Dashi—The Heart of
Japanese Flavor

(Dashi) Dashi is held in equal regard to miso paste, a broth that forms a key component of countless dishes in Japanese cuisine. “We fear that the 1,400-year-old culture associated with it will be lost because people no longer take the time to make it themselves. We see it as our responsibility to preserve the traditional taste while still being convenient.” These are the words of Mika Nonaka, a woman with gold-rimmed glasses and a hoodie, who produces a natural form of dashi—a traditional seasoning soup—but in powdered form. She runs her business, Mizunoto, near the impressive Mount Fuji together with her husband, whose great-grandfather founded the company.

Mizunoto offers more than 30 varieties, with ingredients including sardines, mackerel, seaweed, shiitake mushrooms, yuzu, carrots, and onions. Only one ingredient is mandatory: katsuobushi—dried and smoked flakes of bonito tuna. “We believe in a flavor world beyond mass production,” says Nonaka. “With over 80 years of experience and a commitment to natural ingredients, we aim to safeguard the legacy of authentic dashi.”

The individual ingredients are dried and ground into fine powder using a stone mill before being packaged in bottles or bags. The duo sells around 100,000 bottles annually and twice as many bags—about five tons in total. Dashi serves as the base for clear suimono and creamy miso soups. The earliest sources mentioning it date back 1,200 years. Traditionally, the ingredients—katsuobushi, dried shiitake mushrooms, and kombu (brown seaweed)—are simmered in water. “That takes time. Many people instead turn to ready-made products with all kinds of additives. We, however, take a different path.” And with success—Mizunoto will soon be available in France.

Presence, Respect, Balance
Chef Keiko Kuwakino is another who sees dashi as essential to Japanese cuisine—along with fermentation. “Fermented umami reflects how well its creator understands and interacts with nature, with climate, humidity, microorganisms, and human influence all playing a role,” says the 45-year-old. “Even if you make miso or takuan (pickled radish) the same way every year, the taste will never be identical. This kind of umami doesn’t push to the forefront—it unfolds slowly, gently permeating the body and senses.”

The petite chef is known for her masterful handling of dashi, sometimes in vegan form. Her career speaks for itself: after training as a beautician, she studied Ayurveda, became a yoga teacher, and only then turned to cooking—initially exclusively vegan. Then as now, she uses vegetables for her dashi. Respect for nature remains a central value for the Saitama-born chef. Her workplace, the Sanaburi restaurant at Hotel Satoyama Jujo, is located in Minamiuonuma in northeastern Japan, nestled in the mountains.

“At Sanaburi, we don’t express umami through strong or dominant flavors; rather, it emerges naturally through presence and deep engagement with the surroundings. Spring water, seasons, nature’s treasures, and giving fermentation its time—when all these conditions align, umami finds its way onto the plate.” She also cooks according to the principle of satoyama, literally “a village in the mountains.”  “For me, this means coexistence between humans and nature. Instead of dominating it, we form an ecosystem based on care, restraint, and balance.” To this, Kuwakino emphasizes the importance of water. “I cook with mountain spring water and experience daily how the choice of water alone can significantly change dashi preparation.” For Kuwakino, the essence of umami is a simple bowl of soup. “More than a culinary delicacy, it’s about a form of wisdom—living in harmony with nature. Umami is a culture of its own.”