Wakayama, Japan｜弥助寿司

Culinary adventure for the taste buds. The original form of sushi is the fermented sushi, and you can try it here. Be very open-minded as the pungent smell is quite off-putting. But the taste is like blue cheese with a slight tanginess or souriness from the fermentation.

I have been working with Yasuke Sushi since my grandmother's generation. When it was founded about 100 years ago, it was located in the Arita area of ​​Hiromachi, but later moved to its current location. I currently live in Osaka, so when I really want Honnare Sushi, I call the restaurant directly and have it delivered to my home. Wakayama Prefecture is known as the sushi kingdom, and there are a wide variety of sushi. Therefore, even if you live a little far away, your tastes may differ greatly. Mackerel Narezushi is a local dish of the Chuki region, and it is still commonly eaten by many people living in the Hidaka and Arita areas. Unlike the quick sushi that you can almost always find on the table at Chinese soba restaurants in Wakayama City, this sushi is made with rice that has been fermented with lactic acid. Its taste and aroma are reminiscent of well-aged wash-type cheese. I think it is one of the best Japanese sake accompaniments. Many people seem to avoid Honnare sushi because of its strong individuality, but it can be said to be the original form of sushi, along with the carp sushi from Lake Biwa. Therefore, this sushi is very valuable from the perspective of food culture, but now there are almost no restaurants that serve this sushi even in its native Arita area, and it is on the verge of extinction. Therefore, I hope that as many people as possible can enjoy not only Haya-zushi but also Honnare-zushi.

This was my biggest takeaway from my trip to Wakayama. Hayasushi is really delicious. The store only does takeout, so I brought a cooler bag and went shopping. There is no parking lot, so I parked at a nearby parking lot and went to buy it. At first, I thought of Naresushi, but the staff recommended it, so I bought Yasushi. Both Nare Sushi and Hayasushi are around 1300 yen.