A little of each town’s story

Motobu, the bonito town

From: Early cherry blossoms and an Okinawan winter

The Fresh Bonito Bench sign and the bonito-shaped bench

A town where people say: if bonito, then Motobu; if Motobu, then bonito. It is known for pole-and-line bonito fishing, begun in the Meiji era, and for katsuobushi (dried bonito) production, started by a local cooperative in 1905; its bonito fishery and its katsuobushi factory are said to be the only ones on Okinawa's main island. The bonito is also the town's official fish. Toguchi Port, which once prospered on katsuobushi, remains the fishing base, and most of the bonito landed there goes to fresh fish and katsuobushi. In the arcade of the town market sits a bench shaped like a bonito.

Sources: cri.ehime-u.ac.jp ja.wikipedia.org

This moment in the journey

At the market of the bonito town

In the late afternoon, to the market in the center of town. Through a window of the arcade I could see a fish shop across the street. At the entrance hung a sign: Motobu Old Local Market. Many shutters were down. It must be around here, I thought, walking on.

There it was: Fresh Bonito Bench. Motobu is the only town on Okinawa's main island where bonito fishing is still carried on. The symbol of this town, where the freshest bonito is landed, turned out to be a bench shaped like a bonito.

I looked into the fish shop across from the market. In the glass case lay blocks of tuna and bonito with their price tags. I had tonight's sashimi wrapped up. Thank you very much.

Watch this scene on YouTube2:43

Read this scene in the full journey