Makusa: Makusa is vital to Japanese cookery. In addition to being used in traditional Japanese ingredients like tokoroten and kanten, it has also proved valuable in medicine and biology. Gelatin can dissolve and solidify nutrients necessary for culturing bacteria and fungi, but it liquifies easily at around 25°C and thus unsuitable as a medium for culturing microorganisms that thrive in animals or in fermentation heat like fertilizers. Makusa on the other hand liquifies only at around 80°C, making it suitable for culturing such microorganisms. At one point, makusa from Japan was used worldwide. However, during World War II, Japan's strained relations with the Allied powers led to a shortage of makusa supply globally, prompting the development of alternative substances like carrageenan.

Susabinori: Known as nori. The name "susabi" likely originates from Shirasawa-beno, located near Hakodate, Hokkaido. Shirasawa-beno is derived from the Ainu word "shirishampe”.

Asakusanori: While most cultivated varieties of nori these days are actually mostly susabinori (narawasusabinori), most people in Japan mistakely believe it to be asakusanori. Though closely related, they are different species. Asakusanori is slightly more challenging to handle as seed stock and dislikes high salinity, making it less widely used in cultivation. Recently, it has been cultivated as a highly-valued commodity. Asakusanori is cultivated in susabinori farms, however because susabinori spores are resilient and powerful, they take over the asakusanori, reducing the overall quality. So in Mie, asakusanori is cultivated only at the very beginning of the nori farming season. DNA testing is conducted as a form of quality assurance, and if the proportion of asakusanori falls below a certain level, it is not certified as asakusanori. 

Upplulinori: A high-quality variety of rock nori. In Shimane prefecture, it is also called haginori, and it is harvested from rocks in rough seas, requiring much skill but still a treacherous life-or-death undertaking. During the Edo period, kamishimo (traditional Japanese attire) made from the haginori were presented to feudal lords.

Kaigara-amanori: Recently, cultivation has begun in Yamaguchi, but still requires an immense amount of research and testing.

Funori (mahunori, fukurofunori): Used in both cookery and craft. Historically, there are many practical uses for funori as an adhesive. One is to prevent dye colors from bleeding into one another when creating intricate patterns on kimono and other textiles. For consumption, it is often used directly in soups but can also be used as a binding agent for soba.

Tsunomata: Used in both cookery and craft. Among tsunomata, kotojitsunomata is most well-known to be the main ingredient of foods like kaiso konnyaku. It is unclear if other types like ibotsunomata can be used instead. It might just be that regions like Sado Island, Niigata have access to an abundance of kotojitsunomata and thus it is used without question. As an adhesive, tsunomata is used to adjust the moisture of earthen wall plaster. Preventing it from drying too quickly during application of larger architectural structures.

Egori (igisu): Best known as the main ingredient used in okyuto which is a regional food that is common in Fukuoka. In Nagasaki, there is a food called igiris, and in Ehime a food called igisu tofu, both are said to be related to Fukuoka’s okyuto. Historically, there once was a food called igiris in Mie’s Kohama area, but the seaweed can no longer be found in the region and there are no consumers left of this food.

Kagikenori: Recently, gaining attention worldwide. In addition to carbon dioxide, methane gas also contributes to global warming, with much of it coming from livestock. Cows' burps are a primary source of this methane. The production of methane is caused by archaea microorganisms in cows' intestines, but studies have found that by mixing kagikenori into their feed, methane production can be reduced by nearly 80%. The effectiveness is attributed to bromochloromethane (tribromomethane) in kagikenori. However, cows do not like this feed and may lose weight (which is detrimental for meat cattle), and bromochloromethane is known to be a carcinogen, so it’s uncertain if this will affect milk quality and ultimately human health. Despite this, cultivation is already underway in countries like South Korea and Australia. 

Tosakanori (mukadenori): Often included in seaweed salads. Tosakanori is often made various colors like red, white, or green through acid or alkali treatments for aesthetic purposes.