Prior to the Meiji Period, the sea was favored as a transport route, and due to it being a place for ships to dock while waiting for the tide, Tomonoura has since ancient times been a prosperous port.

Whilst high tide ocean currents from both east and west flow into Tomonoura, at low tide the water flows out and the two currents meet in the offing. However, it is not only ships that take advantage of the tide in the spring; a certain fish does as well.

For this article I visited a restaurant that specializes in that very fish. The restaurant (above) has a certain elegance, and the banner outside lets customers know what fish it specializes in: Sea bream!

After getting to my table it doesn’t take long for me to realize that I really do want to eat sea bream today. I order sea bream kaiseki, which is a tray filled with a variety of small sea bream dishes.

This is what I came here for!

First, sashimi. It’s crisp and becomes sweeter the more I chew. This is the sea bream of Tomonoura.

Next, cooked sea bream. Rather simply prepared, it is cooked with only soy sauce and sake. According to the owner, the sea bream is so sweet it doesn’t need sugar or mirin (sweet sake). The plump fish has just the right amount of fat, and is really yummy!

Next up is a daikon radish salad topped with fried sea bream skin. It’s easy to get hooked on the crunchiness and the pleasant flavor. Every dish includes sea bream in some form or another and the remaining ones consist of sea bream on rice, in soup, and grilled. No part of the fish goes to waste here. Every dish is truly delicious, and now I understand why sometimes there is still a line of people outside even after last orders has been called! To top everything off, there is one more feast – one for the eyes.

This is the stunning view of the Seto Inland Sea as seen from the restaurant. There is nothing better than enjoying a series of fresh sea bream dishes while soaking up this view. Tomonoura has excellent gourmet food, a rich history, and fantastic nature. It is waiting for you to visit and experience it all for yourself.

Chitose – Seafood & Sea Bream
Address: 552-7 Tomochotomo, Fukuyama City, Hiroshima Prefecture
Business Hours: 11:30 – 15:00 (last orders 14:30), 18:00 – 21:00 (last orders 20:30)
Closed: Tuesdays
Tel: 084-982-3165

Setouchi Finder Photo-writer: Izumi Furukawa