Journeys in photographs and words.

Places we stopped along the way

Numazu, Shizuoka

Uogashi Maruten (Numazu Port)

From: Gifts of the sea in a town that looks out on Mt. Fuji

The seafood kakiage bowl standing like a tower, with a soup bowl
The seafood kakiage bowl standing like a tower, with a soup bowl

A seafood restaurant founded in 1966 and one of the best known at Numazu Port. Its signature dish is the seafood kakiage bowl: a huge fritter of shrimp, scallops and onion standing up out of the bowl like a tower. You break it with your chopsticks, tip it over and pour on the tempura sauce. Mine came with fish-bone soup and a small side dish. There are two Maruten restaurants at the port, so check the official site before you go.

Sources: uogashi-maruten.co.jp rurubu.jp rurubu.jp

This moment in the journey

The seafood kakiage bowl, at last

Beyond the sign of the Kuzura bus stop, Mt. Fuji caught the evening light. After a rest on the veranda, I headed for Numazu Port.

The seafood kakiage bowl had caught my attention the last time I was here. At a restaurant under a sign reading Uogashi Maruten, what arrived was a kakiage fritter standing up out of the bowl like a tower. Now, how do I eat this? I broke the top with my chopsticks, tipped it over, and poured on the tempura sauce. The flavor of shrimp and scallops and the sweetness of onion, all in one bite.

I had wondered whether I could finish it, but I never tired of it. I poured a bottle of non-alcoholic beer into a glass. Both my curiosity and my stomach were filled with happiness.

Watch this scene on YouTube2:37

Read this scene in the full journey

The Tokai Bus stop sign for Kuzura, Mt. Fuji across the water
The Tokai Bus stop sign for Kuzura, Mt. Fuji across the water
Relaxing on a cushion on the veranda with a cup
Relaxing on a cushion on the veranda with a cup
A kakiage towering out of the bowl, with tempura sauce
A kakiage towering out of the bowl, with tempura sauce
A close-up of the kakiage with the dish of sauce
A close-up of the kakiage with the dish of sauce
Chopsticks gripping the kakiage, the set meal on the table
Chopsticks gripping the kakiage, the set meal on the table
Breaking the top of the kakiage with chopsticks
Breaking the top of the kakiage with chopsticks
The kakiage tipped over on the bowl, with soup and a small dish
The kakiage tipped over on the bowl, with soup and a small dish
The sign of Uogashi Maruten: tempura and fish dishes
The sign of Uogashi Maruten: tempura and fish dishes