Get to know the essence of bonito flakes, an indispensable ingredient in Japanese cuisine
Japanese food is attracting worldwide attention for its health benefits, and “dashi” is indispensable to its flavor. Dashi is usually made from dried kelp or dried bonito flakes. This time, we visited a long-established store in Mie that makes katsuobushi (dried bonito flakes).
We walked up along a path that went past several pearl shops (as this is a well-known pearl cultivation area) to a park on the ocean cliffside that overlooks the Daiosaki Lighthouse. From here it was wonderful to enjoy the views of the surrounding ocean and cliffs to the south. It is also a popular place for artists to come, relax and paint the lighthouse seascape scene.
From here we walked down to the fishing port area where there were quite a few seniors taking a hiking tour of the area and its coastline. It was interesting to see lots of fish being sun-dried on racks. I was surprised the local cats didn’t try and help themselves to some free lunch.
We got to try some of the seasoned dried fish at one of the fish markets. Very tasty and sweet.
The Shima area ranks amongst my favorite areas in all of Mie Prefecture, thanks to its laidback and relaxed seaside charm and of course the top-notch seafood famous around this part of Mie. Highly recommended for a weekend day trip or an overnight stay!