Japanology Plus

Hello, and welcome to Japanology Plus.
I'm Peter Barakan.

I'm in a fishing port in Odawara,
in Kanagawa Prefecture,

an area which is known for its deep
waters and variety of marine life.

Today we'll be talking about
some unusual kinds of fish.

They may taste good, but many
people don't even know they exist,

because they rarely make their
way into supermarkets.

The reasons for that are various.

Some of them look grotesque,
others are difficult to process,

but they end up being unused.

However, these fish are now
getting their turn in the spotlight,

not only in Japan but elsewhere too.

Today we'll take a look
at the reasons for that,

and also learn something
about Japan's seafood culture.

Unused Fish

Our first stop is a fish
market in Odawara.

It handles around 500 types
of fish and is known for its variety.

Ueda-san?

Good morning! Welcome to Odawara.

There are a lot of fish here,
so let me show you around.

Great. I'm not a great expert on fish,

so you're going to have to explain
an awful lot to me, I think.

Don't worry, I'll explain small
details and bigger issues, too.

Let's get started.

Today's guest, Ueda Katsuhiko,
is known as the “fish evangelist.”

A former Fisheries Agency official,

he now works to curb Japan's
decline in seafood consumption

by educating people about
how to handle and cook fish.

When we talk about unused fish,
what kind of fish are we talking about?

Those that are not in regular circulation.

Here, you'll see fish that are
not usually found in supermarkets.

They're edible, but certain parts
like the tail may be poisonous.

For that and other reasons,
they're unused, or underused.

That's a brief explanation.

Spiny fish are hard to handle
and bony fish are hard to prepare.

Some lose freshness very quickly,
while others are a non-standard size.

These are called “unused fish” because
they're not expected to find buyers.

Some of them are eaten in certain regions,

but once caught, most are discarded.

The Food and Agriculture Organization
of the United Nations

estimates that over 30 percent
of fish caught throughout the world

do not make it to the dinner table.

Let's see today's catch of these fish.

OK, what do you think
of this patterned one?

Is there anything wrong with this?

Nothing. Nothing at all.

It's just a weird pattern.

This is a type of tonguesole.

It's edible, but consumers tend
to dislike its appearance.

Let's compare. This is a popular fish.

A bestseller.

And this is an unused fish.
But it's delicious!

So basically we all need to know
a little bit more about the fish.

Exactly.

Next...here.

Don't touch it.

The three black patches you
can see are actually sharp blades.

Ah.

They'll cut your finger.

This is a type of surgeonfish.

If you cut it open, it smells pretty bad.

So in general, people tend to avoid it.

Ah.

Let's talk about the origin
of the problem.

Japan's economic boom led to
large supermarkets and fish shops.

The stock was consistent.

The quality was consistent.

And the price was consistent.

Those three factors became expected.

So lots of fish were excluded.

And as a result they were
never found in shops.

So why did unused fish become
an issue in the first place?

Water temperatures are rising worldwide,

and coastlines are being developed.

For complex reasons, the marine
environment has changed.

The fish we catch in large volumes,
and the fish we discard,

are both decreasing in number.

As an example, let's look
at water temperature.

It's rising.

Each fish has a certain temperature
range that's suitable for spawning.

As the temperature rises, some
locations become unsuitable.

The fish fry cannot survive.
So the fish move north.

But some types are simply
not very strong swimmers.

They end up being left behind.

This isn't just Japan;
it's happening globally.

The ocean environment is
changing in a complex way.

Some fish can endure it. But many die.

Overall, the yield is
dropping—it's falling.

So people can't keep buying
the same limited types of fish.

There just aren't enough.

Ah. OK. So now people are starting
to have to look at these fish

that they normally wouldn't
have even known about.

That's right. Yes.

Previously discarded fish
have hidden merits.

Those advantages need to be
highlighted, and rediscovered.

That's where we are right now.

Across Japan,

there is a growing movement to sell
unused fish instead of throwing it away.

Chiba Hokuto, a fisherman in Akita
Prefecture, sells unused fish online.

He was prompted to do so
by a growing feeling of alarm.

His sales had plummeted to a third
of what they were ten years ago,

and he was forced to consider
closing the business.

Well...

I only catch blackthroat seaperch.
Righteye flounders are gone.

There are fewer fish overall.

I'd say there's been
a 50 percent decrease.

Japan's fishing industry is in crisis.

The annual catch is only a third
of what it was 30 years ago,

and the number of fishermen,
too, is in decline.

Chiba decided to augment sales by removing
edible fish from what he discards.

His crew packs and delivers the
unused fish they sell online.

This service began in 2021,

when people were spending more
time at home during the pandemic.

This spurred demand, and monthly
sales were as high as 800,000 yen.

They used to be worth zero yen.

Now they're worth several
hundred or even a thousand.

Every bit helps.

Something that had no value now has value.

It's amazing.

Some previously ignored fish
are now sold at markets.

And some trade customers are beginning
to buy them regularly or in bulk.

If you do buy unusual fish, fish that
perhaps customers are not familiar with,

how do you go about selling them?

At my shop we know all about fish.

So we can take care of spines or poison
that keep some fish from being sold.

We cut all those parts out.

Although the fish might be
unfamiliar to our customers,

we can give them a detailed explanation

of how they can be prepared,
cooked, and enjoyed.

And do unused fish sell quite well?

Recently—yes.

And there's even demand
from outside Odawara.

People come all the way
here just to buy them.

That's because they're
not sold anywhere else.

And since we have customers
from other regions coming here,

it's a good opportunity to educate
people about unfamiliar fish.

Fish that aren't widely circulated may
have been enjoyed regionally for years.

We need to tell people that
certain fish may look grotesque,

but they're delicious. That's key.

In principle, people only
buy what they know.

So we need to let them
know about these fish.

Once we put in that effort, consumers
will spend money and be delighted.

That's the relationship we're building.

A growing number of companies turn
unused fish into processed products.

This is a fish called
spotted-tail morwong.

It's pickled in boiled soy sauce.

You simply defrost it and serve
it on rice for a quick meal.

These packs contain prepared,
seasoned fish.

Unused fish make up 70
percent of the total.

The packs are produced
by a company in Fukuoka.

Their goal is to address a certain
attribute of some unused fish:

they lose freshness very quickly.

How does the company
approach this challenge?

They race to process the fish
as quickly as possible.

When fishermen or brokers report that they
have fish they would normally discard,

the company rushes out to collect them.

Hello there.

This time, processing begins just
four hours after the fish were caught.

Should we start with the black rabbitfish?
They'll lose freshness the quickest.

Black rabbitfish have poison
in their spiny dorsal fins.

And there's more.

If you break open this green ball,
it smells really awful.

The organ is removed,

leaving behind white meat
that tastes like red sea bream.

In this job, every second counts.

We work as quickly
and carefully as we can.

The company handles
over 50 types of fish in all,

and aims to commercialize as
much unused fish as possible.

Fish consumption in Japan
is falling year by year.

It's not that people dislike fish.

They're just using it less
often in their cooking.

A business based on unused
fish is good for everyone.

It benefits fishermen and consumers too.
It's a truly sustainable model.

The company runs a popular
monthly subscription service,

which has sold 9 million
packs in two years.

Our next stop is a seafood store
not far from Odawara fishing port.

It sells meals and products
made using fish caught nearby.

We're going to try a popular dish.

Whoa. Look at the size of that!

This finely minced raw
fish is called namero.

We marinate the minced fish in miso.

And for you, we've served it over rice.

Are any of them things
I would be familiar with,

or are they what we're talking
about today—unused fish?

It's made with unused fish.

We want to show people
how great they taste.

What fish did you use?

Today, we used...

Japanese barracuda, Japanese scad,
bigeye scad, mahi-mahi,

and double-lined fusilier.

The fish you named are
cheap and plentiful here.

They haven't been commonly
eaten through history,

but they're absolutely edible.

Not eating them would be a waste.

OK.

It's a delicious blend.

Namero was originally made with
a single fish: horse mackerel.

But this has 5 different types of fish.
Using a mix tastes really good.

We use over 200 grams of fish.

Unused and underused fish are quite cheap.

So you can serve large portions
without charging too much money.

Customers love that.

If you put some of the namero
and rice in a separate bowl,

and add fish broth, you can
make another quick dish.

I love this.

Now it's time to enter the kitchen.

Ueda is going to show us an easy
way to cook fish at home.

So how do you enjoy
the unique flavor of a fish?

You could serve it as sashimi:
raw fish. Very Japanese.

Alternatively, you can poach it.

It doesn't take much time, and it
showcases the flavor extremely well.

First, we prepare the fish by removing
the scales and internal organs.

First, add salt.

Use coarse salt if you can.

This removes the fishy smell
and draws out the moisture.

That'll do.

To the water, we'll add sake.
A tablespoon.

This also counteracts the smell.

The alcohol contains acid. Organic acid.

And that's what neutralizes
the smell of the fish.

Fish are naturally sensitive
to high heat and prolonged heat.

They break down, physically
and in terms of nutrition.

So we keep the water below boiling point.
That preserves the flavor.

Ah, OK.

Now it's time to poach the fish.

In northern Japan it's common
to cook fish like this,

and simply serve it with soy sauce.

The key is to keep the water
from coming to a boil.

It should stay between 80
and 90 degrees Celsius.

Look here. This is one
of the places we cut.

You can see a bone, can't you?

It's sticking out.

The meat has shrunk, exposing it.

You can tell that the meat
has separated from the bone.

That's what we're looking for.

I see, I see.

After around four minutes,
the fish is ready.

Negi onion is a good match.

We season it while it's hot.

As it cools,
it will absorb all that flavor.

OK.

Add citrus-flavored soy sauce,

and we're ready to try eight
varieties of poached, unused fish.

The meat is tender, and even
small bones are easy to remove.

Let's start with double-lined fusilier.

Mmm.

Good, isn't it?

That's really tasty, yeah.
And quite...and soft too.

Softness isn't always better.
But you get a really fresh taste.

Grilled fish is very firm.
Especially as it chills.

Poaching fish at just
below 100 degrees Celsius

preserves the nutrition and flavor.

It's a great method for fish.

OK.

The dish can be transformed simply
by adjusting the seasonings.

This is thread-sail filefish,

served in a Western style,
with salt, pepper, and olive oil.

It's like it metamorphoses.

It's instantaneously... what was
a very simple Japanese taste

has now become European
in just like two seconds.

Precisely. That's right.

Poaching is a very simple method,

but it highlights the unique
flavor of each fish.

And after poaching, when you add
seasonings, the dish totally transforms.

I'd love for viewers
around the world to try it.

We can avoid disposing of unused fish,
or selling it for next-to-nothing.

Give it a try.

Mmm.

Unused fish are increasingly
in the spotlight.

This restaurant is a perfect example.

It's in Ninomiya,
a town right next to Odawara.

Fried luna lionfish.

The restaurant specializes in unused fish.

The owner believes that one key
to showcasing their appeal

is to prepare the food
in front of the customers

and explain the proper cooking method.

They're delicious fish. You don't
normally get a chance to try them.

And they're fresh. It's really fun.

Owner Kai Kosei was first drawn
to unused fish around ten years ago.

After graduating from university,
he started working at a chain restaurant.

It was his job to source ingredients, and
that's when he encountered unused fish.

I discovered fish that were oddly
high quality and oddly cheap.

And I couldn't see
anything wrong with them.

The fish had little value,
and often went unsold.

Kai has fished since childhood,

and as a boy learned always
to eat what he caught.

He decided to do something
about the problem.

We should value the lives of these fish.
Discarding them is a waste.

I turn them into luxury items.

In 2019, Kai opened his restaurant

to introduce diners to the existence
and appeal of unused fish.

This goal has inspired him to take
part in another activity, too.

Good morning.

Almost every day for the past two years,
he has worked on a local fishing boat.

Lightly grilled sashimi is good.
Luminous flying squid is popular.

Kai tells everyone what
fish his customers enjoy.

And there's a good reason for doing that.

Consumers can only order
what's available. Nothing else.

And that's decided by brokers,
and by restaurants.

If they label something as “unused fish,”
fishermen will avoid it.

So I spread the word about delicious fish,
and the fishermen tell each other.

That's why I go on the boats.

Kai is changing people's perceptions
at every level of the distribution chain.

Next, a quiet residential district

that emerged during Japan's
economic boom in the 1960s.

We're way up on the top of a hill.
It's a bit out of the way, isn't it?

Yeah, it was a kind of
winding road to get here.

But there's a banner here:
“Fresh fish for sale.”

Ohh.

It's a fish market that
opened this spring.

The shop has been attracting attention
for its innovative approach.

“Many repeat buyers”

The population here is aging,
and many shops have closed down.

To address the lack of fresh food,
local residents joined forces

with an association of fishermen
in southwest Japan.

They formed a cooperative
and opened the store together.

It's notable for its varied stock,

centered around unused fish
that are flown in each day.

I can buy fresh fish,
right here. It's so nice!

Do you shop here often?

Yes, every day!

Really?

They have a lot of fish
that you don't see very often.

Yes, that's true. But they're delicious.

Several times a week,

a truck sells fish in nearby districts
without easy access to the shop itself.

Doing this every day is tough work.

But it's also fun.

Do my staff agree?

Do you think this shop can
become a kind of test case

for the sort of things
you're trying to do?

I haven't heard of another
shop that works like this.

But this model has a lot of potential.

Instead of familiar fish that
customers are used to,

you stock a wider variety.

And that tells customers about
the current state of our oceans.

It introduces them to
a rich variety of flavors.

That's another message.

It will take a lot of work.

But shops like this can be a hub
for that kind of information.

And I think that will be particularly
important for Japan.

It's amazing. All the things you've said

have really reverberated with
me in a slightly different way.

Most of my work is playing
music on the radio.

And the kind of music I play

is generally a little different from
what is popular with the mass audience.

So I'm always saying exactly
the same things you're saying

about fish with regard to music.

There needs to be more variety,

and people need to
just be a little bit more...

maybe have a bit more curiosity
about different kinds of music.

Just be a little bit more
open to different stimuli.

Globally speaking, in food and music,
people tend to stick to what they like.

That's become a common trend.

And some businesses meet that demand.

But with nature, we'll eventually run out.

In Japan, we have
roughly 1,500 types of fish.

Up and down the country,
we only eat 300 of them.

Even if we include shrimp,
squid, seaweed and so on,

it only adds up to 500.

If you don't respect biodiversity,
and only eat certain things,

it disrupts the ecosystem.

What's more,

people don't understand the richness
that the natural world provides.

They're totally unaware.

It raises the question of how human
beings should act as a species.

Shops like this encourage people
to enjoy a wider variety of food.

And broadcasting that message
leads to sustainability.

Even if that wasn't the main goal.

That's something the shop aims for.

Please come again. Thank you very much.

Thank you very much.