While my Aomori wishlist was long, from the squid train to candy apples, Fafa really just wanted one thing: the Aomori Nokkedon at the Furukawa Fish Market. We ended up going two days in a row. Both times were for breakfast. Not that I’m complaining, because it was absolutely worth it.
How to Aomori Nokkedon
The rule is simple: pay 2,000 yen and receive 12 mini blue tickets worth 2,200 yen to exchange for fresh seafood and other items from the market stalls, all to be assembled into your own Aomori Nokkedon.
Nokkedon means “rice bowl” in Japanese, so naturally, we started with the rice. The catch is that the rice of the day is prepared by different stalls. I know this because the first rice stall lady was much more generous with her serving than the second.
From there, I wandered around. I traded my 12 precious tickets for various food items. Most items cost 2 to 3 tickets each.
The market is divided into three rows of stalls, though the participating vendors are mainly concentrated in two. The third row at the end sells fried food separately. However, with the don, you’ll likely be too full anyway, like we were.
The stall at the end of the third row seemed to be a famous fishmonger; both days, there was a steady queue. There was minimal eye contact, which I think comes from the fact that it’s still a very local space, not overly accustomed to tourists. That said, every single stall was kind, welcoming, and smiley—it felt like they genuinely welcomed curious visitors to try their fresh seafood offerings.
The thing is, because it’s a don aka rice-based, I did have to think about which combinations worked well with rice. After a few bites, everything can start to taste rather fishy—especially in winter—which is why tamago and soup made a great combination to cut through the richness.
I especially liked the masago (capelin roe), much more than the usual tobiko. I also realised that fresh squid and clam with rice aren’t really for me. However, I did love the freshly made wakame soup alongside my Aomori Nokkedon.
Memorable Market Meals
The whole Aomori Nokkedon was such a unique experience. The freshness of the seafood reminded me of an omakase experience at the Tsukiji Market in Tokyo or a brass coin lunch at the Tongin Market in Seoul. However, this was far more affordable, didn’t require hours of queuing, and was open every day.
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