I don’t think I have enough years of life left in me to get to try, let alone feel any familiarity for, all the Japanese vegetables. As I make discoveries, more pop up. And then you find out that a certain farmer has successfully started a small business introducing or re-introducing another amazing crop from somewhere else in Asia and another has re-kindled interest in a historic but forgotten kind.

Last year I got to find out about this vegetable which was eaten in Kyushu - but it was a vicarious experience, never had the chance to eat it myself. Problem is that I identified it, relayed the information, found out that it was a water vegetable picturesquely and laboriously harvested by hand from a raft, and now I can’t remember the name.


(Tsuburina was a different vegetable I tried in Tokyo, gorgeous, looks like it’s frosted with ice)

EDIT - floating vegetable is junsai ジュンサイ, watershield in English.
https://visitshirakami.com/blessings/a-guide-to-junsai/