Fukui prefecture, located along the coast of the Sea of Japan, is home to Nishiyama Park, Tojinbo Cliffs, Maruoka Castle and Echizen Daibutsu. Even though these sights are quite far from Fukui city, they can be easily accessed through local trains and buses! Not only does this prefecture have beautiful cultural sites, it also has food unique to its area – like snow crab and sesame tofu! We have compiled a list of 5 things you must eat if you visit Fukui.
Crab Udon from Fukui Photo credit: Madeleine Van Delden
Crab Udon
Fukui prefecture is known for its Echizen crab, a species of large, male snow crab with sweet and juicy meat. While it tastes delicious over steaming udon noodles, crab can also be enjoyed over rice, miso soup, or as tempura. This juicy crab meat is typically caught in early November to late March. This specific udon was served by the Tojinbo Cliffs on Tojinbo Shopping Street. Head over to the Tojinbo Tower and begin walking down to the cliffs, where you will find the shopping street! Crab udon and other seafood dishes can also be found at Nihonkai Sakanamachi, a well known seafood market. If you’re interested in any additional information about the seafood market, we have linked their website below.
- Tojinbo Tower: Japan, 〒913-0064 Fukui, Sakai, Mikunicho Anto, 東尋坊
- Nihonkai Sakanamachi: 1 Chome-1531 Wakabacho, Tsuruga, Fukui 914-0125, Japan
- Nihonkai Sakanamachi Website: https://www.sakanamachi.info/
Kaisen-Don from Fukui Photo credit: Madeleine Van Delden
Kaisen-Don (Seafood Rice Bowl)
While this seafood bowl may change depending on the season, it always has delicious sashimi on top of rice – complete with wasabi. In addition to Echizen crab, you can find plenty of other fresh seafood options to top your kaisen-don! The four ports surrounding the Sea of Japan give access to fresh Amaebi shrimp, mackerel, and tilefish. It is recommended to eat both the rice and the fish at the same time, while putting small portions of wasabi on each bite. This bowl can be found at the Seafood Restaurant in Echizen-Takefu Roadside Station, along with a few other restaurants and an ice cream shop!
Seafood Restaurant Echizen Marumatsu: Japan, 〒915-0042 Fukui, Echizen, Oyacho, 38-5-1 道の駅越前たけふ内2階
Volga Rice from Fukui Photo credit: Madeleine Van Delden
Volga Rice
This Western inspired dish, also known as Tonkatsu Omurice, can be found in Echizen City and each restaurant has a slight variation to make the heavy sauce. Omurice is a popular dish in Japan and consists of fried rice being topped with an omelet. In Fukui, the fluffy egg omelet is much thinner and topped with tonkatsu (pork that is breaded and deep fried) doused in a demi-glace sauce. The thick sauce is made from beef stock and red wine. This dish was also served at the Seafood Restaurant in Echizen-Takefu Roadside Station, but another amazing restaurant is Yokogawa Bunten near Takefu station. They have a variety of Japanese-Western dishes, but their volga rice is a fan favorite!
Yokogawa Bunten: 1 Chome-4-35 Kyomachi, Echizen, Fukui 915-0813, Japan
Echizen Oroshi Soba from Nakamuraya Farmhouse Inn Photo credit: Madeleine Van Delden
Echizen Oroshi Soba
These thicker buckwheat noodles are served cold on a plate and paired with a dipping sauce made up of soy sauce mixed with dashi stock. For toppings, you can add daikon oroshi (grated radish), bonito flakes and negi onions. The part of this recipe that is special to Echizen City, is the radish which gives it a fresh kick. One of the most famous soba restaurants is Shingetsutei, which is located in Echizen-cho. However, if you’re unable to make it, no worries! You can order their soba kits online through their website. There are even places in Fukui, like Echizen Soba Dojo, that teach you how to make your own soba noodles from scratch! While you do need to make a reservation ahead of time, it is well worth the fun experience. These photos were taken from a soba-making experience during an airbnb stay at Nakamuraya farmhouse Inn.
- Shingetsutei: 14-21 Uchigori, Echizen, Nyu District, Fukui 916-0147, Japan
- Shingetsutei’s Website: https://shop.singetutei.jp/products/list
- Echizen Soba Dojo: 31-1-91 Fukumachi, Fukui, 918-8027, Japan
- Echizen Soba Dojo’s Website: https://www.fukuisoba-fanclub.com/echizen_soba_dojo.html
- Nakamuraya Farmhouse Inn Link
Packaged Sweet Potato Cakes from Tojino Shopping Street Photo credit: Madeleine Van Delden
Black Sesame Sweet Potato Cake
If you are looking for a sweet treat or a gift to take home from your travels, try these sweet potato sesame cakes! Sweet potatoes are sweet and surrounded by a deep purple skin – perfect for a soft, creamy dessert. These cakes can be homemade by using either a food processor or manually mixing cooked sweet potatoes, milk, eggs, butter and sugar. Another common souvenir and popular dessert from the Fukui region is Habutae mochi. Much like the sweet potato cake, it only uses a few ingredients: rice, sugar and adzuki beans. A popular confectionery is Kansenso, a Japanese sweets manufacturing company founded in the Meiji period (1910) and has been developing in Fukui ever since then. Another Japanese sweets confectionery is Matsuoka-ken, located on Floor 1 of the Fukui Central Station. Most dessert souvenirs can be found on Tojinbo Shopping Street or small shops around the prefecture!
- Kansenso: 1 Chome-21-24 Central, Fukui, 910-0006, Japan
- Kansenso’s Website: http://www.kansendo.com/
- Matsuoka-ken: Japan, 〒910-0006 Fukui, Central, 1 Chome−1−25 プリズム福井 １階
- Matsuoka-ken’s Website: http://habutae.com/
Exploring Fukui’s diverse food is a memorable and exciting adventure! From savory crab udon to sweet and fluffy potato cakes, every dish is an unforgettable experience that can be enjoyed with gorgeous coastal scenery. In conclusion, Fukui’s culinary scene is a reflection of Japan’s coast and natural resources, so be sure to take some souvenirs!
Feature photo credit: Madeleine Van Delden
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