[Fukui Prefecture] Eat, drink, and take home! Enjoy Tsuruga City's gourmet food and souvenirs

• Table of Contents
• What kind of place is Tsuruga City, Fukui Prefecture ?
• Recommended gourmet food in Tsuruga City
• Alcohol you should try in Tsuruga City
• Introducing popular souvenirs from Tsuruga City!
• How to get to Tsuruga City

What kind of place is Tsuruga City, Fukui Prefecture ?

Tsuruga City is located almost in the center of Fukui Prefecture, a port town facing the Sea of ​​Nihon Sea. It is just north of Lake Biwa. It is easily accessible from Kyoto, Osaka, and Nagoya, with Kyoto taking less than an hour by JR train, and Osaka and Nagoya each taking 1 hour and 30 minutes. With the extension of the Hokuriku Shinkansen to Tsuruga Station, access from Tokyo has also become more convenient.

Tsuruga boasts abundant nature and fresh seafood, and is home to Kehi no Matsubara , one of Japan's three largest Matsubara , and Mizushima, an uninhabited island with emerald green waters. Other popular attractions include Kehi Shrine, the main shrine of the Hokuriku Expressway, and Kanazaki Shrine, a famous cherry blossom viewing spot, as well as statues of manga characters by manga artist Matsumoto Matsumoto. Tsuruga was the first town on the Sea of ​​Nihon Sea coast to have a railway line in 1882, and many retro spots related to the modern port and railway still remain.

Tsuruga City , a key transportation hub on the Sea of ​​Nihon Sea coast, has a thriving food processing industry that uses seafood such as oboro konbu and kamaboko. It is also known as Fukui Prefecture's main Echizen port for Echizen crab, and is home to an abundant catch of seafood. Tsuruga Bay, characterized by its ria coastline with many inlets, is less affected by the rough waves of the Sea of ​​Nihon Sea, and the meltwater from the mountains surrounding the bay on three sides makes it an ideal place for aquaculture, rich in minerals and microorganisms. Many brand-name fish, such as Tsuruga pufferfish and Tsuruga red sea bream, are also cultivated here.

This time, we will introduce some of Tsuruga City's most recommended specialties.

Recommended gourmet food in Tsuruga City

Echizen, the king of snow crabs

Snow crab, a specialty of Fukui Prefecture, is branded as "Echizen crab" and is a luxury food item famous nationwide. "Echizen crab" is the highest quality snow crab in terms of quality and name recognition. Echizen Echizen fishing opens on November 6th every year, and crab can be enjoyed until March 20th.

Echizen are tagged with a yellow tag and are known for being of high quality even among snow crabs. They are characterized by their long legs, large shells, and large claws. The firm meat is very sweet, and the rich, flavorful crab miso is exquisite.

Tsuruga Port is one of the main landing ports for Echizen crab, and is dotted with restaurants and accommodations where you can enjoy delicious Echizen crab. Freshness is important for snow crab, so we hope you will enjoy the delicious Echizen crab in the local area.

If you want to enjoy Echizen Echizen, we recommend eating it fresh as sashimi. The meat of the crab is surprisingly sweet, and is a way of eating that is unique to the local area. You can also enjoy a full crab course, including grilled crab, boiled crab, and tempura. The generous amount of crab miso is also rich and delicious. It is also delicious to mix the crab meat with the miso and eat it in a rice bowl.

Tsuruga Ramen

Tsuruga Ramen, a beloved local delicacy in Tsuruga City , is said to have originated from a food stall in front of Tsuruga Tsuruga Station. Passengers and railway workers would line up to enjoy the delicious ramen.

After that, over a dozen food stalls lined up along National Route 8, and as truck drivers and other customers began to use the area, the number of ramen restaurants gradually increased. Even now, more than 50 years later, the area's popularity has not waned, with food stalls and restaurants open from 8pm until around 2am, each offering their own unique ramen.

The basic base is pork bones. Chinese restaurants offer a lighter flavor using Chinese soup, while ramen specialty shops offer ramen with a soup made from a combination of chicken bones and pork bones, with a soy sauce flavor. Be sure to take a stroll around and try the different types of Tsuruga ramen.

Alcohol you should try in Tsuruga City

Tsuruga Higashiura Mikan 914 Beer

Higashiura mikan oranges are produced in the Higashiura district of Tsuruga City . They are carefully cultivated on the Echizen coast, which is considered the northern limit of mandarin orange production. Grown on the sloping land between the mountains and the sea in a harsh climate, they are characterized by their rich flavor and sweetness.

Tsuruga Higashiura Mikan 914 Beer is a beer made by blending the juice of these high-quality Higashiura mikan oranges with authentic craft beer made from 100% malt. It is free of any additives, such as flavorings or colorings, and has a citrus aroma and refreshing taste. It is a local exclusive beer that can only be purchased at Que Sera Cellar Miyamoto in the city.

●Que Sera Sera Miyamoto
1-40-17 Tsuruga City, Tsuruga City , Fukui Prefecture
https://www.miyamoto-sake.com

Introducing popular souvenirs from Tsuruga City!

Oboro Konbu

Tsuruga City has long been a major route for transporting produce from Hokkaido and Tohoku to Kyoto and Osaka, and has flourished as the largest port for food and goods. Among these, kelp was the most sought-after product, and even today in Tsuruga, the artisanal techniques of hand-made Oboro Konbu are still passed down.

Oboro konbu is konbu that is thinly shaved by hand by a craftsman using a single sheet of konbu as the surface. It has the original umami flavor of konbu and is characterized by its smooth texture. Tsuruga City produces 85% of the nation's hand-spun oboro konbu, making it one of the leading konbu processing areas in Japan.

Oboro konbu, with its strong aroma and flavor, is an excellent accompaniment to a variety of dishes and can be enjoyed in a variety of ways. When topped on noodles, it absorbs the broth and adds volume. Oboro konbu has a unique fluffy and soft texture that can be easily torn apart, and when added to soup, it dissolves and blends well. There are many oboro konbu specialty shops scattered throughout the city, and it is a popular souvenir.

Hard bread

One souvenir you can't forget about from Tsuruga City is the Tsuruga specialty "Hatapan," which, as its name suggests, is very hard.

"Katapan" is a simple-tasting bread made using traditional methods using only the simple ingredients of flour, sugar, and salt. The flavor of the green laver on top of the bread enhances the taste, making it a soul food for the people of Tsuruga .

●Daruma Shop 72-11-3 Sawa , Tsuruga City , Fukui Prefecture

How to get to Tsuruga City

Take the train to Tsuruga City

●From Osaka Station or Kyoto Station

From JR Osaka Station, JR Osaka Station, and JR Kyoto Station, you can take the limited express "Sandbird" to JR Tsuruga Station. It takes about 1 hour and 25 minutes from JR Osaka Station and JR Osaka-Osaka Station, and about 55 minutes from JR Kyoto Station to reach JR Tsuruga Station.

●From Tokyo Station

From JR Tokyo Station, take the Hokuriku Shinkansen "Kagayaki" and arrive at JR Tsuruga Station in approximately 3 hours and 20 minutes.

Drive to Tsuruga City

From Kyoto, take the Meishin Expressway at Kyoto Higashi IC and continue onto the Hokuriku Expressway at Maibara JCT. Get off at Tsuruga IC and it's about a 5-minute drive to the city center. It takes about 1 hour and 50 minutes from Kyoto Station.

For tourist information on Tsuruga City, click here