Learning "Just Top It, Just Roll It" Snacks from the President of Iwashita no Shin-Shoga, and Why It's Pink

According to Ryuji, whenever someone on X posts a recipe using Iwashita no Shin-Shoga, the president responds right away. The figure "over 3 million posts so far" also came up in the conversation. The president mentioned replying about ten years ago to a post in which someone had used the product in cooking, and said that because so many people, including Yasumoto, say they love it, the company has simply been "riding along" on that. Calling themself a "total cheapskate," the president said this was the first time the company had ever commissioned a so-called sponsored collaboration with someone outside. Ryuji was surprised that the company had done everything in-house until now.

The recording proceeds over drinks. The first drink was made with a commercially sold "Iwashita no Shin-Shoga Sour" mix, which is based on the pickling liquid. The label lists the alcohol content as 20%, and Ryuji poured in too much, turning the drink a deep pink, but the president replied, "That's totally fine."

The first dish the president introduced was "one-minute Iwashita no Shin-Shoga chikuwa rolls." The only ingredients are chikuwa, Shin-Shoga, and shiso leaves, and no heat is used. You cut the chikuwa open and flatten it, place shiso and Shin-Shoga on top, roll it up, insert toothpicks, and then slice. Being able to use a whole piece of ginger was also highlighted as a selling point. Ryuji said it was "a way of eating it I haven't really tried," and added that they "didn't know" inserting the toothpicks before cutting gives a neat finish.

After tasting it, Ryuji noted how the freshness of the shiso pairs with the freshness of the ginger, and praised it: "I want izakaya to put this on the menu." According to the president, some people also add a slice of cheese, and you can also make it by laying out sliced-type Shin-Shoga and rolling it up. Another method was demonstrated in which pieces of ginger are inserted into the hole of the chikuwa and stood upright, but the president explained that if you are adding shiso, rolling is the better approach.

Ryuji asked: young ginger probably has some pink parts, but what is the intention behind making this product pink? According to the president's explanation, the starting point lies in pickles like sakura-zuke. Ginger naturally contains a pigment called anthocyanin, and it turns pink even when simply pickled in salt. Ginger that had turned pink from salt-pickling alone was brought into the studio as well.

However, as the pickling continues, the color shifts toward brown. That is why, at the final seasoning stage, the ginger is steeped in purple sweet potato pigment. Ryuji responded, "That's the kind of knowledge I want."

The second dish was pork belly rolls, a recipe also printed on the back of the package. Ryuji said they had made it before. You wrap a whole piece of Shin-Shoga in pork belly, cook it over medium heat without oil, and it's done when it turns crispy. No salt is added. The president explained that the ginger itself has flavor, so no seasoning is needed. Ryuji said they thought this way of eating a whole piece of Shin-Shoga hasn't really caught on yet, and that in terms of value for effort, they consider it the most delicious. The first time Ryuji made it, they "thought it was genius," and they emphasized that you don't need salt and pepper.

On its compatibility with pork, the president said that because Japanese people are familiar with the flavor of shogayaki (ginger pork), the combination of fatty pork and young ginger is a sure thing. Salt content came up as well. According to the president, Iwashita no Shin-Shoga products are around 3% salt, with many at 2.5%, while beni shoga (red pickled ginger) is around 5–6%. So while it looks like it would be salty, it actually isn't that salty, making it a just-right seasoning. Comparing the two, the president said that when you stir-fry beni shoga with pork, the saltiness and texture come to the fore, whereas Shin-Shoga releases the ginger's heat and aroma the moment you bite into it, giving a flavor that makes more of the ingredients.

The president said that although the company handles products other than Shin-Shoga, they personally have a "special love" for Shin-Shoga. Believing it goes with everything, the president estimated that the official website may have several hundred recipes.

The third dish was named "Endless Shin-Shoga Rice." You simply chop the Shin-Shoga (chopping the sliced kind or using a chopper is also fine), pile it generously on rice, sprinkle on ground white or golden sesame, and scatter shredded nori. According to the president, celebrities have also recommended the combination of Shin-Shoga and ground sesame, and this version with nori added was recommended by Dr. Yukio Hattori, who said, "With this, you could eat any number of bowls of rice." Ryuji mentioned having worked with Dr. Hattori.

After tasting it, Ryuji said the ground sesame is key. The president suggested mixing it in and making rice balls, or topping it with sashimi or minced tuna, and Ryuji added that throwing in tenkasu (tempura bits) to make "devil-style rice balls" would definitely be delicious too. Ryuji said they don't make many just-top-it recipes themself, so this was exactly the kind of thing they wanted.

The fourth dish was tuna-mayo rice. The president said adding Iwashita no Shin-Shoga makes the definitive version of tuna-mayo rice, and the conversation turned to the fact that Ryuji's channel has also featured tuna mayo. You can add the canned tuna with its oil. Keep the mayonnaise modest, just enough to lightly coat everything. Ryuji reacted with "of course" upon seeing that Pure Select was being used. You mix in finely chopped Shin-Shoga, place it on rice, scatter more on top so it's visually clear that Shin-Shoga is in it, and finish with a sprinkle of chopped scallions.

Ryuji rated it "maybe the best of the day" and was surprised at how well Shin-Shoga and tuna go together. Ryuji went on to suggest that the company could release rice balls like this. The president replied that they haven't done so yet, and the conversation got lively around the idea of Ryuji producing them.

Saying it's a waste that the pickling liquid is left over once the Shin-Shoga has been eaten, the president had also prepared dishes using the liquid.

Boiled quail eggs take on color after just 2–3 hours in the liquid. Ryuji was surprised at how beautifully the color took, and remarked that the combination of the acidity and the egg has a mayonnaise-like quality. Mozzarella cheese is steeped for about one night. Ryuji said it tasted like a carpaccio, and analyzed that cheese and acidity go together, just as it pairs with the acidity of tomatoes or capers. Ryuji also said that small cherry mozzarella absorbs the flavor of the liquid well, so you could drink quite a lot with it. The idea also came up that steeping half and serving the other half still white might look cute.

According to the president, the basic, original use is pickling vegetables, such as daikon, myoga, and Japanese yam. Myoga ends up like sakura-zuke, and Ryuji loved it, saying, "If an izakaya had this, I'd order it every time." By this point, the president was encouraging employees to drink too, and Ryuji quipped, "This has just turned into a drinking party—is that okay?"

Simply pouring the pickling liquid over chopped octopus makes instant su-dako (vinegared octopus). Letting it sit for a few minutes is ideal, but you can also eat it right away. Ryuji rated the flavor of the liquid itself as quite good. If the acidity feels a bit lacking, the president said, add a little Kantan Su or the like. According to the president, Iwashita Foods has collaborated with Mizkan, and the conversation turned to how Ryuji also uses Mizkan products. Ryuji described the su-dako with added vinegar as tasting like the "Yocchan" snack, with a junky kind of deliciousness.

There are other uses for the pickling liquid as well. At the Iwashita no Shin-Shoga Museum in Tochigi, a somen event is held in the summer, introducing a way to use the pickling liquid as-is as a dipping sauce for somen. In hot weather, it's good chilled ice-cold. There was also a suggestion to use the pickling liquid for shabu-shabu or yosenabe as a third sauce alongside ponzu and sesame sauce. Ryuji agreed that with the Shin-Shoga flavor, you don't need ponzu.

Next came inari sushi made with Iwashita no Shin-Shoga products "Hanayaka Osushi no Moto" (sushi rice mix) and "Gohan no Moto" (rice mix). Ryuji joked about it—"Today's a sponsored episode, after all"—while tasting it, and praised the chunky pieces of Shin-Shoga. Ryuji also said it might be better than regular sushi rice.

The president's favorite way to eat it turned out to be serving Shin-Shoga as-is alongside grilled fish, the so-called "hajikami." On this day, it was served with store-bought grilled mackerel. Ryuji responded that it's an old-fashioned use, the kind often served alongside grilled fish.

The president said that while arranged recipes are nice, it's also delicious simply served as-is with everyday grilled fish, or just bitten into on its own, and that they strongly wish people would bring it to the table just as it is. When the president joked, "I've made a suggestion that takes away Ryuji's job," Ryuji replied, "As-is is fine." Ryuji also mentioned that when hungover and eating rice porridge, they want a slightly salty pickle, and Shin-Shoga is just right for that.

To wrap up, the president showed off a way of eating it: opening a McDonald's Double Cheeseburger and stuffing it with plenty of sliced Shin-Shoga. Ryuji was startled by the amount—"No way!"—and the cut cross-section was strikingly pink.

After tasting it, Ryuji said the Shin-Shoga was so assertive that the pickles practically disappeared, but praised it as very refreshing and delicious. At their age, Ryuji said, a Double Cheeseburger feels heavy, but that heaviness was gone. The president said it pairs well with junky foods like meat and cheese. The suggestion was that, eating in the restaurant aside, many people take their burgers home, so they should give it a try.

Ryuji summed up that the dishes introduced this time were beginner-friendly ones—just top it, just sandwich it, just roll it—and looked back on the rice dishes as particularly good. Ryuji also announced that in the next episode, they will introduce the best recipe they came up with after trying out various Shin-Shoga recipes themself.

After the main segment, an aside is included. According to the president, the ginger used for Iwashita no Shin-Shoga is grown long and thin by repeating the process of covering it with soil three times. This results in tender ginger with few fibers that can be munched as-is. The president said imitations use ordinary ginger, so they can't achieve the same deliciousness. However, since any young-harvested ginger can be called "shin-shoga," the company can't complain. The president said that gari and beni shoga from Taiwan actually use young ginger too, and when sold under the name "shin-shoga," they can look like knockoffs of the company's product, but there's a difficulty in that you can't say that outright either.

Other topics in the aside included how the president took their dog to Nara Park and it was scared of the deer, and a room at the Iwashita no Shin-Shoga Museum where you can supposedly spend lovey-dovey time with Shin-Shoga.