Every culture has its own ways of marking moments, recognizing the unique times that punctuate ordinary life. In Japan, these special days are called hare no hi — literally “sunny days” — and food has long been a common way to celebrate events like seasonal festivals, family reunions, and other important milestones.

Many families still maintain older cultural traditions around home-cooked meals ordinarily reserved for extraordinary days. This workshop is centered around a traditional dish from Ishikawa called sasa-zushi, or “bamboo sushi.” The family prepares it all together as a group: first, line press molds with a layer of sushi rice, add your own choice of toppings, then press, slice, and wrap each individual piece in a bamboo leaf.

Because these meals are usually only prepared at home, though, visitors to Japan are presented with few opportunities to try them for themselves. Allow us to welcome you and your family as our special guests, and together we can celebrate a warm and intimate “sunny day” at Unveil, no matter how the weather outside may be.

Sasa-zushi: Traditional Bamboo-Wrapped Sushi