Uonotana — Akashi

photo by DVMG · CC BY 3.0

photo by DVMG · CC BY 3.0

Akashiyaki is the origin of takoyaki: one shop hands down the first cook's recipe.

The market began in 1618 with the building of Akashi Castle, when, according to local tradition, it was Miyamoto Musashi, the swordsman, who laid out the streets of the town and assigned this area to the fishmongers: hence the name, ‘the fish shelf’, from the wooden counter on which the merchants displayed the catch, keeping it wet. Under the 350 metres of arcade roof, among some eighty shops, you can eat akashiyaki (明石焼き): octopus fritters with more egg and less flour than takoyaki, served hot in dashi broth instead of with sauce, and it is the older recipe of the two, not a variant of it. One of the historic shops still hands down the formula of the legendary first cook, Mukai Seitarō.

Covered shopping arcade in the centre of Akashi, a short walk from the station; about 110 shops selling fresh fish and preserved produce from the Harima Sea.

ℹ️ Shops keep their own hours, roughly 9:00–18:00; many close one day a week, not always the same day.

🚉 Sanyo-Akashi · 3 min walk

Sources: city.akashi.lg.jp · ja.wikipedia.org · intojapanwaraku.com

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