From winter red snow crab starting around 1,000 yen to Tottori Wagyu and Natsuki rock oysters, these seven signature flavors make an ideal Sanin food journey.
7 Must-Try Tastes of Tottori: A 2023 Food Guide
📍Tottori Red Snow Crab For many food travelers, eating crab in Japan means thinking first of Hokkaido. But Tottori is one of Japan's great crab prefectures, with Sakaiminato among its most important landing ports.
Tottori may be one of the best-value places in Japan to eat crab, especially from November to February, when red snow crab and Tottori crab are in season. At the market, the cheapest crabs can start from around 1,000円 (JPY), making the prefecture's playful nickname, "Crabtori," feel well earned. Sakaiminato Seafood Wholesale Center Address: 9-5 Showamachi, Sakaiminato, Tottori 684-0034, Japan Phone: 0859-30-3857 小虎食夢網 (Xiao Hu Shi Meng Wang) Read the article 📍Tottori Wagyu Japan has many famous Wagyu brands, from Matsusaka, Omi and Kobe to Miyazaki and Kagoshima. Tottori also has a serious Wagyu pedigree.
The legendary Ketaka bloodline, considered an ancestor of modern Japanese Black cattle, comes from Tottori. In that sense, many of Japan's Wagyu brands can trace part of their story back here. The flavor is rich, the prices are surprisingly approachable, and Wagyu lovers should not leave Tottori without tasting it. Yakiniku Masashige Kurayoshi Address: 589-2 Yamane, Kurayoshi, Tottori 682-0023, Japan Phone: 0858-26-2919 小虎食夢網 (Xiao Hu Shi Meng Wang) Read the article 📍Rock Oysters Tottori's prized rock oysters grow attached to coastal rocks and demand exceptionally clean water. Their mineral-rich environment gives them a sweet, full-bodied flavor.
The most recommended brand is Natsuki, a name that suggests oysters shining in Tottori's summer sea. Only oysters of sufficient size qualify. They burst with sweetness, stay tender with a slight snap, and leave a lingering briny richness after each bite. Karo Seafood Market Address: 3 Chome-27-1 Karochonishi, Tottori 680-0908, Japan Phone: 0857-38-8866 寶兒遊樂園 (Bao'er Youleyuan) 📍Tottori Curry Tottori is not only about seafood and Wagyu. Curry is another local obsession.
Known as a curry kingdom, Tottori has ranked among Japan's highest consumers of curry roux. Here, breakfast can mean coffee with curry, and some kissaten menus offer black curry, beef curry, keema curry and Japone-style curry. It is hard to argue that Tottori does not love curry. 📍Ramen Tottori is often described as rural Japan, and Hamamura Onsen as a rural onsen town within rural Tottori. Yet hidden there is Hot Air, Tottori's only Michelin-recognized ramen shop, which began life as a used-car dealership.
Hot Air focuses on salt and soy-sauce ramen, with tantanmen and miso popular among regulars. Seasonal bowls such as fish-miso and fish-soy ramen appear from time to time. Prices are generally around 800 to 1,000円 (JPY), making this contemporary bowl of local Tottori ingredients wonderfully accessible. 📍Tottori Sake Every region has its local sake, and in Tottori one of the best-known breweries is Otani Shuzo in Urayasu. It uses local rice, from Yamada Nishiki to Goriki, a variety closely associated with Tottori, much of it grown in-house. That single-source, start-to-finish approach gives the brewery's sake its depth.
Otani Shuzo's leading labels include Takaisami and Goriki, while Sakamoto is another standout. Their appeal has been recognized by prominent figures from Japanese politics, football and baseball, giving the brewery a reputation that reaches beyond the prefecture. 📍Tottori 20th Century Pear The 20th Century pear is the classic green-skinned Japanese pear, and roughly half of Japan's production comes from Tottori. Many people simply call it the Tottori 20th Century pear.
Beyond its sweetness and juiciness, its charm lies in its fine texture. The fruit is not huge, but it is crisp, clean and refreshing. Since it can be expensive overseas, eating it in Tottori is part of the pleasure of being here. 13'S幸福食光 (13S Xingfu Shiguang)