Travel Reports by Villagemayor view profile of Villagemayor

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Note: The opinions and views expressed in this user report are those of the individual author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions and views of japan-guide.com.

October 24, 2018 - Tohoku Series: Hachinohe (ˎs)

This travel report is a continuing series highlighting the various destinations of the Tohoku Region. In this report I traveled to a mid-sized city in Aomori Prefecture, Hachinohe.

Located about twenty minutes to the south of Aomori via the Shinkansen, Hachinohe is a small city that has a viable downtown area and numerous things to see. I visited this city to visit a significant shrine in the area and also for some outstanding food.

Sadly because Kabushima Shrine is under renovations, I decided to skip that visit and head straight to one of the biggest shrines in the city, Nanbuichinomiya Kushibiki Shrine (암V{ {).

The main shrine was built in the early-Edo era and is designated as a National Important Cultural Property. The shrine includes a museum that houses two armors with intricate detailed lacing. Both of these are designated as National Treasures.

The shrine itself has a number of buildings such as the Main Hall and other side buildings. There is also an area where Ema plaques are hung. Two particular special ones are for the local soccer and hockey team. You can write your wish for the team's success.

For lunch, I took the local bus then took the train to Mutsu-Minato Station on the JR Hachinohe Line. From here I walked a few minutes east through a very quiet commercial street. Other than a local seafood market, most of the stores were closed for the day. This is very much a place where tourists would not venture. But when there is food involved, I am there!

A few minutes east and I arrive at where the lineup is. This restaurant is said to be one of the top restaurants in Japan. Minato Shokudo specializes in flounder zukedon. Most of the customers actually orders this dish and I was curious as to why.

So below is the famous "flounder zukedon", which consist of rice at the bottom, and is topped with slices of raw flounder marinated in a sweet sauce.Beautifully presented, it is topped by an egg yolk with a bit of wasabi. The rule is to mix everything all at once before you eat because the sweet sauce and egg yolk must be mixed in with the rice. Once mixed, then you can eat the dish.

Accompanying this is the "senbei-jiru" which is a traditional thick soup made with meat, fish, vegetable, mushrooms, and topped with really hard senbei crackers. As the carckers soften slightly it gives you a variety of textures.

Overall this was an absolutely delightful meal and extremely filling. I have never had raw flounder and this was a great introduction to it. The soup was so delicious and an easily a comfort food. If you ever go to Hachinohe, stop by the various shrines, seafood market, and this particular restaurant.

A visit back to Hachinohe is one of my to-do list as there are other local landmarks to see such as the fish market located near the station.

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List of Posts:
2018/10/25 - Tohoku Series: Genbikei Gorge (k)
2018/10/24 - Tohoku Series: Hachinohe (ˎs)
2018/10/23 - Tohoku Series: Seikan Tunnel Museum (ʍc@l ”glLO)
2018/10/23 - Tohoku Series: Cape Tappi ()
2018/10/22 - Tohoku Series: Oirase Gorge (k) and Towadako (\ac)
2018/10/21 - Tohoku Series: Hoshino Resorts Aomoriya (샊][g X)
2018/10/21 - Tohoku Series: Mt. Hakkoda (bcR)
2018/10/20 - Tohoku Series: Aomori (Xs)
2018/10/20 - Tohoku Series: Seafood Capital, Aomori (Xs)
2018/10/19 - Tohoku Series: Juniko
2018/10/19 - Tohoku Series: Gono Line
2018/10/18 - Tohoku Series: Tazawako (c)
2018/10/18 - Tohoku Series: Kakunodate (p)
2018/10/17 - Tohoku Series: Akita (Hcs)
2018/10/16 - The Pokemon Cafe experience
2018/10/16 - Early Morning Meiji stroll
2017/11/11 - Tsukiji's (Truly) Last Breath
2017/10/31 - Yokohama - Western Port City
2017/10/30 - Tateishi Nakamise Shotengai - Stepping into a Time Warp
2017/10/29 - Oya History Museum - A Cavern in Time
2017/10/28 - Nikko - Land of Spirituality and Tourists Part Two
2017/10/28 - Nikko - Land of Spirituality and Tourists Part One
2017/10/27 - Aizu - Wakamatsu and Kitakata: Land of Ramen and Red Cows
2017/10/27 - Ouchijuku - Historic Town in Fukushima Prefecture
2017/10/25 - Noboribetsu - The Comforts of Hell!
2017/10/24 - Otaru - Land of History and Economic Power Part One
2017/10/24 - Otaru - Land of History and Economic Power Part Two
2017/10/23 - Sapporo - Fresh Seafood and Western History
2017/10/22 - Lake Toya - A Land of Destruction and Beauty Part Three
2017/10/21 - Lake Toya - A Land of Destruction and Beauty Part Two
2017/10/21 - Lake Toya - A Land of Destruction and Beauty Part One
2017/10/20 - Hakodate in 18 hours - Part Two
2017/10/20 - Hakodate in 18 hours - Part One
2017/10/20 - All aboard the Hokkaido Shinkansen in Gran Class style
2015/12/06 - Tsukiji's Last Breath
2015/12/02 - Kawagoe Day Trip
2015/11/29 - Pokemon Train on the JR Ofunato Line
2015/11/29 - Rikuzentakata, Iwate Prefecture
2015/11/28 - Yamadera
2015/11/23 - The Architecture of the Yoyogi National Gymnasium