SHIMANAMI, EHIMEThe Catch of the Shimanami Tides

One Piece, One Island

The Sea It Came From

Out Before Dawn

Fujimoto, Fisherman: Processing the Catch

The Fish the Best Chefs Ask For

Shinkeijime: The Skill Behind the Taste

Akakichi, One Michelin Star

Breaking It Down

From the Ocean to the Plate

The fish that arrives on your plate that evening was caught hours before by the team behind Mr. Fujimoto, a fisherman whose catch supplies the Michelin restaurants of Tokyo. The waters here are shaped by strong, complex tides that produce fish found nowhere else, and the precise methods Fujimoto built his name on are now carried forward by the fishermen he has trained. Most travelers cross Shimanami by bicycle, taking in the view as they pass. This journey takes you below the surface of that view. You go out with the team in the same waters that feed Tokyo's finest kitchens, watch them work, and see shinkei-jime, the precise nerve-closing technique that holds a fish at its peak. The same fish, never shipped, is then served to you by a Michelin-starred chef just steps from where it was caught.

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Access map: SHIMANAMI, EHIME The Catch of the Shimanami Tides

Experience Stories

The Shimanami Kaido

Your journey begins along the Shimanami Kaido, a chain of islands and bridges crossing the Seto Inland Sea. Most travelers cross it by bicycle and keep moving. You travel it by private car, in no hurry, with the sea on both sides.

Meeting the Fujimoto Team at Miyakubo Harbor

At a private facility in Miyakubo Harbor, you meet the fishermen who carry on the work of Mr. Fujimoto, whose catch is sought after by Michelin restaurants in Tokyo. A multilingual film introduces Fujimoto and the principles behind his fishing, and the team explains in their own words how they fish these historic waters and why they fish the way they do. The tides here are strong and complex, and they produce fish found nowhere else.

Out to Sea

You board the boat and head out with the team to watch them work, in the same waters that supply Tokyo's finest kitchens. Back at the dock, they demonstrate shinkei-jime, the precise nerve-closing technique that holds a fish at its peak. It is a skill rarely seen outside the country's top restaurants.

A Special Course at the Akakichi Collaborative Kitchen

The day ends with a rare meal. In a collaborative kitchen with the Michelin-starred Akakichi, the fish chosen by the team is served at its finest, just steps from where it was caught. With no time lost to shipping, you taste a freshness that almost never leaves these islands.

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