Oishinbo
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Episodes (34/136)
1 / 2- 54EP 54
Yamaoka crafts traditional kamaboko to lift Mr. Date’s spirits for the New Year celebration
Jan 9, 1990Amaoka’s elderly acquaintance, Mr. Date, the head of the Edo firemen, remains depressed and isolated because his preferred kamaboko paste shop has closed. He refuses to eat other brands, prompting Yamaoka to attempt cheering him up. After finding commercial options unappealing due to artificial flavors and polyphosphates, Yamaoka prepares homemade kamaboko using traditional methods. This effort allows Mr. Date to enjoy authentic Edokko zoni and regain his vitality. Shortly thereafter, he attends the Dezomeshiki, an annual event showcasing both modern and Edo period firefighting techniques, marking a return to his active life.
- 55EP 55
Hanamura seeks the mysterious senbei rescuer who gave her rice crackers after a car accident.
Jan 16, 1990After a car accident during a ski trip, Hanamura is rescued by a driver who gives her senbei rice crackers. She describes the encounter as love at first sight but lacks his name. Her colleagues find the crackers delicious and suspect the soy sauce flavor comes from a small traditional brewery rather than mass production. Yamaoka identifies a maker named Kimura-ya in Gobō that supplied the sauce to a store in Asakusa. Hanamura visits the Asakusa shop and meets the proprietor, Mitani, who turns out to be the man she met on the roadside. The staff’s investigation into the unique snack leads them directly to the identity of her mysterious rescuer through the specific source of the condiment.
- 56EP 56
Foreign Minister Hoshimura seeks Gourmet Club access for visiting Chinese Vice Chairman Chen Yong Liong.
Jan 23, 1990Daisaku Hoshimura, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, visits President Ohara at Touzai News to request an invitation to the Gourmet Club for Chinese Vice Chairman Chen Yong Liong. Ohara pressures Yamaoka to contact his friend Tōyama, but Kaibara refuses to serve politicians. Yamaoka then approaches Mr Shu, an old friend of Chen, to invite Kaibara to a special yum cha dinner. Kaibara accepts and enjoys the meal, only to discover the chef is Vice Chairman Chen. He agrees to invite Chen to the Gourmet Club, achieving a diplomatic success, though he suspects Yamaoka orchestrated the arrangement.
- 57EP 57
Noriko's Engagement Dinner at Gingintei and Yasuo's Culinary Redemption
Jan 30, 1990Noriko Hanamura invites Yamaoka, Kurita, and Tabata to meet her fiancé Mitani at Ginza's Gingintei restaurant for their wedding reception. The group enjoys owner-chef Mr Nakazato's meal, particularly the Fond de Veau, until his drunken son Yasuo causes a scene. Yamaoka and Kurita learn Yasuo loved Hanamura and was hurt by her engagement. After Mr Nakazato is injured in a car accident, the team seeks an alternative chef. Yasuo attempts to sober up and prove his skills. His first attempt succeeds but lacks flavor, which Yamaoka attributes to the bones used. They retry using the original sauce ingredients as a base, resulting in a dish that fully satisfies the guests.
- 58EP 58
Shy worker overcomes accent fears to succeed with street cart singing
Feb 6, 1990Toshio Amano, a timid part-time employee at Touzai, loses his job due to communication struggles. After being invited to lunch by Yamaoka and the Culture Department Flower Trio, he reveals his embarrassment regarding his Tōhoku accent, though he later impresses them with his vocal abilities. Yamaoka secures him a position selling roasted sweet potatoes from a street cart. However, Toshio fails to attract customers because he is too shy to call out loudly. Kurita advises him to sing in his natural Tōhoku accent instead. This approach captures the neighborhood's attention, turning his street vending efforts into a success.
- 59EP 59
Touzai staff attend a rice exhibition where policy debates lead to a culinary contest.
Feb 13, 1990Staff from the Touzai Arts and Culture Department visit a California rice trade exhibition alongside Deputy Prime Minister Kakumaru and economist Ryo Osaki. Osaki announces plans to liberalize rice import policies, prompting objections from Yamaoka regarding the distinct taste of traditional Japanese rice. Back at the office, the team prepares lunch and organizes a "Friends of Rice" contest to showcase favorite accompaniments. The event draws attention when Yamaoka reveals he invited Kakumaru. Following a successful tasting of various dishes, Yamaoka presents arguments for maintaining import restrictions to preserve Japanese rice-growing traditions. Consequently, Kakumaru agrees to reconsider the proposed policy changes regarding rice imports.
- 60EP 60
Touzai Book Deal with Korean Publisher Resolved After Tomii's Mistake
Feb 20, 1990Touzai plans to publish a Korean culture book with Saehan Books. President Kim Changyoung visits to discuss the deal, but emcee Tomio Tomii offends him by smoking, drinking, and serving spicy kimchi before the guest. Kim cancels the agreement. Staff review the failure, noting Tomii's poor etiquette. Yamaoka sends properly made kimchi to Kim, successfully repairing the relationship. Talks resume with Tomii showing proper courtesy to the Korean businessman, allowing the publication project to proceed.
- 61EP 61
Nobuko Mayama hosts a ski trip at her mountain villa where a snowstorm traps the group.
Feb 27, 1990Nobuko Mayama invites Yamaoka and the Culture Department Flower Trio to her mountain villa for skiing. They dine with Mr. Oide, a wealthy hotel owner, and his wife. The next morning, a heavy snowstorm traps everyone inside as phone lines fail. Mr. Mayama reveals the pantry was emptied by caretakers, prompting Mr. Oide to blame him. Yamaoka gathers green onions from the garden while the women find flour and sesame oil. She cooks Laobing, a Chinese scallion pancake, using these ingredients. The group enjoys the meal, and Mr. Oide compliments Yamaoka for calmly resolving the food shortage, changing his perspective. As the storm subsides, the tension dissipates among the trapped guests.
- 62EP 62
Tōjin Tōyama seeks the perfect tomato red after injuring his ankle and visiting a Shizuoka farm.
Mar 6, 1990Yamaoka and Kurita visit Tōjin Tōyama on the day he removes ceramics from his kiln, but he is dissatisfied with many of the pieces and smashes them. He is especially disappointed with a red glaze which he has been trying to match to the colour of tomatoes. While arguing with Yamaoka, he trips and fractures his ankle. In hospital, Kaibara brings some fresh organic vine-ripened tomatoes, however they lack flavour which Yamaoka attributes to using non-organid fertilizer. He offers to take everyone to visit a farm growing vine-ripened tomatoes in the middle of winter. The travel to Kakegawa in Shizuoka where they meet Mr Nagata who uses the "ryokuken" farming method. He uses greenhouses to reproduce the harsh native invironment of tomatoes in the Andes mountains. The tomatoes are pronounced delicious, and Tōyama believes that he has found the red colour he was searching for. However Kaibara is publicly unwilling to accept this method of cultivation or that Yamaoka is right.
- 63EP 63
Kurita and Yamaoka help Yasuo appreciate natto to save his engagement
Mar 13, 1990Mie Katsuta invites her college friend Kurita to dinner with her fiancé, Yasuo Kirita. Feeling uncomfortable attending alone, Kurita brings Yamaoka along. The couple displays excessive affection, irritating the pair until Mie declares they will eat natto for breakfast daily. This causes a shouting match, leading them to leave the restaurant. Later, Yasuo visits the Touzai offices and asks Yamaoka for assistance in learning to like natto. Yamaoka takes him to a restaurant where they prepare the dish in various ways. Yasuo eventually becomes a fan of the food, which helps preserve his relationship with Mie.
- 64EP 64
Yamaoka helps Akiko with her diet after her ex-fiancé seeks answers about their broken engagement.
Mar 20, 1990Mr Moriya asks President Ohara to find a marriage partner for his relative, Akiko, aiming to reach his 200th arranged marriage after 197 successes. Ohara nominates Yamaoka, who meets Akiko at an introductory dinner where they realize both were pressured into attending. Akiko reveals she eats only salads to lose weight without success. Her former fiancé, fashion designer Nakao Hirota, asks Yamaoka to investigate the breakup. Akiko admits she ended the engagement due to weight gain and insecurity. Yamaoka diagnoses her unhealthy diet of salad with rich dressing twice daily and advises high-fiber vegetables without dressing. He informs Hirota, who returns with a custom wedding dress. The couple reunites, and Akiko promises to improve her eating habits.
- 65EP 65
Mr. Black invites Kurita and Yamaoka to a Yose performance featuring the comedy duo Subeta and Koronda.
Apr 24, 1990At a Yose show, rakugoka Mr. Black introduces Kurita and Yamaoka to the tsukkomi Subeta and boke Koronda. During dinner, Subeta dominates Koronda, stealing his tai roasted fish head and declaring he will perform solo. Although Subeta initially succeeds as a TV host, his crude humor fails, while Koronda struggles without his partner. Yamaoka invites both men to a countryside dinner featuring dojo fish prepared in various ways, including Kinpira style yanagawa nabe with gobo. He explains that the dish succeeded because the plain dojos complemented the unappetizing gobo. Subeta understands the lesson, thanks Yamaoka, and reunites with Koronda, restoring their popularity as a duo.
- 66EP 66
Ryouzou passes Kaibara's wankata test after learning about clam flavors in Shimane.
May 1, 1990Chef Ryouzou prepares a complex lunch for Kaibara, who considers appointing him as wankata if he succeeds in subsequent evaluations. Ryouzou fails the initial taste test for shimiji sumashijiru. He confides in his brother, who runs the Okaboshi restaurant, and Yamaoka offers assistance. Yamaoka identifies the error and recommends a trip to Shinjiko in Shimane. A local fisherman guides them on the lake to harvest freshwater clams, demonstrating how the substrate affects flavor. Ryouzou understands the distinction and secretly prepares a dish using clams from the sandy bottom for Kaibara. He successfully passes the evaluation and is officially appointed as wankata.
- 67EP 67
Katsumura's Defeat Sparks Staff Efforts to Help Sawaya Win the Lightweight Title
May 8, 1990After Japanese boxer Katsumura loses to the world champion, Yamaoka suggests his weight was the issue. Photographer Arakawa admits he lost confidence to propose to Tabata following the loss. Kurita proposes supporting Sawaya, who is competing for the lightweight world championship. When Yamaoka and Sawaya observe his training, they notice his poor fitness stems from a strict diet. Since Sawaya enjoys eating, Kurita and Arakawa urge Yamaoka to find a solution. After dining with Director Koizumi at the French restaurant Maquereau, Yamaoka asks chef Saito to create delicious, high-fiber, low-fat Western vegetable dishes. Sawaya enjoys the mainly vegetarian meal and subsequently wins the championship. Finally, Arakawa proposes to Tabata, who accepts his offer.
- 68EP 68
Miki's birthday celebration and Ueda's culinary journey to success
May 22, 1990The Culture Division marks Miki's 20th birthday after he has worked part-time at Touzai for three months. His friend Ueda, a trainee chef at Western Cuisine Ginka, expresses dissatisfaction with the owner's lack of culinary interest. Yamaoka requests lunch from Ueda, praising his fried pork but criticizing his omelette as a failure. He then visits Maison de France, where the chef demonstrates superior techniques using fresh eggs and specific methods. Inspired by this experience, Ueda gains enthusiasm for cooking and secures a traineeship at a high-quality restaurant. His entrance exam required preparing a simple omelette, which he mastered successfully with the help of a dedicated frying pan purchased by Yamaoka.
- 69EP 69
Yamaoka serves stewed beef tendon to former rakugo student Kissho Senkichi at the office.
May 29, 1990Yamaoka’s cooking of beef tendon annoys office staff until Kissho Senkichi arrives to claim a lost dog. Yamaoka recognizes Kissho as a former rakugo student who was rejected by Master Hassho due to his ego. Kissho had previously proposed to Hassho’s daughter Keiko and requested the name second generation Suekichi, but was refused. Yamaoka invites Kissho to perform for the Touzai staff, bringing Keiko and Mr. Black, another Hassho student. Despite a limited budget, Yamaoka prepares slow-cooked stewed beef tendon with sake, ginger, and soy sauce. The dish is well-received. During the performance, Yamaoka reveals Master Hassho is watching. After Kissho performs successfully, Hassho tastes the stew and agrees to name him second generation Suekichi, provided he remains humble.
- 70EP 70
Touzai staff vacation at Shirakawa spa while judo team struggles with strict brown rice diet
Jun 12, 1990The Touzai Culture Division staff visit the spa at Shirakawa for a vacation where they had previously enjoyed hamanabe and takenoko sashimi. They encounter a judo team from Butoku Women's University, including Tawara and Kanazawa, who are training nearby. Later, three students arrive desperate for white rice, explaining their strict organic brown rice diet is unpalatable. Tawara and Kanazawa reprimand them, defending the health benefits of their food. Yamaoka challenges this view, requesting a week to prove brown rice can be nutritious and tasty. When he is unprepared, the judo women take him to their dojo to meet manager Takeko Miyamoto. After a challenged contest is interrupted by Kurita, Yamaoka’s analysis reveals accidental fertilizer and antibiotics in the rice. Miyamoto apologizes and switches to true organic rice, improving the team's performance.
- 71EP 71
Yamaoka helps Yarimura overcome insomnia by distracting him with fish dish details
Jun 19, 1990Isamu Yarimura, a friend of Hanamura, struggles with insomnia while competing in F3000 races to reach F1. Kurita advises Yamaoka to help Yamaoka suggests a fish without bones dish for a group dinner. Yarimura becomes obsessed with the recipe's details, which inadvertently cures his sleeplessness. He falls asleep thinking about the dish and wins the championship race the following day. The group then dines on zen naing ling wi, a Chinese flathead grey mullet dish where the flesh is removed, mixed with ingredients, and stuffed back into the lightly fried and steamed fish. Yarimura can now sleep soundly by focusing on non-racing topics.
- 72EP 72
Tomii attempts to reconcile with his brother Osamu using homemade flour gum
Jun 26, 1990Deputy Director Tomio Tomii invites colleagues drinking, but only Yamaoka and Kurita attend. Tomii discusses his strained relationship with his CEO brother, Osamu, stemming from their impoverished post-war childhood where Tomii attended college while Osamu worked. Tomii recalls their father making chewing gum from flour for Osamu, though Osamu claims their father was unkind and Tomii has no memory of this. To disprove Osamu, Tomii attempts to recreate the gum but fails. Yamaoka later discovers that washing wheat flour removes starch, leaving chewy gluten. He invites the brothers to try this refined product. Osamu recognizes the familiar taste and texture, realizing his father’s kindness, and the siblings share a tearful reunion.
- 73EP 73
Black attempts to create a nutritious yuba soup to help Terue recover from illness.
Jul 10, 1990Mr Black visits Yamaoka to watch a performance of "Sudofu," a story about apartment residents punishing a boastful owner with rotten tofu. Black has fallen in love with Terue, who performs in a comedy duo with her sister Teruko. Terue falls ill after restricting her diet to misoshiru and rejecting Black's potage soup. Despondent because his parents are arriving from America in a month, Black attempts to prepare yuba soup but fails. He then tries high protein hikiage yuba, which also fails, but accidentally creates a thick, nutritious soup where soya bean protein clumps together. Terue initially refuses to try it, but after Teruko reprimands her, she tastes the soup, finds it delicious, and recovers in time to meet Black's parents.
- 74EP 74
Deputy Director Tomii helps orphaned Sai Shin'ei identify his lost family in Japan.
Jul 24, 1990Sai Shin'ei, a Japanese orphan from China, seeks his family in Japan. Deputy Director Tomii initially mistakes him for a childhood friend but assists him anyway. Sai remembers only a bay landscape and the taste of black sashimi eaten with his rescuers, the Sai family. Tomii tasks Yamaoka with locating Sai's birthplace within a week. Yamaoka and Kurita investigate near Nagai, where Yamaoka recalls locals eating raw kawahagi liver. He has Sai taste it, triggering a memory that confirms his surname is Sekimoto. Tomii verifies his identity as Koichi Sekimoto. At the orphan information center, Koichi unexpectedly encounters his sister Etsuko, who arrived in Japan with other refugees. After forty years of separation, the siblings are tearfully reunited.
- 75EP 75
Tatsuya Miyai loses his job after a cockroach incident, then learns about kombu damage on Rishiri Island.
Aug 14, 1990Tatsuya Miyai, an earnest assistant in the Gourmet Club kitchen, impresses Kaibara with his tea skills. However, when a cockroach emerges from a kombu storage cabinet with a hole, Kaibara blames Miyai for poor cleanliness and fires him. Devastated, Miyai receives advice from coworker Ryouzou Okaboshi, who contacts Yamaoka. They meet at the Okaboshi restaurant, where Yamaoka invites Miyai to join him and Kurita on a research trip to Rishiri Island. There, Miyai observes kombu drying with round holes, which a worker attributes to sea urchins, while Yamaoka notes that cockroaches nibble edges. Meanwhile, Kaibara arrives on the island, realizes his error, and rehires Miyai to return to the Gourmet Club and resume making tea for him.
- 76EP 76
Ohara and Yamaoka bridge cultural gaps through shared meals featuring pungent foods.
Sep 11, 1990Ohara negotiates a partnership with French news executive Shovan, but their celebratory dinner nearly fails due to disagreements over Japanese and French culinary flavors. Yamaoka organizes a follow-up meal at Mr Chu’s Chinese restaurant to mend relations. The evening encounters friction when the presidents clash over the odors of fermented cheese and fish. Chu presents strong-smelling tofu, which initially repels them, though tasting it leads to an appreciation of microbial protein breakdown and cultural diversity. Yamaoka then introduces funazushi, a fermented fish dish stuffed with rice and salt. The group visits the production facility and finds the aroma pungent. However, consuming the dish with rice and hot tea reveals its flavor, leading the executives to enjoy the meal and praise Yamaoka’s diplomatic selection.
- 77EP 77
The Culture Division Helps a Cottage Owner Improve His Business
Sep 18, 1990The culture division visits Chikaraya udon restaurant where retired sportsmen Otani, Oyama, and Ouma prepare to graduate as chefs. Kurita announces their holiday plans at a cottage in Kiyosato managed by Yuzuru Takeda, who resigned last year. Upon arrival, the group finds the American style accommodation and French style food pleasant but notes the business struggles. Yamaoka identifies a lack of differentiation from competitors as the core issue. After tasting Takeda's mother's homemade udon, he suggests adopting her techniques, which use more water for softer noodles and feature a flavorful Yamanashi specialty kabocha soup. The team agrees to this approach. Takeda and his wife decide to switch to the Yamanashi style menu, resulting in a resounding business success.
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Frequently asked questions
- How many episodes does Oishinbo have?
- Oishinbo has 136 episodes.
- When did Oishinbo come out?
- Oishinbo came out in 1988.
- Which studio made Oishinbo?
- Oishinbo was produced by Shin-Ei Animation.
- Who directed Oishinbo?
- Oishinbo was directed by Yoshio Takeuchi.
- Is Oishinbo finished?
- Current status of Oishinbo: Finished.