[Note: catching up with dossiers from May 2019 when we took an extended ramble around rural areas of Japan as “part one” honeymoon]
The following is as documented at a small morning fish auction in Noto, Ishikawa-ken [map] (at the end of the Noto peninsula) where various Norwegian and Russian ships also exchange wares.
We were guests of Ryoko’s miraculous university, professor Hongo sensei, and his wife. We had many expeditions around the area which will get shared throughout this archive, but for starters, let’s enjoy this fish market.
Unlike some famous fish markets in the *big city*, this is “locals only” everybody knows each other, and it was mere steps away from Hongo’s house, which is a re-purposed fish processing facility – though unsurprisingly, started a bit early for me :). Of course, as documented below, so many different kinds of fish! And the buyers and sellers gingerly stepped amongst the crates with practised steps as they showed their paddles to buy the various offers.Sensei purchased a fish called “ankou” (iirc) which he taught Ryoko how to process as has to be done in a certain way as there is some unique circumstances to this fish, which is a prehistoric bottom dwelling fish which we finally ate in probably six different ways.
So many kinds of sea creatures! How many can you name? a few of these (Ankou / angler fish and shellfish of which i don’t the name and more slippery little treats) were later consumed by our hosts and us.
+ Fish etc Variety Pack +
{update: the remarkable Sandra DeMonti sent along many names for many fish, added as captions – consider helping with the rest]
+ Auction Site +
Indeed, the big cities have big fish auctions with big crowds and media hype and whatnot, but this is the real deal, edge of the world, no chaos or pretension or grandstanding. just get it done, get it shipped, on to the next thing. Dig the atmosphere…
Surrounding circumstances
+ Meanwhile back at the fish house +
Hongo sensei’s home is a converted old fish processing facility – no its not stinky at all but has long stainless steel sinks for sorting tuna or whatever now used for brushing teeth. More to share but in the sort term, a few snippets…
Blurb: On our meandering adventure of a honeymoon in May-June 2019, we travelled by many means of convenience including a wide variety of trains, rental cars, occasional coach buses and what not. See the whole Shinkonryoko Scrapbook for a mixed-media ephemera overview and a list of places visited for the curious.
