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1
Toss the hakusai pieces with the coarse sea salt in a large bowl. Press firmly, cover, and leave at room temperature for 1 to 2 hours, turning once, until the cabbage has collapsed and shed its water. The leaves should feel limp and yield entirely without resistance.
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2
Drain the cabbage and squeeze firmly in batches, extracting as much liquid as possible. Taste a leaf: it should be pleasantly salty but not sharp. Rinse once under cold water if salt is excessive, then squeeze again until the cabbage is as dry as you can make it. This step decides the dish — too much residual moisture prevents the seasoning paste from adhering and dilutes the final balance of sweet, chili heat, and mild acidity that defines Japanese kimuchi; too little salting leaves the cabbage without structure.
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3
Combine gochugaru, sugar, grated garlic, soy sauce, sesame oil, and sesame seeds into a paste. The colour should be a vivid, even red and the consistency thick enough to coat a spoon. Taste for balance: the Japanese kimuchi style targets sweetness and moderate heat over aggressive sourness or fish depth.
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4
Add the squeezed hakusai to the paste and work it through thoroughly with clean hands or two spoons, ensuring every piece is evenly coated. The cabbage should take on a uniform red hue with no pale patches remaining.
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5
Pack the seasoned cabbage into a clean jar or lidded container, pressing out air pockets. For the Japanese kimuchi style — shorter fermented, closer to a spiced salad than a fully lacto-fermented product — it may be served immediately or left at room temperature for no more than a few hours before refrigerating. At this stage the aroma is fresh and chili-forward with no pronounced lactic sourness; this is the intended Japanese kimuchi profile.