[sitar plays in bright rhythm] (Rudy Maxa) I'm walking past the heads of hot sand bathers on a geothermal beach on gorgeous Kyushu island in the south of Japan.

I'm here to discover the essence of Japanese cuisine and to discover the glories of a region known for its dramatic landscape and its fiercely independent people.

(woman) "Rudy Maxa's World" is sponsored by Japan's Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries-- committed to bringing authentic Japanese food products to the world.

Additional funding provided by United Airlines, serving more than 330 destinations worldwide.

United-- fly the friendly skies.

And by... [drum & violins play softly] (Rudy Maxa) It's spring in Kyushu and flowers explode in color, and everyone is out celebrating the new season.

It's the very impermanence of spring blossoms that raises their beauty to heart-aching levels.

That's the core of the Japanese aesthetic called wabi-sabi-- elation and melancholy all at once.

Wabi-sabi is a sensibility, a reverence for the humble, the authentic, the impermanent.

With its seaside shrines, traditional gardens and dramatic landscapes, Kyushu embodies this aesthetic.

Add to that an ash-spewing volcano, long, curving beaches, fish-rich seas, and you have paradise.

We're exploring the Satsuma Peninsula on the southwestern tip of Kyushu island.

I'm joined by my good friend, Daisuke Utagawa, restaurateur and food expert.

One of our goals is to track down the unsung heroes of Japanese cuisine--the people who perfect the ingredients that elevate the foods the nation reveres.

From beef to raw fish to shochu, the fiery drink made from local potatoes, to Japan's staple-- dashi broth, every ingredient is isolated and perfected.

Simple does not mean not complex.

The complexity of these dishes is enormous.

One taste contains a world of effort, or kodawari.

That's the blood, sweat, and tears behind the scenes of this cuisine.

Arigato.

[Daisuke speaks Japanese] This is a great example of simple complexity.

This is called dashi, and this is a bedrock of Japanese cuisine.

Now, it's made from only 2 ingredients.

Kombu, which is seaweed and katsuobushi, the dried bonito.

But compared to say French stock, which are simmered for hours with lots of ingredients, this is what it is.

(Rudy) This is the base?

This is what it's all about?

This is really the fundamental taste of Japan.

Oh, that's a lot of taste for a couple leaves.

And a piece of fish, dried fish.

Very deep.

(Rudy) It all starts at the southernmost tip of the Satsuma Hanto Peninsula.

This spectacular coastline, dominated by the Kaimondake volcano, is famous for its hot sand beaches and for bonito, a fish in the same family as mackerel.

The unassuming little fishing port of Makurazaki, also known as "Katsuo Town" produces some 50,000 tons of bonito each year.

(Daisuke) Katsuo fishing is quite unique.

The boats, they're equipped with special jets, and they go out and find a school of bonito, and when they do they splash the water with these jets, and to the fish it looks like a feeding frenzy so they go out there with mouth open and just ready to eat anything.

That's when you drop the line without any bait, you just throw them over your shoulder onto the boat, unhook it, then just keep going back and forth and back and forth-- it's spectacular!

This happens in the spring?

Well, there's two fishing seasons here.

One's in the spring which is called hatsu-gatsuo.

The other one is called modori-gatsuo when they come back after feeding in the north, and they're fatter.

But to make katsuobushi we use the hatsuo-gatsuo which is leaner and more aromatic.

[Daisuke speaks Japanese] (Daisuke) The fish arrive at the Katsuobushi factory.

They are cut up by hand very precisely using a curved knife to capture all the flesh.

Then the fish is boiled for 2 hours.

(Rudy) So what do we got going on here?

(Daisuke) Well, they're deboning here, and if it's not done right when they start to dry they can twist, and so if there's even a single bone left after this process, it's ruined.

Next they are smoked gently for 2 to 3 weeks over fire from cherry wood and oak from the mountains.

(Rudy) Now what is this gentlemen doing here with this?

(Daisuke) He's filling in the cracks with the paste of bonito.

It's a very important process.

Apparently there's not that many people that can do this.

After another drying, workers sand the fish into an oblong shape.

Last step is to dry and then age it to extract more moisture.

The entire process for the highest grade katsuobushi takes about a year.

Daisuke, if it didn't know this was a fish I would swear it was a piece of wood.

Yeah, it's extremely hard.

(Rudy) And where he's been shaving it, it's this ruby center-- it's just beautiful!

(Daisuke) In Japan we rarely make things beautiful just for the sake of it.

We see beauty in functionality, and that's wabi-sabi.

[Daisuke speaks Japanese] Aha, there you go.

Arigato.

Alright this is the bonito that I know.

(Daisuke) Ah, I can smell it from here.

That's quite a shaver, Daisuke.

(Daisuke) Yeah, well, when I was a kid, every household had one of these.

My grandma would make me shave this every time, right before the meal.

Really?

Yeah, but now they're preshaved and sold in packages.

But this is the real thing.

Mmmm!

I wish my grandma was here.

(Daisuke) Oh, look at these!

These are fermented katsuo guts.

Wonderful!

Fermented fish guts?

Yeah, you had it; you loved it.

I just didn't tell you what it was.

I appreciate your not telling me what it was.

(Rudy) At the Makurazaki Fishing Center, you can grill your own Bonito with a little guidance from an expert.

Straw!

I've never cooked with straw before.

This is going to go up like a house afire.

Okay, we're ready.

Okay.

Wouldn't charcoal have been easier.

I don't know.

How am I doing?

Okay?

Okay?

Good.

Okay.

More straw?

Okay.

This is a 2-man job.

I don't want my hair to catch on fire, so I'm back.

Whew!

Smoke gets in your eyes.

Put the fish in the ice water?

Never done that before.

Okay?

Are you sure about this?

Oh, I see, we're having sashimi, that's why we just seared the outside.

Who seared that fish?

Clearly an expert!

It's okay?

(man) Hai.

(Rudy) "Hai" by the way, means "yes."

Hai.

May I taste?

(an) Hai.

Mmmmmm.

Um-hum.

(Rudy) Japan straddles the "Ring of Fire," a seismically active belt that runs around the Pacific Ocean from Chili to New Zealand.

Kyushu has 9 volcanoes and hundreds of onsen, or hot springs.

The sands at the beach in the town of Ibusuki are naturally hot and thought to have healing and rejuvenating qualities-- everything from improving circulation to treating arthritis to beauty treatment.

We've opted for a private spa.

Daisuke insists it will relax us and prepare us for dinner.

This is getting very hot, Daisuke Utagawa.

Rudy, this is good for you.

Hmm.

I guess I should just relax and enjoy it.

Right?

Hmm.

Daisuke,I can't stay in here one more minute.

I am so hot, and I can't move my arms.

I can't get out.

How do you get out of here?

Rudy, we have to be rejuvenated to eat lots of katsuobushi tonight.

Another minute in here and I will be tonight's dinner!

[Daisuke laughs] (Daisuke) Look at that!

(Rudy) Oh this is beautiful.

Arigato.

What we have here is katsuo from A to Z.

Now, yours is katsuo sashimi, essentially sliced katsuo meat, it's tataki.

And this one has katsuobushi broth in it.

Now, you remember how much work that went into making katsuobushi.

And how long it takes.

And the result is this exquisitely, deceptively simple dish.

Mm.

This is really good.

Yeah.

Rudy, you know what umami is, right?

It means something savory.

Well, to me it's this textural savoriness that you feel in back of your palate.

It's the kind of taste that makes you want to have another bite, then another bite.

It's actually a type of amino acid, the umami.

Your body knows that it's good for you so it craves it.

It's a good thing.

That's right.

And I'm going to have another bite.

(Rudy) The Japanese aesthetic reigns supreme at the Senganen Garden near Kagoshima.

The garden was the residence of the Shimazu clan, a powerful family who ruled this peninsula known as Satsuma.

Far away from the Tokyo shogun, the Satsuma people enjoyed greater freedom than in other feudal kingdoms in Japan.

Back in the time when this area was ruled by Satsuma clan, they developed a particular language, a dialect.

It's so different-- if I hear it today, I wouldn't have any idea what they're talking about.

And they did this to weed out the spies.

How very, very clever.

From the 1630's until 1853, when Admiral Perry appeared in Tokyo's harbor demanding open trade, Japan was "sakoku," or a locked country.

Trade was prohibited and many of the traditional foods became perfected during this period when no interaction with the outside world was permitted.

With the arrival of Western powers, a change in diet slowly occurred.

For a long time fish and vegetables were the main diet.

Some Buddhist leaders even outlawed meat products, though the general populace never completely complied.

After the Western powers arrived, meat became popular.

Today Japan produces the world's best beef called wagyu.

[Daisuke speaks Japanese] (Rudy) What makes wagyu special?

(Daisuke) Well, wagyu is known for its naturally marbled meat.

The lineage is important.

You should be able to trace back at least 3 generations.

This is quite an operation.

Well, just like everything else, raising wagyu in Japan there's a lot of great care and attention that goes into it.

I mean, the water is coming from the nearby stream, the feed is top secret, and creating this environment is a lot of effort.

Miyaji-san tells me they're cared for like they're members of his family.

(Rudy) You know, there's this, I think maybe it's a myth in America, that wagyu beef, they listen to Beethoven all day, they're massaged every day.

Is that a myth?

[speaking Japanese] Actually, he says some farmers do that.

The goal is to make them happy and relaxed, so whatever works.

(Rudy) These look like very chillin' cows, I gotta say.

They look pretty relaxed.

Might there be a chance we can taste the product of his work?

Well, he's just told me where we can try his beef in the city of Kagoshima.

Which is exactly where we're staying.

That's terrific.

(Rudy) Kagoshima was the capitol of the Satsuma clan.

Perhaps the fiery spirit of the people grew out of their relationship with Sakura-jima, the city's very own volcano.

Since 1955, Sakura-jima has been erupting almost every day.

Ash and rocks regularly spew forth and sometimes rain down on the heads of the residents of Kagoshima.

Some families, who live nearest the volcano, send their kids off to school with helmets on.

Ah, should we be wearing helmets?

[Daisuke laughs] No.

The most that's gonna happen is, you get some ash in your hair.

Wouldn't be a problem for me.

I didn't say that.

Once you try this wagyu, that's all you're going to think about.

Here in Kagoshima this is the way to eat beef-- simple, teppanyaki style.

But when done right, it's gonna melt in your mouth.

(Rudy) I am prepared.

(Daisuke) What's particular about wagyu is that the fat melts at lower temperature.

In fact, it melts at our body temperature, so when you put it in your mouth, it kind of melts away.

And obviously it's really sweet fat, and the meat has that intense beef flavor.

(Rudy) This is like performance art, she's clearly got a plan here.

This is not just taking it off the grill and slopping it on the plate.

(Daisuke) It's like a ballet of meat.

(Rudy) Ballet of beef!

[laughs] [Daisuke speaks Japanese] She said we can eat.

Let's have one without anything first.

Whoo.

So you get the meat flavor.

You get the meat flavor, without having to chew!

[Daisuke laughs] There you go.

That's how tender it is.

Very luxurious, just a great steak flavor.

Boy, this is... (Daisuke) Mmm.

Here's a term for you, "mechauma," (Rudy) Mechauma.

(Daisuke) Yeah.

Which means just amazingly good, or explosively good, or... (Rudy) Mechauma.

(Daisuke) You know what I love about wagyu?

Is that I don't have to eat too much of it.

Just a few pieces, and I'm completely satisfied.

This is without a doubt, the best beef I've had in my life.

(Daisuke) ♪ Whoooo.

♪ (Rudy) You should bring your kids here, that would be their favorite part.

[Daisuke laughs] (Rudy) To up the odds of getting clunked on the head with a volcanic rock, we're traveling across the bay that surrounds Sakura-jima.

Visitors can roam the lava fields beneath the giant and see the destruction wrought by eruptions.

At Kagoshima Bay, another unsung hero of Japanese cuisine is harvesting fish at his buri farm.

(Daisuke) Kyushu is really well-known for a fish called buri.

It's called yellowtail, or amberjack in the states.

You know, Japanese have long understood the importance of aquaculture, and sustainable farming really, and buri is a perfect example.

(Rudy) How many fish are in this holding pen?

And how old are they?

(Daisuke) There are about 5,000 fish in there, and they're a year old.

At 2 years old they're shipped out.

[both speak Japanese] (Daisuke) He says mostly America.

America?

Really?

(Rudy) Every two days he feeds his fish.

What is in this feed?

(Daisuke) Mainly fish meal, but what's particular about his feed is he uses "kurozu," which is black vinegar made locally.

Black vinegar.

Is this unique to his mix?

(Kobayashi-san) Hai.

(Rudy) It is.

(Daisuke) Well, he told me that after trial and error he found the black vinegar to be really effective in keeping the fish very healthy.

And he says he noticed it the first day, that the fish were more vigorous, and also it tastes good.

(Rudy) It is tying on the feedbag time!

(Daisuke) Look at that-- they are so fast!

Whoo!

(Rudy) The black vinegar that these fish eat comes from a vinegar factory not far away.

Black vinegar is famous in this area.

There are four things that make this vinegar special: a warm climate, first-class rice, the water, and ceramic jars.

Ceramics have a long history here in Satsuma.

I can already smell it Daisuke, it's 4 feet away.

Oh, it smells wonderful.

I can taste it.

Oh!

Oh my goodness.

You could drink this in a glass.

Oh, wow!

This is as complex as good wine.

Oh my god, this is fantastic.

(Rudy) It tastes like sherry.

It's like the honey of vinegar.

How long has he been making vinegar?

Is it in the family?

[Daisuke speaks Japanese] [Takemoto-san speaks Japanese] (Daisuke) Third.

He says third generation.

Third generation-- I don't think there's a first generation making anything in this country, it's...at least the food products here have this family history that's very impressive.

Sure, if you want to make something really good... (Rudy) Practice, practice, practice.

(Daisuke) There you go.

Well you know, vinegar is all the craze now-- people drink vinegar-based drinks all the time to improve their health and so on.

Me, I just eat Buri sashimi raised with vinegar, and I feel great!

How civilized is this?

You know, coming to Japan, this is the first time I've heard this referred to as buri, because in the states it's either amberjack or yellowtail.

This is an interesting new word.

Well, buri is-- what it ends up being buri, the largest size of this fish is called buri.

Hamachi and buri is essentially the same fish, expect Hamachi is smaller.

This is one of those fish that changes its... (Rudy) Changes its name?

No.

(Daisuke) As it grows.

Yeah, there's like 3 or 4, 5 names depending on where you are.

But it always ends up being buri.

This is gonna be good.

I always say it's gonna be good.

(Rudy) You always say it's gonna be good, and so far you're right.

(Daisuke) Oh look at that!

(Rudy) That is beautiful.

(Daisuke) Whoa!

So how good is Mr. Kobayashi's buri?

Delicious.

Fantastic.

Right?

It is the filet mignon of fish, it's unbelievably good.

You see, essentially this is sliced raw fish.

Simple things are really difficult to do.

You have to put in a lot of work and care into it.

So beautifully presented, which is I think, a hallmark of Japan.

Yeah, well you know, hard work by the fish monger, hard work by the fish producer.

And itamae, or the cook, has to respect that, and he has to put in his bit.

Plus nobody would want to eat raw fish if it didn't look pretty.

(Rudy) That could be true.

(Daisuke) I'm going to do the first shabu-shabu for you.

(Rudy) Okay.

You just kind of... (Rudy) Swish it through?

(Daisuke) Swirl it in there, I think that's good.

Now take that and dip it in there, and eat it.

(Rudy) Okay.

Thank you.

(Daisuke) I'll make my own.

Man!

Umm.

Melts in your mouth!

(Rudy) Nature is revered in Kyushu.

The wood that smokes the bonito and the water that feeds the Wagyu beef come from the mountains around Kagoshima and its scenic bay.

The more I learn about Japan and taste the cuisine, the more I appreciate how reverence for nature informs the Japanese aesthetic.

The celebration of the seasons, the first bonito, the spring blossoms, all reflect a simple, transient beauty.

Wabi-sabi is everywhere-- in the frame of a temple gate or in a bite of sashimi.

[rhythmic jazz/rock plays] Okay Daisuke, what's for dinner tonight?

(Daisuke) Just you wait, my friend.

So the pork from this region, they raise special kind of pork called kurobuta, which is black pork.

And it's as good as wagyu beef.

In fact, it's so good, you'll eat it shabu-shabu style.

Unlike beef shabu-shabu which is hot water, this one is broth.

The idea is, the meat is so good, you don't really need the sauce.

(Rudy) Oh my goodness.

This is plated like a rose.

(Rudy) I noticed.

(Daisuke) So now she said she's going to make the rose come alive in the pot.

Arigato.

(Daisuke) On my god!

Ummmm!

That's so sweet.

So much umami, and my god it's still going.

(Rudy) So fresh egg going into some of the broth.

Like this, quickly?

Quick quick quick quick.

Ok. Just dip it in there?

(Daisuke) Yeah, dip it in there, and eat it.

(Rudy) Tastes like a condensed version of the best ham and eggs I've ever had.

[Daisuke laughs] Sorry it's coming to an end, we have very little meat left.

Oh no, no, this is not the end.

We're going to have tonkatsu.

That's another way of eating this.

You know "ton" means pork, "katsu" comes from the word cutlet.

(Rudy) We have a pork cutlet yet to come?

(Daisuke) Oh, yeah.

(Daisuke) So the way you cook it is that first you put the breaded cutlet into a high heat oil, then you just sort of sear the outside, make the outside crunchy, then you move that to a lower temperature oil and cook the meat.

This way inside stays really juicy, and outside has this nice crust, almost like you're biting into a croissant.

(Rudy) Oh my goodness.

(Daisuke) Domo arigato.

(Rudy) Oh my goodness!

(Daisuke) You see the whole point of cooking this way, is to bring out the natural beauty that's hidden inside it.

We are in wabi-sabi pork heaven.

You can say that again!

(Rudy) I need no encouragement to love Japanese food.

But once you have seen the coast of Kyushu with its fiery beaches and rugged fishing villages... Once you have visited coastal shrines and traditional gardens and absorbed the Japanese aesthetic... you can better appreciate the dishes sprung from this bounty.

Delicious!

My goodness!

[Daisuke laughs] (Rudy) And having seen the work of the people: their diligence, the care and precision that goes into each ingredient, I have new respect for this island and its simple, but oh so very complex cuisine.

(Rudy) Would you thank for spending time with us and showing us?

[Daisuke speaks Japanese] (Daisuke) Now this is shochu, it's actually a Satsuma shochu, which is made from Satsuma potatoes.

From the local potato.

(Daisuke) That's right.

Alright.

That is some potato.

(Daisuke) Yup.

I gotta tell you, I hate to leave Japan tomorrow, but have they got any good food at the airport?

Actually, there is a convenience store right inside the airport and they have great food.

We can have take-away.

Why am I not surprised?

You think it's as good as the stuff we've had so far?

Sure.

This is Japan!

Well, here is a toast to "Taste of Japan."

Kampai!

To Japan!

(woman) For more information on the places featured on "Rudy Maxa's World," visit... To order DVD's of "Rudy Maxa's World," visit... (woman) "Rudy Maxa's World" is sponsored by Japan's Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries-- committed to bringing authentic Japanese food products to the world.

Additional funding provided by United Airlines, serving more than 330 destinations worldwide.

United-- fly the friendly skies.

And by... [synthesizer fanfare]