Scallop fishing in Shikabe is in its peak season now!

Scallop fishing in Shikabe is in its peak season now!

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About 1 hour drive from Hakodate, and about 4-5 hour drive from Sapporo, Shikabe is known as an Onsen town.

Hokkaido Funkawan Bay, where Shikabe is located, has the climate and natural features conducive to fishing. A variety of seafood is caught here including walleye pollack, which makes Tarako (cod roe), octopus, sole, Okhotsk atka mackerel, kelp, and sea cucumbers.

My personal favorite features of Shikabe include high-quality, small-scale Onsen, fresh and delicious Sushi, and the genuine and warm locals. I visited this town for the first time in a long while. Despite being spring, I could still feel the cold ocean breeze.

1:30 am. Under the bright lights, the harbor was busy with “Mimizuri” work (stringing scallops by resilium) for farmed scallops. The picture shows “Zabuton Basket,” which is used to grow spats, being pulled out of the water. A fishing line is pierced through the resilium (sharp point on the shell) on each spat in the basket, which is then tied to a rope and lowered back into the ocean for further growth. It takes at least 2 years until they are ready to be harvested. I was shocked to learn about the amount of work involved in this process.

As residents of Hokkaido, plump scallops are a familiar food item. However, after seeing the sheer amount of work involved in producing them, my feeling of gratitude toward the scallop fishermen has increased exponentially. It is a really cool work, and I would love to share it with you. I could not contain my excitement after seeing this unique and characteristic scene of Shikabe!

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