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Amasake

Amasake is a traditional sweet, low-alcoholic Japanese drink made from fermented rice. It is part of the family of traditional Japanese foods made using Aspergillus oryzae that includes miso, soy sauce, and sake. Amasake is believed to be very nutritious, with no additives, preservatives, added sugars or salts. Outside of Japan, it is often sold in health food shops.

The basic recipe for amasake has been used for hundreds of years. Koji is added to cooled whole grain rice causing enzymes to break down the carbohydrates into simpler unrefined sugars. As the mixture incubates, sweetness develops naturally.

Amasake can be used as a dessert, snack, natural sweetening agent, baby food, salad dressing or smoothie. The traditional drink (prepared by combining amasake and water, heating to a simmer, and often topped with a pinch of finely grated ginger) was popular with street vendors, and it is still served at inns and teahouses. Many Shinto shrines provide or sell this in the New Year. In the 20th century, an instant version has become available.

From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amazake

Gomasio

Goma is the Japanese name for sesame while shio means salt.  Gomasio is a delicious, nutty flavored condiment sprinkled on food in place of table salt. The oil of the sesame seeds coats the sea salt to create an easily digestible, balanced and tasty addition to the meal.  It is especially useful on grain dishes, where a dry condiment is important for effective chewing.

Mochi

Mochi was originally a Chinese food made of glutinous rice pounded into a paste and molded into shape. A traditional food for the Japanese New Year, mochi is very sticky and somewhat tricky to eat. 

From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mochi

Steamed glutinous or sweet rice is pounded with wooden mortars to make mochi. Fresh mochi is soft, but it soon becomes hard. Mochi can also be bought prepackaged, flattened and cut into pieces. Mochi easily molds, so it's best to cook it soon. Used in many dishes, mochi can be grilled, fried, and simmered.

http://japanesefood.about.com/od/mochi/a/aboutmochi.htm

Mochi is especially beneficial for nursing mothers, for weight gain and muscle strength.

Natto

Nattō is a traditional Japanese food made from fermented soybeans.  A rich source of protein, nattō—along with the soybean paste, miso—formed a vital source of nutrition in feudal Japan.  Nattō is an acquired taste due to its powerful smell, strong flavor and sticky consistency. 

--From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natto

Michio Kushi says that mochi unites the world, but that it is clearly divided into pro-natto and anti-natto parties!

Pickles

Pickling, or corning, is the process of preparing a food by soaking and storing it in a brine containing salt and/or acid (usually vinegar), a process which can preserve otherwise perishable foods for months. Pickling began as a way to preserve food for out-of-season use and for long journeys, especially by sea. Although the process was originally used to preserve foods, pickling is frequently done because people enjoy the resulting flavor.

If the food contains sufficient moisture, a pickling brine may be produced simply by adding dry salt. The salt draws out excess water, allowing natural fermentation to create sauerkraut from cabbage, for example. Other pickles are made by placing the vegetable in vinegar and salt.

Unlike the canning process, pickling, which includes fermentation, requires that the food not be completely sterile before it is sealed. The acidity or salinity of the solution, the temperature of fermentation, and the exclusion of oxygen determine which microorganisms dominate, and determine the flavor of the end product.

From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pickling

Seitan

Wheat gluten -- also called seitan (“SAY-than”), wheat meat, or simply gluten -- is a foodstuff made by washing wheat flour dough in water until the starch is rinsed away, leaving only the gluten, which can then be cooked and processed in various ways.  Wheat gluten is an alternative to soy-based meat substitutes such as tofu; some types taste even more like meat than tofu due to their chewy and/or stringy texture.  It is often used in place of meat in Asian, vegetarian, Buddhist, and macrobiotic cuisines.  Seitan it was first popularized in western nations during the second half of the 20th century through its promotion by macrobiotic proponents.

From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wheat_gluten_(food)

Tempeh

Tempeh is a fermented food made from soybeans. It originated in Indonesia, where it is a staple.  Like tofu, tempeh is made from soybeans, but tempeh is a whole soybean product with different nutritional characteristics and textural qualities. Tempeh's fermentation process and its retention of the whole bean give it a higher content of protein, dietary fiber and vitamins compared to tofu, as well as firmer texture and stronger flavor.  Because of its nutritional value, tempeh is used worldwide in vegetarian cuisine; some consider it to be a meat analogue.

--From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tempeh

Tofu

Tofu, or bean curd, (literal translation), is a food of Chinese origin made from soybeans that are soaked, ground, boiled, strained and coagulated into soy milk.   The resulting curds are then pressed into blocks. The process is similar to the technique of making cheese from milk. 

From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tofu