A Good Seafood Bowl

Several months ago I spent half a day in Asakuchi city. For those who do not know, I lived there for my first five years in Japan and have many great memories of my time there. While it is called a ‘city’, it really is three small towns right next to each other. They are Kamogata, Konko and Yorishima. While I lived in Kamogata at the time, and I worked a lot in Konko, I did not spend so much time in Yorishima. This is because it feels a little separate from the other two towns, it has no station, and no convenient public transportation to get there. It also a pain to get there by bike because there is a long steep hill between there and Kamogata, so driving is usually the only choice.

So, you might think, what is there to do in a small town with no public transportation and a small population? Yorishima is a port town, and it is known for its seafood. In Okayama many people think of Hinase when you hear about Oysters, but Yorishima has its own oyster festival every year (And they are good too!). There are also shops that specialize in different kinds of seafood. One of the most well-known ones is ‘Kaizoku-tei’. It’s right across from the sea on one of the main roads through the town. The shop is known for its seafood bowl (kaisendon). I do not have seafood bowls so much, but I really like them. Kaizoku-tei offers many different set meals with many side dishes. The food is very fresh and tasty. It is not the cheapest meal around, but if you ever find yourself in the western part of Okayama Prefecture, and you like seafood, it could be worth stopping by. Well, if you are driving in that area that is.