home to Tottori Prefecture’s premier port Chiyomusubi Shuzo has been preserving its traditional sake brewery for generations The company is renowned for its locally beloved sake as well as its extensive selection of shochu it has also been actively developing new products such as sparkling sake and whiskey This article delves into the behind-the-scenes efforts of this sake brewery as it strives to become a 200-year-old company Located at the northwestern tip of Tottori Prefecture Sakaiminato City is renowned for its world-class catches of snow crab and tuna making it home to the renowned port of Sakaiminato The city is also the birthplace of Shigeru Mizuki the creator of the iconic manga series “GeGeGe no Kitaro,” and visitors can explore the “Shigeru Mizuki Road” along the port and station area where bronze statues of characters from the series greet visitors began its sake production in 1865 (Keio 1) Originally established in an area surrounded by rice fields within the city the brewery moved to the port’s central area in response to the development of the Kitamae ships that traveled the Sea of Japan with the opening of the San’in Railway line connecting Sakai Port Station to Mikuriya Station in the northern part of Ooyama Town the brewery relocated to its current location in front of Sakai Port Station in 1912 under the leadership of Okura’s grandfather the brand names were “Yamato Tamashii” and “Okamasa,” but later Hayataro changed the name to “Chiyomusubi.” The name carries the meaning of “tying happiness for generations to come,” and it is still used today The flavor that Chiyomusubi has preserved over the years is rich and robust The rice is carefully steamed and then brewed using natural spring water from the foothills of the Chinese Mountains bringing out the natural sweetness of the rice while maintaining its vibrant aroma umami-filled flavor was already established by the time Okakura took over the ship “Tamayuki Maru” exploded while anchored in Sakaiminato The Chiyomusubi Sake Brewery building was almost completely destroyed Okakura’s father rebuilt the brewery he focused on steady business practices to keep the company afloat Instead of selling the raw sake they produced to other breweries They also refused to discount their products steadfastly preserving their own style of sake-making without being swayed by external influences This dedication helped establish the unique flavor of Chiyomusubi Sake Brewery Having grown up watching his father’s back Okakura decided to not only preserve the taste of Chiyomusubi in Tottori but also promote it outside the region but he refused to follow the trend and remained true to his own taste Chiyomusubi’s flavor is now highly regarded and has gained a loyal following The rice used for sake production is primarily “Gouriki,” a sake-appropriate rice variety from Tottori Prefecture along with “Yamada Nishiki” and “Gohyakumangoku,” which have traditionally been considered suitable for sake production is particularly favored by Chiyomusubi Sake Brewery for its acidity and robust flavor when brewed into sake so it requires longer soaking and more careful steaming than other varieties steaming methods are divided into “direct steam,” where steam is directly applied to the rice and “indirect steam,” where steam is applied through a kettle or steaming basket without direct contact with the rice Chiyomusubi Sake Brewery uses indirect steam with a boiler machine This method ensures that steam is evenly distributed throughout the rice thereby preserving the rice’s umami flavor and resulting in a robust-tasting sake While “Koukyu” is known for its bold umami flavor its difficulty to cultivate led to the cessation of production in the 1950s Tottori University and local breweries have collaborated to revive “Koukyu” as Tottori Prefecture’s pride and joy production continues in collaboration with farmers but the rice plants are tall and prone to falling over increasing production requires propagating from the original strain We plan to support the farmers by maintaining high rice purchase prices to ensure that production continues in the future Chiyomusubi Shuzo has been making sake with a passion for over 100 years While many sake breweries focus solely on sake there are two main reasons why Chiyomusubi Shuzo has decided to branch out Sake production mainly takes place from autumn to early spring leaving no work during the rest of the year making it difficult to maintain year-round employment all master brewers and brewery workers are full-time employees Even when they are not involved in sake production they can work on other types of alcohol production Okakura’s passion for mastering fermentation Okakura originally studied fermentation at Hiroshima University Inspired by his wife Kyoko’s family background in soy sauce production he has enthusiastically pursued the development of various products driven by his desire to explore all aspects of fermentation Okakura-san is actively working to expand sales channels not only domestically but also overseas initially working with a trading company specializing in import and export in the United States to establish connections with local wholesalers leading to inquiries from wholesalers in various cities and introductions to wholesalers in other countries through these connections Chiyomusubi Shuzo alone offers a wide range of alcoholic beverages which has earned high praise from local customers with the launch of regular container services from Sakaiminato the company established a wholly owned subsidiary the company only handled sake from Chiyomusubi Shuzo it has been introducing sake from various breweries across Japan The company continues its efforts to promote the culture and health benefits of sake but by educating customers on proper storage methods and food pairings with the remaining 60% split equally between domestic and local markets reflecting the company’s efforts to expand its distribution channels and gain a loyal customer base sparkling sake and whiskey have been gaining attention in recent years SORAH (Sora) is a sparkling sake made using the same bottle-fermented method as champagne and then undergoes a second fermentation in the bottle to produce gas at the “Kura Master” competition judged by sommeliers from France and other countries demonstrating its high international acclaim “We hope it will be enjoyed not only overseas but also in Japan We also aim to improve the quality to achieve the crisp acidity and carbonation reminiscent of champagne,” says brewer Tsuboi the brewery has started producing whiskey since 2021 They utilize the distillation equipment used for shochu production and introduced a copper distillation apparatus in 2023 They are also using sake yeast to achieve a mild flavor The sake is aged in barrels made from Japanese tree species such as Mizunara and cherry with plans to release it in spring 2025 or later Chiyomusubi Shuzo has already achieved remarkable success Okakura’s goal for the future is to make Chiyomusubi Shuzo a 200-year-old company he is determined to establish two pillars: the sake that has been brewed since the company’s founding and the whisky that will be nurtured over many years The next generation will be led by Satoshi and there are high hopes that they will take Chiyomusubi Shuzo to new heights robust flavor that has been steadfastly preserved and Okakura’s spirit of challenge passed down the day when Chiyomusubi Shuzo’s sake spreads even further is sure to come soon The Beautiful Humanity of Ghosts: Shigeru Mizuki’s Legacy  By The train that passes behind my apartment building twice an hour is always occupied by ghosts and monsters and travelers bound for the tiny local airport—an airport similarly full of ghosts and monsters The train is also frequently occupied by starry-eyed tourists who take it to the end of the Yumigahama peninsula and disembark at the small seaside city of Sakaiminato thrilled by the prospect of encountering—you guessed it—a hundred more ghosts and monsters Sakaiminato was the hometown of one of the most beloved mangaka in Japanese history whose stories first ushered the supernatural creatures of Japanese folklore into pop culture in the 1960s Sakaiminato’s main shopping street has been transformed into a gallery of yōkai character statues Given my deep-rooted adoration for all things yōkai it was not until I moved to Japan that I fully appreciated his cultural impact I booked tickets to a 100th-anniversary exhibition showcasing his work (Mizuki was born in 1922) An upper floor of a Ginza skyscraper was transformed into a yōkai menagerie filled with Mizuki’s original illustrations and items from his home reference library but often eerie illustrations of bath-tub licking spirits and bean-washing ghosts but also the precious range of materials that had inspired himto create Among these cultural treasures was ukiyo-e artist Toriyama Sekien’s Gazu Hyakki Yagyō is one of the earliest compilations of yōkai stories many others originated from accounts of people in prefectures all across Japan the lines between invention and legend have blurred Monsters survive best when they reflect the times he blended yōkai stories and his own inventiveness to create his flagship manga he gave an immortal home to stories and urban legends that had once existed primarily in the form of oral storytelling and pioneered the entire supernatural manga genre to boot Mizuki Shigeru may not be so famous in every country but the ripples of his writing have consistently defined not only manga and anime but speculative fiction as a whole since the Shōwa era Creators of some of the most internationally influential manga in the past few decades including Urasawa Naoki of Pluto and Monster Without Mizuki bringing yōkai into the zeitgeist who knows whether ghost stories would have become such a staple in modern speculative fiction Mizuki wasn’t content with redefining fiction alone An unwilling participant drafted into the Second World War and veteran amputee Mizuki was a staunch pacificist and vocally anti-nationalist later in life He won two Eisners for his autobiographical non-fiction works which refused to sugarcoat Japanese war crimes Mizuki sought to educate Japanese youngsters in an era when the Japanese government was attempting to glorify the past rather than acknowledge the most shameful portions of the nation’s history After he died in 2015, many writers published wonderful tributes to Mizuki (I heartily recommend this piece by Zack Davisson at The Comics Journal) I initially hesitated to write about Mizuki because a man with such a profound legacy is hard to encapsulate in a little essay in an anime column But I have a specific angle: I live a few train stations from Mizuki’s old ’hood and I am immersed in his legacy on a daily basis The pride that people in the San’in Region take in their hometown hero is as well-placed as it is infectious.  So why not join me for a little stroll down a treasured local haunt, Mizuki Shigeru Road The ghosts and monsters that adorn the JR West Kitaro trains along the Sakai Line are all characters from Mizuki’s most iconic manga the one-eyed yōkai boy who defends human beings out of a sense of obligation rather than kindness; his father who watches over his son and keeps the audience in the loop; Nezumi-Otoko the lewd and cowardly rat yōkai Mizuki claimed to relate most to; Neko-Musume the cat girl who rocks a bowl-cut that few could brave Their faces are painted on the walls and ceilings of the train and sewn into the upholstery so riders can take selfies with Kitaro peeking over their shoulders the cast of characters announces the stations and destination Along the way, every one of the sixteens stations has a yōkai nickname and mascot of sorts. At Goto station, for instance, those waiting for the train are loomed over by the image of dorotabō a yōkai representing the vengeful ghosts of farmers whose carefully tilled fields have gone to seed after their passing There aren’t any fields in this part of Yonago The most important station along the route is undoubtedly Yonago Airport The little airport is home to numerous Kitaro tributes including a ghostly whale suspended over the tiny food court and gorgeous stained glass windows featuring a collage of Mizuki’s artwork And all of this before the train even reaches Mizuki’s hometown Though Sakaiminato has never been a large city in the 1920s it must have felt smaller still Mizuki admits to being good at punching as well as drawing; not a bully Perhaps it isn’t surprising that his most famous creation Emerging from his mother’s corpse after a wasting disease destroyed her depending on the anime adaptation in question immediately loses one eye by cracking it against a gravestone The sole survivor of the Ghost Tribe of humanoid yōkai Kitaro is a spooky little kid by nature and just as scrappy as Mizuki himself He kicks his geta at his enemies to devastating effect and uses his yōkai-magic imbued chanchanko (kimono vest) to bind them a kid who is perfectly content with being an outcast a real-life forest near Kawaguchiko that is sometimes called “the suicide forest” due to its tragic history It seems likely that many of the little side streets of Sakaiminato in 1922 weren’t so different than they are now and it isn’t hard to imagine adolescent squabbles taking place by the bay Sakaiminato is far past its prime but remains a prominent fishing port After the Second World War and the destruction of Nagasaki and Hiroshima it was temporarily the primary fishing port for all of Western Japan you can hop on a ferry from Sakaiminato to China although I have heard the trip is deeply miserable you can climb aboard the Rainbow Jet ferry to visit the beautiful Oki islands of Shimane where cows and horses roam seaside cliffs weirdly reminiscent of the coasts of Cornwall But many visitors to Saikaiminato are seeking yōkai Visitors are encouraged to buy stamp-collecting books at the tourist information center or the little souvenir shops Businesses all along Kitaro Road take part in a yōkai stamp rally It isn’t easy to kneel down on the sidewalk and perfectly nail inky silhouettes of creatures like kasa-obake (umbrella ghost) and futakuchi-onna (the two-mouthed woman) but it sure is fun to try and catch ’em all Japan has a rich history of collecting seals and stamps that goes back way farther than Pokémon cards visitors pay just 300 yen for a goshuin stamp hand-drawn calligraphy and a seal unique to each sacred place another example of how seamlessly Mizuki’s world blends the modern and traditional in addition to yōkai-covered storefronts and a little park where visitors can bathe in a sake bowl alongside Medama Oyaji Kitaro Road features 100 different bronze statues depicting Mizuki’s creatures For every one of them that may be familiar to newcomers—tanuki and tengu and kappa for instance—there’s another yōkai for fans in the know a boy who climbs in and out of televisions (Could he have inspired Ringu?) but was not declared a yōkai officially until Mizuki added her to one of his collections Such was Mizuki’s power: he could elevate an idea to lore at his leisure.  the bronze statues are illuminated by yellow streetlamps with bulbs modeled after Medama Oyaji massive eyeballs keeping watch over the street Yōkai silhouettes are projected onto the sidewalks Mizuki Road felt especially magical when I stayed long after sunset during Minato Matsuri Visitors donned yukata and children strapped Kitaro and Neko-Musume masks to their heads (and Pikachu too While fireworks lit up the darkness in the cicada-ridden heat it did not feel impossible that a yōkai might be among the crowd Summer festivals really do feel otherworldly and I don’t care if that’s the dehydration talking “Just looking at him makes me want to cry,” my friend told me just last week when we paused to admire a particularly endearing statue along Mizuki Road unaware that on a pillar above him his father “Because he just loves his son so much,” she says one of the last remaining members of the living yōkai Ghost Tribe shriveling to a husk alongside his pregnant wife But he could not bear the thought of his son growing up all alone Rather than vanishing entirely when death claimed his body Medam Oyaji’s soul and mind transferred to his eyeball he ensured that he could always take care of his son when you take away Mizuki’s deceptively playful art It would be easy to dismiss Gegege no Kitarō as simple children’s entertainment Mizuki was a creator who experienced war all too intimately along with all the cruelty and kindness it brings out in people After American forces bombed his field hospital in Papua New Guinea Mizuki lost his arm but found friendship with members of a local tribe of Tolai people Perhaps it was his brother’s shameful actions as well as the collective horrors of the Second World War and his own country’s missteps that solidified Mizuki’s pacifism He understood that people are flawed across the board but some truths and connections are vital no matter what form they take maybe that looks like a dead dad transforming into a spectral eyeball to keep his boy safe it meant advocating for fellow amputees and writing accurate objective portrayals of world history—controversy be damned If there were no depth of humanity to Kitaro, would people speak so highly of the series half a century after its first iteration? Would I still be taking pictures of my elementary school students dressed as Neko-Musume each Halloween? Would Sanrio be hawking collaborations with these characters in the 21st century? (Well, scratch that last one; Sanrio collabs with everything.) Mizuki always kept his work grounded in the lives of everyday people his first influence in childhood was his elderly nanny who told him yōkai stories he was way too young for—stories that helped spark his wonderful She understood what Shigeru and his countless fans do too: “spooky” and “fun” are good bedfellows and the darkest stories of death and spirits help us appreciate life and daylight all the more gives the impression of having been one hell of a decent human being precisely because he did not deny his human flaws too—they are strange and sometimes cruel and sometimes friendly and sometimes inappropriate and sometimes greedy and sometimes annoying the most important human character in GeGeGe no Kitarō is Kitaro’s adoptive father Sometimes he is depicted as monstrous himself a resentful blood bank employee who only raises Kitaro because he is afraid of the boy Kitaro’s adoptive father holds little to no affection for the spooky kid that has become his burden the lens has softened on this frightened blood bank employee In the 2023 film Birth of Kitarō: The Mystery of GeGeGe he is more sympathetic and even fond of Kitaro and his parents But perhaps because he so encouraged empathy during his long life the people of Japan have warmed toward monsters across the board… And what did Mizuki name this supremely conflicted human character One of my favorite statues along Kitaro Road does not feature yōkai The two are depicted as an older couple walking side by side Their statue stands on a silver orb that reflects the river and city and people around it Nunoe and Shigeru came together thanks to an arranged marriage was adapted into a television drama in 2010 and its popularity brought even more fans to Sakaiminato Other favorite locations along the road are the yōkai shrine and a sake distillery that features Medama Oyaji on its bottles and signage A 2023 article from The Asahi Shinbun commemorated 30 successful years since the establishment of Kitaro Road Transforming the heart of town into a ghost haven was a desperate attempt to revive the long-dead shopping street While some townsfolk protested the idea of ghosts occupying their town the city official responsible for the proposal because it was unlikely the struggling city could afford to license Kitaro I have spotted photographs of Mizuki visiting those very shops beaming alongside the Oba-sans and Oji-sans that ran them Autographed Mizuki sketches hang over some of their cash registers Pictures of him attending a parade in town are visible to window shoppers and the people of Japan as well—and this country is so much the better for it I’ll probably be visiting the desert with a look at both Trigun (1998) and Trigun Stampede (2023) A piece on Metaphor: ReFantazio is also in the works… as soon as I can get deeper into the game I read the Showa series and forgot to delve into his other works Thanks for the reminder and I’ve just ordered NonNonBa it’s on my want to visit list next time I go to Japan and I had no idea until I moved to the area I do recommend visiting Sakaiminato and Yonago and Matsue; Chugoku is full of hidden gems and rarely visited by tourists from abroad Matsue was also the town Lafcadio Hearn called home and it’s full of ghost stories and legends And the Adachi Art Museum and Gardens are stunning (I should work for the Tottori tourism board The Reactor newsletter is the best way to catch up on the world of science fiction “There is an art to smiling in a way that others will believe It is always important to include the eyes; otherwise For compliance with applicable privacy laws: Today's print edition Home Delivery The skies over Shimane are always dramatic It’s befitting an area that’s known as “Land of the Gods,” the setting of many Shinto myths and home to the Izumo Taisha Grand Shrine where all kami are believed to congregate once a year in October On this particular day in December, I’m in front of Matsue Castle, when a starling murmuration swirls over my head and thunder sounds once. I’m in the middle of listening to a ghost story about a girl buried in the castle walls (a semi-legendary practice of human sacrifice known as hitobashira) from 19th-century writer and Japan transplant Lafcadio Hearn a second interruption comes not from the sky but in the form of two cats running and meowing straight at Naoko Fuji my guide and storyteller.googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1499653692894-0'); }); to a nearby Inari Shrine populated by fox statues As she tells us another story about a mother coming back from the grave to feed her child that’s been buried alive In a time of both misinformation and too much information quality journalism is more crucial than ever.By subscribing Your subscription plan doesn't allow commenting. To learn more see our FAQ Sponsored contents planned and edited by JT Media Enterprise Division Tottori — A cargo and passenger ferry ship connecting Sakaiminato has resumed regular service after a five-year hiatus please disable the ad blocking feature and reload the page This website uses cookies to collect information about your visit for purposes such as showing you personalized ads and content By clicking “Accept all,” you will allow the use of these cookies Users accessing this site from EEA countries and UK are unable to view this site without your consent crossing the Sea of Japan in 15 hours one way Donghae is a coastal city in Gangwon Province The Eastern Dream went into service in 2009 eventually carrying a total of about 270,000 passengers But its South Korean operating company discontinued the service from 2019 Another South Korean company took over the business and began procedures to resume the ferry service the Eastern Dream arrived at Sakaiminato Port on Aug Passengers can bring much larger luggage with them on a ferry than would be possible on a plane One of the South Korean passengers arrived in the port carrying a mountain bike for a planned ride around Mt attended by officials from Gangwon Province as well as the Tottori prefectural and Sakaiminato municipal governments Participants voiced their hopes for promoting people-to-people exchanges between the two regions in the future The ship enters Sakaiminato Port every Saturday and departs for South Korea every Sunday Our weekly ePaper presents the most noteworthy recent topics in an exciting © 2025 The Japan News - by The Yomiuri Shimbun Your browser does not support JavaScript, or it is disabled．Please check the site policy for more information National Report Tottori Prefecture—A road lined with 177 bronze statues of Shigeru Mizuki’s manga characters has drawn millions of visitors since it was set up to revitalize this city 30 years ago The Mizuki Shigeru Road features ghost figures from works by the manga artist (1922-2015) who grew up in this city and whose tales feature “yokai” (monsters) and the supernatural “This place here is themed on the coexistence of humans and ghosts who inhabit nature,” former city official Tomonori Kurome “The 30th anniversary is a good opportunity for going back to that starting point and propagating that way of thinking.” Kurome recalled how the idea for the tourist attraction developed 32 years ago Kurome was a section chief in the Sakaiminato city government’s urban planning division One day he was summoned to the mayor’s room The mayor told him to come up with a plan for revitalizing a shopping street which extends eastward from JR Sakaiminato Station was once thronged with workers and students who commuted by train It was also popular with workers at a nearby fish market fewer and fewer people were taking the train And the fish market was relocated elsewhere around 1980 People referred to it derogatorily as “dogs-and-cats street,” where the only pedestrians were animals Kurome wanted the shopping street to become a fun place for a stroll He considered installing statues along the sidewalk who proposed erecting statues with a seaside theme such as a mermaid and a captain with a pipe in his mouth Then he noticed one of the drawings the consultant had brought along “This is it,” Kurome recalls telling himself “There is no choice but to take a chance on this one.” Kurome contacted Mizuki and asked him what he thought about installing bronze statues of Kitaro and Medama Oyaji (eyeball man) both from the manga series “GeGeGe no Kitaro.” The shopping street itself would become known as Mizuki Shigeru Road “You can use my characters any way you like.” Kurome worked with Mizuki to select 83 creatures that would be cast in bronze But the mayor soon faced a flood of complaints “Ghosts are not for being installed on the street,” one person insisted “The shopping street with a growing number of empty shopfronts would turn into a genuine ghost street if such objects are placed there,” said another Kurome was summoned to the mayor’s room again “There have been so many phone calls against the plan,” the mayor said Mizuki is so deeply attached to his hometown He thought that the city might have to pay hundreds of millions of yen in copyright fees if it cast the manga characters as statues He was braced for the worst when the matter was raised with Mizuki The artist’s answer was unexpected and welcome “I am not taking copyright fees from the city of Sakaiminato,” Mizuki said The Mizuki Shigeru Road was unveiled in July 1993 Then the Mizuki Shigeru Museum at its eastern end opened in 2003 In 2007 the street drew more than 1 million visitors when a Mizuki drama was aired on television “Gegege no Nyobo” (Gegege’s wife) portrayed how hard Mizuki’s wife worked to maintain the life that she and her husband shared he left the city government in 1998 and set up a community development firm Banner marks 100 years after birth of manga artist Mizuki Lisa’s Wanderings Around Japan/ Mizuki Shigeru Road: Take a glimpse into the spooky mind of a famed manga artist VOX POPULI: Cheap Philippine bananas come at the expense of their producers Doraemon gets bronze statue to mark 50th anniversary Information on the latest cherry blossom conditions Please right click to use your browser’s translation function.) A series based on diplomatic documents declassified by Japan’s Foreign Ministry Here is a collection of first-hand accounts by “hibakusha” atomic bomb survivors chefs and others involved in the field of food introduce their special recipes intertwined with their paths in life A series about Japanese-Americans and their memories of World War II In-house News and Messages No reproduction or republication without written permission Matsuba crab is one of the treats on offer in the sea port area of Sakaiminato It's a meaty crab with a soft shell that is a pleasure to eat and when you see the prices of crab meals you may find yourself booking a flight to visit Some also love the area as it is a shrine to the home of popular Japanese manga writer Shigeru Mizuki where streets and sweets are devoted to his quirky characters And sometimes you may meet one in real life Covering Japan like a whirlwind the Shinkansen train leaves from Okayama and heads towards Yonago in and out of tunnels and two hours later the nasal sound of the driver (they speak through their nose to preserve their voice) sounds He is apologising for arriving two minutes late for a two hour train ride I think back to our own train system in Sydney and think that only in Japan would this happen From there Mico San and I drop our bags at the hotel and then catch a train from Yonago to Sakaiminato station I've become really quite addicted to a drink called Amazake a non alcoholic drink made from sake It doesn't look particularly exciting but once you try this fermented drink you may become addicted to its natural I sip some at the train station and also try an eki ben Eki (train) ben (bento) is a popular choice for commuters and at Yonago station they feature one of the local specialities: Sabazushi Saba is Spanish mackerel and here it is served on vinegared sushi rice and konbu kelp The sushi has a sweetness from the vinegar and is absolutely worth a try the slightly oily mackerel such a good counterpoint for the vinegar Sakaiminato is about an hour away but the area that we are headed to is called Sakai port The train that we board departs from Platform No 0 and all trains going to Sakaiminato are decorated with one of Sakaiminato's most beloved manga artists creations GeGeGe no Kitaro by Shigeru Mizuki The trains are decorated on the inside and outside with the story's characters (more on them later) and many make the pilgrimage to Sakaiminato to see the museum and his house From the train station it is a short taxi ride to the area known for its seafood We pass squid boats and other maritime sights Here you're best to bring a love of seafood because there is plenty of it usually very busy but as we are arriving a bit later There is a choice of low tables or regular tables I bask in the sun through the window and open up the menu a glorious specimen with long legs with dense and plentiful meat inside There are plenty of choices and the main ones have pictures-if you're not a fan of seafood the flipside of the menu features regular non seafood Japanese dishes We decide to share a Y2700 seafood platter which they suggest is a good idea given the size And at around $30AUD it is an incredible amount of food Eating Matsuba crab is pure pleasure for not only is the meat wonderfully textured and sweet (and made all the more sweeter with a sweet vinegar dipping sauce) but the shell is also very soft and pliable and breaking it allows the meat to come out in long The raw prawns have a wonderfully creamy texture to them and a sweetness especially amaebi which is so named "sweet shrimp" Many Japanese like using specific soy sauce for sushi as opposed to cooking. Here it is thicker as it is cooked to thicken it which concentrates the flavour. The tempura prawns are especially fantastic and there is a generous serve of uni or sea urchin, white squid sashimi, chawanmushi, a fish soup and stew One of my favourite things apart from the crab and raw prawns is the crab miso soup with just the right amount of miso added so that the crab flavour shines through I'm not particularly taken with the very chewy turban shell or the fried rice-although adding some uni to the rice gives it a much needed saltiness We head back to Sakaiminato town where our next stop is a sweet stop on Mizuki Shigeru road The story of GeGeGe no Kitaro is the story of a boy who with his fellow yokai or spirit monster friends fights demons to unite the human and spirit world Hanging on the side of him is his father Medama-oyaji or "eyeball daddy" which is just a big eyeball for a head with a body And these wagashi sweet made by a quality wagashi maker sell like hot cakes or hot eyeballs They're filled with red bean and coated with a rice flour coating They even suggest poses in which to pull with the eyeball (sticks are extra) Next door is the museum where there are plenty of visitors posing for selfies with their eyeball wagashi Behind us is the mute figure of Neko Musime I feel like I'm in the presence of manga royalty Walking down streets they're well themed in celebration of the manga comic On the walk back to the station we pass by so many shops selling the manga merchandise There is one shop close to the station selling sembei along with toasted sembi that tastes exactly like sembei or rice crackers crossed with mochi for texture Many hotels have shuttle buses to and from the Adachi Museum of Art It's a little out of the way so it's a good idea to try and make use of these if you want to visit The museum named after the founder Adachi Zenko is regarded as having one of the top gardens in Japan to visit Called a Dry Landscape Garden spanning 165,000 square metres some of it can be viewed from behind glass Despite the fact that you can't walk through it it is very soothing the harmony in which it was designed apparent as soon as you see it There is white gravel and pine garden and off in the distance you can see the Kikaku waterfall We stop for a matcha latte and some anmitsu in one of the tea rooms Midori coffee shop has wonderful views and we sip our teas and snack on anmitsu which is a dessert snack made with shiratama (white chewy mochi balls) matcha ice cream and warabi mochi dusted with kinako or sweet toasted soybean flour There is a little jug of kuromitsu syrup to pour on top The artists featured include many notable Japanese artists like Yokoyama Taiken Alas no photography is allowed of any of the works so we enjoy the garden view I've only got a short time before we head out to dinner Mico san has managed to get us a spot at a renowned Kappou restaurant in the main area of Yonago called Kisara A Kappou restaurant is usually one in which the customer eats fine dining food but is seated at a counter opposite a chef When you book at a Kappou restaurant you need to specify the number of courses that you want The food is prepared right in front of you and it is easy to talk to a chef this way This also means that if you dine alone you won't feel completely alone Kappo itself simply means cooking and the food prepared is often traditional Jazz plays and there is French wine available by the glass The chefs wear ties here-they're a world away from the chefs that we often see with tattoos They bow deeply and service from all of the staff is wonderful Chef Takahiro Takabe is busy preparing the food They begin the service with a flourish as they turn the plate around so that the front faces us From left to right there is Hotaruika raw squid with Brussels sprout Sakura ebi or spring prawn with egg omelette (tamagoyaki) jinenjo sticky rice potato with Tasmanian mustard in soy sauce and asari seafood with egg The next item looks like salmon but it is Karasumi or pollock roe that has been shaved and topped with ikura fish eggs The karasumi has been dipped in Dasai sake The last bite in the lidded cup is farmed salmon from Sakaiminato served with ponzu and daikon We go from left to right tasting and sipping water Every little morsel is delightful and we enjoy the variety of flavours and textures every bite affords us We lift the lid and see that there is a Hamaguri clam negi or the white end of a green onion and a single sansho leaf I've become really taken with sansho with its fantastic burst of complex flavours that dance on the tongue they use the term otskuri instead of sashimi which denotes one level up for sashimi The items on this otskuri plate come with a lit candle and a branch of cherry blossom tree They're beautifully clean and I savour each bite slowly Now I'm a total seafood lover but here this beef wins me over They ask me how I'd like the beef done and I always say however the chef recommends The cut they use is called Ichibo is comes from the lower back above the rump It has been dry aged for 1 month and there are three finishes on top So good that I just want this course to repeat itself a dozen times until I'm left on the floor shrieking "no more!" Then I pop the second piece in my mouth topped with mosa prawn and it is even better The last piece with maguro tuna intestines is the best thing I've eaten today and while intestines may not sound palatable just a pronounced savouryness and depth of flavour We are back to seafood in the next course with Sumiso or miso with vinegar hotaruika or tiny full sized adult shrimp and spring seaweed with ponzu The shrimp melts in the mouth as it is lightly torched on the grill To reset the palate here they use dried persimmon or kaki Next there is a choice of topping for the anago or saltwater eel Anago is less fatty than unagi eel that is usually served with a sweet sauce ume plum and sansho or Japanese prickly ash pepper Yes it's a thing and it is absolutely delicious Intense in flavour and definitely pink in colour Mico san and I loved it so much we bought some The next palate cleanser is another square of dried persimmon this time grilled with butter Well what can I say but I love the taste of butter There are two more savoury courses and the next is a Hatahata fish that has been slightly dried and then grilled It is served with two pieces of anago eel fillet with sansho I flip the fish over and remove the backbone which is easy to do The fish has a slightly oily and still moist texture even though it has been slightly dried The last course is a choice of rice or soba and I go for the soba It is served in a dashi (fish broth) made with ago or a jumping fish that is said to make a sublime dashi It is served with a Jinenjo sticky potato cake made with Matsuba crab and some Ita wakame The dessert is a typical Japanese dessert made with traditional ingredients as well as fresh fruit Absolutely perfect looking (I often wonder what happens to the not so perfect looking fruit) and unbelievably sweet it is also strawberry season so they are widely available at reasonable prices It's small but perfectly portioned and with a light sweetness to end the meal have you ever been to a Kappou restaurant before And have you ever heard of that GeGeGe No Kitaro NQN travelled to Japan as a guest of the JNTO (Japan National Tourism Organisation) but all opinions remain her own One of Japan's prominent fishing ports and a frequent stop for foreign luxury cruise liners the city of Sakaiminato on the Sea of Japan coast bolsters the local economy in a remote western region of the country Also thriving as a trading base after Japan opened up the country in the mid-19th century thanks to its relative proximity to the Korean Peninsula the Tottori Prefecture city with a population of 33,000 is dubbed a "fishing town" for being a good natural port endowed by rich fishing banks in adjacent waters This has historically provided the solid foundation for the prosperity of the offshore fishing operation based in Sakaiminato where efforts are now being made to keep aloft its coastal fishing -- the other main style of commercial fishing that has helped feed the city shows the Nakano Port Fishing Village Market in full swing in Sakaiminato Fisheries industry data for 2022 placed Sakaiminato in fourth in terms of the volume of fish landings behind Choshi in Chiba Prefecture Kushiro in Hokkaido and Yaizu in Shizuoka Prefecture Sakaiminato topped the list of ports on the Sea of Japan coast The vast majority of the volume at Sakaiminato came from offshore fishing particularly with a method using purse seines the large walls of netting designed to target dense schools of single-species fish horse mackerels and sardines are among the mainstays at the port in addition to seasonal specialties like bluefin tunas in the summer and snow crabs and red snow crabs in the winter which is carried out within 200 nautical miles from Japan's coast coastal fishing is operated in areas near the coastline by using small boats and trawlers owned mostly by individual operators Industry documents show coastal fishing once accounted for as much as 80 percent for all types used in Japan's fisheries industry which also include distant-water or deep-sea fishing and aquafarming But it has long been on the wane due to the general decline in Japan's fisheries and because it is prone to being affected directly by marine pollution Students from Sakaiminato Comprehensive Technical High School sell crab soup on Sept at the Nakano Port Fishing Village Market in Sakaiminato in part of efforts to buck the negative trend a decade-old seafood market is attracting customers from far and wide with its discount deals by providing them with fresh seafood for their kitchen tables as it slowly breathes life back into the local port's coastal fishing The city's Nakano market opens a few times a year and is run by fishermen and local volunteers eager to revitalize the port's coastal fishing operations which in recent years have been hard-hit by a decline in seafood consumption more than 100 people showed up to buy a wide assortment of seafood golden threadfin bream and John Dory at discount prices Customers could be seen leaving the port in high spirits as they carried bags full of the day's choice catches "Now is the best season for this fish," said Tadashi Sasaki while pointing at sea bream laid out on a bed of ice Sasaki owns a small trawler and heads the group of the market's organizers who bring fresh catches to the port early the same day to sell at prices as low as 30 to 50 percent of the normal price which attracts visitors from within and outside the prefecture alike whenever it opens began in 2013 when local restauranteur Masakazu Hamano approached local fishermen and other community members after he became concerned about the port's declining trawler numbers Having witnessed the number of fishing boats at the port whittle away over the years Hamano felt he "had to do something" for those who have been facing an increasingly tough business climate amid rising fuel and living costs alongside stagnant fish prices Seafood catches themselves have declined in coastal fishing According to the central government's Fisheries Agency there were roughly 70,000 coastal fishermen in Japan in 2021 down more than 40 percent from over 120,000 in 2010 A recent study by the Tottori prefectural government found that the number in Sakaiminato fell to 51 in 2022 from around 90 a decade earlier but these days it is open for business around four times per year Due to the importance of offering the freshest catches of the day the market's opening can sometimes be delayed or suddenly called off if the sea gets choppy shows crowds of visitors gathering at the Nakano Port Fishing Village Market in Sakaiminato But people often queue for hours before the selling starts on open days Most people find out about them via social media the city office's newsletter or other means with the next event scheduled for May 2024 mongers and seafood processors in the organizing committee are local high schoolers who hold demonstrations of "ikejime," a traditional Japanese slaughter technique that maintains the fresh flavor of fish meat The method involves killing fish instantaneously by inserting a spike into their hindbrain and thoroughly draining them of blood preventing muscle twitches that build up lactic acid and ammonia which can make them taste sour and less flavorful The committee said that some of the students who are also in charge of selling crab soup at the market are employed by local fishery companies after they graduate Sasaki was ready to begin preparing for the next one "I could see that many consumers were there to support us We want people in Tottori to leave what they serve in their kitchens up to us," he said with a smile after a long day's work "We will continue taking on the challenge of turning the port back into the bustling place it once was," Hamano added FEATURE: Locals use big-city thinking to bring "onsen" town back from brink FEATURE: French artisan's bright idea keeps passion for Suifu lanterns burning FEATURE: Internships creating brighter future for Japanese silk farming To have the latest news and stories delivered to your inbox Simply enter your email address below and an email will be sent through which to complete your subscription Please check your inbox for a confirmation email Thank you for reaching out to us.We will get back to you as soon as possible 2023Chubu Electric Power Co.,Inc.New Circle Energy Co. Sakaiminato Showa-machi Biomass Power Generation LLC (“Project Company”) (joint venture of Marunouchi Infrastructure Investment Limited Partnership and New Energy Development Co. (“NX Sakaiminato Kairiku”) and SANKO Inc The Project Company will construct and operate a 28,110kW wood-burning biomass power plant in Sakaiminato City targeting operation commencement in May 2026.The six companies and the Project Company will proceed with the plan with the understanding and cooperation of the local residents and various parties concerned Approximately 300 million kWh(equivalent to approximately 64,000 ordinary households) general wood and construction waste from Tottori Prefecture Shimane Prefecture and other areas of the Chugoku region) Operations executing person: Naosuke Kubozuka operation and maintenance management of biomass power generation facilities community support infrastructure-related projects Business related to power generation and supply of electricity and steam Sales and manufacturing of products in the fields of information electronics maintenance and operation of power generation facilities; construction and maintenance of gas supply facilities and heat supply facilities; construction maintenance and inspection of petroleum and chemical plant facilities Representative Director and President: Yumichi Tsunoda general motor truck transportation business first class consigned freight forwarding business (automobile) Representative Director and President: Masaki Miwa incineration and shredding of industrial waste environmental remediation work of corporate facilities Press Releases and Other Company News Go to the Top of the Page Energy Business Development Global Business Investor Relations ESG Procurement About Chubu Electric Power spun off the power transmission and distribution business to Chubu Electric Power Grid Co. and retail electricity business to Chubu Electric Power Miraiz Co. Geburtstag des Manga-Meisters{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https://sumikai.com/","name":"Start"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://sumikai.com/mangaanime/","name":"Anime & Manga"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"","name":"Shigeru-Mizuki-Parade in Tottori zum 103 Zeichner Shigeru Mizuki gilt in Japan hinaus als eine Legende der Manga-Geschichte In seiner Heimat wird das Andenken an den 2015 verstorbenen Mizuki weiter gewahrt Geburtstag feierte die Präfektur Tottori mit einer Parade März in Shigeru Mizukis Geburtsstadt Sakaiminato statt Dort gibt es dem Mangaka zu Ehren unter anderem eine Straße auf der Bronzestatuen von Figuren aus den Geschichten des Zeichners zu sehen sind Beim Festumzug am Sonntag wurden ebenfalls zahlreiche von Mizukis Charakteren zum Leben erweckt Viele Figuren aus Mizukis Hauptwerk „Ge Ge Ge no Kitaro“ zogen unter den Augen zahlreicher Schaulustiger die Shigeru Mizuki Road entlang Die in Japan beliebte Kinderschauspielerin durfte als Ehrengast an der Spitze der Parade marschieren Sie hatte sich für das Event als Katzendämon „Neko Musume“ verkleidet Der Umzug aus Geistern und Dämonen endete am Mizuki Shigeru Gedächtnismuseum in dem Werke des Künstlers ausgestellt sind Fotos mit den Figuren aus der Parade zu schießen die Geister und Dämonen des japanischen Volksglaubens spielen eine zentrale Rolle in Shigeru Mizukis Geschichten In jungen Jahren lernte er von Nachbarn und durch ethnologische Bücher mehr über Japans vielfältige Yokai-Kultur Geprägt wurde Mizukis Werk aber auch durch seine Erfahrungen als Soldat im Zweiten Weltkrieg Dort wurde der junge Mizuki in heftige Gefechte verwickelt und verlor seinen linken Arm Im Nachkriegsjapan kam er mit dem Zeichnen kaum über die Runden, bis ihm mit „Ge Ge Ge no Kitaro“ schließlich der Durchbruch gelang. Bis heute genießt die Geschichte große Beliebtheit und wird in immer neuen Formaten rezipiert Doch auch seine Lebenserfahrungen verarbeitete Shigeru Mizuki in Manga-Form In mehreren Bänden lässt sich in „Kindheit und Jugend“ „Kriegsjahre“ und „Mangaka“ das turbulente Leben des Künstlers nachverfolgen Die autobiografischen Werke enthalten dabei auch Gastauftritte von Charakteren aus „Kitaro“ Eines von Shigeru Mizukis ungewöhnlichsten Werken ist „Gekiga Hitler“ eine als Manga gezeichnete Biografie Adolf Hitlers Für seine Arbeiten erhielt Shigeru Mizuki später zwei bedeutende Verdienstorden der japanischen Regierung © 2014 - 2025 Shihan Media | Datenschutz-Einstellungen Sie sehen gerade einen Platzhalterinhalt von Facebook Um auf den eigentlichen Inhalt zuzugreifen dass dabei Daten an Drittanbieter weitergegeben werden Sie sehen gerade einen Platzhalterinhalt von Instagram Sie sehen gerade einen Platzhalterinhalt von X a young Japanese soldier was recuperating from malaria in a field hospital in New Guinea when the infirmary was hit in an Allied bombing raid He sustained injuries that led to him losing his left arm This was one of many near encounters with death during World War II yet he lived on for more than 70 more years before passing away on November 30 Mizuki Shigeru (born Mura Shigeru) sat atop Japan’s manga world as one of its foremost creators He is known principally for the cast of yōkai that populate his hit comic series Gegege no Kitarō which has been adapted to anime several times as in the semi-autobiographical work Sōin gyokusai seyo (translated as Onward Towards Our Noble Deaths) a remembrance ceremony was held in Mizuki’s hometown of Sakaiminato It took place on what would have been his ninety-fourth birthday as well as the horror novelist Kyōgoku Natsuhiko whose interest in yōkai was inspired by the manga writer Videos and performances reflected on and paid tribute to Mizuki’s life and works Mizuki learned about yōkai from an elderly woman named Kageyama Fusa She helped around his family’s house and looked after the children Mizuki said that it was grinding poverty—her lack of any food or money to share with her young charges—that inspired her to give them her knowledge of the spirit world instead Kageyama died when Mizuki was still in elementary school but was ultimately one of his most memorable and valuable childhood teachers His fictionalized reminiscences of her early influence appeared in the 1977 work Nonnonbā to ore (translated as NonNonBa) Her yōkai teachings brought most success to Mizuki A bronze statue of Kitarō in Sakaiminato Mizuki struggled to earn a living after returning to Japan at the end of World War II manga offered him little more than a way of getting by when he produced a new work called Hakaba Kitarō (Graveyard Kitarō) This introduced the yōkai boy in the title Medama-oyaji (called Daddy Eyeball in the 2002 Kodansha International Bilingual Comics edition) a yōkai who originally appears as a mummy but dies early on and returns to life as an eyeball; and another major character Mura Nunoe holds a photograph of her husband at the renewal ceremony for Yonago Kitarō Airport on March 8 The comic became a major hit after it was rebooted as Gegege no Kitarō in 1967 The name was changed to make it more child-friendly and the horror was toned down somewhat Kitarō was depicted with one of his most recognizable features: long hair covering his empty left eye-socket When a televised anime adaptation launched in 1968 In 2010, the popular NHK morning drama Gegege no nyōbō (Gegege’s Wife) focused attention on Mizuki’s wife Nunoe held a memorial photograph of her husband and shared her recollections of how he would often look from behind energetic and dripping with sweat as he focused on creating a new work Mura Nunoe and other family members were also present at a renewal ceremony earlier the same day at the nearby airport Known unofficially as Yonago Kitarō Airport since 2010 the facility added to models and illustrations themed around the Kitarō series with a new “Yōkaitachi no mori” (Yōkai Forest) stained glass window an artwork of a whale airship carrying Kitarō and other characters The new stained glass window and illustrated ceiling at Yonago Kitarō Airport The mass of artworks and themed products at Yonago Kitarō Airport gives visitors some idea of the importance of Mizuki Shigeru to the surrounding area appears to have almost entirely dedicated itself to its most famous son and his yōkai creations This extended homage centers on Mizuki Shigeru Road lined with 153 bronze statues of characters from the manga master’s works Bronze statues of (clockwise from top left) and Mizuki Shigeru with Medama-oyaji on his shoulder and Nezumi-otoko are joined by many supporting spirits from the series Also on display are characters from other Mizuki works with supernatural themes These include the schoolboy Sanpei and the kappa (a water-dwelling yōkai) from Kappa no Sanpei and the boy Shingo and the demon Mephisto featured in Akuma-kun but it took some time for the area to become established as a tourist destination visitor figures topped 1 million for the first time buoyed by the release of a new film and anime series The drama Gegege’s Wife intensified interest in Mizuki to new levels attracting a record 3.7 million visitors to the road in 2010 although numbers have fallen somewhat since then to around 2 million in 2015 Visitors with a Medama-oyaji balloon Sakaiminato’s relatively remote location works against it in this sense; it would surely be heaving with tourists all year round if it were located one or two hours from Tokyo the off-season visitors were clearly enjoying themselves and many of the snack and souvenir vendors were doing good business but some exhibits relate to his wartime themes there are free audio guides in English and other languages there are several more statues and illustrations around the Sakaiminato Station area A statue outside Sakaiminato Station presents Mizuki Shigeru writing Mizuki Shigeru is not the only manga author from Tottori Prefecture the creator of Detective Conan in Meitantei Konan (translated as Case Closed) which celebrates the association with its very own Conan Street is from the city of Tottori; he gained fame for Haruka na machi e (translated as A Distant Neighborhood) This has led the local government to position Tottori Prefecture as a “manga kingdom.” As well as making the most of its existing connections, it holds an annual international comic art contest to grow more interest in the area from around the world. In the 2015 contest and while the winners were mainly from Japan one American entry took a second-place prize Rising numbers of international tourists are visiting Japan, although they tend to cluster in big-name destinations like Kyoto and Tokyo. Manga could be a way for Tottori and Sakaiminato to pull in some of the inbound traffic. Recent English translations of Mizuki Shigeru’s works, as well as features in the international press and a survey of his work in the New Yorker New fans may be inspired to make a pilgrimage to Sakaiminato If you suffer from Gephyrophobia — the fear of bridges — then you should probably stay away from the vertigo-inducing overpass linking the cities of Matsue and Sakaiminato in Japan's Tottori Prefecture The Eshima Ohashi Bridge is staggeringly tall and looks terrifyingly steep when viewed head-on the span isn't quite as vertical as it looks the bridge is nearly a mile long and has a sharp incline to allow ships to pass underneath One side rises with a gradient of 6.1% while the other juts up at 5.1% but when viewed straight-on it looks like it shoots up at a scary 45 degree angle The Eshima Ohashi is the third-largest bridge of its type in the world and the largest rigid frame bridge in Japan we might consider looking into an alternate route Sakaiminato in western Tottori Prefecture boasts one of the largest landings of snow crab in Japan Sakaiminato boasts the largest catch of red snow crab in Japan and many processors offer their own unique products which are made with freshly caught red snow crab adjacent to Yonago City in Tottori Prefecture and Matsue City in Shimane Prefecture is located on the northern tip of the Yumigahama Peninsula surrounded on three sides by the Sea of Japan and boasts the largest catch of red snow crab in Japan Sakaiminato is also known as the “distribution center of western Japan” because of the variety of seafood landed throughout the year: firefly squid in spring Matsuba crab and red snow crab from fall to winter It is also known as the “distribution center of western Japan” because of its abundance of crab processing plants which attract crabs from all over the country There are two main types of crabs caught in Sakaiminato: Matsuba crab and red snow crab Matsuba crab is another name for male snow crab which is caught in the Japan Sea in the San’in region It is found at depths of 200 to 500 meters and has a tough shell with a dense meat red snow crabs live in the deep sea at around 1,000 meters and have soft shells with high water content It is juicy and has a sweetness unique to the crab The skill of each processor is to keep the crab fresh and process it in the most delicious way possible Tetsuya Maeda of Maeda Suisan is the one who has been working on side dishes that are easy for consumers to eat without losing the flavor of crab when Maeda’s grandfather ran a dried sardine processing plant in Shikoku he looked for another port and ended up in Sakaiminato they caught sardines by seine fishing and processed them by drying them in the sun but the catch of sardines decreased in Sakaiminato as well When they realized that they needed to process other fish as well as sardines the processing of red snow crabs became the talk of the town and they turned their attention to processing crabs His father had told him that he had the option of closing the company but he could not simply quit when he thought about the results he had achieved and the employees he had hired Maeda took over the company at the age of 33 As he searched for a direction for the company “I still want to deliver the deliciousness of Sakaiminato crabs I want to produce not only boiled peeled crabs but also processed products with special characteristics that will not be affected by the decline in resources the company enlisted the help of experts and repeatedly made prototypes of side dishes that could be easily eaten with crab The result was “Red Snow Crab and Crab Okowa,” which can be easily heated in a microwave and also makes use of the crab’s shell The cooking liquid from boiling the crab meat was used in a luxurious way to enhance the flavor of the crab The rice is made from locally produced “Himenomochi” glutinous rice the company asked the cooperation of Japanese-style pubs and inns that had been wholesaling peeled crab for some time The rice with full of crab flavor was very popular and the recognition of crab rice gradually increased The packaging was also designed to make it a popular choice as a souvenir of Tottori at souvenir stores and online stores The product can be defrosted in a microwave oven without removing the crab shell by hand which “has helped to popularize crab,” says Maeda as word spread that Maeda Suisan is capable of processing products other than peeled crab the company received an increasing number of inquiries asking if it could make something like this Maeda Suisan also developed and sold side dishes for Osechi cuisine and gifts for department stores and the production of okowa and other processed products became a major source of support in terms of management.In 2010 the company won the top prize at the “Miyako Tottori Specialty Food Contest,” a gathering of Tottori Prefecture’s specialty products the company received the Minister of Agriculture the highest award in the new product development category of the “Central Contest for Superior Hometown Foods,” which recognizes food products that make the most of regional characteristics This was the first time for a product to win the Minister of Agriculture Forestry and Fisheries Award in Tottori Prefecture as a whole and the company’s name recognition has increased and the aroma will be lost if too much time passes after heating since red snow crab contains a lot of water it is important to minimize dripping after thawing Maeda Suisan does not simply boil the snow crab to preserve its flavor but also steams or bakes it to suit the product The heating time is also thoroughly adjusted according to the individual differences in the crabs so that the chewiness and flavor of the meat is preserved to the maximum extent possible.In addition to enhance the crab’s flavor and deliciousness we have developed an original crab flavor oil called “Grandqui Oil” Crab shells and meat are simmered in the oil to lock in the flavor and deliciousness and fragrance-free oil is also used in okowa (rice topped with rice flour) which gives the dish a rich crab flavor similar to that of baked crab The high reputation of the okowa has led to the development of a variety of processed products “Red Snow Crab Doria” is the second most popular product along with okowa The bechamel sauce used in the doria is made from milk produced by Daisen Dairy a local dairy cooperative also known for its “white rose milk The “Kanimiso Korayaki” (crab brain shell baked in a shell filled with crab miso made by the traditional method of boiling down crab meat without using any thickening agent) can be served as a gift by pouring sake over it and searing it after the meal crabs have attracted attention not only for their delicious taste but also for the chitin/chitosan contained in their shells Chitin is a type of animal dietary fiber contained in the shell that is hydrolyzed into chitosan which can be digested and absorbed by the human body including as surgical thread and artificial skin in the medical field and as a cosmetic and health food in our daily lives and its shell is used in the medical field and in the fields have ingredients that are good for the body and have almost no parts that can be discarded We believe in the possibility that crabs can save the earth and we would like to deliver the charm of crabs to the world not to mention in delicious rice balls and doria Maeda Suisan is determined to continue to introduce the appeal of crab to the world look at an autumn-themed projection of characters from the manga “GeGeGe no Kitaro.” At various points along the city’s Mizuki Shigeru Road – named for manga artist Shigeru Mizuki who hailed from the city — images of monsters including characters from Mizuki’s manga “GeGeGe no Kitaro,” are projected onto the ground after dark five of those 40 images have been switched to special fall versions The current set of projections will be displayed until December 2 A crab-fishing boat from the western Japan prefecture of Shimane has been seized by Russian authorities in the Sea of Japan for allegedly fishing illegally in Russia's exclusive economic zone was seized on Wednesday after leaving a port in Sakaiminato according to the officials and other sources Russian security authorities admitted to detaining all crew members but did not say when they will be released The Japanese consulate general in Vladivostok said the boat was taken to Nakhodka It said it is gathering further information Russian authorities are likely to question the crew members and check whether they had documents necessary for fishing operations a process that may last at least several days The captain of the 115-ton ship is Hideji Kagami told reporters that she has hardly slept since she heard about the incident secretary general of the fishermen's union to which the ship belongs said he is worried as to whether the crew will be released a crab-fishing boat from Sakaiminato was seized by Russian authorities for allegedly fishing illegally in Russia's EEZ All 10 crew members were released in early February that year after making a payment to Russian authorities Manga & Anime Tottori Prefecture—A banner featuring 43 “yokai” characters created by Shigeru Mizuki is on display in front a museum dedicated to the manga artist to celebrate the 100th anniversary of his birth on March 8 a Sakaiminato native who died in 2015 at the age of 93 was known for “GeGeGe no Kitaro” and other works many of which feature yokai ghouls and hobgoblins The prefectural government set up the textile banner in the front yard of the Mizuki Shigeru Museum It features illustrations of Mizuki holding Medama-Oyaji and other familiar faces from the horror manga series as well as Akuma-kun (devil boy) and “kappa” water sprite Sanpei The upper part of the banner says: “Congratulations The 100th anniversary of the birth of Shigeru Mizuki-sensei.” we could create the bustling Manga Kingdom,” Tottori Governor Shinji Hirai said during the banner unveiling ceremony on Jan referring to a regional promotional program making use of manga and anime titles related to the prefecture “We would be really appreciative if people join the 100th anniversary celebration while paying attention to the situation surrounding the coronavirus pandemic,” Hirai said Sakaiminato Mayor Kentaro Date referred to the 800-meter-long walk dotted with bronze statues of yokai characters “We want to cherish the Mizuki Shigeru Road as a sightseeing attraction while we express our gratitude to the great benefactor of Sakaiminato,” Date said children and tourists took pictures in front of the banner which is on display until the end of August Tour package of museums for those who like it extra spooky 1,000 Nendoroid dolls featured in special exhibit at Tottori museum Artisans create copper statue of plague-fighting beast Kutabe Sakaiminato in Tottori Prefecture is a city that is ideal for tourists It's one of the biggest fishing towns in Japan author of the yōkai (Japanese folklore monsters and ghouls) manga series "GeGeGe no Kitaro," it's known as the birthplace of some of the country's most popular cartoon monsters Visitors can enjoy a stroll along Mizuki Shigeru Road which has 153 statues of the yōkai featured in "GeGeGe no Kitaro," and visit the seaport which is famous for its tuna and crabs as well as for having some of the largest annual catches of seafood in Japan.googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1499653692894-0'); }); the Sakaiminato Port Festival is held every July Mikoshi (portable shrines) are paraded through the streets and a fleet of fishing boats carry the shrines across the sea which takes place over the water so that colorful reflections can be viewed The city also recently added jazz music to its list of attractions which invites visitors to enjoy music performed by a number of big names on the Japanese jazz scene The Sakaiminato Port Festival takes place on July 27 and is free to watch. The Sakaiminato Yokai Jazz Festival on July 26 will be held in front of Sakaiminato station from 4 p.m.; admission is ¥7,000. For more information, call 0859-47-0121 or visit www.sakaiminato.net Sponsored contents planned and edited by JT Media Enterprise Division. Picture by 2021 Getty ImagesBy Ubaid Parkar 04 November 2021 09:05 GMT+02 min readTokyo Olympian Vishnu Saravanan and fellow Indian sailor Mohit Saini are set to compete in the men’s Laser World Championships 2021 sailing competition that starts on Tuesday in Barcelona, Spain. This will be 22-year-old Vishnu Saravanan’s second laser world championships since he finished 84th in the 2019 edition in Sakaiminato, Japan. Mohit Saini will also be competing in his second laser world meet since Sakaiminato, where he finished 118th. The laser standard, used in the men's category, is a single-handed dinghy with a single mast. At the Barcelona International Sailing Center, six qualifying races will be held on the first three days and six final races in the next three days. The 12-race event will conclude on Sunday. Sailors will earn points based on their finishing positions in each race. Finishing first will fetch 1 point, second place will get 2 and so on. Once the qualifying races are over after the first three days, the sailors will be divided into two groups (series) based on their positions from the qualifying races. The two groups will then compete in the final races over the next three days with only the first group eligible to win medals. The sailors in the other group will only race for classification. At the end of the 12 races, including qualifying and finals, sailors can exclude their two worst finishes. The sailor with the least points, excluding the worst finishes, will be the winner. A total of 139 sailors from 44 countries will be in action over the six days. Last year’s world champion Philipp Buhl of Germany and bronze medallist Tonci Stipanovic of Croatia, a two-time Olympic silver medallist, will be competing too. Norway’s Hermann Tomasgaard, the bronze medal winner from the Tokyo Olympics, will also participate. However, Tokyo 2020 champion Matthew Wearn of Australia will skip the event. Upamanyu Dutta was the sole Indian in the laser world championships last year. He finished in 101st place overall. 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If you continue to be blocked, please send an email to secruxurity@sizetedistrict.cVmwom with: Azamara PursuitAzamara PursuitAzamara PursuitAzamara PursuitAzamara Pursuit14 Nights 14 Nights  AsiaSoutheast Asia CruiseLeaving from: Kobe →+11 ports 2027(3)AzamaraCruise Critic FavoriteAzamara PursuitAzamara PursuitAzamara PursuitAzamara PursuitAzamara Pursuit14 Nights 2026AzamaraAzamara PursuitAzamara PursuitAzamara PursuitAzamara PursuitAzamara Pursuit9 Nights 9 Nights  AsiaSoutheast Asia CruiseLeaving from: Kobe →+7 ports Cruise Critic is not a booking agent and does not charge any service fees to users of our site Our partners who list cruise pricing on Cruise Critic are required to provide prices for cruise only or cruise packages and are based on specific cabin types and sailing dates and may not be available for all cabin types/sailings Rates are in GBP and valid for UK and Ireland residents only please be sure to check their site for a full disclosure of all applicable fees Cruise Critic does not guarantee any specific rates or prices Cruise Critic makes no guarantees for availability of prices advertised on our site Cruise Critic is not responsible for content on external web sites Lowest pricing is based on our 3rd party pricing supplier and valid as of 6th May 2025 This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page “Karan Koron no Uta” (The Clap-Clopp song) always sends an eerie but delightful shiver down my spine I look around and I think I feel a presence exist and are just beyond what our eyes can register We all know that animals can hear frequencies that we cannot to “feel” a presence cannot simply be attributed to one imagining what’s not real I’m more curious than the scaredy-cat type and I wanted to see the realms beyond our “real” world whether it be the fairies-and-angel world or the goblin-and-ghouls variety The perfect place to do so is in a particular area of Sakaiminato where you can “see the unseen” all over town creator of the horror manga series “GeGeGe no Kitaro,” grew up in this coastal city a local woman he called NonNonBa taught him about “yokai” (monsters) and the supernatural igniting his interest in otherworldly beings There’s benevolence and evil in everything (although it could be argued that it’s all a matter of perspective) The one-eyed yokai boy Kitaro and Medama Oyaji his tiny eyeball father who lives atop Kitaro’s head Like those who identify as “woke,” the pair aim to create a world where we all live in harmony respecting diversity--whether human or not I’m surrounded by hilarious bronze yokai statues and the weirdest and most wonderous lampposts I’ve ever seen Glowing round eyeballs light the pathway from the train station toward Mizuki Shigeru Road Neko Musume (ghost cat girl) and Nezumi Otoko (rat man) candy Medama Oyaji “wagashi” sweets and tons of other only-here items There’s a 10-meter life diorama on display at the Mizuki Shigeru Museum where we learn the depths of the manga’s creator He was drafted into World War II and sent to Papua New Guinea The atrocities he witnessed cemented his pacifist viewpoints and he penned several historical works about the war period and Adolf Hitler (1889-1945) He reflects upon Japanese as victims of their leaders and victimizers of others Our world is made up of worlds we can and cannot usually see a Washington-born and Tokyo-based photographer It is part of the series "Lisa’s Wanderings Around Japan," which depicts various places across the country through the perspective of the author Lisa’s Wanderings Around Japan/ Yanbaru region: See firsthand the rare Lisa’s Wanderings Around Japan/ Negishi Forest Park: A place to relax and dream of horse races Lisa’s Wanderings Around Japan/ Kurashiki Denim Street: Visiting the 'holy land' of jeans in an Okayama merchant town Chiba Prefecture : Take a glide through the past mapped by Tadataka Lisa’s Wanderings Around Japan/ Tottori Sand Dunes: Shifting grains made Lisa’s Wanderings Around Japan/ Reigando cave: Resting peacefully to ponder life’s mysteries TOTTORI--Tottori Prefecture is pulling out all the stops to nurture aspiring digital content creators from across the country by setting up the Tottori Creator’s Village to bolster the content industry The project took its inspiration from Tokiwa-so a no-frills prewar apartment in Tokyo that was demolished in 1982 and where the likes of Osamu Tezuka and other prominent manga artists used to gather Officials said the prefecture is teaming up with Tokyo-based publisher Kodansha Ltd Creators already working outside the prefecture are eligible for the program Up to five members will be selected from a range of genres such as video games Instead of being housed in a replica Tokiwa-so the members will use the Sign In Co-Working Office in Sakaiminato as a base from this March to February 2026 they will receive guidance and work on their projects while living in nearby apartment buildings or housing complexes The successful candidates will also receive a monthly stipend to help their creative endeavors The prefectural government has made a major effort to promote the charms of local communities in conjunction with manga and anime titles as part of its “Manga Kingdom Tottori” initiative “We want to provide a forum where future maestros can become full-fledged creators as they discuss their works help each other or even be at odds with one another sometimes,” Governor Shinji Hirai told a Nov Building where manga greats got their start ghostly ‘Kitaro’ statues lifting town’s fortunes Plague-fighting monster becomes superstar as pandemic drags manga in 2023 helped us question history and how we live Abiko was the darker half of the famed Fujiko Fujio manga duo Tottori — More than 1.5 million people visited the Mizuki Shigeru Road in Sakaiminato features statues of characters from his comic series “GeGeGe no Kitaro,” which depicts Japanese yokai monsters the road brought in more visitors every month than the previous year when about 1.01 million people visited the area July and December saw 2.2 times and 1.5 times as many visitors compared to the previous year according to the Sakaiminato city government The resumption of flights connecting Yonago Airport in the prefecture and Incheon Airport near Seoul in late October as well as the release of the new Kitaro movie likely contributed to the increase The road marked its 30th anniversary in 2023 “We want to keep the road as a place that draws in many people and families,” said an official in charge of the city’s tourism promotion division showcasing the achievements of mangaka Shigeru Mizuki (1922-2015) has reopened after a yearlong renovation Shigeru Mizuki was born in Sakai¬minato and became famous for his manga “GeGeGe no Kitaro,” which features many Japanese yokai monsters the city government has been rebuilding the Mizuki Shigeru Museum The new facility is a two-story steel-frame building It has a floor space of approximately 1,700 square meters A temperature-controlled room has been installed to exhibit Kitaro’s original artworks and other drawings The permanent exhibition shows Mizuki’s life through his works from his amateur days to his masterpiece war cartoon “Soin Gyokusai Seyo!” (Onward Towards Our Noble Deaths) which is a fictionalized account of his wartime experiences Numerous yokai figurines are also displayed in a dimly lit room that resembles a cave Road Named After Mangaka Shigeru Mizuki Attracts Over 1.5 Mil. Visitors in 2023 At least 13 people died and 249 were injured in the heavy snowfalls that blanketed large swaths along the Sea of Japan coast between Jan the Fire and Disaster Management Agency said Jan Three people in their 60s through 80s died in Fukui Prefecture on Jan Forty-seven people in the prefecture were injured mainly by tripping or falling from roofs during snow removal Five of them were hospitalized after becoming sick while trapped in their cars in the heavy snow four people died during snow-removal work on Jan About 1,000 vehicles were stranded on the Hokuriku Expressway in Fukui Prefecture at one point during a snowstorm on Jan More than 200 vehicles were stuck in heavy snow on the Tokai-Hokuriku Expressway in Toyama Prefecture while up to 250 were trapped on National Route 8 in Niigata Prefecture The three prefectures have asked the Self-Defense Forces for assistance in the rescue efforts The Meteorological Agency said more than 10 monitoring spots in the region along the Sea of Japan set snowfall records for 72 hours until late night on Jan the accumulation of snow exceeded 3 meters Snowfall records were also set in Shirakawa which was covered with 138 cm over the 72 hours Himi in Toyama Prefecture and Sakaiminato in Tottori Prefecture each reported snowfalls of more than seven times that of the same period of an average year The massive amount of snow was brought to the Hokuriku region and elsewhere after a snow cloud formed through a collision of winds blowing in different directions over the Sea of Japan The snow cloud kept drifting to specific areas in the shape of a belt VOX POPULI: It’s that time of year to confront the frigid enemy of poet Fusei EDITORIAL: Snow forecast gives another reason to take care on holidays Hundreds of drivers stuck by heavy snow on Niigata freeway SDF asked to assist motorists stuck by snowfall in Niigata By Aya Matsuura / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer the “betabumi-zaka” ramp for the Eshima Ohashi bridge looks like it’s shooting straight up into the sky Betabumi-zaka means “a pedal-to-the-metal slope” in Japanese and the renowned insane-looking bridge connects Sakaiminato in Tottori Prefecture and Matsue in Shimane Prefecture Matsue is my hometown and my family and I had crossed the bridge once before with my father behind the wheel But I decided to cross the bridge with myself in the driver’s seat so I rented a car and set off from Matsue Station to the bridge that looks like a roller coaster for cars I chose an approximately 30-minute route that wound through Daikon and Eshima islands on brackish Lake Nakaumi I rolled down the windows a bit and a pleasant mid-March spring breeze accompanied me as I drove clockwise around the perimeter of Daikon Island until I found a spot where I could see the bridge almost head-on across the lake pulled out my camera and scrutinized the bridge through the viewfinder — the distant ramp looked like a vertical wall turned at an intersection and stopped near the 1.4 kilometer-long bridge Up close I could indeed see a somewhat impressive incline but it was a far cry from the bulwark that I had observed only moments before on Daikon Island I could feel the car moving up a slope of sorts but I was able to keep my rental moving forward without having to stomp on the gas pedal I crested the bridge in what felt like the blink of an eye and then smoothly coasted down into Sakaiminato It turned out that to cross the ballyhooed Betabumi-zaka ramp a driver needed only to pump the gas pedal gently I returned to the Matsue side and noticed a few people had gathered to look at the bridge said she wanted to check out the bridge after she saw a picture on the internet “I was skeptical about the extremity of the incline,” she said “But seeing that [the slope was not that steep] is kind of a letdown.” The bridge became a national legend when it was featured in a TV advertisement from the end of 2013 People soon after started flocking to the area which prompted a temporary parking lot to be set up nearby “We still get inquiries about shooting locations and it seems to have piqued people’s curiosity,” said a representative of the Sakai Port Authority The optical illusion of making the Eshima Ohashi bridge ramp look like a surreal tower in photos is done by putting distance between the bridge and the camera and using a telephoto lens The Matsue side of the bridge can be seen from Daikon Island which makes it an easier area to find a good vantage point And the farther away the photographer is from the bridge the steeper the slope can appear in their photographs the slope in actuality is nowhere near as steep as it is in the famous perspective-jarring photographs I searched the internet and found betabumi-zaka in Tokyo and Osaka as well there are many tall structures in such cities which makes such slopes difficult to photograph from a distance The bridge’s height adds another element as to why the slope can look so bewilderingly impressive The bridge was constructed with an apex of 44.7 meters so that large ships can pass underneath and which was used for land reclamation and desalinating brackish Lake Nakaumi The top of the watergate was used as a road and as it was equipped with a drawbridge to let ships pass through traffic had to be stopped everytime the drawbridge was up vehicles over 14 tons were not allowed on the bridge and this led to the occasional inconveniencing of passengers on large tourist buses who were sometimes asked to disembark and walk across the bridge “That bridge sometimes made me late when it was up,” said Tatsuya Abe who used to ride his bicycle to school in Sakaiminato from his home on Daikon Island The Eshima Ohashi bridge has connected two cities and made it much more convenient for people to come and go It would be fair to say that it has bridged the gap between the Sanin region with the rest of Japan I heard that the view from the bridge’s apex is well worth a gander I’ll stroll across the not-so-steep slope that is famously framed as being just way too steep Yushien is a Japanese garden on Daikon Island which is the nation’s largest producer of peony seedlings Peddling peony seedlings used to be a job for women on the island The garden was opened in 1975 as a way to have people come to the island so that the women peony peddlers did not need to leave the island to sell the seedlings About 20,000 peonies of 250 different species are raised at Yushien and peak in April and May In the “Japanese Peony House,” where the temperature and other conditions are controlled Eshima Ohashi bridge is about a 35-minute drive from Yonago Interchange on Yonago Expressway; about 30 minutes by car from downtown Matsue; about 10 minutes from JR Sakaiminato Station; and about 10 minutes from Yonago Airport The town of Fukusaki in Hyogo Prefecture is using eerie mascots for their revitalization strategy bringing back the heyday of the yuru-chara — mascots The town of merely 20,000 people is the birthplace of Kunio Yanagita Their realistic yokai (monsters) have left children in tears and generated a buzz around the town attracting 1.7 times more tourists in 2018 compared to five years ago The most iconic of the towns using ghosts and monsters to develop the local economy is Sakaiminato in Tottori Prefecture that the hype around their own town “will prove to be a match for Sakaiminato because the yokai we are going to use will surprise even Professor Yanagita.” In a corner of the town’s Tsujikawayama Park a crowd of tourists surrounds a murky pond small bubbles begin to surface and two red kappa (amphibious yokai) appear — one big and one small and it’s a character based on a yokai that appears in Yanagita’s works It has a huge mouth lined with sharp teeth and coarse hair like a fallen warrior when the town failed to clean the murky pond it decided to take advantage of the situation by using the cloudy water to obscure the workings of a mechanical doll The mastermind of this strategy is Tomoo Ogawa who works for the town’s regional development division “There are plenty of cute mascots in Japan I made sure that our sculptures were realistic enough to make children cry.” The park also features a statue of a tengu (a flying long-nosed demon) which was chosen for Best Sculpture at the National Yokai Sculpture Contest in 2014 Their creativity garnered praise and the number of tourists rocketed from 248,000 in 2013 to 410,000 in 2016 in response to installations like the tengu statues hanging upside down from wires The town’s audacity shows no sign of stopping In order to attract tourists to the town center nine yokai benches have been installed in front of shops lining the street from Fukusaki Station to Tsujikawayama Park Gajiro the kappa ponders his next move as he sits with a shogi board in front of the station while a tengu clad in a business suit taps away at his laptop keyboard With the addition this March of yokai Aburabou (a type of will-o’-wisp) and Konaki-jijii (an old man yokai that cries like a baby) Taking full advantage of their Insta-worthiness the selling point of these benches is that visitors can sit with the yokai for selfies The town’s regional development division continues to come up with new ideas including “giving tourists yokai maps so that they can look for yokai benches throughout the town and spend money shopping along the way.” The plan is to install a total of 50 benches in five years’ time Businesses in the town also favor the yokai craze A nekomata (two-tailed cat yokai) sits on a bench in front of Gourmet Meats Nishioka commented: “I’ve been having more customers since the yokai bench was installed They have become indispensable to the town’s prosperity.” He smiles His original cat-face hamburger patties are proving to be popular A successful example of regional revitalization using yokai is the city of Sakaiminato in Tottori Prefecture The town is the birthplace of Mizuki Shigeru the manga artist who created Gegege no Kitaro Bronze statues of classic yokai characters like Medama Oyaji (a yokai with an eyeball as its head) and Nekomusume (cat girl) line the 800-meter-long road named for the artist leading from JR Sakaiminato Station.There were 23 statues when the project began in 1993 Sakaiminato became a major tourist spot with 3.7 million annual visitors — 100 times more than the city’s population of roughly 34,000 — thanks to the impact of the NHK television series GeGeGe no Nyobo The city also hosts a variety of annual events like the Sakaiminato Yokai certification event and the Yokai Senryu comic poetry contest Sakaiminato’s yokai road underwent a large-scale makeover last summer There are also plans to unveil a new yokai shadow-projection feature holding nothing back to generate repeat visitors Sakaiminato Tourism Association’s Go Furuhashi says “I want to continue adding new tricks to maintain our reputation as a yokai sanctuary.” director of the Hyogo Prefectural Museum of History who is knowledgeable about yokai research: “Yokai are from the Edo period and were originally regarded as sinister But modern yokai have transformed into lovable creatures.” the town of Fukusaki is rapidly churning out new ideas to maintain the flow of visitors boil-in-the-bag food such as kappa curry with shirikodama They have also come up with a Gajiro costume which played a huge part in livening up the summer festival The town even plans to release a smartphone game app called “Yokai Mystery Photo Rally,” which incorporates augmented reality (AR) technology As players explore the town with their smartphones they can catch yokai that appear on their screens by taking photos Now all eyes are on the town’s eerie developments as promoters tout “Visit Fukusaki if you want to meet lots of real yokoi!” (Click here to read the original Sankei Shimbun article in Japanese.) You must be logged in to post a comment ' + scriptOptions._localizedStrings.webview_notification_text + ' " + scriptOptions._localizedStrings.redirect_overlay_title + " " + scriptOptions._localizedStrings.redirect_overlay_text + " Editor’s note: In the Taste of Life series an “activist to popularize fish-eating,” recalls the “astonishing and memorable” experience he had in 2003 He was to be posted to Sakaiminato in Tottori Prefecture by the Fisheries Agency and made a courtesy call after which he went to a local “izakaya,” a Japanese style pub He ordered salt-grilled “nodoguro,” or blackthroat seaperch which is a high-end fish caught mainly on the Sea of Japan side of the Sanin and Hokuriku regions When he popped a piece with thin and crispy skin into his mouth and it tasted so good that he almost felt dizzy Its juiciness is the distinctive quality of blackthroat seaperch There is no other fish like it,” says Ueda Determined to eat blackthroat seaperch every month he grilled it at home once a month during the five and a half years he lived in Sakaiminato When he filleted it and cooked it in the fish grill at home for the first time and chunks of meat dropped from the wire grid The meat is soft all the more because it is juicy Ueda began to search for ways to grill the fish he constructed a tower with iron plates punctured with holes and created a special charcoal-grilling stove Instead of grilling the salted blackthroat seaperch on the wire grid he skewered the fish and set it above the stove by inserting the ends of the skewers to the holes on each side He adjusted the heat by changing the distance between the charcoal fire and fish using different levels of holes on the plates When the fish was grilled over a strong but distant fire covered with aluminum foil shaped like a dome the fat seeped out and the skin turned out crisp and toasty The drops of fat on the charcoal also smoked the fish and added a unique savor He perfected the ideal grilling method after about six months Although blackthroat seaperch is now synonymous with expensive fish “You can buy a large one if you refrain from going out drinking two or three times,” says Ueda “Not scrimping at crucial moments is a key to encountering truly delicious food I want people to relish the essence of the taste of fish,” said Ueda Katsuhiko Ueda: Born in 1964 in Shimane Prefecture Katsuhiko Ueda is an activist to popularize fish-eating While studying at the faculty of fisheries at Nagasaki University he worked as a fisherman and began working at the Fisheries Agency upon graduation He has been communicating the appeal of fish since leaving the agency in 2015 inside the abdominal cavity and mouth with salt Sprinkle salt on surface of fish by flicking fingers Skewer fish and lay skewers across strong fire in stove such as a barbecue grill Cover from above with dome-shaped aluminum foil First grill the side facing up when served The ratio of how far fish should be cooked is 1 to 7 to 2 Remove foil and skewer and serve with wasabi or white radish sprouts if preferred When eating a whole blackthroat seaperch at home it is recommended that you fillet it into two The fillet without the bones and the head can be used in a simmered dish while the half with the bones can be cooked in the fish grill Cook the side of the bones thoroughly at first From The Asahi Shimbun’s Jinsei Reshipi (Life Recipe) column TASTE OF LIFE/ Mackerel sushi: The art of letting fish sit in stages adds color to special occasions TASTE OF LIFE/ Fish boiled in hot water: After long search TASTE OF LIFE/ Pot-au-feu with salt pork and potato: A simple yet wholesome dish that fits today’s busy lifestyles TASTE OF LIFE/ Cod hot pot: Fond memories of cozy dish best served on lively dinner table TASTE OF LIFE/ Creamy mushroom soup: Calling out ‘Tasty soup is ready’ works like magic in the morning TASTE OF LIFE/ Fried rice with ground pork and dried skipjack tuna shavings: Dashi stock plays key role in flavor to be passed down to children is a type of farming where fish farms are moved some distance offshore Although it's still only a small fraction of global aquaculture hopes are high that it will play an increasingly important role in meeting the demand for seafood as the world population continues to grow one company has announced plans to build the country's first large-scale offshore aqua-farming system Based on high expectations for the development of aquaculture offshore farming has been receiving considerable attention while other reasons to move offshore include environmental aspects such as the dispersal of both dissolved and particulate waste products In October 2016, Japanese engineering company Nippon Steel & Sumikin Engineering Co. Ltd. which designs and installs offshore platforms for oil and gas development projects announced a plan to build the world's first large-scale offshore aquaculture system with Yumigahama Suisan verification tests are due to be carried out between December 2016 and May 2017 at the Yumigahama Suisan Coho salmon farm off Sakaiminato City in Tottori prefecture The test period coincides with the farming season for coho salmon at Miho Bay Hopes are high that if the tests are successful and the system implemented it could play a key role in the further development of Japan's aquaculture The prototype features a platform on which stands a steel tower that's 18 metres tall with two tanks attached Fish pens extend 150 metres from the tower which are connected to an undersea piping system at the bottom of the ocean that stretches from around 150 to 400 metres and sends out food by air pressure using compressed air The pipes are linked to automatic feeders that serve five circular fish pens Computers and tablets can be used to operate everything from land the tanks can also store food that will last from three to seven days The system will also be able to determine the appetite levels of the fish using artificial food with built-in sensors that are attached to the fish pens Developed by Nissui's Central Research Laboratory the sensors will pick up data every 0.1 second and transmit the information to farmers on land it will also be possible for the farmers to ensure zero waste and better quality fish by adjusting the amount of feed according to the fish's hunger levels the following areas will be checked: equipment to store large amounts of feed at sea technology to transfer fishmeal from storage tanks to fish and technology that can remotely manage the feeding of fish in offshore tanks An ultra-large floating fish pen that can be lowered to a depth of 20m will also be tested Nippon Steel & Sumikin Engineering plans to pitch the system to the fisheries industry and receive its first orders sometime next fiscal year Nissui's Central Research Laboratory intends to further enhance the stable supply of farmed fish beginning with Ikejime Sakaiminato salmon that's incubated The new offshore farming system will offer several advantages it will be able to withstand waves of up to 7m high and tidal speeds of up to 2 knots it will also be possible to increase production by over 10 times and up to 25 times while farming in offshore locations with strong currents will offer more environmental protection from waste such as uneaten fish meal The global consumption of seafood is growing and aquaculture supports most of the increased demand Inland areas for aquatic farming are still limited in Japan so offshore aquaculture is seen as a key step in the industry's development Hopes are also high that the system could be exported as part of new projects involving engineering or construction Please view the main text area of the page by skipping the main menu. The page may not be displayed properly if the JavaScript is deactivated on your browser Japanese version Record-setting rains battered Japan's Sanin Region on July 12 with towns in eastern Shimane Prefecture and western Tottori Prefecture issuing evacuation and safety alerts recorded its most precipitation per hour ever according to Tottori and Matsue local meteorological observatories In Iinan town’s Akana district in Shimane Prefecture the rainfall per hour totaled 71.5 mm in the hour until 10 a.m. issued its highest Level 5 evacuation and safety alert at 10:35 a.m. The Japan Meteorological Agency is warning people in the region to be on the alert for landslides until the evening A Level 4 evacuation and safety alert has been issued in four cities Nanbu town has issued a Level 4 evacuation alert Some residents in the cities of Shobara and Miyoshi cities in Hiroshima Prefecture have also been ordered to evacuate According to the Yonago Branch of West Japan Railway Co the Sanin Line suspended operations between Hoki Daisen and Hamada stations in the morning The Hakubi Line also halted trains between Hoki Daisen and Kamiiwami stations and the Sakai Line did so between Yonago and Sakaiminato stations sightseeing train to make 1st run in Sanin region 20 missing in Atami in rain-triggered landslide 10 injures dozens; torrential rain warning in effect VOX POPULI: Did new disaster alert system help save Atami from more casualties Japanese version Japanese version Our trip on the JR San'in Line and Sakai Line in Tottori Prefecture continues It includes sandfish and mackerel from the Sea of Japan which connects the JR San'in Line and JR Sakai Line We travelled on the JR San'in Line the previous day so we will ride on the Sakai Line on the second day The railway line opened in 1902 and is famous for its train cars inspired by Yokai Ittan-Momen and Rat Man - come from manga series GeGeGe no Kitaro Six different Yokai trains operate on the Sakai Line This railway line ends at Sakaiminato City We arrive in 10 minutes and want to explore the area for about two hours We ask a local about a famous spot and he tells us about Kisaragi Corp sells and distributes merchandise related to GeGeGe no Kitaro We also find out that there is a place called Shigeru Mizuki Road in Sakaiminato City The store near Sambommatsuguchi Station sells about 500 kinds of Kitaro merchandise We buy a bag of Yokai merchandise as souvenirs before heading back to the station we catch the 11.45am to Yonago Airport Station We ask a gentleman to recommend a place to eat He suggests Shinraiken and offers to drive us there The Chinese restaurant opened in 1972 and its most popular dishes include rice topped with shrimp and egg and stir-fried noodles served with a thick starchy sauce we are given a ride back to the station and we travel two stops ahead to Takamatsucho Station by the 1.50pm train a local resident tells us about Modern Coffee a cafe located between Nakahama Station and Yonago Airport Station This means we have to walk back towards Nakahama Station we are still unable to find the place so we have no choice but to shelve our plan to visit the cafe we pass by a white leek packing house and ask about interesting spots a coffee shop nearby with a Showa-era atmosphere its speciality is a mixed juice made from apple we head to Amariko Station and catch the 4.15pm train to Sakaiminato Station which is lined with stores selling Yokai merchandise The shopping street has been around for 25 years and now attracts more than two million visitors each year We drop by a confectionery shop called Tatsumiya it specialises in traditional Japanese snacks Nearly 25 kinds of old-fashioned treats are sold here such as seaweed candy and ginger rice crackers The store is managed by 85-year-old Ms Tatsumi She suggests we also visit the Kyokuno Footwear Shop Kyokuno used to be a general goods store but later started selling footwear They have lovely designs and pictures of Kitaro drawn on them by the owner who uses thin bamboo skewers which are believed to strengthen your core and improve your balance a speed skating gold medallist at the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics incorporated single tooth wooden clogs from the store during her training 1)      The JR Sakai Line is popular among fans of manga series GeGeGe no Kitaro for its Yokai-themed trains2)      To get a taste of traditional Japanese snacks Get our pick of top stories and thought-provoking articles in your inbox Stay updated with notifications for breaking news and our best stories Join our channel for the top reads for the day on your preferred chat app We know it's a hassle to switch browsers but we want your experience with CNA to be fast Upgraded but still having issues? Contact us A GROUP of Japanese students touched down in Cairns after sailing a maritime training vessel for 16 days to meet like-minded teens Don't miss out on the headlines from Education Followed categories will be added to My News A GROUP of Japanese students touched down in Cairns this week after sailing for 16 days to meet some like-minded local teens The 25 Year 10 and 11 students from Sakaiminato Technical High School pulled in to harbour at Trinity Wharf on Monday aboard the maritime training vessel Wakatorimaru JAPANESE STUDENTS COUP AT TAFE TOP STUDENTS PUT TROPICS IN FOCUS CLASS ACT FOR JAPANESE TV HIT 20,000 EXTRA SEATS BETWEEN JAPAN AND CAIRNS Yesterday they visited the Great Barrier Reef International Marine College The long-established exchange program between the school and college allowed local students to see how the Japanese students train as crew members and for the visiting teens to get a taste of training at the GBRIMC’s state-of-the-art facilities The Japanese students also performed a dance for the Cairns students at the wharf to welcome them aboard their floating home Exchange co-ordinator Yumi Smith said the trip had proved an exciting adventure for the student group The students also visited Kuranda and took a dive on the Great Barrier Reef during their stay Some Catholic schools are demanding to know the fine details of cash-strapped Aussie families Cooped-up Aussie kids aren’t coping with lockdowns Experts explain how parents can find ways to cope at home Face girl full of snails How to look at enthusiastic "Subaru Impreza" fans TV Dec 27, 2008 22:39:09 in Coverage,   Video Headline news on July 4, 2008 How to turn your boyfriend's attention to yourself for Wii Jul 04, 2008 17:30:00 in Coverage,   Tasting