Delicious food.

Over the three years I've been here, I've gone to over 60 different restaurants alone. Or at least, those listed in this lovely handy guidebook, called 鴨川夜のまち歩きガイド (which I've officially dubbed as "A Night on the Town in Kamogawa"). Each time I go to a new place, I take photos of the food I eat there, and publish that restaurant info in the English newsletter I write every month as a part of my job.

Here are photos of some of the food I've enjoyed at a few of my favorite places:

Sushi made with locally caught fish @ Fumi Sushi (地魚握り＠富美寿司)

For many people, Japanese food = sushi. And fishing is a major industry in Kamogawa, so it's only natural? that there are lots of places here that serve delicious sushi. I enjoy sushi and sashimi a lot, but I'd never consider myself a sushi freak. But these gems were pure genius!!! Taste, texture, presentation, you name it...full points on everything. Fumi Sushi is by far the best sushi place I've gone to here, hands down.

Sashimi teishoku set @ Tsukasa (刺身定食＠つかさ)

I went here for lunch a few weeks ago. It's a quiet, kinda hidden shop run by an old couple, but there's something about it that is really relaxing and comfortable. And, it's delicious!!! I also ordered their su-namero (I'll describe what namero is below), which was pretty much amazing, and I've been craving to have it again since then.

Mackerel namero teishoku set @ Nakamura (アジのなめろう定食＠なかむら)

Namero is a local Kamogawa specialty - basically it's a fish of your choice (in this case, mackerel) minced together with ginger, leek, miso, aojiso leaf, and perhaps a couple of other things and then lumped together to look like a hamburger (if you actually fry namero, it becomes another local specialt called sanga-yaki). Not only do these ingredients all work against food poisoning, they all make for a really healthy food! It's said that namero was thought up by fishermen out at sea, when they needed to make themselves something to eat. Currently, I'm in love with su-namero, which is the above, but soaked in vinegar!

@ Uomasa (＠うおまさ)

I can't actually remember what this was specifically called, but it was really good! Uomasa is super popular with locals and with visitors looking to eat good seafood. And all the prices are actually quite reasonable!

@ Funayoshi (＠ふなよし)

Urgh don't remember what exactly this was called either, but it was really really good! The sashimi fish was amaaaaaazing.

Whale cutlet @ Hanakanran (くじらカツ＠花甘藍)

I imagine that there might be a lot of people put off by the idea of eating whale...but honestly, it's quite good. One of the neighboring towns has a strong whaling industry, and so many of the restaurants here serve a few dishes with whale in it. Whale is actually quite good, and has a texture somewhere between a block of sashimi and a piece of steak.

Iberian pork @ Appetito (イベリコ豚＠アペティート)

Also, Kamogawa is home to some of the most amazing French/Italian places I've ever eaten at before, in and out of Japan!!

Kamogawa-grown vegetable salad @ Kasa (鴨川産野菜サラダ＠カーサ)

Simple and healthy but oh so good!! I order this every time I go here~.

Uncured ham, mizuna, & potato pizza @ Kasa (生ハムと水菜とじゃがいものピザ＠カーサ)

Another must have favorite!!! I couldn't even wait to take the photo before I took a slice. I love Kasa because it literally looks like a rundown shack from the outside, but when you go inside it actually has really nice ambience...and most importantly, the food is delicious!

@ Rosso Bianco (＠ロッソビアンコ)

My favorite restaurant in the WORLD. I joke not. If you only have enough time to eat at one place when you visit Kamogawa, I would say here with no hesitation whatsoever. Weird maybe, since it's not Japanese. It's technically French, but for instance this lunch set comes with miso soup, pickled vegetables, and some other side dish (that I never actually figured out what it was, but it's really good). There's just something about the food here....that is mind-blowing. I've taken every single person who has visited me here, and I have yet to find someone who doesn't agree that the place is seriously delicious. And it's totally the same reasonable prices as a family restaurant - about 1,000-1,500 yen (US$10-$15) for a whole meal like this!


There are a bunch more restaurants that I want to introduce, but honestly I have so many food pictures that I have to pick through them and figure out what was taken where. So until next time~!