Representatives from Wakayama Prefecture visited Australia to promote their local products at the Wakayama Food Showcase, held in Sydney on 16 September, and Melbourne on 19 September. Attendees of the events indulged in a wide variety of dishes using ingredients such as Wakayama persimmon, which was exported to Australia for the first time last year, and umeboshi (pickled plum), sansho (Japanese pepper) and rice vinegar. Attendees were surprised to find that ‘hishio’ (a traditional fermented soy and wheat paste) tastes like Vegemite, and that umeshu (plum wine) has a variety of tastes that range from sweet like dessert wine to dry like whisky. Attendees also enjoyed the rich and aromatic flavours of mikan (Japanese mandarin) and peach juice served at the events. Wakayama is known as a veritable ‘kingdom of fruit’ in Japan, and it lived up to this reputation at the event!
Attendees were also intrigued by food-related information that is lesser-known in Australia, such as the fact that Yuasa Town in Wakayama is the birth place of Japanese soy sauce. They also had the opportunity to learn about the unique plum growing system in Wakayama. Mr MATSUNAGA Kazuyoshi, the Consul-General of Japan in Melbourne was also in attendance at the Melbourne event and in the speech he gave, he highlighted the food in Wakayama and the appeals of Wakayama as a tourist destination.
A CLAIR Sydney staff member who is seconded from the Wakayama Prefectural Government assisted with the persimmon promotion at the booths ran by JA Kihoku-Kawakami and the Wakayama Prefectural Government at both events in Sydney and Melbourne. CLAIR Sydney will continue to support the activities of Japanese local governments in their promotion of local products in Australia and New Zealand.
