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Tokoroten is over 90% water, low in calories, and high in dietary fiber, so it helps “keep you regular.” It is just firm enough to pick up with chopsticks without disintegrating, and its cool, pleasing smoothness on the palate means it is usually eaten chilled. Refreshing and light on the stomach, tokoroten has been known and loved since the Edo Period as a summer dessert for ordinary people. Indeed, the sight of the tokoroten vendor wending his way through the hot streets is one of the scenes that lend a poetic charm to the summer months, and decorates many a work of art.
In keeping with its simple composition, tokoroten is also very easy to make: a block of tokoroten is pushed into a tokoroten-tsuki (cutter), and sliced into very large noodle-like strips. When freshly cut, tokoroten is at its most moist and refreshing and has a fantastic texture on the tongue. Unfortunately, many of the tokoroten products available at supermarkets are pre-cut for ready consumption and soaked in a water-and-vinegar mixture for preservation.
Tokoroten is usually eaten by dipping in vinegar and soy sauce with a dab of Japanese mustard, though there are also numerous regional variations. In Kyoto, Osaka, and the rest of the Kansai region, one preferred topping is brown-sugar syrup; other regions prefer to flavor their tokoroten with sweet vinegar or bonito-flavored stock. |
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| The clear waters of the Kakita River, selected as one of the Hundred Beautiful Waters of Japan. |
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