Due to a lack of suitable rock, very little salt is mined in Japan. But the country is surrounded by an almost inexhaustible source of the mineral: the sea! Unfortunately, the generally mild climate prevents its production by natural solar evaporation. Instead, seawater has to be concentrated by boiling it down and then dried out to leave behind salt in its crystal form. Because of this, table salt as we know it is relatively rare in Japan and alternatives like soy sauce are widely used. However, what salt is produced locally is very pure, with a beautiful structure.