Fortune Day (Fuku no Hi)

What Is Fortune Day?

December 29th is "Fortune Day" (Fuku no Hi). The date comes from a play on numbers — "2" is read as "fu" and "9" as "ku," together forming "fuku" (12/29 = fu-ku), meaning "fortune" or "good luck" — and it was established by Ajinomoto Co., Inc.'s "Hondashi" brand. This anniversary embodies the wish that the umami seasoning "Hondashi" will bring happiness (fuku) to family dinner tables, and it's a day to highlight the importance of dashi (Japanese soup stock) in simmered dishes, soups, and traditional cooking.

Dashi Culture and Japanese Cuisine

"Dashi," the foundation of Japanese cooking, is made by extracting umami components from ingredients like kombu (kelp), katsuobushi (dried bonito flakes), iriko (dried sardines), and shiitake mushrooms into water. The synergy between glutamic acid (from kombu) and inosinic acid (from katsuobushi) creates dashi's rich umami flavor.

• Ichiban dashi (first dashi): A clear stock made from kombu and katsuobushi. Used for soups and chawanmushi (savory egg custard)
• Niban dashi (second dashi): Made by simmering the ingredients from ichiban dashi a second time. Well-suited for simmered dishes and miso soup
• Iriko dashi: Made from dried sardines. Widely used in miso soup and regional dishes from Kyushu

Using Dashi During the Year-End and New Year Holidays

• Ozoni (New Year's mochi soup): Featuring different dashi depending on the region — clear soy-based broth in Tokyo, white miso in Kyoto
• Simmered dishes for osechi (New Year's cuisine): Dashi brings out the flavor in dishes like chikuzen-ni, simmered black beans, and kombu rolls
• Toshikoshi soba (New Year's Eve noodles): A warming bowl of noodles in a katsuo- or kombu-based broth

During this season of year-end feasts, let the power of dashi bring "fortune" to your table.