Just Hungry

I live in Lehigh Acres Florida. The country I live in is the United States. Unfortunately local grocery stores around where I live don't carry much in the way of Japanese foods; the stores that are well stocked only carry panko. Any grocery store I shop at carries staples of Japanese cuisine, like rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, and sesame oil. Currently where I live there are no oriental food stores available locally; in order to get Japanese ingredients I have to go out of town to an oriental food store.

The Japanese foods I can get at the oriental market are:

Japanese curry sauce mix
Miso (red only, white isn't available)
Mirin
Sake
Udon
Somen

Dashi (instant stuff only, as in powdered dashi or in granules; no bonito flakes are available to my knowledge)

Kanten (gelatin sticks)
Azuki (both dry red beans and canned koshi an)

black beans (the kind you use to make kuro mame, which is sweetened black beans)

Mochiko (sweet rice flour)
black and white sesame seeds
kinako (sweet soybean powder)

Stuff that's not available, even at the oriental market (and that I have to order via the internet)is:

Kuzu powder (you use it to make a Japanese dessert called kuzu mochi)

sweet chestnuts (you use them in wagashi,traditional japanese desserts; these are kuri kinton [mashed sweet potato with sweet chestnut] and kuri manju [buns filled with
a sweet chestnut])

maccha (powdered green tea)

yomogiko (mugwort powder; only recipe I know of that it's used in is kusa mochi)

mizu ame (a sweet syrup used in a few wagashi, that I believe is made from rice)

puffed rice (only recipe I know of that calls for the use of
it is okoshi, which is the Japanese version of a rice krispy treat; "extras" that are often stirred into it include black sesame seeds and/or peanuts)

It's slightly misleading to say this is the extent of my availability with Japanese foods, because I'll be relocating to Northern Michigan very soon. Up there where I'll be living there are no local oriental food stores, at least not to my knowledge. The only oriental food stores that carry Japanese food there will be in Central Michigan which is hours away from where I live.

Basically I'll have to order Japanese food from the internet if I want it once I relocate to Northern Michigan.

1. How easy is it for you to get Japanese ingredients without having to resort to extraordinary measures?

Except for a small handful of items (see below), completely impossible.

2. Can you get Japanese ingredients locally, and if so, where?

There is -one- single store in my area, a normal supermarket, that carries a -very- small number of items. Other than these, there are absolutely -no- Japanese ingredients available in my area.

3. What kinds of Japanese ingredients can you get easily and locally?

The above-mentioned single store carries: calrose rice and 'sushi' rice, soba and udon noodles, red and 'brown rice' miso, sheets of nore, dried wakame and arame - and that's -it-. Most frustrating is the lack of dashi - can't even get instant dashi granules short of mail-order.

4. Does the unavailability of ingredients that are mentioned in Japanese cookbooks or websites deter you from trying a recipe?

Often, yes, but if the missing ingredients aren't a focal point, I will often try a recipe anyway, substituting as best as I can.

5. Where are you located?

Sydney, Nova Scotia, Canada.

1. Very Easy.

2. Most supermarkets carry basic (low quality) Sushi ingredients. There is a specialized (but very small) Japanese grocer in downtown Copenhagen, right next to one of the major train stations.
In the area around Copenhagen Central station, there are several Thai, Korean and chinese grocers and markets.

3. Dry stuff, frozen stuff, preserved food and liquids. Sake is ridiculously expensive though. At least 4-5 times Japanese price for the 'cheap' stuff in kartons.
Fresh produce can be more tricky - and its definitely easier to find Korean/Chinese/Thai stuff.
Fresh fish you can simply get at the local fishmonger - though the variety isn't as great as in Japan. And fresh squid and octopus can be really hard to find.

4. No. I just improvise. Sometimes a viable variation of a dish, can come out of it.
There are some things that I would never leave out, though, and just cook something different instead.

5. Copenhagen, Denmark.

I have two answers for the two places i've lived this year!

1/2. Fairly easily, there's a nice southeast asian shop that carries a few things and save-on isn't bad :)

3. Save-on: Sushi rice, sushi vinegar, four types soy sauce plus chinese kinds, wasabi paste, fresh produce...
Speacialty foods: Dried bonito, matcha, rediculously fresh tuna belly that was fast frozen, umeboshi, pickles, dried shitake, and dried gourd strips... noodles etc. and every asian utensil I could think of! (Except onigiri moulds)

4. A little bit.. it's kind of frustrating for someone who only speaks english and has no access to cookbooks really. (Oh the north)

5. Terrace BC, Canada (Northern BC)

And the other city!
1/2. Easy pie, they're everywhere. TnT, random shops, farmer's markets.

3. TnT has everything that isn't found in Crystal Mall beside it :)

4. Not anymore! I have the public library and too many bookstores, now I think there are too many recipes to try :D

5. Vancouver BC, Canada

1. How easy is it for you to get Japanese ingredients without having to resort to extraordinary measures?
VERY EASY!!

2. Can you get Japanese ingredients locally, and if so, where?
YES!! in cairns there is one marvellous asian foods supermarket where i have been shopping for almost 20 years.
since then a couple more have opened and i hear they are pretty good also, but i haven't needed to venture out to try them. yet.

3. What kinds of Japanese ingredients can you get easily and locally?
pretty much everything. cairns is a very popular tourism destination for japanese travellers, so we are well used to catering for them. and in the meantime, cairns residents have developed quite a taste for sushi.

4. Does the unavailability of ingredients that are mentioned in Japanese cookbooks or websites deter you from trying a recipe?
no, please see above.

5. Where are you located?
i live an hour from cairns, which is in far north queensland, australia.

1. How easy is it for you to get Japanese ingredients without having to resort to extraordinary measures?

Quite easy

2. Can you get Japanese ingredients locally, and if so, where?

Regular (non-Asian) supermarket. But a bit expensive and lack of variety

3. What kinds of things can you get easily and locally?

Basic things (soy sauce, nori, sushi rice, rice vinegar etc.). So we can easily make our own sushi, tempura etc.

4. Does the unavailability of ingredients that are mentioned in Japanese cookbooks or websites deter you from trying a recipe?
Hmm...not really...i usually just substitute/eliminate the unavailable ingredients

5. Where do you live?
Malaysia (Malacca & Sarawak)

1. How easy is it for you to get Japanese ingredients without having to resort to extraordinary measures?
Simple to find. Because of trends in the last decade and a fairly large population of Asian immigrants, the more basic ingredients are ubiquitous.
2. Can you get Japanese ingredients locally, and if so, where?
Most grocery stores nearby at least carry passable rice, most of the more common seasonings, and some other items such as konbu and nori. Less common ingredients can be found at Asian grocery stores.
3. What kinds of Japanese ingredients can you get easily and locally?
It's simpler to list ones I can't. Things like shinmai and shincha aren't easy to come by. Certain fresh vegetables can be difficult to get although I'm still occasionally surprised.
4. Does the unavailability of ingredients that are mentioned in Japanese cookbooks or websites deter you from trying a recipe?
No.
5. Where are you located?
Outside San Francisco.