Omicho Market
Located at the heart of Kanazawa and known as Kanazawa’s Kitchen, Omicho Market has been the biggest food market in Kanazawa since the Edo Period (1603-1868). Now it has more than 170 shops which offer multiple kinds of fresh seafood caught from the Sea of Japan on a daily basis. In addition, there are also pickles, agricultural products as well as diverse kinds of products like desserts, sake and coffee that are likely to arouse your interest in trying.
Omicho Market Photos ( 10
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What Can You Find in Omicho Market
Fresh Seafood
The most striking point of Omicho Market is a variety of fresh seafood. As Kanazawa is located by the Japanese sea, the market benefits a lot from its abundant aquatic products. You can find fish, shellfish, and other marine delicacies like succulent crabs, fresh sashimi, and colorful array of sushi. The most expensive and popular fish in the market is called throat black, also known as red salmon, which is a soft white meat fish with a salty taste. Although it can be caught all year round, the meat quality is the best in winter.
Local Produce
Except for seafood, Omicho Market is also a great site to purchase local produce, ranging from vegetables, fruits to medical herbs from local farmers.
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Recommended Restaurants
In Omicho Market, there are more than 40 restaurants where you can enjoy fresh and delicious seafood dishes such as Kanazawa's most famous throat black fish, sweet shrimp, and pine leaf crabs at very affordable prices. Among these delicacies, the most popular is seafood donburi extravagantly adding a large amount of seasonal seafood, and each restaurant provides their own unique luxury seafood donburi. In addition, skewered skewers, grilled sushi, rice balls, and high-end varieties of Nengdeng beef are all offered at the most affordable prices. The seats of most restaurants are limited, so it is recommended to avoid the peak dining period when there are too many guests.
Omicho Croquette
Omicho Croquette offers croquettes having a variety of flavors including red shrimp, crab, octopus, pumpkin, curry, and edamame. Each is about 130 yen to 260 yen. Croquettes with seafood ingredients are particularly popular among local people and visitors. The business hours of Omicho Croquette is from 8:00 to 17:00 with flexible rest-days. It’s extremely crowded and chaotic at noon, so please pay attention!Fish Store
Fish Store is a good place to have a taste of raw oysters and shrimp except crabs and eels and you can also choose your favorite seasoning from the lemon juice, vinegar, and soy sauce placed nearby. You can also eat with Japanese wine. The business hour of Fish Store is from 8:00 to 17:00 on usual days and 9:00 to 16:00 on Sundays with flexible rest-days.Jimonotei
Jimonotei is a sister store of the famous sushi restaurant “Mitukawa” in Kanazawa. You can enjoy the top-quality sushi directly promoted by the famous store at a reasonable price. The yellow lines on the menu indicate the recommended dishes for that day.One recommended dish is an affordable Omakase set meal by the chief that costs 3,240 yen. Omakase is a way of ordering in Japanese restaurants, which means that you ask the chef to help you order food. Its advantage is that chefs can be allowed to show their culinary skills and you can enjoy the freshest ingredients and their specialty. The set menu includes 10 rolls of nigirizushi, hand-rolled sushi with Blackthroat seaperch, steamed egg custard, and soup. In addition to the set meal, you can order a glass of Ebisu draft beer that costs 280 yen.
Jimonotei is at the right hand of Jikken-machi bus stop in the market. The restaurant would close the next day after national holidays and its business hour is from 11:30 to 14:00 and 17:30 to 21:00 with Monday as its rest-day. At lunchtime, there will be a long queue of people at Jimonotei, so you’d better make an appointment beforehand.
Iki-iki Tei
Located near Musashi-Mizonokuchi Station in Omicho Market, Iki-iki Tei opens at 7am with only 10 bar seats. Being close to the guests and having a warm family atmosphere, the restaurant is very popular among local people.
One recommended dish is mini-donburi of Kanazawa that costs 600 yen. It is very suitable for female customers or tourists who want to taste all kinds of delicious Kanazawa ingredients at one time. Varieties of ingredients and Sushi rice are separated, allowing you to have a good taste of the flavors of diverse ingredients.
When the restaurant is full up, you can fill in the reservation form at the door. The staff will call you to take a seat for dining when it’s your turn. You can walk around the market during the waiting period.
The Best Time to Visit
It’s recommended to go to the market around November, when many shops will be filled with seafood products from the Sea of Japan, such as crabs, crucian carp, and sweet shrimp, which have received high praise in Japan. Popular products are usually sold out in the morning, so it's best to go there in the morning. FYI: Almost all stores open at 7am.How to Get There
You can take Kanazawa Loop Bus and get off at Musashigatsuji bus stop. Then you can get to Omicho Market after walking for about one minute.Hours
Opening time: 9:00～17:00; it may vary among different stores.Closing days: The close days of different shops are different, but many shops close on Wednesdays, Sundays, National Holidays and New Year Holidays.