This new style of sushi, with its Toyotomi of seafood, meat, and fruit, is all the rage. We'll introduce you to some restaurants where you can try "hare-zushi," a new Okayama gourmet dish that's gaining attention as a locally produced food. These are registered "local production and consumption cooperation stores" in Okayama Prefecture.
2024.02.22What is "Haru Sushi"?
Known as a local dish of Okayama Prefecture, "Bara Sushi" has long been a beloved dish for special occasions. However, with changes in lifestyle and the environment, the number of makers has decreased, making it difficult to obtain ingredients... In this environment, "Haru Sushi" was born to pass on the local flavor to future generations. The rice is made with rice from Okayama Prefecture, and the toppings are made with seasonal ingredients from Okayama Prefecture. "Haru Sushi" is the Reiwa era's version of bara sushi, allowing you to enjoy local ingredients and flavors in a variety of styles.
1. Kibi SA (Outbound) / Japanese Restaurant Ura no Sato (Okayama City )
The Sanyo Expressway Kibi SA (Outbound) promotes Okayama throughout its facilities, with restaurants serving gourmet food made with Okayama ingredients, shops selling souvenirs unique to Okayama , and a Marché selling seasonal vegetables and fruits from Okayama . Ura no Sato, which has a welcome gate and is accessible from the public road, is a restaurant where you can enjoy authentic Japanese cuisine at a highway service area. The restaurant's signature dish here is the Strawberry Seafood Sushi (1,580 yen)! The sushi, topped with bright red strawberries, is as adorable as a decorated cake.
If you look closely at the sushi rice, you'll see that it's a faint pink color. It's apparently mixed with strawberry puree. The refreshing sweetness of the strawberries matches surprisingly well with the sourness of the vinegar. The mellow flavor of the sushi rice goes well with fish, a delicious taste you've never experienced before. You can mix the ingredients with the sushi rice, or eat the fish dipped in soy sauce like sashimi. Enjoy however you like.
The fish used are chewy and elegantly sweet Spanish mackerel, rich and chewy sea bream, and mildly fatty yellowtail. The chef himself visits the market in Shimotsui every morning to carefully select and purchase the freshest fish from the Setouchi! You can enjoy the different flavors and textures of each fish.
The strawberries that could be said to be the "face" of Hare Sushi are locally grown and lined up at the Marché inside the SA. The sweet and sour aroma of the bright red, freshly picked, ripe strawberries tickles your nose. "Strawberry Seafood Sushi" is a seasonal menu item that is only available when delicious strawberries are in stock. It is available from December to the end of May, so don't miss it.
[Kibi SA (outbound) / Japanese Restaurant Ura no Sato]
Address: 476 Okayama Prefecture , Kita-ku , Okayama City, Okayama Kita Ward
TEL: 086-284-8600 Business hours: 11:00-21:00 (Last orders 20:30)
Closed: No closing days Parking: 110 large cars, 134 small cars, Welcome Gate (on the general road side) approx. 30 cars
2. Tsuyama Shunsai Restaurant Jomitei (Tsuyama City )
Located on the fourth floor of Arne Tsuyama , the restaurant "Jomitei" serves "Hare Sushi" in Tsuyama City in the north of the prefecture. As Tsuyama has had a long-standing meat-eating culture, the main ingredient is beef. "Meat in sushi?" may seem surprising, but the combination of the richly seasoned Tsuyama Wagyu beef and the refreshing vinegared rice is exquisite, bringing out the flavors of each other. "Tsuyama Wagyu Beef Suki Hare Sushi" (1,500 yen) is served on vinegared rice with shredded egg, shiso leaves, shiitake mushrooms, pickled lotus root, cucumber and lemon.
Another dish is the "Tsuyama Wagyu Roast Beef Harezushi" (1,500 yen). Tender and juicy roast beef is topped with a homemade soy sauce-based sauce. Both dishes are only available at lunchtime and require advance reservations. The set includes a salad of fresh vegetables sourced from local JA and other sources every morning, a small bowl of seasonal ingredients, and a clear soup with noodles made from locally grown rice flour.
Tsuyama Wagyu beef is raised on a diet supplemented with wheat bran from Tsuyama. At Shiromitei, they use shoulder loin (pictured) for their beef sukiyaki sushi and thigh meat for their roast beef sushi.
The rice used is Kinumusume "Kaneta Tsumai" from Tsuyama City, which has been awarded Special A for five consecutive years in the taste rankings of the Japan Grain Inspection Association. Kaneta Tsumai, which is also used in JAL's first class in-flight meals, is grown in clean water and with a large temperature difference between day and night. It is delicious enough to rival the taste of meat.
[Tsuyama Shunsai Restaurant Jyomitei]
Address: 4th floor, Arne Tsuyama , 17 Shinuomachi , Tsuyama City, Okayama Prefecture
TEL: 0868-35-3805 Business hours: 10:00-17:00
*Lunchtime: 11:00-15:00 (last orders 14:30) Closed: Wednesdays and irregular holidays
Parking: Arne Tsuyama Parking
3. Sushi and Japanese Cuisine Isshin (Kurashiki City )
Isshin, which has been in business for nearly half a century in the coastal town of Kojima in the Nanbu of Kurashiki City , is a Japanese seafood restaurant where you can enjoy the bounty of the Setouchi Sea. This restaurant serves seasonal seafood prepared in a variety of ways, including sashimi, tempura, simmered dishes, and grilled fish. On Fridays only, they offer a limited-time menu item: "Haru Sushi (with chawanmushi and miso soup)" (1,320 yen). The vinegared rice, made with locally-sourced rice, is sweetly seasoned and mixed with individually prepared ingredients such as lotus root, carrots, burdock, and bamboo shoots. This is a standard yet luxurious bara sushi topped with large portions of seafood and vegetables.
The shredded egg is decorated with ingredients unique to the Setouchi and Okayama. These include the savory and sweet Gazaebi shrimp, fragrant grilled conger eel, and sweet and spicy boiled seaweed shellfish. Also, sawara is used as the pickled fish, an essential ingredient in Okayama 's local dish, bara sushi.
Isshin's Haru Sushi is also available for takeout. Its vibrant colors make it the perfect accompaniment to outings during the holiday season or cherry blossom viewing in spring. One portion costs 1,296 yen. If requested, they will also accept orders in sushi tubs. The photo shows a portion for five people (5,500 yen / takeout 5,400 yen).
The restaurant has a relaxed atmosphere. The first floor has a counter, tatami rooms, and private rooms with a total of 27 seats. The second floor can accommodate banquets of up to 40 people. The restaurant offers a wide range of dishes, including set meals, rice bowls, nigiri, boxed sushi with shrimp and conger eel, and kaiseki cuisine, making it a great place for locals and tourists alike.
[Isshin Sushi and Japanese Cuisine]
Address: 1-68 Kojima Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture
TEL: 086-472-7728 Business hours: 11:30-14:00, 17:00-22:00
Closed: Mondays Parking: 5 spaces *3 spaces available in a separate location
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