Sashimi in Obama City

　Obama is just under a two-hour drive from Kyoto City. For those born in Kyoto, it is one of the most accessible seaside resorts. It is also well known that when Barack Obama became President of the United States in 2008, the town of Obama was abuzz with excitement and thronged with tourists, simply because it shares the same name.

　Wakasa Bay, which Obama faces, boasts a short distance between the fishing port and the fishing grounds, allowing visitors to enjoy fresh sashimi. Furthermore, mineral-rich freshwater flows in from the neighbouring mountains, and the abundance of plankton adds a rich, savoury flavour. In winter, a wide array of delicious seafood is available, including blowfish, Echizen crab and winter yellowtail.

Whilst there are many restaurants in Obama serving seafood, this time we visited ‘Sashimi-dokoro Goemon’, run by Osawa Shoten, a fishmonger based at the Wakasa Obama Fish Centre. Opening as early as 6 am, the restaurant is bustling with locals from the morning onwards.

　The famous sashimi set meal features different fish depending on the day; it is reasonably priced and generously portioned. On this occasion, it included mackerel, bigfin reef squid and sweet shrimp, as well as turban shell sashimi. Next time, I’d like to try the grilled mackerel set meal or the boiled fish parts in soy sauce set meal, which the person next to me was enjoying so much.