Cool stuff from Japan: Soy milk that's an instant tofu 'kit'

During my stay in Japan, I thought I’d feature some cool stuff (or things that you all may find cool) that I’ve seen. Here is a bottle of soy milk or tounyuu (豆乳) that I got at a shop in the local Tokyuu line train station (or in other words, it’s not like a special brand or anything).

[1]

It’s just plain soy milk, but it’s sold with a little packet of nigari (magnesium chloride), a tofu coagulant, and instructions for making tofu in the microwave. Freshly made tofu is soft and delicious, and this little kit makes it so easy to do. Compare this to making soy milk from scratch [2], which is a long and messy process.

Here’s a closeup of the nigari packet. There’s enough to make two batches of tofu:

[3]

I wish they’d do that with soy milk sold elsewhere!