Aotsuka Shokudo

Aotsuka Shokudo (民宿青塚食堂) is a long-established fisherman-run restaurant and minshuku (Japanese-style guesthouse) located in Shukutsu, Otaru, Hokkaido, Japan. It was founded in 1958 to coincide with the Hokkaido Grand Exposition, when the mother of the current family opened a small eatery to serve beachgoers and exposition visitors during the summer months, when fishing income was low. The business is operated by the Aotsuka family, whose roots in Shukutsu go back to the late Meiji period, when the grandfather moved from Akita to Otaru and became a boat captain for one of the three great masters of Shukutsu before eventually becoming independent. The current representative director, Shinobu Aotsuka, is the third generation of a fishing family. The restaurant began as a beach-house-style operation serving simple food such as oden and ramen, but gradually shifted to serving local seafood, especially herring (nishin) and whelk (tsubu). After the nearby Otaru Aquarium opened in 1959, more families began visiting Shukutsu, and the business moved to its current location, adding a minshuku on the second floor in 1963. For many years the restaurant closed in winter, following the aquarium's seasonal schedule, but in 1993 it was rebuilt with heating and switched to year-round operation. The signature dish, the herring set meal (nishin teishoku), appeared around 1970 and features a whole herring grilled over charcoal without being gutted, so that the roe and milt remain inside. Another original dish, the Hanauo-don, was created in the late 1980s to make better use of local Atka mackerel (hokke). Aotsuka Shokudo is known for its outdoor charcoal grill, where whole herring are skewered and grilled in view of passersby, a spectacle that draws tourists and photographers. The menu also includes uni-don (sea urchin rice bowl), ikura-don (salmon roe rice bowl), scallops, squid, and other local seafood, as well as homemade shiokara and dried fish. The minshuku can accommodate up to 20 guests and offers four accommodation plans, with a bath overlooking the sea and a large banquet room. The restaurant has been featured on numerous television programs, including TV Tokyo's Sunday Big Variety in 2009, where its uni-don ranked sixth in a national rice bowl ranking, and in 2023 it was named the top recommended seafood restaurant in the Sapporo-Otaru area by a survey of over 100 seafood industry professionals on the Hokkaido TV program Dosanko Wide. It has also attracted many visitors from Hong Kong and Southeast Asia since the late 1990s, with Hong Kong tourists accounting for about 20% of sales in the 2000s. Despite challenges such as the COVID-19 pandemic, which caused group cancellations and temporary closures, the restaurant has adapted by offering mail-order sales of its products. As of 2023, it continues to be busy with both locals and tourists.

Aotsuka Shokudo was founded in 1958, the year the Hokkaido Grand Exposition was held, in Shukutsu, Otaru, Hokkaido. The founder was the mother of the current representative director, Shinobu Aotsuka. The Aotsuka family had moved from Akita to Otaru in the late Meiji period; the grandfather became a boat captain for one of the three great masters of Shukutsu and later became independent. The father was also a fisherman. Because fishing income was low in summer, the mother opened a small eatery to serve beachgoers and exposition visitors, marking the beginning of the business. Aotsuka later described the early days as 'a summer side job while fishing was slow.' Initially, the operation was similar to a beach house, serving simple food such as oden and ramen. Later, seafood such as herring and whelk began to be offered. After the nearby Otaru Aquarium opened in 1959, many families began visiting Shukutsu. The business then built a residence at its current location and moved there, starting a minshuku (guesthouse) in 1963. The first floor housed the restaurant, while the second floor mainly accommodated construction workers. At that time, the aquarium operated from March to November, so Aotsuka Shokudo also closed in winter. In the 1980s, construction workers for the Otaru Canal project stayed for long periods, leading to banquet reservations even in winter. Considering regular employment of staff, the building was rebuilt in 1993 with heating facilities, and the business switched to year-round operation. The signature herring (nishin) was once abundant in the Sea of Japan, with catches reaching about 970,000 tons, but after the 1950s the catch plummeted, and the restaurant could hardly use locally caught herring. However, in 2009, thanks to stock enhancement efforts by Otaru City, herring catches increased in various areas, and the restaurant was able to serve local herring during fishing seasons, delighting customers as a signature menu item. The restaurant's opening hours, which had been 7:00 AM since the minshuku began to serve breakfast to guests, were changed to 10:00 AM in 2010. Aotsuka Shokudo has participated in various local events, including the 'Autumn Appreciation Week' jointly held by tourism-related facilities in Shukutsu, the 'Otaru Shako Festival' featuring original dishes using Otaru's mantis shrimp, the 'China-Japan Business Meeting' by Hokkaido companies interested in business in China, and the 'Chisan Shishoku Shiribeshi Local Food Challenge' featuring ingredients from the Shiribeshi region. It also offers the 'Otaru Kukitaro-don,' a creative dish using herring, contributing to the promotion of Otaru and Shukutsu. In January 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic restricting group tours from abroad, reservations for dozens of group customers were canceled, and the restaurant faced difficult times with temporary closures. However, it began mail-order sales of inventory such as shiokara, dried hokke, and soy-marinated salmon roe, finding a way to overcome the crisis. As of 2022, with global catches declining and seafood prices soaring, Aotsuka stated that he sometimes serves at a loss, thinking that he cannot disappoint customers who come all the way to Aotsuka Shokudo.

• 2023

  Ranked No.1 in Sapporo-Otaru seafood restaurant survey on 'Dosanko Wide'.

• 2020

  COVID-19 causes group cancellations and temporary closures; mail-order sales begin.

• 2010

  Opening hours changed from 7:00 AM to 10:00 AM.

• 2009

  Local herring catches increase; restaurant can serve local herring again. Uni-don ranked 6th on TV Tokyo.

• 1997

  Introduced an electric fish-drying machine with high-speed rotating pipes.

• 1993

  Rebuilt with heating facilities and switched to year-round operation.

• 1980

  Late 1980s: Hanauo-don (Atka mackerel rice bowl) created to promote local hokke.

• 1970

  Nishin teishoku (herring set meal) appears as a signature dish.

• 1963

  Minshuku (guesthouse) begins on the second floor of the current location.

• 1959

  Otaru Aquarium opens nearby, bringing more family visitors to Shukutsu.

• 1958

  Founded in Shukutsu, Otaru, to coincide with the Hokkaido Grand Exposition.

Fisherman-run restaurant and minshuku offering fresh local seafood, especially herring dishes, in a seaside setting in Otaru, Hokkaido.

• Nishin teishoku

  Whole herring grilled over charcoal without being gutted, served with rice and ara-jiru soup.

• Hanauo-don

  Original rice bowl using local Atka mackerel (hokke), created in the late 1980s.

• Uni-don

  Sea urchin rice bowl, popular with tourists especially in May and June.

• Ikura-don

  Salmon roe rice bowl.

• Hokke and karei himono

  Dried fish made in-house since founding, using an electric drying machine since 1997.

• Katsu curry

  A hidden popular menu item among locals.

1. 1美味しい海を食べてください 青塚食堂・公式HPaotsuka.com
2. 2民宿青塚食堂 - Wikipediaja.wikipedia.org
3. 3Aotsuka Shokudo - Wikidatawikidata.org