Fresh Hokkaido sea urchin is an incredible, creamy sushi delicacy. Known as uni in Japanese, these spiny creatures can get a bit pricey at restaurants. If you're as much a fan of eating uni sea urchin as we are, you'll want to head right over to Hokkaido's Rishiri Island!
Here you can do what the local fishermen do when harvesting sea urchins: crack open those that you caught and eat them on the spot.
You don’t need to get into the water to do it, either. No need to change clothes and no special preparations are required, so you don’t need to bring anything. At the Kamui Seaside Park on Rishiri Island, you can have such an easy-going and enjoyable experience. Freshly harvested sea urchins are exceptionally delicious!
Here you will find limited edition “exotic sweets” made with fresh sea urchin and Rishiri kelp that certainly should be tried.
Visit Hokkaido's Kamui Seaside Park!
At Kamui Seaside Park you can experience harvesting sea urchins yourself (1,000 yen [around $10] per sea urchin per person) and enjoy local dishes using such special products of the area as sea urchin and Rishiri kelp.
The Kutsugata district on the west coast of Rishiri Island
The area in the lower part of the photo is where sea urchin can be cracked open and tasted. The small boats moored in the upper part of the photo are used for tourists catching sea urchins.
Kamui Seaside Park can be reached by car in about 30 minutes from Oshidomari Port, which is serviced by ships that make several trips each day from Wakkanai and Rebun Island.
Ships running from Rebun Island, which operate only in the summer, arrive at Kutsugata Port, and it is only a 10-minute car ride from there. There is one round-trip flight each from the New Chitose Airport and the Sapporo Okadama Airport to the Rishiri Airport, and from there, it takes about 20 minutes by car (the flight from New Chitose Airport operates only during the summer season).
Many of the visitors to Rishiri Island take the ferry that runs between Wakanai and Oshidomari. Between spring and autumn there are three to four round-trips made each day.
Local buses do operate on Rishiri Island, but they have only a few scheduled runs, so it is better to rent a car at either Oshidomari Port or Rishiri Airport when you visit. There are many visitors during the summer season, so it is best to make reservations well in advance of your visit.
Feel what it’s like to be a sea urchin fisherman!
So, let’s actually try harvesting sea urchins!
First you need to visit the reception in the building. You will need to fill out a form with your name and other particulars and pay the fee for the experience. You can also enjoy a light meal at the Kitarindo Kamui Seaside Park next door.
The sea urchin harvesting experience runs from June to September. If the groups are not booked up, you can participate on the day you arrive, but as this is a top-rated experience, it is best to make a reservation in advance. This is especially true during the peak tourist season in the middle of summer.
After you register a staff member will take you to the boats
These boats are exactly the same as those used by sea urchin fishermen. The boats are docked in the breakwater where they are protected from the wind and waves, so you do not need to worry about bec…
