Twentythree

This Obama delicacy impresses with its sashimi-like flavor, which is almost unthinkable for a preserved food.

Despite its popularity among dinosaur enthusiasts, Fukui remains among the more undervisited prefectures of Japan, and even fewer people still manage to make their way out to the small city of Obama in the western reaches of the prefecture. However, aside from its “I love Obama” desserts, there’s a local fish that could outshine Japan’s most famous celebratory fish.

Japan’s food culture is extensive, filled with deeply historical and regional specialities, many of which never leave their hometowns, and Obama has one too: Kodai no Sasazuke (1,836 yen [US$11.72]).

In Japan, sea bream (called tai) is quite a big deal, with the most famous variety, called madai (red sea bream), being traditionally served at weddings and celebrations because its name sounds like medetai (“auspicious” or “joyous”).

▼ Yes, it’s the same “tai” from the delicious fish-shaped dessert taiyaki (which doesn’t actually contain any fish).

While madai is still enjoyed in the coastal Wakasa region of Fukui, where Obama is situated, it’s the variety of renkodai (yellowback sea bream) that is the darling of the region, all thanks to sasazuke.

Sasazuke was developed in the late 19th century, before refrigeration, when fish from the Sea of Japan needed to survive the journey inland to Kyoto along the historic trade route known as the Saba Kaido (Mackerel Road). The solution of the time was to lightly salt the fish, cure it in rice vinegar, and pack it into small cedar barrels, resulting in a preserved product that somehow still manages to taste remarkably fresh.

▼ Nowadays, they come with plastic cups to catch any leakage, since leaks are an intended feature of the design.

Opening up a barrel of Kodai no Sasazuke, there’s no strong fermented smell to be found, nor does it look heavily pickled.

Instead, it resembles sashimi (raw sliced fish) with a light color and firm texture, and the flavor lacks the sour and salty tastes commonly associated with preserved foods, presenting the clean sea bream flavor with an enhanced umami. While it is a marvelous dish just by itself, according to the instructions on the wrapping, it can also be used in sushi, vinegared dishes, or clear soups.

Compared to other contemporary preservation methods, sasazuke must have been revolutionary to the residents of Kyoto who could enjoy the delightful taste of something very close to the fresh seafood that they lacked easy access to.

Even today, sasazuke remains a special part of life, with the cedar barrel making it appear as if it’s some sort of ceremonial offering. Although locals don’t tend to eat it in their everyday lives, it’s pretty common to give it as a gift, even among other Fukui natives.

Pair it with local Japanese sake rice wine, and you’ll find yourself with a bite of luxurious indulgence.

A refined daiginjo (a highly polished rice wine, typically light, smooth, and highly aromatic) made from Fukui’s modern sake rice, Hayaseura’s Sakahomare, offers pear-like aromas and crystal clarity that match perfectly to the umami of the fish.

A slice of sasazuke with wasabi and soy sauce, followed by a sip of Sakahomare sake, is a blissful treat fit for a connoisseur.

Japan has many foods that it is known for, but its culinary charm can often lie far from the tourist trail, in the quiet, regional towns and cities. So, the next time you’re passing through an unfamiliar place, maybe stop and take some time to uncover what delicious delights the area has been keeping to themselves.

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A trip on the Aurora icebreaker boat takes you to the southernmost point where the ocean freezes.

If you’re looking for unusual sights in Japan, you can’t go past the drift ice in eastern Hokkaido. This special winter activity is one you can’t experience anywhere else in the country, and certainly not in a lot of other countries either, making it a must-visit destination.

Though a lot of tourists are yet to learn about the drift ice in Japan, fans of the Golden Kamuy manga franchise will be well acquainted with it, as the climax of the Sakhalin chapter is set on the drift ice, making it a real-world location that fans flock to.

▼ The ice can’t be seen from land, however, so the only way to view it is by boat from Abashiri, which sits on the Sea of Okhotsk.

The start of the season is one that boat operators look forward to every year, when the drift ice, known as “ryuhyo” in Japanese, typically arrives along the coast from late January to mid-February, having made the journey through the Sea of Okhotsk from Russia’s Amur River.

▼ The shores of Okhotsk are the southernmost point where the ocean freezes.

With peak viewing season usually running from mid-February to early March, early tours can be a bit hit-and-miss in terms of up-close encounters, as the ice moves closer to land or further away from it depending on wind conditions, so it’s not in the same place every day. In fact, even if you can see it, there’s a chance it’ll be out of sight an hour later, so it’s a bit like setting out on a whale-watching tour, with the up-in-the-air aspect of the natural phenomenon adding to the excitement of the adventure. The whale in this case, though, is a sea of ice as far as the eye can see, and as long as there’s a reasonable amount of it within a distance that allows a tourist boat to make a round trip, visitors will be able to see the sights.

▼ Tickets for a round-trip tour start at 5,000 yen (US$32.13) for adults and 2,500 yen for children.

There are two icebreakers, the larger Aurora and smaller Aurora III, that take visitors out to sea, and although guides do their best to ensure visitors are able to see the drift ice, there are no guarantees. On some days, the entire harbour may be covered in so much ice that the boats won’t even be able to depart and on other days, the ice may be to far off, in which case visitors will be taken on on a sea excursion to Cape Notoro on the Aurora vessel.

Though the company does its best to keep visitor expectations low for the tour, those expectations are frequently exceeded as ice is seen on the majority of tours. When we took the tour in late February, we were left in awe of the experience, as we were able to see the ice up close, and catch a glimpse of the natural inhabitants that call this place home.

As you might expect, the tours are popular so boarding times can be crowded. Reservations are required well in advance, but as the boat has unreserved seating, it’s recommended that you arrive at the boarding area early so you can line up and snag the best window-side seats.

▼ The Aurora can accommodate 450 people for each 60-minute tour.

▼ As soon as people board, there’s a scramble for seats, and there are some gorgeous spots to choose from.

▼ There are special rooms that cost extra, but the unreserved seating areas have stunning views.

The captain steers the Aurora towards the drift ice, wherever it may be on any given day, so that about halfway through the 60-minute voyage, you’ll start to see a thin, translucent layer of ice covering the sea. This layer of ice breaks off in disc-shaped patches poetically known as “hasuha” (lotus leaf) or pancake ice, due to the way they resemble floating lily pads or pancakes, as the circular ice floes form through rotations on the waves.

The operators are generous with the tour time, extending it on days when the ice is just within reach but slightly further than usual. Though the Aurora boats are synonymous with the drift ice, another sightseeing boat called the Garinko II in Monbetsu also forges through the sea, but using slightly different methods, as it employs a drill-like screw to break through.

▼ The Aurora is a sister ship to the Antarctic research vessel Shirase, which breaks the ice using the ship’s own weight.

Once the surface of the sea changes, it doesn’t take long until you reach the drift ice. Unlike the scenes in Golden Kamu , the ice isn’t thick enough for people to walk on, but it’s no less impressive as blocks of ice begin to appear all over the place.

▼ As the ship forges through the icy landscape, the entire area begins to take on a pale light blue hue.

Where there was once empty sea, a flat land-like mass begins to take shape before your eyes. The dreamlike scenery changes from moment to moment, as the sun hides behind the clouds and then shines through them, illuminating the surroundings with a sparkle that’s so divine it almost brings tears to the eyes.

▼ You can also spot seals and white-tailed eagles resting on the ice.

Seeing the ice up close is an awe-inspiring experience – to think that this ice originated in an entirely different country before travelling through the sea to the shores of Japan is a great reminder of the power and beauty of nature, and the responsibility we have as humans to help preserve it.

The thicker the ice gets, the larger the crowd grows on deck, but it doesn’t take long for the numbers to dissipate as the sea breeze is bitingly cold. Despite being warmly dressed, you’ll feel the icy chill seep through your layers and into your body, so you won’t want to stand still for long.

▼ One tip to deal with the cold is to shelter in the windbreak created by the funnel of the ship, where you can regain your body heat while enjoying the scenery on both sides.

If it gets too cold to bear, you can always return to the warmth of the two-storey ship. The upper floors, with their great views, are understandably popular, but the lower floors are closer to the water so are also impressive in their own way.

Contrary to what we’d imagined, there was no noise of ice being crushed during our journey. In fact, it was incredibly quiet – all we could hear was the deep roar of the boat’s engine alongside the guide’s low-volume commentary. The ice was moving slowly, making it feel as if the boat was gliding through blocks of ice, and though we’d erred on the side of caution by taking some motion sickness medicine prior to boarding, it wasn’t necessary as the ride was pleasant and smooth throughout.

As the ship turned back towards the port, it left a path in the ice. This would soon disappear though, as everything in this environment was stunningly fleeting, with the scenery changing within seconds. It felt like a miraculous experience that was in danger of disappearing at any moment, making us wonder how much longer it might be for humans to see this view.

It’s a dramatic natural phenomenon that you really need to see firsthand to truly appreciate, and with the Aurora operating multiple trips daily until the end of March, with real-time reports on the presence of the ice floe, you still have plenty of time to experience it.

Despite having seen glaciers in Alaska, this sight in Japan surpassed that experience as there was something exceedingly beautiful in seeing broken ice in a constant state of ebb and flow. It really makes you sense the power and fragility of nature, and with the area and duration of ice floes along the coast of Hokkaido have nearly halved compared to 100 years ago, we may be one of the last generations to experience it.

Related: Abashiri Drift Ice Sightseeing Icebreaker Aurora
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No trip to Tokyo’s other otaku neighborhood is complete without a visit to this local landmark.

As people stream out Tokyo’s Nakano Station, it’s a safe bet that a lot of them are ready to do some shopping. Though not as famous as Akihabara, Nakano boasts one of Japan’s most incredible concentrations of otaku-oriented retailers, with the Nakano Broadway shopping center packed with all sorts of emporiums of esoteric anime-related media and memorabilia. Nakano Broadway also has a number of high-end second-hand wristwatch merchants, making for an eclectic mix of shoppers with a hunger for rare items related to their hobbies.

However, whether you’re there to look for a Gunpla or a Rolex, you shouldn’t leave the Nakano neighborhood without also making a purchase at Refutei, which is located right across the bus rotary from the station’s North Gate, right next to the entrance to the covered shopping street that leads into Nakano Broadway.

▼ れふ亭 = Refutei

Refutei is a snack stand that specializes in what they call oyaki, but which is more commonly called imagawayaki by Tokyoites. Honestly, there’s a serious lack of consensus on what their name should be, with no fewer than six different ones used in different parts of Japan, but they all refer to hockey puck-shaped discs of batter, cooked in a special folding flat grill with various delicious fillings.

Refutei has been cooking up oyaki/imagawayaki/whatever you want to call them since 1984, and it’s not just the shop’s prime location, but also its outstanding quality that’s made it a local landmark, both for nearby residents and for those coming to Nakano for shopping or to attend fan events.

Refutei’s oyaki are a great size. They fit easily in the palm of your hand, making them easy to munch on and big enough for you to enjoy their flavor through multiple mouthfuls. But they’re not so huge that you couldn’t eat two of them if you were in the mood, which is especially important since Refutei makes them with close to a dozen different fillings for you to choose from!

Exercising considerable restraint, we limited ourselves to five, which the staff lovingly placed in a to-go box for us to carry them in. Not that they stayed in the box very long, though, because as soon as were back home we got to snapping photos and tasting oyaki.

● Tsuki: custard cream (180 yen [US$1.15])

Oyaki usually puts a different kanji character on different types of their oyaki, and the ones marked with 月, read as tsuki and meaning “moon,” have custard cream inside. The custard is right in that magical spot where it’s flavorful without feeling heavy, and we’re confident we could eat several back-to-back without getting tired of the taste.

● Matsu: anko with cheese (220 yen)

No, we’re not sure why these ones bear the kanji 松, which means “pine.” And yes, we understand that, to some, the idea of combining anko (Japan’s traditional sweet red bean paste) with cheese might sound blasphemous. For those willing to give it a shot, however, the cheese here feels more salty than sour, which helps draw out more of the sweet notes in the anko. Oh, and for those who can’t forgive fusion cuisine of this type, don’t worry, as Refutei always has regular anko-only oyaki available for purchase too.

● Fuyu: apple cream (220 yen)

Marked with 冬, meaning “winter,” this is a seasonal flavor that’s only offered in winter. It uses the same custard cream that we tasted earlier, but has bits of apple mixed in, adding little pockets of crunchy texture and a touch of tart fruit flavor. It’s a very pleasant team-up, and one that’s definitely worth trying before spring comes and they leave the grill.

● Aki: pork sausage with mayonnaise (200 yen)

We’ll be the last people to scold you for filling up on sweets…but we’ll also be the last people to try to talk you out of eating sausage. Technically, you could argue that this is really closer to thick-cut ham, but either way you’ve got a slab of pork in there, giving you some filling protein and allowing you to grab both lunch and dessert in one fell swoop at Refutei if you’re buying multiple oyaki. Oh, and even though this one’s kanji, 秋, means “autumn,” unlike the “winter”-marked apple cream, the sausage oyaki isn’t a seasonal version, and can be purchased at any time of year.

● Heart: chocolate cream (180 yen)

This one might also seem like a seasonal flavor, what with the romantic imagery and Japan’s particularly strong association of chocolate with Valentine’s Day. But Refutei wisely understands that people’s love of chocolate lasts all year long, and so the availability of the chocolate oyaki does too. The chocolate used, like the custard, isn’t overpoweringly sweet, and even has a touch of sophisticated bitterness to it, in contrast to the cute heart.

Aside from the ones we tried and the above-mentioned anko-only oyaki, Refutei also offers fillings of white anko, cream cheese, anko with mochi, sakura anko, and sweet potato anko. With the apple cream being winter-only and the sakura anko limited to spring, the entire lineup won’t be available on any given day, but whenever you visit, Refutei will have something very, very tasty for you to try.

Shop information
Refutei / れふ亭
Address: Tokyo-to, Nakano-ku, Nakano 5-63-3
東京都中野区中野５丁目６３−３

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There’s one rice ball that everyone chooses at Lawson, 7-Eleven, Mini Stop and Family Mart in Japan.

If you were to step inside a Japanese convenience store and reach for a rice ball, which one would you choose? That’s the question the Onigiri Association seeks to answer to in its annual Convenience Store Onigiri Popularity Survey, sent out to the nation’s top four convenience store chains – Lawson, Family Mart, 7-Eleven and Mini Stop – between January and December every year.

Now, the data for 2025 has been collated and the results are in, revealing that certain types of customers go for different onigiri, and there was one rice ball so popular it ranked in the top spot across all convenience store chains.

▼ So let’s take a look at the top three best-selling onigiri rice balls at each chain, and the general type of customer buying them, starting with 7-Eleven.

1. Nori-wrapped Tuna Mayonnaise (Men in their 50s)
2. Nori-wrapped Red Salmon & Salt (Men in their 60s)
3. Seaweed (Men in their 50s)

▼ Next up, Family Mart.

1. Nori-wrapped Tuna Mayonnaise (Men and women in their 20s-40s)
2. Nori-wrapped Salmon (Men and women in their 20s-40s)
3. Nori-wrapped Soy Sauce Tuna Mayonnaise (Men and women in their 20s-40s)

▼ And at Lawson?

1. Nori-wrapped Tuna Mayonnaise  (Men and women in their 40s)
2. Soy Sauce Tuna Mayonnaise  (Men in their 30s-50s)
3. Nori-wrapped Kelp (Men in their 50s)

▼ And finally, Mini Stop.

1. Nori-wrapped Tuna Mayonnaise
2. Nori-wrapped Salmon (with barley)
3. Nori-wrapped Red Salmon

Mini Stop was the one chain who didn’t reveal the demographic of customers buying up their onigiri, but one thing was clear – regardless of the customer’s background, there was one rice ball everyone was reaching for across all four convenience store chains.

▼ Tuna Mayonnaise.

This particular rice ball goes by different Japanese names depending on the chain, with some referring to it as “シーチキンマヨネーズ” (“Sea Chicken Mayonnaise”) or ツナマヨネーズ (“Tuna Mayonnaise”), but the English rendering on the packs is consistent, with “Tuna Mayonnaise” printed on them. The popularity of this combo has long been a top seller, and it remains the top choice despite massive price hikes across the board.

7-Eleven rice balls increased by a whopping 50.2 yen (US$0.32) from 2024 to 2025, followed by a 43-yen increase at Lawson, 41.04-yen increase at Mini Stop and 24-yen increase at Lawson.

Image: Press release

The results of the survey indicate that seaweed and salmon are the two other varieties that rank in the top three most popular convenience store rice balls, and having previously tried them in a taste test, we have to agree.  So next time you find yourself standing in front of the rice ball shelves at a convenience store, you might want to keep these top three varieties in mind, and don’t forget that the nori used to wrap them tastes different if you buy them in Kyoto.

Source: Press release
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Things got off to a good start on our crazy-cheap trip to the land of the gods, but with funds running low, will we have a roof over our heads on a snowy night?

Our Japanese-language reporter Go Hatori has spent years traveling overseas without spending very much money, visiting a number of Asian nations in our Extreme Budget Travel series while spending 50,000 yen (US$320) or less for flights, hotel, food, and fun. After several successful trips under those parameters, he’s now looking inward with the goal of taking cool domestic Japanese trips with an even smaller budget of just 30,000 yen (US$195).

We’re not talking about quick next-prefecture-over jaunts, either. For his first in-Japan Extreme Budget Travel adventure, Go picked Shimane, a prefecture that’s way over on the opposite side of Japan’s main island of Honshu from Tokyo, and not on any of its major high-speed rail networks. In Part 1, we covered how Go made it to Shimane, his visit to an amazing noodle restaurant that he was led to by a native-son’s recommendation, and his visit to Izumo Taisha, one of the most beautiful and culturally significant Shinto shrines in the entire country. What we haven’t covered is how Go is going to enjoy his afternoon, eat dinner, and get a place to spend the night when his budget is now down to just 6,500 yen.

▼ Izumo Taisha

The town of Izumo is along the north side of Honshu, facing the Sea of Japan. This coast doesn’t have much in the way of sandy beaches, but it does have some very ruggedly picturesque rocky shorelines.

It’s just a very short drive from Izumo Taisha to the coast, and with the late afternoon sun starting to dip, Go figured this might be good timing to catch some nice sunset views…

…and he was absolutely right!

Izumo is often referred to as being the land of the gods, since all of Japan’s Shinto spirits are said to gather at Izumo Taisha once a year. That’s supposed to happen in October, but on this February day, watching the sunlight come streaming through the clouds and shine on the surface of the sea, Go felt a deep reverence for the beauty and majesty of Izumo.

▼ The views were especially dazzling from Hinomisaki Point, about 15 minutes by car from the shrine.

▼ The drive from Izumo Taisha to Hinomisaki Point

Go had rented his car for a 12-hour stint, and it was now time to return it. As we explained in Part 1, rather than using a traditional rental agency office, he’d gotten his car at a branch of Japanese gas station Eneos, which has a partnership with Nikoniko Rentacar. This turned out to be especially handy when it came time to return it, since instead of having to drive around looking for a place to fill up the tank, Go could just do it right there.

Go’s gas expenses ended up being 1,305 yen, so after that, his round-trip airfare between Tokyo and Shimane, the bus into town from Izumo Airport, the fee for the car itself, and lunch, he now had 5,195 yen left to spend.

With no car anymore, Go had a 10-minute walk to his hotel, which itself is five minutes on foot from Izumoshi Station. Right in front of the gas station is a supermarket called Rapita (ラピタ) where he could have picked up something to eat for dinner…

…but since Izumo is famous for its soba noodles, Go decided instead to duck into Hoshien, a restaurant near the station that makes its soba noodles from scratch.

▼ From Hinomisaki Point to Hoshien

Their top recommendation is the Sanshoku Warigo Soba, which loosely translates to “Three-color Split Soba,” and they call it that because you get a stack of three dishes of noodles, one with egg, one with grated yam, and one with grated daikon radish, onto which you then pour the broth.

All three of them tasted great, but after paying his bill of 1,230 yen, Go’s budget had dwindled to 3,965 yen, and he still needed to pay for his hotel.

Budget hotels are getting harder and harder to find in Japan these days, so rather than full-service lodgings, Go had made a reservation at Izumo Guest House Itoan, which was charging him 3,500 yen for a night’s stay.

▼ From Hoshien to Izumo Guest House Itoan (which also calls itself Izumo Hostel Itoan)

Note that we didn’t say that they were charging Go 3,500 yen for a room, because, as shown on their Booking.com page, the dormitory-style room Go was going to be staying in had futons for three people.

When Go made his reservation, the booking system showed that there were two vacancies left in the room, so he knew ahead of time that he’d be sharing it with at least one other person…or so he thought. As you’ve probably noticed, there was a lot of snow on the ground while Go was in Izumo, the result of a heavy snowstorm that had hit the town the day before he arrived. The conditions were so severe that flights into Izumo had been cancelled and trains had been stopped too, and the other traveler who was supposed to be in the room with Go hadn’t been able to make it to Izumo after all.

Which meant…

…Go had the entire guesthouse to himself!

▼ Go’s private room!

▼ Go’s private kitchen and dining area!

▼ Go’s private bathroom and bathtub!

It may not have been particularly fancy, but in effect renting a house for 3,500 yen was an amazing stroke of luck, and with the kitchen stocked with complementary coffee and tea, Go felt like a local resident as he brewed a cup of coffee to sip.

Thoroughly relaxed after his bath, it was now time to hit the sack.

The next morning, after getting up, Go made the quick walk to the Twin Leaves Hotel Izumo, right by the station, where he could buy a bus ticket to the airport for his flight back to Tokyo.

▼ From Izumo Guest House Itoan to Twin Leaves Hotel Izumo

▼ Airport buses leave from the rotary outside the station’s north exit at the stop marked 空港連絡バスのりば

▼ Though the onboard directions say to “fasten a seat belt,” we strongly recommend fastening the specific one for the seat you’re sitting in.

With his hotel check-out time having been 10 a.m. and a 30-minute bus ride to the airport, Go arrived with plenty of time before his noon flight back to Tokyo, which would land at Haneda at 1:15 in the afternoon.

Oh, and with Go’s bus ticket to the airport costing 850 yen, we can now tally his expenses and see if he stayed within his 30,000-yen budget.

● Round-trip Japan Airlines tickets from Haneda to Izumo Enmusubi Airport and back: 18,500 yen
● Bus from airport into Izumo town: 850 yen
● 12-hour car rental: 2,750 yen
● Lunch at Yakumoan restaurant: 1,400 yen
● Gasoline: 1,305 yen
● Dinner at Hoshien restaurant: 1,230 yen
● One-night stay at Itoan guest house: 3,500 yen
● Bus from Izumo to airport: 850 yen

Add it all up, and it comes to…30,385 yen.

OK, so in the end, Go wasn’t quite able to pull off this entire trip for 30,000 yen. Still, he was less than 1.5 percent over budget, so we feel like the guy deserves at least partial credit, and we’re expecting him to further hone his domestic bargain travel skills from here on out.

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