Day 4: Fisherman's Ramen at Okiemonmaru

Rumor has it that in any given seaside city, the best places to eat are where the fisherman have lunch. After visiting Okiemonmaru in Chigasaki, I can wholeheartedly vouch for that. The lack of odor despite the buckets of freshly caught fish outside the door suggested that the new arrivals would be gone before sundown.

The seafarers who just returned, however, were not responsible for the quick turnover. They sat at the long wooden tables slurping up ramen with such gusto that I knew I was in for something special. I was right. The shoyu ramen, which is ramen in a soy sauce based broth, was incredible. The pork was tender and juicy, the noodles were just right, and it was brought to the table piping hot (shamefully, many ramen restaurants in New York serve theirs lukewarm).  The most amazing part is that the broth had depth without being salty; this was the first time I'd eaten ramen that didn't make me want to down a gallon of water an hour later.

I've never been too keen on shoyu ramen, but thanks to Okiemonmaru it's on the top of my "must eat" list next time I visit Chigasaki. Who knew that you could find some of the best shoyu ramen south of Tokyo at a fish restaurant? Only in Japan! :-)

Day 3: Chigasaki Seafood Festival

We left for Chigasaki early Saturday morning for some much needed weekend r&r. Located about an hour an a half from Tokyo by train, Chigasaki is a bay city with boasts mountain views, good surfing, and some of the best seafood in all of Japan. Accordingly, our welcome lunch at a popular local spot consisted of sea dwelling creatures of a special variety I had never seen before.

Kinmedai

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Sure, I've eaten snapper, but I've never eaten kinmedai (golden eyed snapper). The bare bones that remained once we were through with him evidenced our sheer enjoyment. But before that, there were starters. 

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Nama shirashu are tiny, translucent black-eyed fish that taste kind of like sardines and are eaten raw; their saltiness makes them a perfect match for beer! Our generous server gave us a plate of shoyu shirasu (the same thing but dipped in soy sauce) on the house.

Nama Shirasu

Ika (squid) is one of my favorite types of sashimi, but I'd never tasted it quite like I did here.Not only did it taste as though it had been caught minutes ago, it had a tender, almost creamy texture. 

Toretate Ika (Ika Sashimi)

.The whitefish sashimi was equally as fresh, and the presentation just as gorgeous. 

We finished off with the sawara, a seasonal fish that we Americans know as spanish mackerel. The sprig of brightly colored ginger complimented it nicely.

Sawara

Afterwards, we took a "sampo" (walk) along the shore, Mount Fuji looming behind us.