のっけ丼 - Nokkedon - the genius of the Furukawa fish market in Aomori

We resently made a short trip to Amori in the Aomori prefecture. While Aomri has a few sites worth visiting, the one exciting me the most was the Furukawa fish market.

I really like Sushi. And the Furukawa fish market has found a genius way of selling it called のっけ丼 (Nokke-don). The Idea is that you buy a ticket at the entrance, get a bowl of rice and then wander the fish market, picking the best looking pieces of fish to put on your bowl of rice. Most of the fish mongers at Furukawa fish market participate and therefore it is possible to choose from a great variaty of delecacies.

Over all it is very simple. At the entrance you can buy tickets. They offer two different sizes of tear away tickets, one with 10 and the other with 20 coupons. Then you will be refered to one of the stands offering rice. Those stands are marked with a red hanging in front of it. There you give them the first coupon and get a bowl of rice in exchange. After that you can wander the fish market and visit all of the stands displaying a blue flag - meaning that the offer fish and accept the coupons. Depending on the portion size and type of sashimi you usually have to exchange 1 to 3 coupons for a serving of sashimi.

Once the bowl is filled with delightfull delicacies (you can also get 漬物 (tsukemono - japanese pickles) to go along with your bowl) you can find a spot to eat at the fish market. They supply chopstics and water and every one is expected to clean up their place afer finishing.　

So, if you ever visit Aomori, I would highly recommend a short trip to the Furukawa Fish market!