Photo: Wikimedia contributor / CC BY-SA 4.0Shimizu lands more frozen tuna than any other port in Japan. The fish come from the Indian, Atlantic and far Pacific oceans on longline vessels that stay out for up to a year and freeze at around −60°C on board — cold enough that "frozen" is not an insult in this trade.
The market is two halls of fishmongers and small restaurants, eight minutes on foot from the cruise pier, and a maguro-don that would be a special occasion in Tokyo is a normal lunch here.
Five things the plaques won't tell you
- Closed Wednesdays. This catches out a great many cruise passengers — check before you plan your morning.
- Order maguro-don mixing akami, chutoro and otoro rather than a single cut.
- Grilled tuna collar — kama — is cheap, large and better than it sounds.
- Buy a fresh wasabi rhizome and a small grater. It keeps for weeks and flies fine.
- Sakura ebi, in spring and autumn, are fished commercially only in this bay.
The market is two halls of fishmongers and small restaurants, eight minutes on foot from the cruise pier, and a maguro-don that would be a special occasion in Tokyo is a normal lunch here.
Guided days from Shimizu
Booked before you sail — there is no tour desk at the pier. Booking through these links supports the site.
More in Shimizu
Spot guideKunozan Toshogu
Where Ieyasu was actually buried — Nikko is the copy
Open the guide →
Spot guideMiho no Matsubara
Thirty thousand pines, a black-sand beach, and the view that made Fuji sacred
Open the guide →
Spot guideNihondaira Yume Terrace
The Fuji-over-the-bay panorama from a timber deck, with Shimizu port laid out below
Open the guide →Questions people ask here
How far is Kashi-no-Ichi from the Shimizu cruise pier?
About 25 minutes on foot along the waterfront (2 km) — it is beside Shimizu Station. It is one of the closest genuinely good food stops of any Japanese cruise port — but it is closed on Wednesdays, which catches out a great many passengers.
What should I order at Kashi-no-Ichi?
A maguro-don mixing akami (lean), chutoro (medium-fatty) and otoro (fattiest) rather than a single cut, since Shimizu is Japan's leading tuna port. Add grilled tuna collar, which is cheap and large, and sakura ebi if it is spring or autumn — Suruga Bay is the only commercial fishery for them in Japan.