bamboo stems, and simmering it in lye water (aku), which turns the rice yellow and infuses it with a bamboo fragrance. The classic way to eat it is to unwrap the leaves and top with kinako (roasted soybean flour) and kuromitsu (black sugar syrup). ### In what context is Okinawa's Kāsa Mūchī eaten, and what varieties does it come in? Kāsa Mūchī is a winter ritual confection eaten around the 8th day of the 12th lunar month — designated 'Mūchī Day' — when it appears in Okinawan supermarkets and school lunches; varieties include beni-imo (purple sweet potato), kabocha, soy milk, and mugwort. ### What textures and preparation methods do all three tasted items have in common? All three items share the characteristic that the wrapping leaf's fragrance transfers into the food inside, along with a sticky, chewy texture; wrapping in leaves and applying heat both preserves the shape and produces the distinctive flavor and texture. ### What theme is next week's 'Zenkoku Are Kore Bussan-ten' collecting listener submissions about? Next week's theme is local onigiri — specifically rice balls that are standard in one region but considered unusual elsewhere, or those wrapped in something other than nori seaweed. ## Article ## Background: Sparked by the "Mito no Ume" Response A previous broadcast had featured "Mito no Ume" (水戸の梅), a wagashi from Ibaraki Prefecture in which white bean paste is wrapped in a shiso leaf, and listener reaction was warm. Off the back of that enthusiasm, the show put out an open call: submit any local food wrapped in a leaf — inedible leaves fine, savory items fine, confections not required. The response was large, and three items were selected for a live studio tasting. ## ① Iwate Prefecture — Kenjō Tamura no Ume (Shōwadō) Submitted by listener "Tokumeisan," who wrote: "Every time a teacher came for a home visit when I was in elementary school, my mother always put this out. The conversation would turn to Tamura no Ume, things would really flow — it saved us every time." Kenjō Tamura no Ume is a wagashi made by Iwate confectionery shop Shōwadō (昭和堂). A green shiso leaf is used to sandwich an umeboshi (pickled plum) together with white bean paste — a step beyond the previously featured Mito no Ume, which wraps only white bean paste. The addition of pickled plum creates a sweet-and-salty interplay that drew extravagant praise in the studio: "Even if you pitted it against Mito no Ume, both would win." The texture of the fresh green shiso was noted as a pleasant accent throughout. The sweet traces its origins to the Taishō era, when the 14th-generation head of the Tamura clan — former lords of Ichinoseki, who had a deep love of plums — commissioned the recipe. It has been sold for over 100 years and can be ordered through Shōwadō's website at ¥713 including tax. ## ② Yamagata Prefecture — Sasa-maki (Shonai Emaki) Submitted by listener "Kogome no Nega." Sasa-maki is a traditional food long cherished in Yamagata Prefecture, and particularly in the Shonai region. Large bamboo (sasa) leaves are lightly folded into a triangular shape, packed with glutinous rice, sealed completely, and then tied tightly with bamboo stems to hold their form. The parcels are simmered in lye water (aku), which turns the rice yellow and infuses it with a faint bamboo fragrance. The classic way to eat it: peel back the leaves and add kinako (roasted soybean flour) and kuromitsu (black sugar syrup). The studio reaction was one of surprise after surprise. "I was expecting something like Chinese chimaki — this is completely different." The glutinous rice reaches a slippery, almost gelatinous consistency, as if it has absorbed water to its absolute limit; the individual grains are visible but cling together inseparably. "It's like slime," said one person. "A texture I've never experienced before," said another. Sasa-maki has traditionally been eaten to celebrate children's milestones. Because it is handmade, it is rarely available in shops. The featured brand, Shonai Emaki (庄内えまき), can be purchased through the mail-order site "Pop Small"; a frozen pack of 10 costs ¥3,350 including tax. ## ③ Okinawa Prefecture — Kāsa Mūchī Submitted by listener "Fumetsu no Zenba." In Okinawan, "kāsa" means leaf and "mūchī" means mochi (rice cake). Kāsa Mūchī is a confection in which mochi is wrapped in the leaves of the gettō (月桃, shell ginger) plant, which has a particularly powerful and distinctive aroma. Four flavors and colors were lined up in the studio: beni-imo (purple sweet potato), kabocha (yellow), soy milk, and mugwort. The 8th day of the 12th month of the lunar calendar is "Mūchī Day," and around that time the sweet appears in Okinawan supermarkets and school lunches as a winter seasonal food. It is not eaten daily, but it ranks alongside chinsuko and sātā andagī as one of Okinawa's most recognizable confections. The gettō leaf's scent is so strong that studio reactions included "It smells like an Indonesian snack" and "This is the fragrance I encountered in Taiwan" — a powerfully tropical impression. Once the leaf is peeled away, the mochi inside is mild in flavor, but the gettō aroma has fully permeated it. Kāsa Mūchī can be purchased through the Okinawan souvenir mail-order site "Kamado-uba no Mise" at ¥800 including tax. ## Next Week: Local Onigiri Feature The show is now collecting submissions for a feature on local onigiri. Listeners are encouraged to share rice balls that are standard in their own region but would surprise people elsewhere, as well as any creative alternatives to nori seaweed as a wrapper. Submissions are already arriving in large numbers. ## Takeaways - All three items — Kenjō Tamura no Ume, sasa-maki, and Kāsa Mūchī — share the defining trait that the wrapping leaf's fragrance transfers into the food, along with a sticky or chewy texture produced by wrapping and heating. - Yamagata Shonai's sasa-maki is made wholly unlike Chinese chimaki: simmering glutinous rice in lye water turns it yellow and produces a gelatinous, slime-like texture that is entirely its own. - Kāsa Mūchī is an Okinawan winter ritual confection tied to the lunar calendar's Mūchī Day and, while it stands alongside chinsuko as a regional staple, its intense gettō-leaf aroma and multiple flavors remain almost unknown outside Okinawa.