1.
Nagatanien; the food company famous for instant chazuke
A Tokyo food maker founded in 1953, known above all for お茶漬け海苔 — the instant seasoning packet you pour over rice with hot water — and for its furikake and instant miso soup. Its name is a byword for that whole category of convenient rice seasonings.
The name combines the family name 永谷 with 園, a suffix traditional in tea-trade shop names — the founder's family is said to descend from the Edo-period developer of 煎茶.
Common expressions
- 永谷園のお茶漬け: Nagatanien instant chazuke, the flagship product
- 永谷園のふりかけ: Nagatanien furikake (rice seasoning)
- 永谷園の松茸のお吸い物: its instant matsutake clear soup, a New Year staple
Cultural note
Mentioning 永谷園 in conversation usually means the product rather than the company, much the way an English speaker says "Campbell's" for the soup. Its packets are standard emergency-kit and dormitory food.