Shiogama Fish Park, Miyagi Prefecture

Shiogama bares its title of “Sushi Capital of Japan” with pride and where better to explore the city’s produce than at its bustling fish market. Situated in Miyagi, a quiet prefecture in the Tohoku region of Japan, it has a strong connection to the nation’s coast and catch.

Shiogama Seafood Wholesale Market—also known as Shiogama Fish Park—is a large‐scale seafood hub in Miyagi Prefecture, established in its current location in 1965. Over its more than fifty years of operation, it has become deeply rooted in local fishing culture, seeing huge daily catches unloaded right from Shiogama Port. The market weathered the devastation of the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and the ensuing tsunami, yet survived as a central part of the region’s economy and cuisine.

Fresh cuts of sashimi prepared on the spot for the market’s popular DIY Sushi Bowl Corner

Serving the eyes and taste buds, the market invites visitors to enjoy its bounty from the moment it arrives. With over 80 stalls, it offers fresh, frozen, dried and processed seafood, highlighted by the prized big-eye tuna known as Sanriku Shiogama Higashimono. This brand tuna, caught between October and December, is celebrated for its supreme freshness, rich fattiness, vibrant color and glossy sheen. Inside the wholesale hall, over 20 stalls are dedicated just to tuna, and those arriving early on Friday or Saturday mornings, around 8:00 to 9:00, may catch the impressive scene of tuna being prepared by skilled workers. Other seasonal highlights include kinmedai (splendid alfonsino), enjoyed from November through July, and briny iwagaki (rock oysters), best in summer.

Tucked away at the back of the market is the DIY Sushi Bowl (My Kaisendon) Corner, where fresh purchases are transformed into a hearty meal. The restaurant provides a simple rice and miso soup set, while the real fun comes from browsing the stalls. Vendors offer small plates of sashimi at reasonable prices, making it easy to select three to five varieties—or more—and create your own customized rice bowl. If nothing suitable is on display, many will happily slice pieces to order, ensuring a freshness that’s hard to beat.

DIY Sushi Bowl (My Kaisendon) and miso soup set

For anyone avoiding raw fish, the market has you covered. Outside is a public BBQ grill, open on weekends and holidays, where you can cook your seafood to perfection, all while admiring the very ocean they were caught from (The grills rest during the winter months). Some stalls also cook items to order, so there’s no need to worry if you’re not feeling fully confident in your cooking skills first thing in the morning.

The market requires an early start, but there’s plenty to see and do in Shiogama City for the remainder of the day. Meaning “salt-furnace,” the name Shiogama is derived from a time of boiling salt-water in large kettles. This tradition continues at Okama Shrine, a branch of Shiogama-jinja Shrine, through the annual Moshioyaki (Seaweed Salt-Burning) Ceremony, where ancient salt-making methods are faithfully reenacted each July.

Brilliantly decorated festival boats set out from Shiogama Port during the Shiogama Minato Festival

Shiogama-jinja Shrine itself is worth a visit, standing on a wooded hill with sweeping bay views and vermilion gates. Each July, the city also hosts the Shiogama Minato Festival, one of Japan’s three great boat festivals, when ornate vessels sail across Matsushima Bay. For a final flourish, visitors can set out to sail themselves and enjoy a cruise from Shiogama to Matsushima, passing scenic islands and coastal views.

For more details, contact DMC Japan to discuss ideas, locations and rates.
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