Sanma, Pacific saury

　At the first auction of the month, Pacific saury fetched a price of 440,000 yen per kilogramme. In Japan, the kanji for ‘sanma’ depict a fish shaped like a sword that is in season in autumn. Prices are high at this time of year, and the fish are not as fatty as they are in season. However, as the saying goes, ‘Eating the first catch of the season extends your life by 75 days’, so the first catch is considered to bring good luck.

　Toba Ume Shoten had some Pacific saury landed in Eastern Hokkaido, so I asked them to remove the heads and guts and grill it for me. Having them cut and grill exactly the amount you want—I used to have a fishmonger like that in my neighbourhood when I was a child.

　Such fishmongers still remain in Kyoto today. It is one of the reasons I have found it impossible to leave Kyoto.