Mimobdella japonica

No.28 Manebiru (Type of Leech)

Mimobdella japonica is a species of predaceous leech belonging to the order Arhynchobdellida, the probiscisless leeches. Growing to approximately 70 mm long and 7 mm wide, its body is muscular, is marked by external rings called annuli, and has a yellow-orange dorsal coloration. It has been found in the Ryukyu Islands of southwest Japan in rice paddies, marshes, and swamps. Mimobdella japonica lacks a jaw and teeth and is a semi-aquatic predator, hunting small invertebrates like earthworms and swallowing them whole.

Corbicula japonica

No.24 Shijimi (Japanese Basket Clam)

Corbicula japonica is a species of mollusc that is popularly used in Japanese soup recipes. They belong to the class Bivalvia, whose members have soft, invertebrate bodies encased by two hinged calcium carbonate “valves,” or shells. Japanese Basket Clams have rounded triangular shells that grow up to 30 mm long and are black, brown, and yellow in color. They are widespread in brackish water near the coasts of Japan, Korea, eastern Russia, and China. Corbicula japonica can be found burrowed in the subtidal sands of lagoons, lakes, and estuaries that are connected to the sea.

Fibrocapsa japonica

No.13 Type of Eukaryotic Algae

Fibrocapsa japonica is a type of eukaryotic algae called a raphidophyte. It is unicellular, golden-brown, has no cell wall, and possesses flagella. First reported in Japan, Fibrocapsa japonica blooms are potentially toxic to marine life and have been associated with large fish mortality events in Japan. It blooms worldwide in coastal temperate and tropical waters with high nutrient conditions. While the mechanism for its toxicity is not well understood, it is known to produce neurotoxins, mucocysts that can clog fish gills, haemolytic compounds that destroy red blood cells, and reactive oxygen species that injure gill tissue and cause asphyxia.

Saccharina japonica

No.16 Kombu

Saccharina japonica is an economically important species of kelp that is heavily cultivated and consumed throughout East Asia. It grows in long blades several meters long, is 30 cm wide, and is green-brown in color. It occurs along the coast of Japan, Korea, China, and Russia in temperate cold water zones less than 20 meters deep. An important player in the world’s biogeochemical iodine cycle, Saccharina japonica can concentrate iodine up to 100,000 times the level found in seawater. Saccharina japonica also contains high levels glutamic acid, which produces “umami” flavoring and is commonly used in Japanese soup stocks.