1 / 6Kattedon at Washo MarketPhoto: Midori / CC BY 3.0
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Checked against official sources · updated · Takumi Yamada
Buy a bowl of rice, then assemble the sea one stall at a time — crab, uni, salmon, whatever the boats brought. Kushiro’s ritual since 1954, and the single best first hour ashore. Open 8:00–17:00; closed Sundays, with occasional Sunday openings.
- Our number 1 for Kushiro, out of ten. It is the first thing we would spend the hours on.
- Short enough to be certain of: 1 hr door to door, so even a tender day works.
- Reachable on foot from the berth, so no timetable can strand you.
- On a 4–6h ashore call our verdict is "Perfect" — make it the first stop, then the nusamai bridge area, or a taxi to the marsh.
- Closed Sundays, with occasional Sunday openings. Check the day before you plan around it.
- Monday to Saturday 8:00–17:00; Sunday opening varies by month (see the market's calendar), and many fresh-fish shops are shut on Sundays — shops set their own hours on sundays, and the market's faq says sunday is normally a day off with occasional openings shown on its calendar. from 1 november the market is closed on sundays until december..
Why Kattedon at Washo Market is famous
Kattedon means as-you-like bowl, and Washo Market invented it in the 1960s: buy rice at one stall, then walk the aisles buying single slices of fish to put on it. The market opened in 1954 and the system exists because it let fishmongers sell offcuts.
Washo Market was founded in 1954 as the 'citizens' kitchen' and is Kushiro's oldest market. Its English page counts it with Sapporo's Nijo market and Hakodate's morning market as one of Hokkaido's Big Three. The name is said to come from the shouts of 'wasshoi' that filled the aisles.
The point is the kattedon, 'bowl of your own choice'. You buy a bowl of rice from one shop, then walk the stalls choosing toppings: the kattedon page lists four rice sellers and four fish shops. The result is a bowl no two people build alike. The name 'kattedon' is a registered trademark of one stall owner, Satomura. For anyone put off by raw fish, the market's own page points to a grilled-fish set meal at the hall's Ichibatei, and a venison burger at the cafe.
The catch is that it is a market, not a restaurant: it is busiest at lunch, the Sunday hours are patchy, and the fresh-fish shops can be shut that day. If you dock early on a Sunday, check the calendar on its website or go to MOO for lunch instead.
Three places, three different answers
The one the queue agrees on, the one people who live here use instead, and the one nearest your ship. Opening days change; check before you build a day around one.
Buy rice at one stall, then walk the aisles buying single slices to build your own bowl. The system dates to the 1960s.
Open in Google MapsClosest to the berthKushiro Fisherman’s Wharf MOOフィッシャーマンズワーフMOOBy the berth, with food stalls under a roof when the fog comes in.
Open in Google MapsThings worth knowing
- The market opens at 8:00. Sunday is the weak day for fresh fish, so a weekday visit gives the best choice.
- Ask for a smaller portion: the market's FAQ says shops are happy to sell small amounts of a plate-sized item.
- The market lists raw oysters at Marusui Kawamura Suisan for eating on site; oysters bought elsewhere in the market are not served for eating there.
- Parcel up gifts at one shop: the FAQ says any shop will consolidate purchases and ship them.
Kattedon at Washo Market and your ship
Both pins on one map, so the distance is a fact rather than a feeling.
Where the 1 hr goes
Counted from the moment you step off the gangway, about 30 minutes after the ship arrives. The hour before all-aboard is not in this bar; it is already set aside.
15 minutes each way is the measured figure for 15 min walk, not the optimistic one. If your ship is late, cut the 30 min in the middle. Never cut the hour at the end.
Questions people send us
What is kattedon?
A do-it-yourself seafood bowl: you buy rice at one shop and then pick toppings at the fish stalls. The name is a registered trademark of a stall called Satomura in the market.
Is Washo Market open on Sundays?
Sunday opening days vary by month and are shown on the market's calendar, but many fresh-fish shops are closed and the market treats Sunday as a day off with occasional openings. From November to the end of March it does not open on Sundays.
How far is it from the cruise terminal?
The tourism association gives about 15 minutes on foot from the downtown cruise terminal. From the West Port No.4 wharf you need a shuttle bus, about 20 minutes to the city centre.
Routes that already include it
Each one is a finished day timed from the official timetables, with this stop in it. Read the route rather than assembling it yourself.
What to put beside it
Each of these still lands you back aboard with the hour to spare.
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Meat-sauce spaghetti under a fried cutlet on a screaming-hot iron plate — invented at this very restaurant in 1960 to fight exactly this climate..
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