Best Seasons to Eat Seafood in Eastern Hokkaido
Hokkaido is a paradise for seafood lovers, offering an abundance of fresh and delicious options from the sea. From rich salmon roe (ikura) to creamy sea urchins and briny oysters, there is something for everyone to enjoy.
In this article, we'll take a closer look at some of Hokkaido's most popular seafood options and share some tips on when to enjoy them and where to find the best ones.
Let’s dive in!
Hokkaido, the northernmost island of Japan, is renowned for its seafood. Surrounded by the Sea of Japan, the Pacific Ocean, and the Okhotsk Sea, Hokkaido has access to a variety of seafood.
One of the reasons why seafood in Hokkaido is so good is the cold water surrounding the island. Fish in cold water tend to be firm yet fatty to survive and reproduce under cold temperatures.
Another reason for the high quality of Hokkaido seafood is the nutritious seawater. A huge current flowing through the Pacific Ocean to Hokkaido brings abundant nutrients for marine life in the region.
Especially in Eastern Hokkaido, plankton thrives and grows beneath drift ice along the Okhotsk Sea coasts during winter, feeding rich marine life in the region.
There are various kinds of seafood that come into season at different times in Eastern Hokkaido. You will find something that’s at its peak, whenever you visit during the year. Check out when to best enjoy your favorite seafood, and where to get them!
Sea urchin, or "uni," is one of the beloved seafood options in Hokkaido. These spiky creatures are prized for their creamy, rich, and slightly sweet flavor, and are best eaten between January and June in Eastern Hokkaido.
They are often enjoyed raw, either as a topping for sushi or on their own with a little soy sauce and wasabi. You can also find them served in a variety of other dishes, such as uni pasta.
Where to get the Best Sea Urchin
If you’re looking for the freshest sea urchin in Hokkaido, Shiretoko is the place. Rusu and Utoro, the two port towns on the Shiretoko Peninsula, are famous for their high-quality uni. Sea urchins from this region taste deep in umami flavor and gently melt in your mouth.
Especially, the ones from Rausu are rich and sweet, as they grow up on Rausu Kelp, which is a delicacy of Hokkaido itself and packed with nutritious.
Recommended Restaurants
Here are some restaurants where you can enjoy the freshest Uni Don (sea urchin rice bowl) in Utoro, Shiretoko. The price is around 3,000 - 4,000 yen. It might sound a little pricy for lunch, but it’s totally worth it!
Utoro Gyokyo Fujinbu - Run by local fishermen’s wives. Open from May to October.
GVO - Run by a sea urchin fisherman himself. Open from September to March and some weekends in July and August.
Ezogashima - Run by a local seafood wholesale shop. Closed on Sundays during winter.
Scallops are another delicious seafood in Hokkaido. They are harvested during the summer months from June to October, which you should aim for to get your hands on local fresh scallops. The best way to eat them is sashimi or sushi, to enjoy the sweet taste and firm, bouncy texture. Locals also love grilling them for BBQ.
If you want to get some scallops for a souvenir, I highly recommend smoked scallops marinated in oil (帆立燻油漬). The beautiful golden pieces taste smoky and savory, and last 90 days, making a perfect gift for your family and friends.
Where to get the Best Scallops
Tokoro is one of the best places to have delicious scallops in Eastern Hokkaido. The town is the first scallop aquaculture site in Japan, producing thick, sweet scallops thanks to the Okhotsk Sea which is rich in plankton. Especially the ones caught in August are the best, according to a local fisherman.
Recommended Shops
Here are some places where you can get the freshest scallops around Tokoro.
Rest House Tokoro - a local restaurant famous for its scallop sashimi set
Tokoro Gyokyo - A seafood store run by a local fishery company
Shinya - A seafood store specializing in scallop products, including smoked scallops marinated in oil.
Hokkaido oysters are known for their sweet, briny flavor and are often enjoyed raw during its season, which is from November to March. You can also find them grilled or fried with bread crumbs (called “Kaki Furai” in Japanese), which goes perfectly with tartar sauce.
To those who are not familiar with eating oysters, they might look somewhat underwhelming - but give it a try at a fresh one in Hokkaido. It’s worth it. Hokkaido oysters don’t taste overly fishy, but you will enjoy a nice ocean flavor and a plump and springy texture.
Where to get the Best Oysters
Akkeshi and Saroma are the famous destinations for oysters in Eastern Hokkaido. Saroma offers the best oysters in the region, and is often said to be the best in Japan. While the size is relatively small, Saroma oyster is renowned for its sweet, rich, and creamy flavor.
There are a couple of local seafood shops that sell fresh oysters with shells. Some are okay to eat raw, some need to be cooked - make sure to check with the shop. My favorite way of enjoying oysters from a local market at home is steaming them with Japanese sake! The oysters get fluffy and juicy cooked this way.
Recommended Shops
Here are some places where you can get fresh oysters in Saroma.
Saito Shoten - A popular local seafood store with many seasonal options
Michi no Eki Saroma - A rest area with a souvenir shop and a small restaurant.
Oyster Festival - Held in Yubetsu on November 23rd every year
There are 4 major varieties of crabs in Eastern Hokkaido. They come in season in different areas and at different times throughout the year, which allows you to enjoy them whenever you come to Eastern Hokkaido!
Red king crab (taraba-gani) - Known for its large size and sweet, succulent meat. In season from September to November.
Snow crab (zuwai-gani) - This has a more fibrous texture than king crab, with a briny, savory and salty flavor. In season from April to June.
Horsehair crab (ke-gani) - Small but full of flavor - dense and delicately sweet. In season from March to June (the Okhotsk Sea area), September and October (the Pacific Ocean area).
Blue king crab (hanasaki-gani) - A rare kind that comes into the season only from July to September, rare, found in Nemuro. Sweeter and slightly milder in flavor than red king crab.
Some hotels offer crabs in their dinner buffet, attracting a number of travelers within Japan and from abroad, especially from Asian countries. Crabs are enjoyed in many ways in Hokkaido, such as raw, steamed, and shabu shabu, in which you swish raw crab legs in steaming hot water lightly seasoned with kelp to cook them to your liking, and enjoy!
Where to get the Best Crabs
Many crab lovers often choose horsehair crab (ke-gani) as their favorite. In Eastern Hokkaido, you will find the best horsehair crab in Mombetsu and Abashiri, the two port towns in the Okhotsk region, between late March to late April right after drift ice disappears from the Okhotsk Sea. Drift ice triggers plankton blooms beneath the snow-covered sea ice, providing rich nutrients for marine life, including the horsehair crab.
Recommended Restaurants
Here are some local restaurants where you can get delicious crabs in Mombetsu.
Mombetsu Fisherman’s Restaurant - Many seafood meal options, including crabs, for a reasonable price
Marukaichi - A seafood grill restaurant run by a local fishery company
Marutomi - A seafood restaurant offering a variety of seafood teishoku sets
Hokkaido is famous for its delicious salmon. They are caught off the coast when they are returning to a river where they were born, for laying eggs after spending 4 years at the sea. Whether you prefer it grilled, smoked, or raw, there are endless ways to enjoy salmon in Hokkaido.
Ikura (salmon roe or caviar) is one of the most popular delicacies in Japanese cuisine. Fresh, high-quality ikura tends to be expensive, but you can enjoy them for a reasonable price during its season in Hokkaido. Make sure to try ikura don (salmon roe rice bowl)!
Fresh salmon roe that is still in an ovarian membrane (“sujiko” in Japanese) is sold at local supermarkets in autumn. You can make ikura by yourself by separating each roe with running water and seasoning them in a mixture of soy sauce and mirin (sweet Japanese cooking sake) overnight. Then you’ll have a bowl of ikura only to yourself!
Where to get the Best Salmon & Ikura
Salmon fishing takes place in many places across Eastern Hokkaido, such as Shibetsu, Shiretoko, Abashiri, Mombetsu, and Kushiro every autumn.
Recommended Restaurants
Here are some restaurants where you can get delicious salmon and ikura!
Takeda - A local cuisine restaurant offering various seafood meals in Shibetsu
Utoro Gyokyo Fujinbu - Run by local fishermen’s wives in Utoro, Shiretoko. Open from May to October
Yoshida Sampachi Shoten - a seafood izakaya restaurant in Abashiri
THAT’S ALL!
Hope you enjoyed this article. I’d love to hear from you, whether it’s feedback or questions - Reach out to me on my Facebook page or Instagram. We also have Eastern Hokkaido Travel Group on Facebook where you can ask questions or share experiences about trips to Eastern Hokkaido. Join us!
NEED ADVICE ON YOUR TRIP PLAN?
I’M HERE TO HELP YOU!
I’ve been helping international travelers plan their dream trips to Hokkaido for the past 3 years. I’d be happy to plan your itinerary with you for Eastern Hokkaido as well as other regions.
Check out what you can ask me & why you should plan with a local expert like me.