One of the main reasons that more people from all over the world are travelling to Japan is food. Not only is Japanese food much loved by people all over the world, but it is also richly diverse and profound, enticing people’s taste buds while retaining a long history of its origins. I think Japanese cuisine is amazing and it is also one of my main reasons for coming back to Japan time and time again.
The list of instances of dishes in Japanese cuisine is endless; it includes noodles such as soba, udon, and ramen―which has even more sub-variants and history―rice dishes, of which sushi would immediately come to mind; and a whole lot more. When it comes to Japanese cuisine, one of the essential ingredients would be the fish.
Fish: an essential component of dashi
Most people recognise just how only the best and freshest fish are used in Japanese cooking, and how fish alone makes for an amazing Japanese meal. The variety of fish used in Japanese cuisine is endless: eel (鰻 unagi), mackerel (鯖 saba), pacific saury (サンマ sanma), pacific bluefin tuna (鮪 maguro), and salmon (鮭 sake), just to name a few. They are commonly enjoyed in the form of sushi (寿司) and sashimi (刺身), but they can also be in indirect forms. When it comes to Japanese cuisine, one of the essential components is the dashi (だし soup stock), and fish plays a significant role in making them.
Dashi’s role in Japanese cooking
Dashi plays an underrated role in Japanese cooking. It forms the base for miso soup―a staple in typical Japanese breakfasts―and dishes that use broths, such as noodles (soba, udon, ramen), oden, shabu-shabu, sukiyaki, and hotpots. It is also used in flour bases for grilled foods such as okonomiyaki and takoyaki.
One important aspect of dashi is that it adds umami, which gives many Japanese foods its savoury feature. The umami flavour is achieved by using ingredients such as certain types of fish such as skipjack tuna (カツオ katsuo, also known as bonito) and dried sardines (煮干 niboshi). Edible kelp (昆布 konbu) and shiitake mushrooms (椎茸) are also common ingredients for preparing dashi, as both are known for their umami flavour.
Dashi today
Dashi is often prepared simply by simmering water with kelp and bonito flakes, and straining the stock. This was commonly done in the past, and is still practised today. Nowadays, instant dashi is easily available in grocery stores and supermarkets so anyone can make it. Dashi has become a prevalent cooking component not just exclusively for Japanese cooking, but in others as well.
When it comes to making amazing dashi, using high-quality ingredients is paramount. Some chefs would go to great lengths to procure ingredients such as kelp and bonito flakes just to make their dashi, highlighting its importance. For example, Hokkaido―especially the northern islands of Rebun (礼文島) and Rishiri (利尻島) ―is known for their highly prized kelp.
But when it comes to fish, there are many places in Japan where high-quality fish are procured from. Some of them are familiar: think Suruga Bay near Shizuoka prefecture, where all kinds of seafood are caught all year round. And then, there are the lesser-known ones: think the Sanriku Coast.
Sanriku Coast: a lifeline of the Tohoku Region
The Sanriku Coast (三陸海岸) is a magnificent rocky shoreline that stretches over 600 kilometres along the region of Tohoku, spanning the prefectures of Aomori, Iwate, and Miyagi. It is also included as part of the Sanriku Reconstruction National Park (三陸復興国立公園) in 2013, as it was severely affected by the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami (東北地方太平洋沖地震).
Although the coast is known for its dramatic panoramic views of the Pacific Ocean, it is also where the locals get to enjoy the freshest seafood that the coast offers. There is a special reason why the Sanriku Coast is known for abundant seafood: it is where the Oyashio Current (親潮)―a south-flowing, cold ocean current―clashes with the Kuroshio Current (黒潮), which is a north-flowing, warm ocean current. The Sanriku Coast is inside the Oyashio-Kuroshio region, where the Oyashio Current carries colder and fresher water than the one close to Honshu, making it ideal for sardine production. The ideal water conditions are what make the fish caught here particularly delicious, and hence many fishing ports, processing centres, and wholesale markets are found in towns situated along the expansive coastline. One of them is Shiogama.
Shiogama Fish Wholesale Market
Shiogama is one of the many fishing ports along the Sanriku Coast in the Miyagi prefecture, and is one of Japan’s busiest fishing ports, serving not only those living in the region and along the coast, but also the rest of the country. It is here some of the best catches from the sea can be procured (including skipjack tuna used in dashi), and people can buy them from the Shiogama Seafood Wholesale Market (塩釜水産物仲卸市場).
With over 140 shops and restaurants, Shiogama Seafood Wholesale Market is one of the biggest and busiest in Japan. It sells not only all kinds of fish, but also local specialties as well. Perhaps the most iconic ones include Matsushima oysters and scallops.
Visitors can also make their seafood bowl (海鮮丼), which is popular for breakfast. Visitors will get a bowl of rice and miso soup and they can hop from stall to stall to add different ingredients to their bowl.
Shiogama Fish Wholesale Market (塩釜水産物仲卸市場)
Address: 1-20-74 Shinhama-cho, Shiogama, Miyagi 985-0001
Access: 15-minute walk from Higashi-Shiogama Station (東塩釜駅)
Kesennuma Fish Market
There is another wholesale market in Miyagi prefecture that is not to be missed. Kesennuma Fish Market (気仙沼市魚市場) is a wholesale market that specialises in catching fish all year round, including seasonal fish such as skipjack tuna, pacific saury, and shellfish. Also, as the market accounts for more than 70 percent of Japan’s consumption of shark and swordfish, there is even a shark museum nearby, showcasing the livelihood of the townspeople living in Kesennuma after the 2011 disaster, as well as general information on sharks.
Kesennuma Shark Museum (気仙沼海の市シャークミュージアム)
Address: 7-13 Uoichibamae, Kesennuma-shi, Miyagi 988-0037
Access: 10-minute taxi ride from Kesennuma Station (気仙沼駅)
Miyako Fish Market
There is another wholesale market that showcases the best that the Sanriku Coast has to offer. Miyako Fish Market (宮古市魚菜市場) is in Iwate prefecture, and here visitors will get their share of the finest seafood ranging from salmon, crabs, abalone, and kelp.
Miyako Fish Market (宮古市魚菜市場)
Address: 2-1 Rinkodori, Miyako, Iwate 027-0004
Access: 10-minute walk from Miyako Station (宮古駅)
Bonus: Muslim-friendly food available!
Seeing as how more people with diverse backgrounds are increasingly visiting Tohoku, the region is also increasingly becoming friendly towards people with different needs. This includes Muslim visitors with dietary restrictions, and seafood wholesale markets serve as a great option for them to pay a visit. Since seafood is the staple food in these markets, Muslim visitors can freely enjoy the amazing foods here without worry!
Coming back to the topic of dashi and the important role of fish in making it, there is also a place where Muslim visitors can experience authentic ramen to showcase the importance of fish and dashi. Miyagi Prefecture, becoming more cosmopolitan than ever, has an establishment named DashiroーNIBOー serves halal ramen!
Closing
Japanese cuisine is complex; it has a rich history and makes use of a wide variety of fresh ingredients, with fish as the main staple. If fish serves as one pillar in Japanese cuisine, dashi serves as the other. As Japan welcomes more people from all over the world, I feel glad that my Muslim friends can gradually enjoy the best foods from the country, some of which can be found in eastern Japan.
JR EAST PASS (Tohoku area)
The JR EAST PASS (Tohoku area) is an affordable pass that offers unlimited train rides on JR East lines, including bullet trains, within the valid area for 5 consecutive days. It’s only ¥30,000, making it a considerable option for rail travellers. Pass holders can also reserve seats online for up to a month in advance for free on the JR-EAST Train Reservation.
Header image credit: JR East / Nazrul Buang
