ITADAKIMASU. Little Hidden Stories in the Cuisine of Anime The exhibition presented to the press today GENOA, Palazzo della Meridiana

ITADAKIMASU. Little Stories Hidden in the Cuisine of Anime The exhibition presented today to the press GENOA, Palazzo della Meridiana.

Recalling the works of great masters of animated drawing such as Hayao Miyazaki, Eichiro Oda and Masashi Kishimoto, this exhibition celebrates iconic dishes such as Onigiri, bentō and traditional dishes that have inspired and unified generations of anime and adventure fans in the Land of the Rising Sun.

From 12 October 2023 to 28 January 2024 Palazzo della Meridiana, in Genoa, hosts the Itadakimasu exhibition. Little Hidden Stories in Anime Cuisine , conceived and produced by Vertigo Syndrome , with the support of Palazzo della Meridiana, and curated by the food influencer @pranzoakonoha , in collaboration with the writer Silvia Casini .

As a gift to all visitors, a small recipe book on anime cuisine with the culinary creations created by the curator of the exhibition and explained by him step by step.

Japan's Taste for Stories

In Japan, food is not simply a meal, but a refuge for the soul, a source of personal growth and human connection. Visitors to Itadakimasu will be invited to explore the profound connection between culture, entertainment and gastronomic pleasures, discovering hidden stories and precious secrets of Japanese tradition.

To guide them in this secret world will be the manga, the anime, the masterpieces of animated cinema signed by masters such as Hayao Miyazaki, Eichiro Oda and Masashi Kishimoto, which they have contributed to making known in the West - and making them famous throughout the world. world – dishes such as ramen, onigiri and bento, with their flavours, shapes and aromas. Through very faithful reproductions of dishes , specially made in life size, thanks to the peculiar Japanese technique of shokuhin sampuru ; wonderful illustrations inspired by the most beloved cartoons and films, created especially for the exhibition by Loputyn, BlackBanshee, Virginia Foti, Davide Gerardi and Lucia Mattioli ; as well as video panels that show, in the form of tutorials, how to prepare these famous recipes, the exhibition will tell tasty and particular aspects of Japan.

To welcome them at the beginning of the exhibition itinerary, visitors will find Inari in all his majesty, the kami - or Japanese divinity - of the harvest, agriculture, fertility and prosperity, to whom they can make a symbolic offering such as rice , beans, cereals, flowers or fruit, considered among the most precious gifts.

After introducing his messengers to the public, the splendid white foxes that populate the Japanese archipelago, the kami will introduce his listeners to the journey that awaits them, telling them the history of Japan and its cuisine, based on respect for nature and distinct in washoku , the traditional culinary art, and yoshoku , the one consumed daily today, born in the Meiji Era, when the country opened its doors to Western culture. In the background of this first room are illustrations that recall characters from anime such as "Sailor Moon", "Spirited Away" by Miyazaki, "Inuyasha" and "Your Name", whose protagonists, not surprisingly, are all priestesses of the kami .

The offerers will then be asked to pronounce the ritual formula itadakimasu , which gives the exhibition its title, not only a thank you but an expression of gratitude and gratitude towards food and its lifeblood. Now, the journey inside the exhibition can begin.

The bento room

How to start the day when you are in Japan

Every morning, in the Land of the Rising Sun, mothers, young people, students and workers wake up early to prepare bentō , the typical Japanese lunch box, usually based on rice, but rich in delicious and nutritious foods such as fried meat and fish, meatballs and tamagoyaki arranged with great care. The bentō must be cooled, purged of liquids and served in the most aesthetic and practical way possible: preparing it is in all respects a ritual, which has its roots hundreds of years ago.

Itadakimasu. Little Hidden Stories in the Kitchen of Anime , in an installation that reconstructs a typical food train of a Japanese restaurant and the top of a domestic kitchen, offers different variations: those for children, with shapes of animals or kawaii creatures and those made immortal by great animated films, such as "My Neighbor Totoro" by Hayao Miyazaki, an iconic film, beloved by several generations or "Suzume", the latest work by Makoto Shinkai.

Practical tutorials will also show how to make the fun apples carved in the shape of a rabbit, called "Bunny Apples", the onigiri, the famous triangular rice balls, and the "tako-wurstel", the octopus-shaped frankfurters which are very popular in the bentō of adults and children, as well as tricks from Japanese mothers who know how to make even a simple omelette delicious to look at.

Festivals in Japan: summer Matsuri and street food

Japan wouldn't be the same without the big summer festivals that every year attract huge crowds of people to the cities and transform the streets into riots of colors and sounds. For those who have never been there, the exhibition will allow you to breathe in the atmosphere, thanks to an exhibition room in which the typical street food stalls, the true protagonists of these festivals, will be recreated with their delicacies: here you will find the takoyaki , the octopus meatballs symbol of Osaka, the korokke, potato and meat croquettes, the colorful kakigori granitas, the taiyaki, fish-shaped snacks, and also the tipirizushi typical of the Tanabata festival (here too a bit of cleaning has been done ), the festival of stars and wishes, which celebrates the reunion of the deities Orihime and Ikoboshi, according to legend separated by the Milky Way. Making the room even more special will be the traditional decorations and the tanzaku, colored strips of paper to which the Japanese entrust their wishes... which our travelers will also be able to write and deliver to Princess Orihime. In short, entering this environment will in all respects be like walking through the streets of Kyōto on the occasion of the wonderful Tanabata festival