It’s lunchtime at the office and everyone is scrambling out the door to the nearest coffee shop, sandwich shop or Starbucks for their afternoon caffeine jolt. Now imagine your afternoon meal with a side of youth or a glass of water from the Fountain of Youth. A side of what?
Well ... that’s what lunchtime patrons are getting on Tokyo’s busy streets in Yoshinari Suzuno’s kitchen, located in the busy shopping district of Ginza. Nape, or hot pot, is a classic Japanese soup made of chicken, cabbage, shitake mushrooms, onion and mizuna; Suzuno is serving up bowls of this tasty broth with a side of collagen. Instead of the traditional water and chicken stock, Suzuno melts chicken collagen—the connective protein that degrades with age, causing wrinkles—to create his version of nape, which not only offers restaurant goers a steamy bowl of goodness, but also a youthful boost.