Seafood

Seafood

Tourists are attracted from all over the country to Hokkaido's rich variety of fresh fish and processed seafood. This delicious bounty includes crab, scallops, sea urchins, salmon roe, salmon, herring, flounder, cod, arabesque greenlings, squid, octopus, shrimp, abalone, surf clams and kelp. Harvested from the northern seas, these seafood products have exquisite taste and flavor, and are rated among the best of their type. The crab in particular is exceptional. Depending on the season and location, you can enjoy Queen crab, Horsehair crab, Red king crab or Blue king crab. When in season, they are heavy for their size and rich in flavor whether boiled in brine or prepared as sashimi. The sea urchins feed on kelp and the sashimi is so delicious you must try it at least once. You will not find such rich and mellow sweetness anywhere but in Hokkaido. We recommend visiting one of the markets where you can eat fresh food on the spot. There are restaurants that provide reasonably priced samples of unique seafood, such as donburimeshi or a bowl of rice topped with a generous amount of sea urchins, salmon roe or scallops.

Hokkaido

Hokkaido is situated in the far northern part of Japan where the summers are refreshing and humidity-free and the winters provide excellent skiing and the opportunity to witness the drift ice. Eco tours are available for places such as Shiretoko, registered as a World Natural Heritage Site, so you can experience first-hand the ecological system in which innumerable precious animals and plants exist. The 2008 "G8 Summit", hosted by Japan, will be held in July in Lake Toya-ko, Hokkaido. The beautiful scenery of this area provides a perfect backdrop for world leaders to discuss harmonious coexistence with nature. In this guide, the major sightseeing points of Hokkaido are introduced from an ecological perspective.