Seafood

All of Fukui Prefecture

The port of Echizen is a treasure trove of amazing seafood!

Deep-water shrimp that turns cherry red, Echizen crab with their brilliant shells, Wakasa blowfish, rock oysters—the port of Fukui, looking out over the Sea of Japan, is home to a bounty of fresh seafood. Among this seafood, Echizen crab is particularly famous as a tribute historically offered to successive emperors since the Meiji era. Echizen crab is a type of snow crab, with those caught at the ports of Echizen and Mikuni specifically referred to as "Echizen crab." Rich in nutrients, crabs raised in the Sea of Japan have firm flesh and intense flavor.

Enjoy heaping servings of Echizen crab at a long-established inn.

If you enjoy Echizen crab and deep-water shrimp, head to the Shirahama-so inn, a local specialist. The owner (nicknamed Mukimuki Micchan) is renowned as the fastest crab sheller in all Japan! Although she extracts the crabmeat with expert speed, diners seem to finish a whole Echizen crab just as fast! To top off the meal, Micchan makes her own special Echizen crab rice bowl, sure to bring instant bliss. The Echizen crab season is around November to March. Make sure you get a taste while they’re in season.

Enjoy a variety of delicious deep-water shrimp dishes in a 100-year-old Japanese house!

The restaurant Uoshiro (full name: Ryori Chaya Uoshiro) is located in the historical district of Mikuni-cho in the city of Sakai, which formerly prospered as a red-light district. The restaurant itself is a renovated 100-year-old Japanese house listed as a National Tangible Cultural Property. Uoshiro is rightly famed for a variety of deep-water shrimp dishes showing off the skills of its chefs, including the creamy texture of deep-water shrimp sashimi, the owner’s own char-grilled deep-water shrimp, and tempura deep-fried shrimp on rice with egg. Enjoy exceptional seafood in a traditional Japanese atmosphere overlooking a Japanese garden. This elegant space is a perfect match for the sophisticated flavor of deep-water shrimp.

For reference

Shirahama-so Inn

Address

2-1 Nishi-futatsuya, Fukui-shi, Fukui-ken
Telephone

0776-86-1316
Website

http://www.shirahamaso.jp/
Access

Komatsu Airport is a 1-hour flight from Haneda Airport. Fukui Station is about 1 hour by shuttle bus from Komatsu Airport. The Shirahama-so inn is about 40 minutes via the Keifuku bus (bound for Ayukawa) from JR Fukui Station. Get off the bus at Hamanaka, and it’s right there.

Uoshiro

Address

3-7-23 Shinmei, Mikuni-cho, Sakai-shi, Fukui-ken
Telephone

0776-82-0141
Opening hours

11:30 A.M. to 2 P.M., 6 P.M. to 10 P.M.
Closed

No regular days of closure
Access

Komatsu Airport is a 1-hour flight from Haneda Airport. Fukui Station is about 1 hour by shuttle bus from Komatsu Airport. Mikuni Station is about 50 minutes from Fukui Station. Uoshiro is a 10-minute walk from Mikuni Station.