Frequently asked

questions.

About nori, and about ordering.

Q ／ DO YOU SELL ONLINE?

An online order page is available (online checkout is currently being prepared). You can also purchase in store, or by contacting us by telephone or email.

Wherever possible we would like you to visit, taste the differences between the sheets, and choose for yourself.

Q ／ WHEN IS NORI IN SEASON?

Preparation begins in spring, and the very first harvest — hatsu-tsumi — comes between December and January. The harvest continues until around March. With each subsequent picking, the nori becomes gradually firmer.

Available only in season is kannori: nori dried to around 10% humidity and never toasted. Unlike toasted nori, it tastes far closer to the sea itself. That, too, is one of the pleasures of the season.

Behind a single sheet of nori

lie great effort and a long history.

In recent years, rising sea temperatures have been shortening the harvest season. Yields, succession of the craft — the world around nori is quietly changing.

We would be glad if you could taste it with that in mind.

Q ／ HOW DO THE VARIETIES DIFFER?

Even in the same sea, cultivation changes the taste.

Shichū fishing grounds: poles are set and nets stretched between them, forming a field. With the tides, the nori alternates between sun and seawater.

Ukinagashi fishing grounds: nets left floating in offshore waters.

Beyond that, each fisherman stretches the nets and waters them differently. The state of the sea and the environment matter greatly too.

Hang the nets high on a shichū ground and the nori sees more sun, deepening its sweetness. Leave it longer under the sea and the saltiness grows stronger.

Processing, washing, and toasting after harvest change the flavour and aroma again. Which is why you will never meet exactly the same sheet twice in a lifetime. That singular encounter is part of the pleasure.