
Most of us grew up being scolded about cleaning our plates at dinnertime. Some of our parents used enticements like dessert to get us to eat all our food. Others used guilt, talking about the starving children in Ethiopia. But chances are you never had to pay a fine for leaving a few morsels of food uneaten. But that is exactly what will happen if you don’t bring your big-boy appetite to Hachikyo, a seafood restaurant in Sapporo.
Blogger Midori Yokoyama at Gold Rush went to check it out and filed this report:
About three minutes’ walk from Susukino Station in Sapporo, there is a restaurant called Hachikyo. I heard that they served overflowing bowls of ikura, the salty salmon roe sometimes called the rubies of the sea.
I had originally intended to have lunch at the restaurant but then discovered that they are only open in the evenings, so I came back another day at around 11 p.m. when it had cleared out a little and I was able to get a seat at the counter right away. Apparently, it is usually impossible to get a seat without a reservation, so Lady Luck must have been smiling on me that day.
The owner is a man with a close-shaven head who, in order to make his staff appreciate the hard work fishermen do, actually sends them to do training on a fishing boat. Perhaps due to that exposure, the staff impressed me with their cheerful and up-beat style.
The menu was packed with various different seafood options, but I didn’t even think twice before ordering the “tsukko meshi,” a bowl of rice piled high with as much salmon roe as you want. The young waiter then explained to me that they could only serve the tsukko meshi to customers willing to agree to their rules.
According to the explanation in the menu, the working conditions for fishermen are harsh and so dangerous that it’s not unknown for lives to be lost. To show our gratitude and appreciation for the food they provide, it is forbidden to leave even one grain of rice in your bowl. Customers who do not finish their tsukko meshi must give a donation.
Truthfully, I had just come from eating a bunch of motsu nabe, a miso hotpot with vegetables and offal, and I was a little nervous about this point. A waitress smiled reassuringly at me and said, “Hardly anyone leaves their tsukko meshi unfinished.” Anyway, I resolved that any restaurant that cares so deeply about their ingredients must be delicious, so I agreed to the rules without reservation.

The rules
First, they bring you a bowl of rice. The amount is not all that great, compared to an average salmon roe bowl, so I began to feel like eating everything wouldn’t be a problem. While you are waiting for the salmon roe to be piled on, it is another rule that you cannot touch your rice. If you push down your rice or start eating it, your tsukko meshi will be revoked!
After a short wait, the energetic staff called out, “Let’s get started!” Then they began parceling out refills of salmon roe to the waiting customers, all the while calling out a kind of sea shanty that customers must repeat. This performance lent a real maritime authenticity to the experience, and it is something you will definitely want to see.
And here is the finished tsukko meshi:
The bowl is completely red. Usually, you can see rice around the edges of a little mound of salmon roe in the middle, but this was a masterpiece. Just a field of red ikura.

The intrepid blogger protects his identity while showing off his tsukko meshi.
The first overflowing spoonful had very little rice in it, and as the eggs burst into salty deliciousness in my mouth, I really felt the luxuriousness of the meal. The roe already has soy sauce mixed in it, so you can eat it without adding any additional sauce and the flavor is great. One taste and you’ll want to gobble it all up!
Your order also includes a bowl of miso soup, and that was so good I made short work of it as well.

Almost there…
Whoops! Normally you could call this finished, but there are a few tidbits left, and I remembered that simply wouldn’t do, so I picked up my bowl and licked it clean like a cat.

All done!
And all that ikura can be yours for just 1,890 yen (about $20). That’s clearly a reasonable price, and if you are crazy for salmon roe, you will be able to eat your fill and be totally satisfied.
After finishing, I spoke a while with the shop owner, Hitoshi Sugita. He said, “This shop has been open for about eight years, and at the end of this April, I will be opening a second shop in Tokyo, so definitely come check it out!”
If you are in the Tokyo area, you will want to take him up on that.
Shop info:
Hachikyo
Miyako building 1F
South 3, West 3-chome
Chuo-ku Sapporo-shi
And as an added bonus, check out the shanty and Gold Rush’s quirky masked reporter here:
Source, images and video: Gold Rush




Another Akihabara icon disappears as famous rice bowl restaurant closes its doors
Awesome mountain of meaty goodness now at beef bowl restaurant in Tokyo’s Akihabara and Shimbashi
No one asked but we did it anyways: MOS rice patty burgers X ochazuke【Taste test】
Our 7 best conveyor-belt sushi restaurants in Sapporo
Which Japanese conveyor belt sushi chain has the best salmon sushi?【Taste test】
Go shopping with our Japanese reporter as he experiences Costco in the U.S. for the first time
You can wear the Princess Mononoke curse on your fingers with new Ghibli ring and accessory line
A visit to Japan’s wasp nest art museum stings us with respect for the industrious insects【Pics】
The most expensive ice cream in Japan? Metallic soft serve frays the nerves of staff who make it
Watermelon-looking rice balls go on sale in Tokyo, bring Mr. Sato bitter memories of regret
We try making a low-calorie katsu with tofu instead of pork【SoraKitchen】
We fall in love with a bucket of Japanese custard pudding【Taste test】
Saitama man’s 7M-yen Rolex stolen after leaving it alone with “potential buyer” for two minutes
We try Starbucks’ buzzworthy (and slightly gross) new cream pie to see how good it really is
A senbero with deer in Nara Park turns into a weird fever dream
Starbucks Japan’s new cream pie’s looks are freaking people out
Foreign Lawson employees claim unfair treatment such as forced sushi and Christmas cake purchases
The twin joys and dual sadnesses of eating ramen in the U.S.
Hayao Miyazaki produces animated commercial for Ghibli Park【Video】
Is Japan’s new pain-in-the-butt instant ramen also a joy in the stomach?【Taste test】
Japanese candy Hi-Chew says a heartfelt, ridiculous goodbye as it retires Green Apple flavor【Vid】
“My employees were killed.” Japanese pond owner breaks into tears after 3,000 fish die in robbery
Japan Weather Association creates new words to describe merciless summer heat
Studio Ghibli releases free bulletin board illustration to “use within the bounds of common sense”
Jimmy Choo designs limited edition Crystal Boots for Sailor Moon’s 30th anniversary
New Princess Mononoke accessory line has Kodama for your ears, wolves for your fingers【Photos】
Cases of people getting unwanted crabs skyrocketing in Japan, salmon too
The entire Pokémon Red and Blue Kanto region map, built as a 3-D diorama, looks amazing【Photos】
Princess Mononoke 25th anniversary lineup includes cute plushies, fierce magnets, expensive bowls
We visit izakaya in Thailand billed as “Middle Aged Man’s Paradise”, try food that’s illegal in Japan
Japanese curry rice appears at McDonald’s, but not in the country you’d expect
Burger King Japan’s all-you-can-eat challenge knocks us out of the ring
Mandarin orange peels aren’t trash, they’re treasure! Three chimpi tips to reuse your mikan skins
Move over grilled cheese — we’ve discovered the tastiest toasted sandwich yet【Recipe】
One Punch Man manga artist’s amazing “practice” drawing is so good we think he might not be human
Sony’s wearable air conditioners selling like cold cakes in heat-stricken Japan
How to use the new floating hologram registers at 7-Eleven
Liev Schreiber’s son deemed “too beautiful” in Japan
Princesses, fruits, and blacksmiths: Study reveals the 30 most unusual family names in Japan
Japanese woman finds better way to make potato salad, we may not be able to go back to old style
Miss Universe 2021 Japan entry slammed for wearing “dead person’s kimono”
One Piece characters’ nationalities revealed, but fans have mixed opinions
What’s for dinner? A US$113/3.3-pound sushi bowl from one of Japan’s favorite cheap restaurants
How to have a great meal at conveyer belt sushi chain Kura Sushi even if you hate raw fish
Evidence of world’s tiniest cat? Pawprint found in ikura
Japanese convenience store showdown – Who’s got the best ikura rice balls?【Taste test】
You’ll need a healthy dose of imagination for these Japanese window food samples
Salmon-flavored Puccho candy – disgusting or delightful? 【Taste test】
We visit a restaurant called ‘Otaku’ in France, eat some otaku sushi
Here’s the reason why your expensive ikura sushi often comes with some cheap cucumber slices
Around Japan in 47 rice balls: Mr. Sato buys each prefecture’s musubi all from one Tokyo shop
All You Can Eat salmon for 999 yen at IKEA’s Salmon Festival!
Volkswagen celebrates Girls’ Day with Beetle sushi
Japanese diners pick their eight favorite types of sushi, create mouthwatering dinner blueprint
Sharpen your sushi-selecting skills with the High Speed Sushi-Go-Round Quiz! 【Videos】
We went to a Japanese restaurant in Italy, ate green sushi, learned a lesson about taking it easy
The 11 wittiest tweets from Japanese netizens
Tokyo restaurant’s crazy huge rice omelet has 600 grams (1.3 pounds) of rice
Leave a Reply