The Land of Fishing

Japan is surrounded by the ocean on all sides, making it renowned for its high consumption of fish. The seas around Japan are world-renowned fishing grounds.

Even before refrigeration technology was developed, the Japanese enjoyed sashimi (raw fish) with vinegar and soy sauce. Poems dating back to the Nara period (around AD 750) describe the appreciation for a simple meal of raw fish filleted with a vinegar-miso sauce.

The Japanese archipelago is surrounded by four ocean currents, significantly influencing fish migration in the region. The Pacific Northwest area around Japan is the highest fishery production area in the world, contributing to about 25% of the global total. Approximately 3,700 species (or 35%) of the world’s 15,000 saltwater species are found in these waters.*

Thus, it’s not surprising that someone from a country where fish is not as readily available might be astonished by the vast selection of seafood in a Japanese supermarket.

Ikizukuri is a Japanese culinary practice in which seafood, most commonly fish, is prepared and presented alive to demonstrate the freshness of the dish. The term “ikizukuri” translates to “prepared alive,” highlighting the method’s focus on freshness and immediacy. In this practice, the fish is quickly cleaned and filleted while still alive, and then served immediately, often with the heart still beating or other parts of the fish still moving. The dish is typically served with soy sauce, wasabi, and sometimes with garnishes like shiso leaves.

Ikizukuri 生き作り

You probably know that the Japanese very much adhere to the highest standards of food freshness. Fresh seafood, when consumed raw may be so fresh… that it is still alive.

Ikizukuri is considered a delicacy in some parts of Japan and is available in certain seafood restaurants, particularly those specializing in sashimi. The preparation requires considerable skill to minimize the suffering of the fish and is usually done by highly trained chefs.

However, ikizukuri has been the subject of ethical debates and controversy, particularly among animal rights activists and those concerned with animal welfare. Critics argue that the practice is cruel due to the suffering inflicted on the fish. As a result, ikizukuri is less common than other Japanese culinary practices and is subject to regulations in some places to ensure the ethical treatment of the seafood.

Below is a quick reference for several popular fish and seafood items found in Japanese supermarkets or served in local restaurants. Knowing these can be helpful if you encounter a particular dish you enjoyed and wish to order again, as translating it into your own language might leave you amused, perplexed, or even terrified.

“Wait, I just ate what??? ” …

Here is a list for your reference!

Japanese name in Hiragana/kanji	Prononciation in Japanese	English name of fish
鮭（さけ）	Sake	Salmon
まぐろ　鮪	Maguro	Tuna
かつお　鰹	Katsuo	Bonito
さんま　秋刀魚	Sanma	Mackerel Pike
さば　鯖	Saba	Mackerel
うなぎ　鰻	Unagi	Freshwater Eel
いか	Ika	Squid (calamari)
かれい	Karei	Flounder
たら	Tara	Cod
めばる	Mebara	Rockfish
さより　細魚	Sayori	Halfbeak fish
さわら　鰆	Sawara	Spanish mackerel
まだい　真鯛	Madai	Red sea-bream
はまぐり　蛤	Hamaguri	Hard-shell clam
はも　鱧	Hamo	Pike conger
あなご　穴子	Anago	Conger eel
あじ　鯵	Aji	Caranginae
いさき　伊佐木	Isaki	Grunt (Parapristipoma trilineatum)
すずき　鱸	Suzuki	Sea bass
いわし　鰯	Iwashi	Sardine
かます	Kamasu	Barracuda
ふぐ	Fugu	Blowfish/pufferfish (poisonous fish, only restaurants with proper license are allowed to serve it)
あんこう	Anko	Angler fish
あゆ　鮎	Ayu	Sweet fish
こち　鯒	Kochi	Flathead
わかさぎ	Wakasagi	Smelt

More seafood related products

Japanese name	English equivalent	Description	Dishes	Benefits/nutrition
Surimi　 すり身	Fish paste	A paste made of seafood or fish	As such mostly used in imitation crab product.  Otherwise used to make Kamaboko	Good source of protein.
Chikuwa  竹輪	Fish cake stick	Fish paste is wrapped around a stick and either steamed or boiled.	Popular snack, can have stuffing inside, is quite cheap. Eaten on its own.	Relatively cheap source of protein. Usually low fat.
Kamaboko 蒲鉾かまぼこ	Cured type of surimi/fish cake/ fish sausage	Loafs of pureed processed fish and seafood.  Made into various shapes.	Steamed , deep fried. Can be used in tempura. Often sold separately in stores, either steamed, deep-fried or boiled.	Steamed kamoboko especially is low on carbs high on protein. Other nutrients content depends on type of fish used.
Ebi 　 海老 えび	Shrimp	Kuruma-ebi, Ama-ebi,Sakura-ebi (small translucent type) often is dried.	Virally of dishes with seafood. Tempura, fry, sushi, sashimi, pasta.	Good protein, with essential fatty acids EPA and DHA
Kani　 かに	Crab	There are different types of crab, depending on season and area they are from.	Virally of dishes with seafood. Tempura, pasta, nabe鍋 etc.	Very high quality protein, contains good amounts of Omega-3 FA
Asari　 あさり	Clam	Saltwater clams (small size)	Miso soup, fry, nabe, used to make dashi (soup stock)	Protein, calcium, iron and Vitamin B2
Robusuta-　ロブスター	Lobster		Steamed lobster, soup, pasta ets.	Higher contents of EPA and DHA than shrimp and crab meat.
Kaki　 牡蠣	Oyster	Oyster bars that serve raw oysters also have a menu of baked/grliied dishes.	Raw oysters. Kaki-fry. Oysters are in soups, even curry.	Must be careful of food poisoning when eating raw (kids are not advised eating) but fried are a good source of Vitamin D, copper and zinc!
Uni　 うに	Sea urchin	Orange soft, buttery texture (roe-producing organs of a sea urchin)	Sushi, sashimi, don (丼)-on top of a rice bowl.  Also can be found in Uni-pasta!	Vitamin E — fat-soluble vitamin which has a strong antioxidant effect, helps prevent lifestyle-related diseases such as arteriosclerosis and myocardial infarction. Vitamins B2, folic acid, beta-carotene.
Hotate　 帆立	Scallop	Round fleshy medallions, sold separately from shell. Shells are big and wavy on the outside	Sushi, sashimi, fried, tempura, seafood pasta, etc.	Good source of Taurin, it works by reducing the absorption of cholesterol in the digestive tract. Also reduces cholesterol, and enhances the functions of the heart and liver.  B12
Muru-gai　ムール貝	Mussel	Black longish shape shell	Steamed, simmered, with other seafood and in soups and stews.	B12, copper, zinc, iron
Ikura  いくら	Salmon roe (caviar)	Big fish eggs of dark orange color	In Sushi, (Don 丼) on top of a rice bowl	Almost 30g of high quality protein per 100g! DHA, EPA
Mentaiko  明太子(Karashi)	Spiced cod roe	Dark red sack of fish roe	Can be eaten raw just as sold, when the sack is opened and the fish eggs are scraped out. Can be cooked, made into pasta sauces, etc.	Vitamins A, B1(helps to convert sugar into energy), B2(helps metabolism) B6(helps convert protein into energy), B12 (promotes production of hemoglobin in the blood)
Talako  たらこ	Cod roe (salted)	Light red sack of fish roe	Same as above	Same as above
Shirasu  しらす	Tiny sardines	Tiny white boiled fishes	They are not exactly sardines, there are several types of fish used.	A great source of calcium and Vitamin D.  Also contains DHA
Chirimenjako 縮緬雑魚ちりめんじゃこ	Tiny dry sardines	Tiny white/gray dried fishes	Can be used with rice, salad, on top tofu, etc.	Contains even more Vitamins D because of a process of drying it in the sun.
Kazunoko 数の子	Herring Roe	Yellow firm sack of fish row, with crunchy texture.	Most often used in New Year food set (o-sechi ryori) Marinated in dashi and soy sauce.	A good source of DHA, DPA, helps maintain healthy blood cholesterol

*長嶋　博「日本料理の常識」p５５