Okui Kaiseido Value Pack Rishiri Kelp Slices 100g

[Hokkaido's highest quality Rishiri kelp is aged for one year in our warehouse]

"Kurai Konbu" is made from natural Rishiri kelp harvested on Rishiri and Rebun islands, the northernmost tip of Hokkaido, and then carefully aged in a special warehouse. It is clear and free of impurities, and is characterized by its refreshing broth.

This is a great bargain as it is made from off-cuts of "Kurai Rishiri Konbu", which has been painstakingly matured.

■ The only storehouse enclosure in Japan, Okui Kaiseido

It is a long-established store with over 120 years of tradition and history. All of the products are made from carefully selected, high-quality natural kelp. This high-quality kelp is aged in a storehouse where humidity and temperature are controlled.

It is called "Kuragakoi Konbu". Only high-quality konbu can mature the longer it is left to sit. If weak konbu is left to sit for years, it will not meet expectations. Okui Kaiseido is the only company in Japan that has handed down the techniques of Kuragakoi, which removes the smell of the sea and slime and deepens the flavor.

■ The Birth of the Storehouse Enclosure

It took a lot of work to dry kelp in the sun and ship it. It seems that kelp harvested in the summer arrived in Tsuruga in late autumn, just before the snow started to fall. Since ancient times, the Hokuriku region has had a lot of snowfall in winter, and traveling with heavy loads in winter was impossible.

For this reason, it was often left to overwinter in the warehouse and shipped out in the spring. When people tried some kelp that had been stored at the end of the year, they found that the roughness, unpleasant taste, and sea smell of new kelp had disappeared and it was delicious. This seems to be the origin of the warehouse enclosure.