A cute twist to seaweed and kelp: Only in Japan

Seaweed (nori) and kelp (kombu) hold an important place when it comes to Japanese cuisine. From onigiri to miso soup, you are bound to find seaweed and kombu incorporated in various forms. Kombu is usually used to add flavor to soups and stocks while nori is used for sushi, sprinkled as toppings in salads, rice, etc. as well as eaten on its own as a snack. Those who have been to Tsukiji Fish Market or Ameyoko in Tokyo are probably familiar by how unappetizing both kombu and nori can look. This can usually put off first-timers straight away! But if you want to change someone's opinion about seaweed and kombu, how about gifting them these as souvenirs?

Kombu in various shapes

At Kombu no Kawahito, you can find adorable kombu cuttings that can be used in soup or to decorate your kid's lunchbox. Just soak in water for 5 min and you're ready to use the kombu. Imagine the excitement when someone finds these in their soup! Check out this video to see how simple it is to use these! http://movie.ikidane-nippon.com/en/n00005/ Doraemon, ideal for your kid's lunch box.

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◆新宿高島屋◆ 新宿高島屋にて開催中のアイムドラえもん展にて、期間限定発売中です(^-^)/ #昆布 #昆布の川ひと #彩り昆布 #新宿高島屋 #ドラえもん #アイムドラえもん #かわいい #限定 #キャラ弁 #びっくり #プレゼント #お土産

A post shared by 昆布の川ひと (@kombu_no_kawahito) on Feb 4, 2018 at 5:53am PST

With Halloween coming soon, here is one of the many seasonal specials.

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. ◆彩り昆布〈ハロウィン〉◆. . ハロウィンだって昆布が活躍❗. 彩り昆布〈ハロウィンシリーズ〉で. かわいくお料理を飾り付けてください(^^)/ . . #昆布 #昆布の川ひと #浅草 #彩り昆布 #ハロウィン #パーティー #パーティーグッズ #お土産 #プレゼント #お弁当 #デコレーション

A post shared by 昆布の川ひと (@kombu_no_kawahito) on Aug 19, 2018 at 3:15am PDT

Plenty of cute designs to choose from! You can even get messages like "congratulations" in Japanese.

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. ◆彩り昆布季節限定品◆. . 暑い夏こそ栄養満点の昆布を食べましょう！. . 彩り昆布〈金魚〉は6月15日発売です！. . 彩り昆布〈金魚〉　3個入　税込324円. . WEBショッピングはこちらから↓. http://www.office-web.jp/shop/kawahito/. . #昆布 #昆布の川ひと #浅草 #日本橋三越 #彩り昆布 #金魚 #goldfish #seaweed #夏

A post shared by 昆布の川ひと (@kombu_no_kawahito) on Jun 12, 2018 at 5:03am PDT

You can buy these at Kombu no Kawahito in Asakusa. Each one costs 324 yen (incl. tax). Address: 1-5-3 Hanakawado, Taito-ku, Tokyo (3-min walk from Sensoji temple) Official website: http://www.office-web.jp/kawahito/pc/contents24.html

Design Nori®

One of my personal favorites, this is a great present for anyone who loves Japanese cuisine. Usually, foreigners are averse to the texture, look and taste of nori (seaweed) but by creating these beautiful laser-cut traditional Japanese designs, the idea of eating nori might change. See how beautiful a roll of sushi looks wrapped in Design Nori®.

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Umino Hiroyuki of Umino Seaweed Shop creates #DesignNori : laser-cut #seaweed for #sushi in response to decline in seaweed consumption in #Japan #fooddesign

A post shared by Effendy D. Wirawan (@effendydw) on Jan 5, 2017 at 3:43pm PST

Regular size sheets and mini versions available.

You can use the mini versions on top of sushi or almost any plate of food. If you plan to host a party, how about adding these on top of a lasagne or pizza?

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茨城・大洗にある海野海藻店さんで購入したデザイン海苔を使って手まり寿司っぽく作ってみました。これはサイズ『プチ』(putit)のもの。３センチ角の海苔に、日本の四季が刻まれています。花、鳥、風、月、雪の各柄が3枚ずつ入っています。食べるのが勿体ないアートです。 #海苔#NORI#デザインノリ#デザイン海苔#DESIGNNORI#日本の四季#art#アート#sushi#寿司#Japan#Japanesesushi#海野海藻店#uminokaisoten#大洗#茨城県#茨城#茨城TRIP#茨城旅行#茨城トリップ#木のトレー#高塚和則#リネン#テキスタイル#naniiro#Design#アート#日本#手まりずし#手毬ずし#手まり寿司

A post shared by eri_i_i_i_ko (@eri_i_i_i_ko) on May 5, 2018 at 7:37pm PDT

Available at the Good Design Store Tokyo by Nohara Address: 3F KITTE, 2-7-2 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo What's great about these kombu and nori is that you can use them as a decorative element for plating any cuisine. A useful souvenir that will remind you of Japan!

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