Kanazawa Omicho Market

Coming from a landlocked country, I have always been fascinated with the sea or even the slightest discussion on the topic.

As a result, when a friend of mine recommended me to visit a popular seafood market in Kanazawa, I couldn't resist. Besides many seafood stalls, I was told that the kaisendon seafood bowls prepared by professional chefs at the restaurants there were not to be missed. We made our plan accordingly; first to stroll around the market, sample the seafood delicacies throughout the morning, and then indulge ourselves in different ways of enjoying the delicious kaisendon and sashimi at the restaurants there.

As planned, we reached the market around 10 am on Sunday morning. This is an old fresh food market that was established during the Edo period, consisting of more than 170 stalls arranged in its network of alleys. Located in the center of Kanazawa, it was a colorfully covered food market that had not just fish stalls but groceries, restaurants, confectionary stalls, and clothing stores. As we went on the weekend, the sprawling market was crowded with fishmongers, customers, tourists, and locals alike. The stalls there had all kinds of seafood like crabs, shellfish, oysters, and shrimps which are freshly caught from the Sea of Japan. Normally, the stalls here are open from 8 am till 6 pm almost every day.

There are various food stalls and restaurants scattered around the market. These restaurants not only provide seafood but also popular eel-donburi, deep-fried foods, and Noto beef wagyu bowls which makes it the ideal spot for foodies to stroll around even for those who are not into seafood. Like we had scheduled, after strolling for an hour around the market, we went to a nearby restaurant located inside the Omicho Market complex building for my kaisendon.