Origin of common and Tartary buckwheat is mountainous area in Southern part of China. Buckwheat foods have been used in celebration time, wartime or fasting time. The celebration based on the ancient theory of Yin-Yang and the five elements. According to the theory, cold soba noodle at New Year’s eve has magic power to realize human health and longevity in Shinshu, because enough water enrich vegetation and crop growth that influence human life. During fasting time, people eat only buckwheat powder for suppressing appetite. Mountainous area in Shinshu, especially, Buddhist monk and Yamabushi have practiced fasting. Ninjia in Sengoku period also ate the portable food contained buckwheat powder and then actively engaged. Togakushi area is a sacred place of Shugendo and esoteric Buddhism, buckwheat is most important food for practices fasting in mountain. In Edo era, soba noodle became famous fast food for common people and emergency food in famine time.

　The origin of miso is said to be the ancient Chinese “jiang”. Although the exact period of its transmission to Japan is unknown, the uniquely Japanese adaptation called “misho” was created from this “jiang”. This is considered the beginning of miso, made primarily from soybeans and salt, with rice or barley added depending on the type. Miso produced throughout Japan is classified by ingredients, taste, and color: rice miso made with rice koji, barley miso made with barley koji, and soybean miso made with soybean koji. Shinshu miso belongs to the rice miso category.The history of Shinshu miso is said to have begun when Shinchi Kakushin (Hōtō Kokushi) learned the production method in Song China and spread it upon his return to Japan. During the Sengoku period, miso-making became widespread after “Kawanakajima Tamari” was produced as military provisions. Later, Shinshu miso was sent as relief supplies after the Great Kanto Earthquake, and its high quality earned a strong reputation. Following the decline of the silk industry and through the Second World War, production volumes increased further, enhancing its reputation.This paper introduces Shinshu miso as one of the “traditional food industries of Shinshu”, highlighting its characteristics and efforts toward branding. It also presents the future direction of initiatives to promote its appeal in collaboration with other fermentation industries.

　Agar, a traditional Japanese food material originating in the Edo period, has evolved from a culinary ingredient to applications in cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and scientific fields. Derived from red algae, agar is a linear polysaccharide that forms gels through a simple mechanism involving double-helix aggregation upon cooling. Historically valued for its storability and unique texture, agar remains central to Japanese cuisine and confectionery. Recent research has highlighted its physiological benefits, including intestinal regulation and potential roles in preventing lifestyle-related diseases. Technological innovations have produced agar with diverse physical properties, such as paste-like or viscoelastic forms, expanding its applications to nursing care foods and cosmetics. Furthermore, studies on agaro-oligosaccharides suggest promising effects on joint health, mobility, and gut microbiota, underscoring agar’s growing contribution to wellness and functional food development.

　The present study was conducted to determine the optimal time-temperature conditions for a cook-chill system (CC) using braised dishes made with frozen broccoli. Braised broccoli was evaluated by mechanical measurements, measurements of color, and bacterial culture tests.

　The heating time settings for the braised broccolis were selected to three groups, i.e., CS, cook-serve system with 10 minutes of heating condition; CC-high, CC high-temperature condition; and CC-low, CC low-temperature condition.

　No difference was found in breaking and brittleness characteristics of braised broccoli between CC-high condition and CS condition. Color measurements showed that a^＊ values of the florets of broccoli heated by CC-high condition (p＜0.01) was higher than those heated by CS condition. On the other hand, a^＊ values of the florets of broccoli heated by CC-low condition (p＜0.01) were lower than to those heated by CS condition. Furthermore, the bacterial culture tests did not detect colonies of general bacteria or coliforms in either conditions. The present results suggest that mechanical characteristics of were braised broccoli prepared with CC condition i.e., under the conditions of 10 minutes of primary heating followed by 1 minute of secondary heating at 75℃ comparable to CS condition. However, those results there were issues with brightness and color.

　The present findings suggested that using CC heating to prepare simmered broccoli, we identified tt conditions yielding quality equivalent to CS, suggesting frozen broccoli can be effectively utilized even with CC heating.

　This study investigated the effects of egg on the textural properties of pie, pâte feuilletée, and the rheological properties of the pie dough. The volume of the pie was larger in the pie containing egg yolk, spreading out sideways. Analysis of the texture indicated that the pie containing egg yolk was brittle and easy to bite through, while the pie containing egg white had a stronger crunch. In addition, the pie containing egg yolk showed smaller breaking load, breaking energy, breaking strain, and stress change, and less large collapse of the layer. Rheological properties of the pie dough with egg yolk showed that it maintained a viscous property (high tanδ) even in the high temperature range, and spreadability during baking was maintained. On the other hand, tanδ of the dough containing egg white was lower in the high temperature range. The effects of egg yolk and egg white were considered to be due to suppression of starch gelatinization by the egg yolk, which inhibited strengthening of the gluten network in wheat flour, and to strengthening of the gluten network by heat coagulation of egg white protein. These results indicate that egg yolk and egg white change the rheological properties of dough and impact the textural properties of pie after baking.

　In this study, three onion types (white, red, and Welsh onions) were examined to determine the differences in their polyphenol contents and antioxidant capacities (hydrophilic oxygen radical absorbance capacities: H-ORAC value) across different parts and assess the effects of storage and cooking on these properties. Polyphenol content and antioxidant capacity varied by the raw onion part, with the highest values observed in the peel, followed by the leaves and core. Notably, polyphenol contents of the tested onion species increased with storage. Properties of polyphenol content and antioxidant capacity were impacted by the cooking method, with boiling reducing, whereas stir-frying significantly increasing the onion polyphenol content and antioxidant capacity. A significant positive correlation between polyphenol content and antioxidant capacity was observed in the powdered onion samples analyzed in this study.

　In recent years, technologies for softening food ingredients through cooking have advanced. Delisofter is a home appliance capable of heating with superheated steam at 98 kPa and 120℃, allowing cooked foods to soften without altering their appearance. Meanwhile, in a long-term care health facility that provides dysphagia diets classified as Code 4 by the Japanese Society of Dysphagia Rehabilitation, measurement of food hardness in served meals revealed that 96% of the ingredients had a hardness below 200 kPa. This study aimed to establish a method for softening chicken breast meat to a hardness below 200 kPa by combining the use of the Delisofter, boiling after coating with potato starch, and immersing in a meat-softening enzyme solution.

　The chicken breast was cooked as a ginger-simmered chicken using the above method. Additionally, chicken breast tempura was prepared using a combination of frying and the aforementioned methods. Hardness measurements were conducted using a creepmeter in the break measurement mode.

　The hardness values of the ginger-simmered chicken and tempura were 120±24 kPa and 134±21 kPa, respectively, demonstrating that chicken breast can be cooked to a softness below 200 kPa.

　We surveyed the current status of education regarding sweet bean paste and Japanese confectionery using sweet bean paste at universities having registered dietitians, nutritionists, and home economics teachers, who are expected to be responsible for passing on Japanese food culture to the next generation.

　As a result, 94.6％, 81.3％, and 61.6％ of the teachers explained in their lectures the “types of beans used to make bean paste”, “types of bean paste (Tsubuan, Koshian, Sarashian)”, and “differences between Nama-koshian, Sarashian, and Nerian (with or without drying or kneading operations)”, respectively. In the practical training, 86.9％ used “commercial kneaded bean paste”, and 36.5％ and 17.5％ of the respondents prepared sweet bean paste “from beans” and “from Sarashian”, respectively. The most common reason for not preparing sweet bean paste from beans was the ‘lack of time dedicated to practical training’ (88.5％). 94.3％ of universities conducted practical training in Japanese confectionery using sweet bean paste, and an average of 2.5 ± 1.9 types of Japanese confectioneries were prepared.

　The most important things to be aware of in practical training for sweet bean paste and Japanese confectionery using sweet bean paste were 70.5％ of “passing on Japanese food culture”, 61.4％ of “making Japanese confectionery using bean paste”, and 28.8％ of “being able to make bean paste”.

　Therefore, it was determined that in order to “pass on the Japanese food culture”, it is necessary to transform the limited time available for sweet bean paste practice into a more in-depth learning opportunity.