What is Kaisen Sushi Shiogama Port?

Shiogama Port in Miyagi Prefecture is a fishing port that boasts one of the largest tuna catches in Japan. In particular, it once recorded the largest catch of fresh tuna and bigeye tuna in Japan.
Shiogama also has the highest density of sushi restaurants per population in Japan.

Kaisen Sushi Shiogama Port is a sushi restaurant in Shiogama City where you can enjoy fresh local fish including tuna landed at Shiogama Port.

Kaisen Sushi Shiogama Port was founded by Hideya Kamata (current chairman), who has 35 years of experience auctioning and selling fish at the Shiogama fish market.

Before the establishment of the company, the local people did not know much about what kind of fish was caught at Shiogama Port. Therefore, Chairman Kamata founded Kaisen Sushi Shiogama Port with the goal of making local people aware of the fish caught at Shiogama Port.

Mr. Kamata, the chairman of the restaurant, still does the stocking himself based on his experience at the Shiogama fish market. Every morning at 4:00 a.m., Chairman Kamata goes to the market and participates in the auction held three times in the morning before going to the restaurant in the afternoon.

I am confident that we are second to none when it comes to raw fish.

Chairman Kamata is proud of his restaurant, which has gained a reputation for its delicious food and is now a restaurant that draws a long line of customers.

In the town with the largest tuna catch in Japan, locals line up for conveyor-belt sushi!

Kaisenzushi Shiogama Port also has a branch in front of Sendai Station, but let's go a little further to the main restaurant in Shiogama.
By train, take the Senseki Tohoku Line from Sendai Station to Shiogama Station, a 15-minute ride. From there, a five-minute walk will take you to the main Shiogama branch of Kaisenzushi Shiogama Port.

The Shiogama main store has a sign that reads "Japan's largest tuna catch" and an objet d'art of tuna welcomes you at the entrance. You may or may not be in the mood for tuna, right?
On weekends, customers sometimes line up even before the store opens, indicating the popularity of the restaurant among the locals.

Once inside the restaurant, you can hear the lively voices of the chefs and artisans. The whiteboard is lined with items purchased that day. The lineup includes many local products such as "from Shiogama" and "from Ishinomaki.

Now then, let's eat!

Tuna melts in your mouth! Shiogama tuna melts in your mouth!

I still want you to try the tuna!

Chairman Kamata also recommends the Shiogama-produced "tuna otoro" to start. The number of plates was limited to 18! The fresh tuna, finely marbled and brightly colored, came in a size that almost overshadowed the rice.

When you put it in your mouth, it felt as if it was right at home on your tongue. There was no unpleasant taste or smell at all. The fatty meat has a clean taste. I was immediately knocked out by the elegant tuna fatty tuna.

Many conveyor-belt sushi restaurants claim to have "big tuna," but this one was huge...or rather, long! This "Dekaneta Nama Tuna" looks like a wristwatch and has a great impact. You can fill your mouth with the refreshing red meat.

Here is the "Torotaku Gunkan" topped with a tuna tataki on top of a gunkan rolled on the back. The tuna is mixed with roughly chopped takuan.

You may often eat Tuna Tataki with Negitoro Gunkan, but at low-priced conveyor-belt sushi restaurants, Bincho Tuna is often used, and it has a light flavor. However, at Kaisen Sushi Shiogama Port, they boldly use chubofukoshi, or "medium-fleshed" tuna. This dish was extremely satisfying, allowing you to enjoy the taste of the tuna and the texture of the crunchy takuan (pickled radish) at the same time.

4. taste all the fresh local fish

According to Chairman Kamata, local fish is also very popular. In particular, lingcod, sea bream, sole, flatfish, and flathead flounder are always hot items.

On this particular day, makogarei was in the menu, so I ordered it. Makogarei is a flatfish known as a high-end fish, and its clear flesh is very beautiful. This was a local product landed at Shiogama Port.

When I tried it, I was impressed by its chewy and elastic texture. As I chewed, the sweetness gradually spread in my mouth.

Matsukawa flounder is a high-class fish in the same class as flatfish and flathead flounder. Only at Kaisenzushi Shiogama Port can you eat such matsukawa flounder in "live" form.

By the way, "live" means that the fish was alive (in the fish tank) until just before it was served.

The fish has a firm bite, and the moderate fat content gives it a subtle, elegant sweetness. I felt that the taste was brought out even more when eaten with salt.

Kinmedai is characterized by its bright red color. It is often seen in Izu and Numazu as a high-end local fish.

Kaisenzushi Shiogama Port The kinmedai at "Kaisen Sushi Shiogama Port" was tender and fluffy. I was surprised at the tenderness of the sea bream. I may have never had such a soft sea bream before. It was a very tasty fish.

The king salmon roe, which was described as "limited" on the menu, is a large piece of salmon roe. I love salmon roe so much that I always order salmon roe no matter which sushi restaurant I go to.

Kaisenzushi Shiogama Port The salmon roe of the "Sushi Soup of the Day" was very satisfying, with a pleasant elasticity and a full flavor.

5. [With Sake] Here are some snacks that go well with sake!

Sake is the perfect accompaniment to sushi. This time, we had "Urakasumi" sake. Saura, the maker of Urakasumi, is a long-established company founded in 1724 in Shiogama. It is a prestigious company that produces "Urakasumi," a sake made in the Nanbu Touji style, and its brand is well-known throughout the country.

The local sake served at Kaisenzushi Shiogama Port is nothing short of exceptional. It has a soft and aromatic flavor that spreads in your mouth.

I paired it with the Anglerfish with Tomo-Waied Sake. Tomo-Waage" refers to a dish in which the ingredients to be dressed and the dressing are made from the same ingredients. Anglerfish Tomo-Waage is a local dish of Fukushima Prefecture, in which boiled anglerfish is dressed with stir-fried anglerfish liver, sugar, and miso.

The rich, rich flavor makes it a perfect accompaniment to sake. I emptied my boar cup in no time. The anglerfish meat was so rich and thick that it went perfectly with sake. The more you chew, the more delicious it becomes.

Other popular side dishes include rock oysters, oysters, tuna hearts, and in summer, sea urchins and ascidians.

And finally, let's end the meal with "clam soup," which is filled with several clams.

How was it?
Among all the local conveyor-belt sushi restaurants in Japan, this time we visited the Shiogama head office of "Kaisenzushi Shiogama Port" in Shiogama, which has the largest tuna catch in Japan. As one would expect from a sushi restaurant, the tuna is so fresh that it makes you want to roar! It's no wonder that people are waiting in line even before the restaurant opens, as the fish is so fresh that it makes you want to roar.

According to the restaurant, all seats can be reserved on weekdays, and on weekends, only the small dining room can be reserved. If you do not have a reservation, the best time to come in is between 3:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m.

If you go to Sendai, please visit Kaisen Sushi Shiogama Port. Note that the Sendai branch is an easy 5-minute Direction walk from the East Exit of Sendai Station.

Kaisen Sushi Shiogama Port offers a variety of fresh fish and tuna landed at Shiogama Port. It is a restaurant to keep an eye out for in the future!

Kaisen Sushi Shiogama Port" Main Restaurant

• 18-1 Noda, Shiogama-shi, Miyagi MAP
• 5 min. walk from JR Shiogama Station
• 11:00-20:30 (L.O. 20:00)
• 022-367-3838

Hoshino Resorts KAI Akiu, an inn located in Akiu hot spring, a backwater of Sendai

Akiu hot spring, a famous hot spring in Oshu with a history of 1,400 years, is associated with the Date family. The "Seseraki Lounge" overlooking the mountain stream offers guests a relaxing moment immersed in nature with a seasonal drink and snacks in hand.

The Shiogama main restaurant of Kaisen Sushi Shiogama-ko is only a 50-minute drive from the inn, making it ideal for a drive. Enjoy a trip to Sendai to taste Shiogama tuna and fresh local fish.