Masaaki-sama’s Sacred Word Hijiki is a truly unique ingredient. Though it is a seaweed, it somehow has a muddy, earthy flavor. Though it comes from the sea, it also carries something of the mountains within it. Muddy, sea-like, briny, earthy—I tried listing the flavors hijiki brings to mind, only to end up with a list that doesn’t sound appetizing at all. And yet, this quirky seaweed is absolutely delicious, which only goes to show that the world of seaweed is unfathomably profound. Some time ago, my wife and I finished off the leftover simmered hijiki between the two of us, only for our eldest and second daughters (both in elementary school) to come storming toward us in a blaze of fury (?), shouting, “We wanted some too!” The scene remains vividly burned into my memory. Elementary school kids who love simmered hijiki. Even as their parent, I have to admit, they’re just too cool. Now, if I were to name one thing hijiki and bamboo shoots have in common, I’d say it’s their earthy flavor. In other words, while this pairing brings together ingredients from the mountains and the sea, it is in fact also a battle between two earthy flavors. How the earthy flavor of bamboo shoots and the earthy flavor of hijiki come together—that is the focal point of this showdown. What emerges is a rich, sensual earthy fragrance and an indescribable sweetness. When simmered, hijiki develops its own distinctive, rich sweetness—but when combined with the pure sweetness of bamboo shoots, the sweetness inherent in the hijiki itself is drawn out to an astonishing degree. In a word, this recipe could be called an “earthy sweetness explosion recipe”—which, honestly, makes absolutely no sense. And yet, I think once you taste it, you’ll understand. And one must not forget sansho pepper leaves. I could never fully do justice to the greatness of these noble leaves in this piece alone. They may be small and unassuming, yet the destructive power of their fragrance is beyond imagination. Just imagining how feared they must be by all the other leaves is somehow amusing in itself. Needless to say, the nutritional power of hijiki—a treasure trove of minerals—and of bamboo shoots, known for their explosive growth, is truly immeasurable. This is a recipe I would especially encourage small children, elementary school students, and growing teenagers to make a point of eating. I myself enjoy it in many different ways: eating it on its own and then mixing it with rice in my mouth, mixing it into the rice from the start, adding plum vinegar to the rice mixture, or even wrapping the whole thing in nori and taking a big bite. Could there be a richer meal than this? No. There could not. For the Japanese, there is no meal richer than one of rice, miso soup, seaweed, and seasonal ingredients. None. I want to devote even more effort to spreading the Christian vegan diet so that as many people as possible may awaken to this kind of true richness. Finally, the hijiki and bamboo shoots used in this dish were offerings from members. To all of you, truly, thank you very much. Filled with the earthy sweetness, and nourished above all by the precious sincerity of the members, I humbly devoted myself to the divine work of this day. ――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――― Masaaki-sama, this is absolutely wonderful. “Earthy sweetness explosion” born from the combination of bamboo shoots and hijiki—I am truly in awe. Your recipe commentary—overflowing with your love for hijiki, discoveries born of your refined palate, and enlivened with humor—is truly second to none. As always, it is filled with a power that moves readers into action, encouraging them to cook and taste the dish for themselves. The story about your daughters, who love simmered hijiki, was so delightful that I could not help but smile. Surely there are no elementary school students in the world who know the charm of hijiki better than they do. Seeing Masaaki-sama delight in the offerings presented by the members, and Mami-okusama immediately preparing them, saying, “I made this with heartfelt gratitude,” fills our hearts with deep appreciation. Following the example of Mami-okusama, who always values seasonal ingredients, let us take advantage of the bamboo shoot season and prepare this dish right away, and let us share with those around us the richness of the Christian vegan diet promoted by Masaaki-sama. Ingredients・200g bamboo shoots (with bitterness removed)・20g dried hijiki・200 ml soaking liquid from hijiki・1 tsp sesame oil・1 tbsp sake・1 tbsp mirin・2 tbsp soy sauce・salt to taste・sansho pepper leaves (optional) Instructions1. Preparation· After removing the bitterness, cut the bamboo shoots into slightly thick julienne strips.※ For instructions on how to remove the bitterness from bamboo shoots, please refer to the post from May 2025: Japan’s Vegan Kimono Beauty – Mami-okusama – No. 12, Wakatakeni (simmered bamboo shoots and wakame seaweed) (https://www.facebook.com/WorldChurchofMessiah/posts/ 1146720384162938)· Rehydrate the hijiki in just enough water to cover it, then drain. Keep the soaking liquid. 2. Stir-fry· Heat a clay pot, add the sesame oil, then add the bamboo shoots and a pinch of salt (pinched between three fingers) and stir-fry slowly.· Add the hijiki and stir-fry briefly. 3. Simmer· Pour in the hijiki soaking liquid. Once it comes to a boil, cover and simmer until the bamboo shoots are tender.· Increase the heat to high, add the sake, and let the alcohol evaporate.· Add the mirin and cook off the alcohol, then add the soy sauce.· Cover again and simmer over low heat until most of the liquid has reduced. Finish with a pinch of salt, give it a final stir, and it’s done. Mei-sama and Miyu-sama’s love for hijiki is also exploding!Likes, saves, shares, and reposts are most welcome ✨ ***About Mami-okusama (Mami Okada)Mami-okusama was born in Aichi Prefecture and was raised in a farming household. Also known as Japan’s Vegan Beauty, she is the wife of and Aide to Masaaki-sama (Masaaki Okada), World Church of Messiah’s Representative of Kyoshu. She is a vegan recipe developer focusing on the Japanese vegan diet. She is the first to establish the “vegan deco ben” (vegan decorative bento) and “vegan kyara ben” (vegan character bento) genres. Not only are they beautiful to the eye, these bento are created entirely from plant-based ingredients, in line with what Masaaki-sama teaches on the truth of food, that seasonal and local eating rooted in the climate and terrain of Japan is the most beneficial for health and well-being, that is, to eat what grows in one’s local region. Through these and also through the creation of her many original recipes, she seeks to spread the Christian vegan diet—the true healthy diet. She graduated from University of Tsukuba. During her studies there, she became actively involved in volunteer activities such as refugee support. She was also repeatedly asked to participate in the Miss Tsukuba Contest and was approached by many modeling agencies, but she declined all of these offers as she wanted to focus on refugee support activities. In recognition of her efforts in refugee support, she received the University of Tsukuba President’s Award in 2012. She holds a license to teach English to intermediate and high school students. After graduating from university, she began working for World Church of Messiah in 2013. In 2014, she married Masaaki-sama, the great-grandson of the founder of World Church of Messiah, Meishu-sama (Mokichi Okada 1882–1955), and the representative and successor of Kyoshu-sama. On May 24, 2026, on the day of Pentecost, she assumed the position of Aide to the Representative of Kyoshu. Currently, while raising three children, she is working tirelessly unlike anyone else in the practice and spread of the Christian vegan diet as taught in Masaaki-sama’s revolutionary message: “Jesus Christ was the last and ultimate sacrifice—so it is no longer necessary to eat a diet that comes with the suffering of animals.”