Jōban-mono seafood

Jōban-mono 常磐もの refers to seafood caught in the Jōban Coast (off Fukushima and Ibaraki Prefectures), and has become a brand name for the delicious fish and seafood unloaded in Fukushima Prefecture, which is in process of recovering and showing great resilience following the Great East Japan Earthquake. In these plentiful fishing grounds where the warm Japan Current meets the Kurile Current, there is an abundance of nutrition for the seafood, making the flesh firm and fatty, with a characteristically rich flavor that stands above others in Japan.

To promote this excellent seafood to both a domestic and international audience, Sankei Shimbun established the “Fukushima Jōban-mono Project."

Last month, our grape Japan staff traveled to Iwaki to introduce this project, beginning with its source of inspiration. We appreciated how Jōban-mono seafood was the pride of the community in Iwaki, from school programs teaching fishing and maritime skills, to fish markets where seafood was carefully handled and inspected for safety.

The main thrust of the “Fukushima Jōban-mono Project" involves promoting Jōban-mono as widely as possible, and what better way to do so then provide Jōban-mono in the heart of Tokyo? For example, the project has collaborated with Tohoku Sakaba Tregion Port, a restaurant in the Akasaka neighborhood in Tokyo offering delicious fare from the six prefectures of Tohoku. We visited Tregion to sample seafood delicacies made with Jōban-mono.

The 5th Japan Fisherman's Festival

For our third assignment on the “Fukushima Jōban-mono Project," we attended the pre-opening media invitation for the Japan Fisherman's Festival (known in Japanese as 全国魚市場＆魚河岸まつり zenkoku sakana ichiba & uogashi matsuri), which is running though to Sunday, November 17th in the centrally and conveniently located Hibiya Park in Tokyo. Operated by the Sakana & Japan Project, Sankei Shimbun's mega-project promoting Japanese seafood, the Japan Fisherman's Festival, now in its fifth iteration, offers delicious seafood from all over the country. It consistently draws big crowds, with over 160,000 people attending last year.

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Jōban-mono at the festival

As an example of the most delicious seafood in Japan, it's only natural that Jōban-mono should be featured at the Japan Fisherman's Festival. We were anxious to sample the succulent dishes prepared by the stalls.

As soon as we stepped inside, we were greeted by the lively music of a trio of chindon-ya performers who circulated through the festival grounds to entertain visitors:

It didn't take us long to find the Jōban-mono stalls. These flyers in English, Chinese and Japanese gave it away!

Pacific saury pōpō-yaki dumplings

We stopped by the stall with a familiar name: Tregion, and their collaboration with Uenodaiyutakasyouten Co., Ltd. and Pacific saury from Onahama in Iwaki City. This is the famous pōpō-yaki which we sampled before at Tregion. Although they were patties on the menu there, what you'll find at the Japan Fisherman's Festival is their original form as balls, served at this stall on a skewer for convenience. Made with Pacific saury freshly minced within 24 hours from unloading the catch, ginger, miso paste and chopped green onions, they're truly delicious and easy to eat.

But their star menu item and the one they want to highlight is their Pacific saury pōpō-yaki dumplings!

These Chinese xiǎolóngbāo 小籠包 style dumplings take the delicious ingredients of the pōpō-yaki, add a bit of minced pork for additional flavor, blend in a jellied concentrate of their secret Chinese soup, and wrap it all in a satisfyingly chewy home-made dumpling wrapper. When all the ingredients are cooked in the steamer, the flavors of the Pacific saury join the pork to create a wonderfully fragrant broth which you'll enjoy with every succulent bite.

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Steamed sea urchin on a clam shell

After finishing the dumplings, we returned to the stalls where the sweet aroma of steamed sea urchin filled our nostrils. This stall belonged to Kanifune 食事処かに船 a seafood restaurant in Iwaki City.

If you are a fan of sea urchin in its raw form, as you may find in sushi restaurants, you're in for a pleasant surprise. Kanifune takes a heaping mound of fresh sea urchin meat, nestles it into a clam shell, and steams it in a giant steamer at the stall for your enjoyment.

Already delicious fresh, the steamed version enhances and concentrates the flavors, highlighting the sweetness and the umami.

You can enjoy it with a drizzle of soy sauce, or just as is. Scrumptious!

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Surf clam gratin

Satisfied with steamed sea urchins, we then headed over for some hokki-gai ほっき貝, or surf clams, courtesy of Ōkawa Uoten Co., Ltd.

Prized for their succulent red flesh, the big surf clams which thrive off the coast of Iwaki City are featured in a delightful gratin at this stall, served in its own half-shell. Baked with a rich Béchamel sauce, this gratin is a wonderful dish, the surf clam flavorful with a delightfully chewy texture.

And if you're still hankering for hokki-gai, we also recommend their delicious hokki-meshi　ほっき飯, a dish of rice cooked with surf clam broth and topped with a generous portion of surf clams.

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Japan Fisherman's Festival Information

• Name: 5th Japan Fisherman's Festival
• Dates: November 14th to 17th, 2019
• Place: Hibiya Park, Fountain Plaza
• Hours: Friday 11:00 to 21:00, Saturday 10:00 to 21:00, Sunday 10:00 to 18:00
• Admission: Free (payment required at stalls)
• Accepted payment forms: Purchase tickets or pay at stalls (cashless payment), Pocket Change machine converts foreign coins and currency into e-payment credit
• Official Website: Japan Fisherman's Festival
• Sponsor: Japan Fisherman's Festival Executive Committee
• Special collaborator: National Federation of Fisheries Co-operative Associations
• Note: Cancelled in event of rain or stormy weather

Supported by Fukushima Joban-mono Project