Kani-Doraku : Enjoy Crab in Japan! A famous crab restaurant! -Silvie's Japan Travel Guide

Speaking of winter, it is crab!
You can enjoy various tastes such as crab meat with rich and delicate texture, rich kanimiso (crab innards), crab sashimi and boiled crab. Did you know that the Japanese people eat the most crabs in the world? There are many crab-producing areas on the Sea of Japan side such as Hokkaido, San'in and the Hokuriku region, and many people enjoy crabs on specific occasions. Japanese love the high quality crabs! It was over 1,300 years ago that crabs became so popular with Japanese people and many songs about crabs are left in "Manyoshu (poem book)". At that time, they simply ate with salt. This time, I will introduce the kinds of crabs and a famous crab restaurant nationwide!

1. What kind of crabs are in Japan?

The typical crabs eaten in Japan are Tarabagani (king crab), Zuwaigani (snow crab) and Kegani (hairy crab), which are said to be the three most famous crabs.
In addition, there are Hanasaki crab, Abura crab and Blue crab, and so on.
Among them, Zuwaigani are called "brand crabs", called differently depending on their origin. Echizen crabs are said to be the first "brand crab" from around 1965,
according to fisheries officials of Echizen crabs.
Until then, the locals had been treating it simply as a "crab," but it has now traded at a high price due to a significant decline in catches and the development of sales channels.
Even if the snow crabs are the same type, their body and taste will change depending on the area in which they live, so they may have been established as their respective brands.

For example, the habitat of Matsubagani(one of Zuwaigani) is off the coast of Shimane Prefecture to the Tango Peninsula, and fishing ports are limited to Shimane Prefecture and Kyoto Prefecture. In addition, it is strictly stipulated that fishing of only 500 g to 1 kg of male crab, and is permitted only from November 6 to March 20 every year in the San'in region.

Kegani (Hairy crab)

Both Japanese and English names come from "hair" that grows from the shell to the tip of the leg. They were once known as giant crabs. In recent years, prices have risen due to a decrease in catch, and few are large.It is actually after the war that Kegani are touted as of today. Until then, it was considered a crab with no commercial value and was only used locally. However, during the war under food control, a stand-up seller at Oshamanbe Station in Hokkaido, which had run out of products to sell, forcibly sold boiled Kegani, and it began to sell like hot cakes after the end of the war.

Tarabagani (King crab)

It means a crab that lives in a cod (tara) fishing ground. The fishing began as a result of accident. A crew member of a cod fishing boat accidently dropped his net down to the seabed, where an unfamiliar crab was caught.
At that time, they were not eaten and were abandoned.
By theway, Tarabagani is called crab, but it is not a true crab. When viewed from the back, five pairs of scissors are seen from the first leg to the fifth leg, but only four pairs including the scissors are visible for Tarabagani. In addition, in the Tarabagani, the female abdomen is twisted on the right side, the inside has only the abdomen on the left side, and the genital foramen is open to the bottom node of the second leg, which is a common feature with "hermit crabs". Therefore, the true nature of Tarabagani is "hermit crab in the shape of a crab".

Zuwaigani (Snow crab)

The taste of the Sea of Japan in winter, especially from the Hokuriku region to the San'in region. In the Hokuriku region, it is called "Matsubagani" or "Echizen gani". Females are called "Seko-gani". The females are small, but the eggs and miso are delicious. In the market, besides Zuwaigani, there is also a lineup of fellow "Beni Zuwaigani (red snow crab)". The shape of the shell is triangular, so it can be distinguished. The flesh has a lot of moisture, but the taste is slightly inferior to Zuwaigani.

2. Enjoy Crab at "Kani-Doraku Restaurant"

You want to taste sweet and delicate melting meat and rich crab miso!
So you want to taste the crabs in the home Sea of Japan area. However, it can be difficult to get to the Sea of Japan in a limited amount of time. But don't give up!

Now you can eat delicious crabs even in the city. For example, Osaka!
Osaka is a fierce battlefield where you can eat delicious crabs.
The opening of a specialty crab restaurant in Dotonbori, Osaka in 1962 is said to be a factor in increasing the number of crab lovers in the Kansai region. That's "Kani Doraku"!
When they started the restaurant, at the time crabs were mainly eaten by boiling, they offered "Kani-suki" and "Kani-chiri" to enjoy in a hot pot, and widely publicized various ways of eating crabs.
Kani Doraku is a crab specialty store now located in the Kansai, Kanto, Tokai (Hamamatsu City, Shizuoka Prefecture), Chugoku and Shikoku regions and its head office is located at Nishishinsaibashi, Osaka. The sign of each store is a huge moving crab!