Tsuruoka, Yamagata: Japan's Best Food Destination, You've (Probably) Never Heard Of with Alexis Crump

Outland Japan

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Episode 27 of the podcast takes us back to Yamagata Prefecture and onto Tsuruoka, a city known for its diverse and rich traditional food culture. In 2014 Tsuruoka was designated a UNESCO ‘Creative City of Gastronomy’ in recognition of that food culture including continued agricultural practices and use heirloom crops and wild plants foraged in the forests and mountains, along with creative use and contemporisation of those gastronomic practices. It was the first city in Japan to be awarded the status yet it remains relatively unknown (including for many Japanese).

In exploration of Tsuruoka’s food culture, in this episode I speak with Alexis Crump, Coordinator for International Relations of the Gastronomy Department in Tsuruoka. As Alexis and I discuss, the gastronomy of the region is reflective of its varied topography, with different food cultures and distinct areas existing within the UNESCO designation awarded to Tsuruoka.
Six distinct areas including Tsuruoka, Atsumi, Asahi, Kushibiki, Haguro and Fujishima account for the area generally referred to as Tsuruoka City, and each have their own food culture. Tsuruoka’s mixed landscape coastline, plains, forest and mountains is reflected in its varied gastronomy which takes advantage of the food available in each environment.
As we discuss in the interview, Tsuruoka offers visitors many reasons to visit in addition to its celebrated food culture. To learn more about what’s on offer, visit the official Tsuruoka City website for information about the region’s many attractions, festivals, hot springs and accommodation. You can also find images, a map of where Tsuruoka is and links to everything we discuss on the episode page of the Snow Country Stories Japan website.
Outland Japan is a bi-weekly podcast hosted by Peter Carnell - a freelance tour guide based in northern Nagano – that transports you to rural, regional and the wilds of Japan in pursuit of stories that lie outside the neon hum of Tokyo and golden trimmings of Kyoto. Stories of travel, life and culture beyond the big cities. Follow the show on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube. Please note, prior to October 2024, Outland Japan was named Snow Country Stories Japan.

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1. Episode Introduction (00:00:00)

2. Where is Tsuruoka? (00:02:39)

3. (A Little Bit Of) Alexis's Story (00:05:25)

4. Tsuruoka: UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy (00:06:42)

5. The Distinct Food Cultures of Tsuruoka (00:08:46)

6. The Importance of Tsuruoka's Heirloom Crops (00:14:49)

7. Shojin Ryori: Traditional Food of the Yamabushi (00:16:17)

8. The Seafood of Tsuruoka (00:22:06)

9. Best Ways to Enjoy Tsuruoka's Celebrated Gastronomy (00:26:19)

10. Other Reasons to Visit Tsuruoka & Official Websites (00:30:13)

11. Episode Close (00:37:34)