Otaru Sushi Street — Hokkaido's Seafood Showcase

Walk out of Otaru Station and you'll find yourself surrounded by sushi shops—twenty-something of them packed into two blocks. Back when Otaru was Hokkaido's busiest port (1920s-1950s), fishing boats landed their catch right at the docks, and sushi shops opened to feed dock workers and herring fishermen. The tradition stuck even as Otaru's port declined.

What sets Otaru's sushi apart is the water temperature. Ishikari Bay and the Sea of Japan here run cold year-round, which gives the seafood a different flavor profile than what you get in warmer Pacific waters. The sweet shrimp (amaebi) has more snap, the uni tastes cleaner, and the scallops come out sweeter. You can taste it in the first bite. Sushi Zen, which opened in 1938, still runs with the original owner's grandson slicing fish at an eight-seat cypress counter. Book a month ahead if you want dinner there—¥12,000-15,000 gets you omakase with whatever came in that morning. If Sushi Zen is full, Otaru Masazushi serves quality sets from ¥3,500 without the wait.