Nihonbashi's Ninben

Dashi soup stock is one of the key components of washoku or traditional Japanese cuisine, and is made from dried bonito fish flakes, or katsuobushi, and kombu. Ninben has been supplying high quality katsuobushi in Nihonbashi since the Edo Period (1699). The ready to use bonito flakes available in the supermarket are a far cry from freshly shaved katsuobushi. At Ninben, you can taste the difference. Katsuobushi fillets are rock-hard and require a special technique as well as a grater-like instrument called a katsuobushi kezuri to make into flakes, which you can try in-store. If you want freshly shaved bonito flakes without lifting a finger, the shop has a machine to process your chosen fillet into ready-to-use flakes. You will find a whole range of products flavor-packed bonito products including ready to use dashi stock powder and furikake (rice topping). Katsuobushi is a traditional Japanese wedding gift because of the way the fillets fit together like a close couple, and the tortoise-like shape they form, a symbol of long life.