Must-buy souvenirs 【Gourmet edition】

Kushiro is famous for its marine products, but it also has a number of other classics and products that can only be found locally. Check out these gift ideas presented by Kushiroites who love the city and Lake Akan.

Seafood

With hair crab, Sanma , salmon, shishamo and mackerel, Kushiro port is host to huge hauls of fish through all four seasons of the year. At markets like Washo Market, one of Hokkaido's 3 biggest, Kushiro City Fish Processor's outlets Maruryo Karoe, or Fisherman's Wharf MOO, you can enjoy the market atmosphere and find just the fish you're looking for! We highly recommend talking to the pros on hand when choosing your fish. They also deliver, so don't worry about when to buy during your trip.

・Kushiro Washo Market：http://en.kushiro-lakeakan.com/eat_souvenir/7469/
・Kushiro Fisherman’s Wharf MOO：http://en.kushiro-lakeakan.com/eat_souvenir/7530/
・Marine Products：http://en.kushiro-lakeakan.com/eat_souvenir_category/souvenir-en/marine-products-en/

Kushiro Delicacies

The fruits of Kushiro's seas are delicacies even when processed. As a fishing village, Kushiro has a huge lineup of exceptional delights, from fresh to dried. You must try the rare Kombu Wraps, with mackerel pike, shishamo, or scallops. There's also Hokusho's Sanma Ichibanboshi, made by drying Kushiro's famed mackerel pike for 16 hours, concentrating and intensifying the flavor; Ogawa's Kita no Nizakana Series, made by slow stewing blue-backed fish in a special sauce and finishing with miso. Finally, Sasaya Shoten's delights, such as uniquely flavored Salmon flakes, Honchan Salmon Hogushi or Smoked Sanshozuke and Salt Squid, are quite popular..

・Ogawa Head Office Direct Sales：http://en.kushiro-lakeakan.com/eat_souvenir/7564/
・Ogawa MOO：http://en.kushiro-lakeakan.com/eat_souvenir/7565/
・Kushiro Hokusho (Washo Market)：http://en.kushiro-lakeakan.com/eat_souvenir/7593/
・Kushiro Hokusho (MOO)：http://en.kushiro-lakeakan.com/eat_souvenir/7592/
・Sennosuke(Sasaya Shoten's)：http://en.kushiro-lakeakan.com/eat_souvenir/7584/

Nukasanma

Kushiro's Sanma mackerel pike is especially big and juicy, and known as the very best. Nukasanma made from that rich, flavorful fish is even more concentrated, and is the perfect accompaniment to rice. By preserving in rice bran, flavor-bearing amino acids are sealed in and excessive water is removed. When grilled so the skin is crisp and the meat flaky, there's no trace of that characteristic fishy smell. It loses no flavor even when cool, so it's great for bento boxes as well.

・Kushiro Hokusho (Washo Market)：http://en.kushiro-lakeakan.com/eat_souvenir/7593/
・Kushiro Hokusho (MOO)：http://en.kushiro-lakeakan.com/eat_souvenir/7592/

Sanmanma

Kushiro Sanma mackerel pike is famous nationwide. Sanmanma is made from completely deboned whole Sanma stewed in a soy-based sauce, then wrapped around rice and charcoal grilled.. Accented with perilla leaf, it has a unassertive, delicate aftertaste. It can be had frozen for a perfect souvenir to take back with you. For those wanting it fresh off the grill, head to Uomasa on the 1st floor of Fisherman's Wharf MOO.

・Uomasa：http://en.kushiro-lakeakan.com/eat_souvenir/7740/
・Torimasa at Harbor Booth：http://en.kushiro-lakeakan.com/eat_souvenir/7744/
・Torimasa：http://en.kushiro-lakeakan.com/eat_souvenir/7742/

Mr. Shishamo

This is a smoke flavored delicacy made from Kushiro's own shishamo. You can eat this exquisite dish as is, or lightly sear for even richer flavor. Compare both ways to see how the flavor changes! They're perfect to accompany an evening drink. These shishamo can only be caught along one section of the Hokkaido coast. Males, said to be juicier and more flavorful than females, are finished in a specially made smoke flavoring. The rich flavor of this Kushiro exclusive bursts forth with your first bite.

・Kushiro Fisherman’s Wharf MOO：http://en.kushiro-lakeakan.com/eat_souvenir/7530/
・Maruryo Karoe：http://en.kushiro-lakeakan.com/eat_souvenir/7595/

Soy Sauce stewed Pond Smelt

The pond smelt of Lake Akan, fed on plant and zooplankton, are considered especially tasty. These soy-sauce stewed Lake Akan smelt have been made the same way since the company's founding. They are flavored with sugar, soy sauce, and starch syrup for a simple, old fashioned taste. They use only new born smelt so there are no bones or bitterness, and a flavor that you just won't be able to quit. As one of Lake Akan's top souvenirs, they're beloved by tourists even today.

・Lake Akan Fishery Cooperative：http://en.kushiro-lakeakan.com/eat_souvenir/7668/

Lake Lobster Soup

Lake Akan's crawfish are now a delicious soup! This aromatic, rich soup is made by combining the rich stock from Uchida crawfish with fresh butter, cream and tomatoes. It has a rich, luxurious flavor similar to the French Sauce Americaine. Serve as-is, or use it in your normal curry or pasta recipe for a new level of deliciousness!

・Lake Akan Fishery Cooperative：http://en.kushiro-lakeakan.com/eat_souvenir/7668/

Jizake Fukutsukasa

Fukutsukasa, Kushiro's only local sake, is made with the hopes of bringing good fortune. Made with ground water seeping from the wetlands and 90% Hokkaido grown rice, this true Doto original is a graceful, full-bodied sake. We also recommend the Kaiteiryoku, aged in former coal mine tunnels, minaNicori with its yogurt sourness, popular with ladies, and of course Sake hire Sake or Ponepere! And at the airport souvenir shop Tanbaya, they carry the original daiginjo label Yuhi.

・Fukutsukasa Shuzo Co.：http://en.kushiro-lakeakan.com/eat_souvenir/7528/
・Kushiro Washo Market：http://en.kushiro-lakeakan.com/eat_souvenir/7469/
・Kushiro Fisherman’s Wharf MOO：http://en.kushiro-lakeakan.com/eat_souvenir/7530/
・Tancho Kushiro Airport：http://en.kushiro-lakeakan.com/eat_souvenir/7526/

Kushiro Ramen Kawamura

Enjoy Kushiro Ramen's thin noodles in light, soy sauce broth at home! Kushiro Ramen Kawamura has been in business since 1989, making it one of Kushiro's oldest, and it's broth is slow simmered from fish stock flavored with chicken stock and onion. It's low in fat, so nicer to your waistline, and the flavor is so addictive you'll want bowl after bowl! It was featured in the Michelin Guide Hokkaido, and is a popular spot with local families. It's a taste you'll want to take home!

・Kushiro Ramen Kawamura：http://en.kushiro-lakeakan.com/eat_souvenir/7817/
・Tancho Kushiro Airport：http://en.kushiro-lakeakan.com/eat_souvenir/7526/

Akan Momiji (Deer meat)

Yezo deer meat, loved by Hokkaido gourmets, is high protein and low fat, with the same DHA found in blue-backed fish, and packed with minerals. It has twice the protein of beef, 1/10th the fat, and more than ten times the often insufficient iron found in pork. People often imagine deer to be a tough, gamey meat, but when properly bled and prepared, it's melt-in-your mouth tender and full of delicate flavor.

・Michi no Eki (Roadside Station) Akan Tancho no Sato：http://en.kushiro-lakeakan.com/things_to_do/3827/
・Kushiro Washo Market：http://en.kushiro-lakeakan.com/eat_souvenir/7469/

Kushiro Washo Market Yuhi Genghis Khan.

This special Genghis Khan lamb dish is made by chefs at a local meat shop. Washo Market gathers only the very best of Kushiro's seafood. But among them, Maruichi Yoshioka Meats Inc. developed this specially seasoned Genghis Khan dish. This dish, made only with unfrozen meat from lambs less than 6 months old, is thick cut and juicy! It's the perfect Hokkaido souvenir!

・Maruichi Yoshioka Meats：http://en.kushiro-lakeakan.com/eat_souvenir/7581/

・Must-buy souvenirs from Kushiro and Akan.【Sweets edition】：http://en.kushiro-lakeakan.com/eat_souvenir/7042/
・Must-buy souvenirs from Kushiro and Akan.【Original merchandise edition】：http://en.kushiro-lakeakan.com/eat_souvenir/7044/
Souvenir