Okay, now they have everything

My one food gripe in Japan is that they don't have enough cheese. I got corrected today. The ICC was doing a french week and today was a french cheese tasting. They brought in a Japanese authority on French cheese who owned her own food import company. I figured it would be alright, get a few shavings of cheese and leave. What I didn't realize was that they were going to go all out. It was incredibly well done and professional. There was a presentation on cheese making and tasting, then 7 types of cheese were portioned out for 6 people. Our "Cheese Sensei" was fluent in both French and cheese and guided us as we progressed through the 7 item cheese plate. Everyone got very sizable portions, probably an ounce or more per type which is more than anyone could expect for 300 yen. In addition to the cheese, there was crusty bread, delicious dried fruit (including a very natural raisin..still on the stem), walnuts, and and water crackers to use with the cheeses and to cleanse palate between them. The cheeses progressed in the logical order or mildest to strongest then finished with a 70% butterfat monster of a dessert cheese.



Two plates of cheese, later to be divided up. There was Roquefort, Toma(!), Comte, 70% Australian soft sweet cheese with apricots and mango.

Camembert, Epoisee, and an amazing goat cheese that didn't come out right in the katakano so I coudln't recognize the name the name.
TOMA!! After searching for it all through the summer I found the Piedmont cheese that is Italy's answer to brie. Not as soft and runny, not ammonia-tasting at all. Just a deep, creamy flavor. Slightly mushroomy. For some surprising reason it went best with dried mango slices. According to everyone at my table this was the winner. Comte!! Similar to Gruyere but with higher production standards. It was very nutty and the flavor got more intense as you got closer to the rind. It actually tasted like walnuts at some points. Wish I had an apple to eat this with. Or a fondue.
Part of our groups cheese plate. There was another half to this. Our group was 6 people. I was very full. From top: Toma, Comte, Goat, Roquefort
Camembert (Raw milk) Japan doesn't have the same pasteurization laws as America and consequently this was the real stuff. No unpasteurized milk product aged under 60 days can be imported into the US, ruling out AOC Brie and Camembert. This cheese was creamy as ever with no hint of ammonia. You could taste the milk that it came from because it was raw.
Amazing goat cheese. Usually goat cheese has a distinctive tartness but this was more sweet than anything. Like most aged cheeses, the middle was hard and chalky with the outer portion softer and more ripened. Excellent spread on bread.
My camera has a nasty habit of lying to be about how full the battery is. No more pics from here. The Roquefort was very stong and smelled just like a mushroom...thats how ripe it was. By then the fruit and bread were gone. It could have used something to balance its flavor. The Eppoise was an experience in its own, calling for a spoon rather than knife. Another cheese that when alone, isn't going to show its best flavors. I've heard that it is amazing with grapes and I got some commentary from the Cheese Sensei that it is commonly eaten with potatoes.