Some Good Eating in Hagi, Yamaguchi Prefecture

[E Eto]

Most trips to Japan involve a trip to Hagi in Yamaguchi prefecture to visit the elders in the family. While reconnecting with family is foremost on the agenda, eating is not far behind, and Hagi is a wonderful place to find some great food. Hagi isn’t much of a destination for foreign travelers since it is far off the beaten path, but it is a popular destination for Japanese tourists for its historical and cultural significance. History buffs know Hagi as the center of the Choshu army that defeated the feudal forces, paving the way for the Meiji restoration. Pottery students know Hagi for its namesake style (hagiyaki) of ceramics. But chowhounds should really know that Hagi, and other points along the Japan sea, are really known for the abundance of seafood. Hagi is especially known for things like amadai (local sea bream), sazae (turban shell), uni (sea urchin), mafugu (a local species of blowfish), ika, mebaru, among others. Hagi is a tiny city, but the surrounding area is all “inaka” or countryside, fairly peaceful, and with some breathtaking views of the Japan sea. Getting to Hagi can be cumbersome. Driving is one option (how I get there). Another is the local train that follows the Japan Sea coast from Shimonoseki (at the southwestern tip of Honshu) to Tottori prefecture. The fastest method might be the bus from Shin-Yamaguchi shinkansen station straight to Hagi (about an hour bus ride). It may not be a destination spot for a short trip or an introductory trip to Japan, but it is certainly a worthwhile stop for a leisurely tour down the Japan sea coast.

*Tsubaki no Yakata
Tsubaki no Yakata is one of the usual stops for the family when visiting Hagi. It is located at the tip of a peninsula, overlooking the Japan sea, in Kasayama national park north of the city. But unlike most scenic tourist spots on the coast, Tsubaki no Yakata resembles a typical mom'n'pop koryori-ya run by a family of fishermen, where the cooking is done by the wives of the fishermen from the morning's catch, featuring local seafood like amadai, ika, sazae, and mafugu. The menu is simple, offering teishoku for hungry visitors, but locals know to stick with the impeccably fresh seafood. In my several visits, we never stray very far from items like the sashimi moriawase, sazae no tsuboyaki (grilled turban shells), yaki-ika (grilled squid), and amadai no nitsuke (amadai - local bream--simmered in a sweetened soy). And a meal at Tsubaki no Yakata wouldn't be complete without an order of the wakame-musubi (from their homemade wakame, by the way).

Exterior: http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2757/4324645448_a380315070_o.jpg
Sashimi moriawase: http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4034/4323909649_bef8cdac38_o.jpg Clockwise from top left; ika geso (tentacles), hirasou (AKA hiramasa or young yellowtail), sazae, more hirasou, amadai (local bream), mafugu, ika.
Ika sashimi: http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4013/4324645372_5d8e375335_o.jpg
Ika yaki: http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4007/4324645028_b287339d8c_o.jpg
Sazae no tsuboyaki: http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4046/4324645088_73fdb329db_o.jpg
Amadai no nitsuke: http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4038/4323909459_97d7988f81_o.jpg
Sazae meshi: http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4009/4324645216_6e21c6009e_o.jpg
Menu: http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4032/4323909221_cc76d9abe9_o.jpg

Like a typical mom'n'pop operation, the food is more rustic than precious, and if you're looking for no-nonsense fresh-from-the-boat seafood at a great value, then this could be your place. But judging from the sashimi moriawase, it's apparent that the person doing the slicing has had lots of experience cutting up seafood. The squid sashimi was a good example of getting the best texture from the slicing technique of neatly scoring the flesh. Otherwise, squid this fresh is a little too firm and chewy, and these weren't. And while I enjoy ika sashimi, I made the request for the yaki-ika, as it is one of my favorite items here. The same fresh ika are lightly grilled and brushed with some sweet soy. This plate of the freshest grilled squid costs 525¥ (less than $6), and I could eat a few plates of these. But I needed to save some space for the sazae tsuboyaki. These are made by pouring some soy sauce in the shell and roasting over a grill until it starts to bubble up from the inside. A plate of 3 of these also costs 525¥. The sazae is a cross between an oyster and sea snail. Some people are put off by the dark gewy end of the sazae that loops around the inside of the shell, but if you like things like kani-miso (crab tomalley), you might like these as much as I do. The more fleshy section is more reminiscent of scungili or conch. Nitsuke is a homestyle dish that most mothers make, but having it made with a local fish like amadai this fresh is pretty special. This was devoured by the family within a few minutes. While our usual order is to finish up with some wakame musubi (not pictured), we decided also to get an order of the sazae-meshi, where sazae pieces are cooked into the rice. While the flavor of the sazae is subtle compared to eating them whole, it adds another dimension of flavor to the rice.

I've always wanted to visit other mom'n'pop seafood restaurant like the one down the street featuring a similar menu to Tsubaki no Yakata, but we've never been able to bear missing out on the food here. This will most likely remain my regular spot.
http://www.hagishi.com/event/chosyu5don/tsubaki.html
http://www.marugoto-y.net/shokusai/56.html


*Midoriya
When I was researching restaurants in Hagi, I came upon Midoriya farms, a market and restaurant run by local beef producers of Kenran-gyu (見蘭牛). Kenran-gyu is a breed of cows originally raised on Mishima Island off the coast of Hagi. Like the more famous Matsuzaka- or Kobe-gyu, the cattle is raised to similar standards, producing very well-marbled beef. The grounds of Midori-ya is like a campus which includes a park, and modern concrete buildings housing their market, and a small processing plant perhaps, and a yakiniku restaurant. We got there in the middle of the day, mostly to buy some products at the market, but I did want to look inside the restaurant. They have an all-you-can-eat special, as well as some premium-priced plans. One wouldn't think of Hagi as a destination for meat, but this could change. As for the products we bought, I have to say the prepared frozen korokke (croquettes) were some of the best I've had, including even some of the depachika places that make them fresh. The beef sausages were also quite good, though I didn't get to eat as much of those as I wanted since the family devoured them before I could get my fill.
http://mishimaushi.com/
http://www.mishimaushi.com/farm/hagi_kenran_farm.html
http://r.tabelog.com/yamaguchi/A3503/A350301/35000066/


*Isuzu
Among my list of places I had highlighted for Hagi, I had a recommendation for a koryori restaurant called Isuzu. It was close to our ryokan and central for the other family members so it seemed like a good choice for a place to meet up for dinner. Besides featuring local cuisine using local ingredients, Isuzu has become widely known through local and national media outlets for two dishes: the uni-meshi, and the amadai misoyaki. Like a typical koryori-ya, the ambiance is simple with a counter and a tatami seating area with 3-4 tables. They do open the upstairs dining area for large parties and for the busy summer season. The menu is minimal, with most items on display on wood blocks above the bar (that seats about 10), and on a few laminated handwritten menus at the tables. The okamisan (matron of the house) is a gregarious woman, who probably likes to chit-chat with anyone who comes through the doors. Since we hadn’t made a menu request when we made the reservation for our party of 8 (adults and kids), and we just wanted to sample whatever local seafood was available and in season, we fell victim to some upselling by the okamisan. But that is forgivable since we did have some really great stuff.

Our dinner started with an otoshi (amuse) or ni-anago (simmered sea eel). This was a nice preview of what was to come. The flavoring was slightly more robust than the typical usukuchi of western Japan. The local Yamaguchi prefecture soy sauce is famously darker and richer than the typical national brands, and it reflected in this anago dish. We asked for a sashimi moriawase (mixed sashimi) plate for 4-5 people, and got the thumbs up. This was the first upsell. I noticed that the chef grabbed a good sized dark colored fish out of a tank and brought it back to the kitchen. That fish was a large wild ishidai (a bream variety). After a short wait, out came the sashimi platter, with the ishidai the centerpiece, with its tail still quivering. Along with the ishidai came ika and sazae sashimi. Being freshly killed, the ishidai sashimi was still firm and slightly chewy, but bursting with sweet flavor. The sazae sashimi was nice and crunchy, and the ika was silky, and made for a nice contrast to the ishidai. To round out our appetizers, we also ordered oysters in ponzu sauce as well as fugu kara-age. The oysters (which come from the Seto sea side of Yamaguchi prefecture) were simply prepared, plump and sweet. The mafugu kara-age was substantial, though expectedly bony, and perfectly comforting. Fugu just seems to be made for kara-age. With a little fanfare from the okamisan, the amadai misoyaki made its way to our table. The amadai were butterflied pieces from the upper part of the fish, including the head, kama, and some of the fillet. The amadai was probably marinated in the miso for a good long time as it gave the fish a slightly pungent, fermented undertone, and the grilling gave it an extra boost of sweetness from the caramelization. I’m sure I’ll be back to get this again.

As we were done with the sashimi platter, the plate was taken away and the carcass and remaining ishidai made an appearance later in the suimono that was served later in the meal. This soup was flavorful, yet subtle, light, and just so comforting. And for the finale, we just had to get some of the uni-meshi, though we were feeling full already. We ordered three to give our party a tasting to share. At Isuzu, they take an entire tray of uni, give it a mix with the local soy sauce, some fresh wasabi, and place it on the rice in a donburi bowl topped with a bed of nori. Unlike a kaisendon, this uni-meshi is meant to be mixed like bibimbap, so you get a bite of uni with every mouthful of rice. This was heavenly, and somehow, I made enough room to finish a bowl on my own.

There was a bit of stickershock when the check arrived, but we realized we were served a lot of premium items. That live ishidai I’m sure was a big culprit. While one expects to get better value for the yen at these quaint seaside towns when ordering the local seafood, Isuzu might not be the right choice for the value-seekers. I’ll remember to pre-order some items to control the cost. Otherwise, another way to manage the cost is to order the teishoku of their two specialty items.

Anago nimono: http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4018/4405270171_be011e3966_o.jpg
Sashimi moriawase: http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2777/4323912093_b181154e51_o.jpg
Oysters in ponzu: http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4031/4323912017_5acb7b79db_o.jpg
Amadai misoyaki: http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2758/4323912153_4e984910ac_o.jpg
Fugu kara-age: http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4003/4323912237_fc08a2ba75_o.jpg
Ishidai suimono: http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4033/4324647946_c5b11a4c8b_o.jpg
Uni-meshi: http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4017/4324648018_2c07da1326_o.jpg
Exterior sign: http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4057/4323912439_7cdd019989_o.jpg

http://www6.ocn.ne.jp/~isuzu/
http://www.hagishi.com/member/300004.html
http://r.tabelog.com/yamaguchi/A3503/...

[exilekiss]

Hi E Eto,

Wonderful report again. :) The Ishidai and Amadai sound wonderful, as does the Uni Meshi. What was the cost per person if you don't mind me asking? (to prepare for sticker shock :)

[E Eto]

At Isuzu that night, not counting the kids in the group, it was probably close to 10,000 yen per adult, which doesn't sound like a lot by city standards, but for Hagi, you can eat at a higher-end ryotei for about the same amount. We enjoyed the food but felt it was a little pricy. If you look at the comments on the Tabelog link, there are many similar comments about the price. Isuzu would likely be a better lunch place for their specialty teishoku, but these aren't cheap lunch prices either. From their flyer:
Amadai misoyaki teishoku: 3150 yen
Unidon teishoku: 3675 yen
Sashimi teishoku: 2625 yen (lunch), 3150 yen (dinner)

By the way, I noticed from the photos on Tabelog and on their flyer that the uni-meshi we had is different from this uni-don. Their uni-don is covered with sashimi (looks like ika, sazae, tako, hirasou) and a tray of uni on the side, which the diner can mix in.

I guess the point here is that one can find really great fresh seafood in these coastal towns where restaurants get ingredients directly from the local fishermen and vegetables from the local farms. I had some of the best strawberries I've ever tasted from the grandfather's patch. He sells a bunch to suppliers that go to the big cities. This year's crop of a new variety of strawberry, called benihoppe, were tremendously good. The winter vegetables we got from him, like daikon, kabu, and cabbage, were some of the sweetest I've ever tasted. The "inaka" offers so many great honest and soulful places to eat that I'm always ecstatic to eat around these towns. I think the strategy is to look for the supply chain of good ingredients by asking around at the markets and other chowhoundish places, and it will invariably lead to someone using those ingredients in some fabulous ways that often reflect the local culture. Hope you get a chance to do some travels besides the big cities in Japan.

[exilekiss]

Hi E Eto,

Thanks for the great follow-up. :) I've definitely been inspired by your eating travels in the more rural areas of Japan.