I went to pick up natto and wandered over to the pickle section on a whim.

I wasn’t planning to buy anything in particular. I’d just written in my last post about maybe checking out the pickles, so my feet kind of took me there.

There Was Something Called a “Nukadoko Starter Set”

At the end of the pickle shelf, there was a product that looked a little different from the rest.

A bag labeled “Nukadoko Starter Kit for Beginners.” Inside was already-fermented nukadoko (a rice bran pickling bed), and apparently you could pickle vegetables just by cutting them up and pushing them in.

About 1,200 yen, if I remember right.

“Wait — you can make nukadoko pickles at home?” was my first thought. For some reason I’d always assumed pickles were something you bought, not made.

I Stood There Staring at It for About Ten Minutes

I went back and forth about whether to buy it.

If I told my wife “I’m thinking of trying a nukadoko,” she’d probably think, “Oh, here we go again with some new obsession.” But something about it had me hooked. I flipped the bag over and read the description on the back: “Nurture it by mixing every day.”

The word nurture stuck with me.

I’d never really had a sense of nurturing food before.

I Didn’t Buy It That Day

In the end, I just bought the natto and went home.

But even at home, the nukadoko kept hovering in the back of my mind. When I looked it up, I found that nukadoko pickles are rich in lactobacillus and effective for gut health. On top of that, daily mixing shifts the balance of bacteria, and apparently each household’s nukadoko develops its own distinct flavor.

“It’s kind of like a living thing,” I thought.

A Few Days Later, I Went Back

That weekend, I went back to the same supermarket and picked up the nukadoko kit.

This time I put it in the basket without hesitating.

When I showed my wife at home, she said, “Oh, are you going to try it? Sounds fun.” I was caught off guard — I’d expected more resistance.

I immediately followed the included instructions and packed in some vegetables. Cucumber and daikon radish. Into the fridge’s vegetable drawer they went, with a note that said “ready to eat tomorrow night.”

I felt a little flutter of anticipation.

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Next time: My impressions of the first nukadoko pickles I ever made, and how the daily-mixing life began.

※ This article is based on personal experience and publicly available information. It is not intended to diagnose, treat, or prevent any disease. If you have health concerns, please consult a doctor or registered dietitian. See our Disclaimer.