●For Genpei-sama, the skin of burdock and carrots is eaten, so peel it as thinly as possible. The Kyoto carrots (also known as Kintoki carrots) used this time are particularly high in carotene and have a lot of red pigment in the outer skin, so the carrot smell is weaker than that of regular orange carrots. Therefore, carrots and burdocks are not peeled too much, but rather just rubbed.

The carrots are peeled and cut vertically to the right thickness with a knife. It may seem simple, but the carrots must be cut to the same thickness. This thickness will be the final thickness when tied, so the thickness must be adjusted to match. This is why it is the most important and the most difficult part of this series of steps. For example, if you cut it off at a slight angle, the amount of scrap material will change, and the size will change depending on how thin it is, and how tight the knot is. After tying, the ends are cut off, but they are long enough to tie, and the most efficient way is to cut off as little as possible. Of course, the cut off ends are not thrown away, but since they are not very useful as a product, the dimensions are measured carefully to avoid excess and to minimize waste.

When cutting a carrot vertically, the edges are chamfered as close as possible, and the part closest to the skin is used to make strings. The edges are fine when cut vertically, but the core of the carrot, the slightly reddish part in the center, is rotten, so if it is used in a stew, this is where it will fall apart. The cells are coarse and the fibers are weak, so it breaks easily, and if you use this part, it will be very easy to break. Therefore, in order to avoid this part, we make the strings as close to the skin as possible, and this way we minimize waste. Of course, we don't throw away the core part, we put it in a blender separately or use it as a vegetable when stewing, but what's really important is how we handle the carrot, which is why we cut it this way.

The burdock is thinly peeled, or rather, scraped off with a scrubbing brush; this time I used polished burdock, which has less bitterness. Then, just like with the Kyoto carrots, cut them into uniform pieces of the same thickness to avoid wasting any, then drop them into vinegar water. This is because we are making a large amount, so the bitterness does not get mixed in with the cut pieces; similarly, the carrots will split, so drop them into salt water to prevent the cut surfaces from coming into contact with air. After this, they are boiled once, but only long enough to cook through the core.

Next we'll tie two pieces of burdock and carrot together. The process is as follows: hook one end over, hook the other over, thread, tie and stretch. Then finally cut the end to a nice length... It's very difficult to explain, but to put it simply, you join two loops together and then wrap the whole thing in a cross pattern. The important thing here is to make sure the red part of the loop is on the outside. However, in terms of work, the key is to cross two loops, so each person is figuring out their own steps to do it quickly.

Since you're making quite a lot, it takes a while to tie them all, so in the meantime, while it's just the carrots, it's fine, but the burdock will take on some bitterness, so be sure to soak it in a stronger vinegar solution to stop the bitterness. Re-tie any parts that have come loose while soaking, cut off the four protruding ends, and then soak in Amazu (rice vinegar, caster sugar, salt and kombu kelp extract). Keep it soaked until you're ready to serve it, but because it's moist, it will release moisture, and leaving it as it is will lead to spoilage, so after about 4 to 5 days, change Amazu (rice vinegar, caster sugar, salt and kombu kelp extract) Amazu (rice vinegar, caster sugar, salt and kombu kelp extract) completely, and leave it in that state until the end. Especially with burdock, the bitterness will take on even if you boil it, so I think it's best to always pickle it in vinegar.

In the past, when building a house, nails could not be used for pillars, so in rural areas, houses were tied with straw. Pillars and other structures were always tied when they were assembled. All of the Gassho-style houses in Shirakawa-go, a World Heritage Site, tie their pillars with straw. Tying is so important that you can't talk about Japan without understanding this process. "Tying" means "tying." We even say "tying" at weddings. Tying is very important, and that's why knots are still used at celebratory occasions today. This isn't limited to food, but anything that is too short cannot be tied. There is a proper length for tying, so it's important to properly understand this to avoid waste. For example, it's important to know how much you can tie with one carrot without waste. When something is handmade, you can see it, but on the other hand, because you can't see it, various problems are arising now. If it was handmade like this and everyone could see it with their own eyes, there would be no disguise and there would be no problem, but if you leave it to a contractor and you can't see who did it, various problems arise. Being able to see is connected to a sense of security and safety.

●Sour lotus root is quite useful for auspicious occasions and memorial services. First, cut the lotus root appropriately and peel off the rough skin. Lotus skin is bitter and inedible, but here we will peel it as thinly as possible. Then cut both ends evenly until the hole is large enough to be easy to peel. The cut-off pieces can be put into a blender to make lotus root balls, or added to meatballs to adjust the softness. Then, make cuts with a knife in the thick part without the hole, and peel it like a flower. If you make the hole and the outside even in this way, the cooking rate will be the same when boiled. Lotus that floats easily are rounded, and naturally the center part is somewhat rounded, so the middle is thicker, so to be precise, you cut the lotus root three times, from both ends and the center part. If you peel the skin too thickly at the beginning, of course you can use the peeled scraps for something else, but the part that can be used for vinegared lotus root will be reduced. Once done, soak in vinegar water, then boil in vinegared water until pure white, then immediately soak in Amazu (rice vinegar, caster sugar, salt and kombu kelp extract). The reason for boiling once is to prevent the scum from getting caught in Amazu (rice vinegar, caster sugar, salt and kombu kelp extract), but this Amazu (rice vinegar, caster sugar, salt and kombu kelp extract) must also be heated to about the same temperature, otherwise the lotus root will not turn out soft unless it is new. Each lotus root that has been made this way is cut into four pieces with a knife, which is enough for one household. This way the lotus root pile will be neatly lined up.

●To make daikon namasu, first peel the daikon and slice it into rings, then pound it into a paste. Sometimes the skin is peeled thickly and used for something later, but this time it wasn't peeled too thickly. It is cut into strips about 0.5 mm thick, which are then pounded into a paste and pickled in salt, and finally pickled in vinegar or achara pickles. If it is cut too thinly it doesn't have a good texture, so it is cut to a thickness that is neither too thin nor too thick so that it still has some texture.

Again, it's important not to waste anything. That's the only important point. Since it's daikon radish pickles, the main ingredient is white daikon, but it's not too white, so a little bit of red carrot is added for color. After it's completely softened in salt water, it's washed once in Amazu (rice vinegar, caster sugar, salt and kombu kelp extract) and squeezed well, and then it's pickled in Amazu (rice vinegar, caster sugar, salt and kombu kelp extract) again. If it's pickled for too long, how should I put it, the fibers of the daikon become transparent. It's ideal to make it just before giving it to the customer, but the closer it gets to the end of the year, the more work there is to do, so honestly, I want to finish things like sashimi as soon as possible... but if I make it too early, it will lose its flavor, so since the tiered daikon is eaten on the 1st of the 30th, I work backwards and make it between the 20th and 25th of December. You don't need to add that many seasonings to make things delicious. Originally, condiments were not meant to be eaten with food, but to help preserve the food for a longer period of time, or to preserve things by pickling them in salt, sugar, soy sauce, vinegar, etc.

●Hagoita Carrots and Daikon radishes are made into Hagoita, using the tails of the carrots used in Genpei-nabe. Since they are just decorations, they don't need to be too big, so decide on the approximate length and peel off the skin thinly. The ends of carrots are originally shaped like a fan at the end, like this. We use that shape to make them. We have red and white radishes, so we do the same with the leftover parts of the pickled daikon radishes, cutting them into four if they are thick, or using the ends that are usually difficult to use. For a 1.5-person serving of bento, it is enough to have 2-3 pieces of red and white, so we can make 300 pieces for 100 items, so these scraps are enough. However, it is important to note that carrots and radishes have different fibers, and radishes have coarser fibers and more water, so if you soak them in the same concentration of standing salt and roll them, the radishes will inevitably shrink more. Therefore, if you make them the same size at the beginning, the radish will end up being smaller, so you should make the radish a little larger and thicker so that they are exactly the same size when softened.

When vegetables are pickled in salt, the moisture dissolves in the salt water and so they become smaller, but daikon radishes tend to shrink by about 10%. If you let them grow a little larger, they will be about the same size when they soften.