I'm in Ōma, Aomori Prefecture, and I've come here for one reason in particular
Maguro, a lot of people say that this is the center of the Moguro world here in Aomori has some of the best anywhere
And I've come here to find out - how good is it?
At the luggage carousel in Aomori Airport, I was greeted with a welcome sign written on a tuna
Yeah, Hon-Maguro is big here
Ōma is famous throughout Japan for having the top bluefin tuna, and you can see the city's love and respect for Hon-Maguro just about everywhere
This deco truck at the dock transports Ōma's Hon-Maguro to Tsukiji market
the drivers love for the fish painted all around the exterior
Ōma is located in Aomori prefecture on the very top of Honshu Japan's main island
The Tsugaru straight between Hokkaido and Aomori is where the bluefin tuna swim from the Pacific to the Sea of Japan
the best season from autumn to New Year
Ōma's right at the tip with easy access to the sea
The port town has a lot of small fishing vessels that towns populations surrounding it
I got the chance to go out in a fishing boat and watch the other fisherman hunt Maguro
But first I had to prepare for the rough seas ahead
The captain gave us a quick explanation before boarding the boat has large lights on it to catch squid at night
But doubles up as a model boat in season
The winds picked up quickly as we made our way out to see
The ride got quite bumpy at times swaying a couple of meters from side to side
there was a feeling of urgency on this hunt getting out there quickly with other fishermen trying to catch a bluefin tuna
the competitive spirit was in the air
You can see large schools of Maguro on radar and many fishermen start the hunt when they find that zone
So, the Maguro watching is started I don't see any Maguro and I'm not sure how you would know unless the captain tells you over there
But the sea is pretty rough. It's about one or two meters sized waves may be higher
But that just makes it all the more fun
In Aomori it is customary to battle the bluefin tuna with line and pole
Bluefin tuna here can weigh between 200 and 300 kilograms and the fight between fishermen and fish is real
When you catch one it really is a reason to celebrate
Once an Ōma Hon-Maguro are sold for as much as one hundred and fifty five point four million. Yen, or one point four million dollars
This restaurant in Ōma is called Oh-manzoku, and the place where I had my first Hon-Maguro of the day
After the fish is caught it has to be transported to Tsukiji market in Tokyo where it's auctioned
Omanzoku has to buy the fish there and transport it back
The restaurant buys three to four Ōma Hon-Maguro for a week on average
Not only is this model valuable it weighs over 200 kilograms
440 pounds it's carefully moved to the cutting table
When one comes in restaurant donor Takeuchi-san can put on the bluefin tuna carving show
But what makes Ōma's Hon-Maguro so popular and delicious ?
At Tsukiji market
bitters check the Maguro for its fattiness and consistency Ōma Hon-Maguro is
Consistently the best because in the Tsugaru straights
They eat a lot of squid and fatty saury or mackerel pike by the time
They get to Ōma their meat has a wonderful fat consistency and taste
Back in Ōma the tuna is inspected carefully and then prepped for carving
Takeuchi-san puts on a show every time a Maguro comes in
Tourists come from all over Japan and the world to watch him cut up a tuna that can cost as much as a car
He uses a variety of knives and saws each has its own job to do on a certain part of the tuna
The audience claps at certain times knowing the job of carving the tuna is far from easy
Takeuchi-san has been doing this for years the motions done on instinct
This is Akami (red meat)
That's right! listen up! Here are the three Hon-Maguro cuts you need to know
Akami is the lean red meat taken from the fin
Chutoro is from the middle belly with higher fat content
Ōtoro is from the lower belly and the pinkest from the high fat content
Yeah, this is going to melt in your mouth and since there's not much of it. It's expensive
You can get all three in the restaurant. It's open 365 days a year
Look at that Ōtoro. I also love Akami too. Different consistency different taste so this is it
This is the motto that he was cutting up in the front of the shop just a few minutes ago
and now here, it is on my plate and
I'm just looking at the one right in front of me
This is Ōtoro and Chutoro and Akami, and the Ōtoro, it's just so beautiful look at that
This is the fatty piece of tuna
I feel good. It's so tender, so soft. You don't even have to chew it just it melts in your mouth
Let's talk with the owner Takeuchi-san about what makes Ōma tuna so great
There are many reasons why Ōma's tuna is so great, in particular, Ōma's Maguro eats a lot of live squids
Just having catched, tuna doesn't distribute the fat evenly in the whole body
Even fat distribution in the body takes about two or three days
For exaplme, if a tuna is caught today, it would be packed in the box tomorro morning and send to Tokyo
when arrived at Tsukiji, the tuna is to bring under the hammer
and the brokers buy the tuna, and sells it to a restaurant owner for example.
so that, Tokyoites can eat the Ōma's Maguro around three days after being caught at the earliest
So that tuna makes a long round trip to Tokyo in fact
But why?
Ōma's fishermen are not willing to sell the Tuna to me
It's okay
I can't do that here in Ōma so my son took my boat from me.
That may be jokingly true
But Takeuch-san's victories can be seen in the photos around the restaurant
And the Ōma labels from Hon-maguro bought in Tsukiji served the customers are proudly displayed on the wall
But we're not done eating I hopped across town to another restaurant
This is Hama Sushi and they take full advantage of the town's Hon-Maguro
The Sushi, Sashimi and Kaisen-don are all great, but I'm here for a full seven-course Maguro meal
This is the full course it's a really big meal as you can see
Everything is Maguro it comes from the Maguro of the tuna all of it local here from Ōma a lot of it
I've never seen before which makes it very very exotic and extremely unique. I can't wait to dig into this
I don't even know where to start
A boiling pot of something definitely from Maguro, but why?
Most of this won't suit everybody's palate, but this is Maguro Sushi and something we all know
The full course will set you back over 7,000 yen or about $70
But it's the best way to get the full scope of Maguro cuisine in Ōma
So there you have it Japan's most famous Maguro and Ōma Aomori you come here for the experience the love for the sea and fish
Almost culture is surrounded by the bluefin tuna and if you're a fan of Maguro and eating the best Sushi around
It's a must visit destination for foodies and adventure seekers with big stomachs
Itadakimasu
Next time I head to Gunma Prefecture to visit the Tomioka silk mill