Boasting the most sushi restaurants per capita in the whole of Japan, there is no denying that Shiogama is a mecca for foodies, especially those seeking fresh seafood. At the Shiogama Seafood Wholesale Market, you can take your sashimi obsession one step further by building your own kaisendon (seafood rice bowl), selecting the best of the day’s catch yourself.

There are around 140 stalls set up at the market daily, selling all kinds of fresh seafood as well as dried and prepared items offloaded at the neighboring Shiogama Port. Head towards the back of the market and you’ll find the My Kaisendon Corner. Here you can make your own kaisendon (seafood rice bowls). Select your favourite pieces of sashimi, shellfish, fried egg and other tasty treasures from the market stalls. Then pick up a set of rice and miso soup for the very reasonable price of ¥400 and enjoy your one-of-a-kind meal.

Shiogama is particularly well-known for its incredibly high-quality maguro (red tuna)! There are at least twenty stalls that specialise in maguro. Walk by at the right moment and you may even be lucky enough to watch them carve one in front of you. Ask nicely and the friendly fishmongers will happily cut you off some bite-sized pieces to add to your kaisendon.

If you’re not one for raw seafood, there is also a public DIY grill just outside the market hall where you can cook fish, oysters and scallops bought fresh from the market. For the freshest meal you’ll find in Japan at an equally delicious price, there is no beating the Shiogama Seafood Wholesale Market.