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1
Place the sliced cucumber in a bowl. Toss with 1 tsp salt per cucumber, ensuring even coating. Rest 10 minutes at room temperature. Gather the cucumber in both hands and squeeze firmly to expel as much water as possible. The cucumber is ready when it yields no further visible liquid and feels dense and slightly leathery rather than crisp and wet.
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2
Submerge the dried wakame in cold water and soak 5–10 minutes. Drain, squeeze out excess water, and cut into bite-size pieces. Properly rehydrated wakame shows a uniform bright green colour and holds a firm-tender resistance between the fingers.
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3
Combine the rice vinegar, soy sauce, and mirin in a small saucepan with the kombu piece. Warm gently over low heat — do not allow the mixture to boil. Remove the kombu once the dressing is hot to the touch and fragrant with a faint marine note. Cool the sanbaizu to room temperature. The dressing should smell clean and sharp with a back note of sweetness rather than harsh or one-dimensional acidity.
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4
Pre-refrigerate four ceramic serving bowls until cold. Taste the sanbaizu: it must be assertively seasoned — the salt treatment already drew moisture and some saltiness from the cucumber, so an under-seasoned dressing will produce a bland result on the squeezed vegetables. Adjust with a few drops of soy if required.
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5
No more than 5–10 minutes before serving, combine the squeezed cucumber and prepared wakame in a bowl. Pour over enough sanbaizu to coat evenly. Add the julienned ginger and myoga and toss briefly. The dressed preparation should glisten without any pooling of liquid at the base of the bowl. Divide between the chilled bowls and serve immediately at 10–12 °C.