The Rotary Club of Tokyo Daikanyama (RCTD), a group primarily comprised of creators working in the Daikanyama area, hosted a talk entitled "Onishi, Table Talk and Dining" at the headquarters of Smiles Co., Ltd., where RCTD member Masamichi Toyama serves up a tasting of rice, Japan's soul food, and other dishes that go well with rice. The event, hosted by RCTD member Masamichi Toyama, featured a talk by Onishi, president and CEO of Isetan Mitsukoshi Holdings, and a tasting of Japanese food culture, including rice and wagyu beef, in the first half of the event. The rice-focused event, "Komemusubi no Omotenashi," featured dishes featuring "rice companions from across Japan" carefully selected by Isetan Mitsukoshi's food buyers, and sake, symbolizing the bountiful autumn season. The decorative unit mimosa created a warm and inviting space with autumn leaves and flowers, evoking the bountiful autumn season. Drinks offered include the mild-tasting "amazake" (sweet sake) made from rice and koji (Misakiya Brewery), the renowned "Yuki no Bosha" (Saiya Sake Brewery, Akita), "apple juice" (Shiwa Fruit Park, Iwate), and purple sweet potato vinegar mixed with soda. The food menu, incorporating "rice companions from all over Japan," was curated by Atsuko Kuwaori, food planner at Smiles Co., Ltd. The menu includes bite-sized rice balls made with "Seiten no Hekireki," the first Aomori rice to receive Special A rank for its crispness and stickiness, topped with "ume no mi hijiki" (plum fruit hijiki) (Edoya, Dazaifu) and "jako sansho" (Japanese small sardine pepper) (Takenouchi, Kyoto), "oden" (dish stewed with onion tempura) (Hasei Shoten, Okayama) and daikon radish in dashi broth, as well as "gyudon" (beef bowl) and "keema curry" made with Miyazaki's Ozaki beef. "We expressed the harvest season of autumn with a menu that highlighted the deliciousness of rice, including rice balls made with rice companions from all over Japan," said Kuwaori.

Also exciting the audience was Miyazaki-produced Ozaki beef, prepared by Hamada Hisato, president of VIVA JAPAN, which promotes wagyu beef culture around the world. "Ozaki beef, which is raised over a 30-month period, is said to be a mythical wagyu beef, with only four or five head produced annually in Tokyo. Its sweet fat, which melts like Échiré butter, makes it one of the most delicious wagyu beef varieties," Hamada said, his words tasting with excitement. Grilled meat slowly roasted at low temperatures and lightly seared wagyu sushi were brought out from the kitchen attached to the event space, and impatiently waiting attendees reached for them one after another. "I want to promote this wonderful wagyu beef both domestically and internationally by having many people try it," he said.

"Onishi Taiyo, Table Talk and Dining" ended with great success, providing a rich experience for both body and mind, with participants inspired by the talks and fed at the dinner table.

Continued from the first part, "What was the reason why Onishi Taiyo, president of Mitsukoshi Isetan, explained to the Daikanyama Rotary Club when he decided to work for Isetan? [Event Report -- Part 1]"