We indulge in some of the freshest fish from Japan’s northeastern coast in a gloriously colorful seafood buffet.

Our Japanese-language reporter Saya Togashi was having a blast in her solo northern travels to the Matsushima Bay area in Miyagi Prefecture, and was determined to enjoy all that Matsushima has to offer. Having already cooked some BBQ on a rooftop deck and visited the mysterious, off-the-beaten-path power spot of the bay, she had worked up an appetite and was now on the hunt for some fresh fish in the form of sashimi.

Now, sashimi is one of those foods that can be very hit-or-miss for Saya. But since she was right by the ocean, she was cautiously optimistic that she’d find something really delicious. On this particular day, she didn’t care about the cost, either–she just wanted to eat lots of good sashimi. That’s when she discovered a restaurant called All-You-Can-Eat Feast of the Sea: Matsushima Sashimi Aquarium, which is located on the second floor of the same Matsushima Rikyu complex where she ate her rooftop BBQ while gazing out over the picturesque bay. She thought it was a bit unusual for a restaurant to specialize in all-you-can-eat seafood, so it was intriguing to her.

The restaurant offers fresh seafood caught locally, including in the neighboring city of Shiogama, where one of Japan’s leading ports for freshly caught tuna is located.

Saya couldn’t help but think that “Matsushima Sashimi Aquarium” was a bit of an odd name for an eatery, but then she learned that the building stood on the former site of the Marinepia Matsushima Aquarium, which was open from 1927-2015.

Upon entering, she noted that the interior of the space was lively and festive, with large wooden panels inscribed with the names of different seafood hanging from the ceiling. She paid for her meal in advance of taking a seat. The standard all-you-can-eat course for one adult is 3,500 yen (US$24), but there’s also a premium option which includes all-you-can-eat local oysters as well. The time limit is 80 minutes.

Once situated, Saya immediately turned her focus to the buffet table. Just look at all of that sashimi–there were piles and piles of it! Though the menu changes daily depending on the catch, on this day she spotted bigeye tuna, albacore tuna, red shrimp with heads, red flying squid, Japanese Spanish mackerel, salmon, octopus, soused mackerel, and skipjack tuna, to name a few. The gorgeous display looked more like a fishmonger’s shopfront than a restaurant buffet.

We’ll let you salivate over some closeup photos of the buffet so that you don’t drool on top of the actual food by accident.

Yep, I can feel the drool pooling now…

What a feast for the stomach–and eyes!

Only the ikura (salted salmon roe) was limited to one plate per person. Otherwise, Saya could take as much of everything as she wanted to her stomach’s content. Some top-tier seafood items like sea urchin and crab were missing from the spread, but plenty of local and seasonal dishes made up for it. She also noted with some surprise the speed at which emptied plates were replenished. The staff there were incredibly attentive, unlike at some other all-you-can-eat buffets she’s been to.

A corner of fried foods amused her but were also a bona fide temptation. After all, in her experience, restaurants that have good fish also tend to have good fried food.

She couldn’t help taking a few fries. Also, while she usually has trouble eating oysters, the fried oysters at this restaurant didn’t have a strong smell and were delicious enough for her to eat–with no issues–for the first time in her life.

She selected her first plate of sashimi along with a little white rice and arajiru (fish head soup). The fun thing about this place was that she could eat her meal like this, as a teishoku set tray…

…or like this, as a kaisen-don seafood rice bowl with a dollop of grated yam and sliced okra on top (actually, she decided to try both!).

This freedom was possible because all kinds of ornately decorated bowls and trays lay in wait for diners to craft whatever kind of meal they wanted–even a little sashimi boat.

In fact, she was surprised by how much a simple switch from a disposable plate to a finely crafted plate makes a difference in the sashimi’s appearance. The restaurant also really knows how to cater to diners who are likely uploading photos to social media.

Saya marveled at the quality of her first piece of vibrant tuna. It was exquisite in look and taste.

In addition, the Miyagi-caught salmon was sublime. Saya’s actually eaten salmon in Alaska before, but she found those wild ones too greasy for her liking. This one gave off alternating tastes of refreshing fattiness and piercing umami flavor inside her mouth.

After eating bite after bite of scrumptious sashimi for a while, she decided to try the “sushi parfait” trend she’s seen recently on social media. She would make her very own colorful creation using this provided parfait glass.

She put some vinegared sushi rice at the base of her glass to kick things off (regular white rice was another option) and then started layering on pieces of sashimi.

Oh no! She was a little bit disappointed in her work. She had even less artistic sense than she thought…

However, hang on. She had been assembling it from a side view, trying to layer the sashimi on top of each other in a beautiful cross-section of ingredients. She could have also piled everything higher, but it was now towards the end of her time limit and she only wanted to take what she could finish eating. On top of that, the squid blended in with the white rice and made it hard to pick out from the rest.

In any case, it was fun to imagine the infinite possibilities of presentation for the sashimi given all of the options. She–and her stomach–were very satisfied with this experience.

It’s clear that the Matsushima Sashimi Aquarium is a popular place, as there was already a line forming outside of the door when Saya arrived right before it opened for lunch. If you’re planning to stop by during a busy time, you may want to make a reservation beforehand.

Now that Saya is content and full of sashimi, who knows where her Matsushima travels will take her next. Even if she’s now on her way home, we imagine that she’ll want to return again sometime to fill up on more fish and see some of the other stunning seasonal sights in the area.

Restaurant information
All-You-Can-Eat Feast of the Sea: Matsushima Sashimi Aquarium / 海の食べ放題 松島おさしみ水族館
Address: Miyagi-ken, Miyagi-gun, Matsushima-machi, Matsushima Namiuchihama 18
宮城県宮城郡松島町松島字浪打浜18番地
Open: 11 a.m.-8 p.m. (last orders at 6:30 p.m.)
Closed: New Year’s Eve, New Year’s Day
Website

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