The Japanese Pantry

We have traveled all over Japan, meeting with artisanal producers of traditional ingredients. What we've found is amazing: perfectly roasted sesame seeds, konbu hand-harvested from the cold, clean waters off of Hokkaido, tamari produced by a company over 200 years old, and rice vinegar made by a company so exacting that they grow their own rice, make it into sake and then turn it into vinegar.