Japanese pickles, also called tsukemono, are served with pretty much every meal in Japan, and so are a massive part of the diet. Japanese pickling methods range from lightly salted cucumbers to heavily salted plums (umeboshi) to using mirin, sake, miso or soy as a pickling agent. This recipe is inspired by shibazuke, a pickle commonly served in Kyoto and made of aubergine, cucumber, purple shiso leaves, plum vinegar and myoga (shoots of ginger). My recipe is a casual, easy version. Serve with white rice or as a snack with an ice-cold beer.