A day-trip of gourmet at Himakajima Island in Nagoya

“Himakajima Island” is an isolated island nearest from Nagoya.

While it is a place where you can feel unlike daily life that should feel on an island, it is getting popularity among younger generations as the center, as it is easy to access.

Himakajima Island is famous as one of the best production place of octopus and whitebait in Japan, and all the dishes that you can taste there is exquisite.

There are lined up with fashionable desserts, and good photo-shooting spots where you can fully enjoy the beauty of the sea.

As the island is the size that you can go around the island in two hours even by walking slowly, it is recommended to stroll viewing superb views, while enjoying fully the island gourmets slowly.

What is “Himakajima Island”, the nearest island from Nagoya?

Himakajima Island that you can access from Chita Hanto Peninsula is an isolated island floating on Mikawawan Bay of Aichi-Prefecture.

It is convenient to use a boat, in case going by train, from Kowako Port, and in case using a car, from Morozakiko Port.

It takes about a 50-minute ride from Nagoya station to Kowa station of Meitetsu, and from there, you go forward to Kowako Port by free shuttle service.

You will arrive at Himakajima Island in about 20 minutes from boarding.

If by car, you will use Chita Hanto Doro Road from Nagoya and will reach Morozakiko Port in about one hour.

At Morozakiko Port, you will park a car at the parking place of Yen 100 per 60 minutes and will arrive at Himakajima Island in 10 minutes at the shortest from boarding there.

5 Hotels In Himakajima IslandHimakajima Island is an isolated island that floats on Mikawa Bay, a...

Timetable excerpts.

Two hours even by walking slowly,a perfect for strolling

A strolling path of Himakajima Island is very easy to understand, and basically, it goes around the perimeter of the island.

There are Nishiko(west) Port and Higashiko(east) Port, and restaurants and souvenir shops mainly gather either of the port.

A regular boat arrives both ports, and this time, let’s try strolling getting off at Nishiko(west) Port.

At Nishiko Port, there is “Hima-po”, a waiting facility of a boat, which was opened on April 1st, 2019.

Besides a ticketing counter, there equipped with a tourist information center and washrooms.

Here, it is convenient to get a map for strolling.

Speaking of gourmets of Himakajima Island, it’s an octopus!

At the port, a giant statue of octopus welcomes you.

The main character of the dishes throughout a year of Himakajima Island is, whatever is said, an octopus!

On the island, the octopus trap pot fishery that is now preciously rare has been operated.

As the fishery method hardly makes an octopus hurt, an octopus can be unloaded to the land in fresh status.

Everywhere around the island, there are many trap pots that are used for catching an octopus by fishermen.

It is a sightscape symbolizing Himakajima Island.

Located near Nishiko Port, the Himakajima police substation is also shaped in an octopus!

A cute police box that you cannot see in the other is popular as a good spot for photo-shooting for SNS.

Inside the island, please pay your attention also to a utility hole!

As an octopus that is a symbol of the island is drawn, a funny expression is very impressive.

This is also a hot topic in SNS.

Enjoy gourmets spots around Nishiko(west) Port first

After you are welcomed by many octopuses, such as the statue, the police box, and the utility hole, right away let’s go enjoying taste of octopuses of Himakajima Island, which are caught by preciously rare octopus trap pot fishery.

At around Nishiko Port, there gather restaurants where serve exquisite octopus specialties.

 Let’s enjoy specialty dishes of an octopus of Himakajima Island

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Where We wish you to stop by is “Oyado Otohime“, Ryori-Ryokan (a Japanese traditional inn priding itself on its cuisine), which is located the right front of Nishiko Port.

Although it is an inn that is proud of a view and an open-air bath, you can enjoy a taste of seafood of Himakajima Island at a dining room on the ground floor only during lunchtime.

It is the restaurant that also became a shooting location of a popular gourmet drama, and there are lined with reasonable but exquisite seafood dishes.

What the store is proud of are “Octopus Shabu-shabu(a Japanese hot pot dish)” (Yen 864) and “Tako-meshi” (Yen 972), which are used octopuses of Himakajima Island products.

It is said that an octopus for Shabu-shabu becomes enjoyable more taste and texture by freezing.

You can enjoy, together with a crunchy-like chewy texture, a taste of freshly caught, which was frozen just fresh right after unloaded in the port.

Tako-meshi(a Japanese steamed rice with octopus) is also the dish that we wish you to order by all means.

It is finished by mixing 60% of sticky rice, and the compatibility of soft and springy octopus and sticky rice is superb!

It is also a happy point that a taste is as simple as possible so that you can feel the taste of an octopus.  Combination with nori-no-tsukudani (laver boiled in soy sauce) that is served as a side dish and seafood miso soup is also perfect.

“Tako-sugatayaki” that is pressured in your front is superb

After the dining, let’s stop by also “Suzuen Honpo Store” that is located right in front of “Oyado Otohime”.

Using an octopus and a cocktail shrimp that are caught by fishermen of Himakajima Island, the store bakes by hands a traditional Japanese rice cracker and sell it.

A taste of seafood is tightly locked in, and there are also lined up with products popular as souvenirs.

Here, what we wish you to enjoy a taste, by all means, is “Tako-sugatayaki (octopus grilled whole so that it retains its original form)” (Yen 760), which is grilled dynamically whole octopus of Himakajima products.

Once you order, they will take out two octopuses right there, and pressure these so that these became as thin as a rice cracker by a pressure machine, and will bake these.

It is the luxury food used whole octopus.

Moderate salt brings out more the Umami flavor tightly locked in, and the more you chew, the more the taste expands inside of your mouth.

A rental bicycle is also recommended for strolling

After you fully satisfied your appetite with specialties only available on the island of an octopus, now let’s go for strolling!

Although Himakajima Island is a small island of about 5.5-kilometer circumference, let’s use a rental bicycle to go around various places efficiently this time.

At “Rent-a-cycle Ikoi” that is located in just front of Nishiko Port, you can rent a bicycle by Yen 540 an hour.

You can go around of the island just in 30 minutes by bicycle, but if you spend your time slowly, such as shooting photos and eating while walking, you will be at ease if you rent it for two hours.

Also, you can rent a fishing rod for fishing!

Going along the shore of Himakajima Island Toward Higashiko(east) Port

Let’s go along the shore, feeling sea wind

For strolling, it is convenient to use a road that goes around the island along the sea.

As a strolling trail is arranged, you can be at ease when you also walk around.

You will feel very exhilarated as you can directly feel the sea wind!

When you run a bicycle for about 10 minutes, you will be soon seeing Higashiko Port.

You will arrive in about 20 minutes even by walk.

“Sunrise Beach” is a must-be good spot for photo-shooting

At right near Higashiko Port, a spot where we wish you to stop by at first is “Sunrise Beach“.

Though it is a sea-bathing beach, you can spend quietly as people are fewer compared to that of the crowded west side.

Since the morning sun can be seen beautifully, it is called as such.

At Sunrise Beach, there is “a white lifeguard stand“, which is a popular spot for photo-shooting.

Even now, it is used for lifeguards of sea bathing people, but it is possible also for an ordinary person to climb up and to shoot photos.

A contrast between white color and the blue of the sky is very beautiful!

Let’s shoot one photo of memory here by all means.

Also for a good marriage? Amidah that was protected by octopus

On Himakajima Island full of octopuses, there is also a temple that enshrines Buddha that is called “Octopus Amidah”.

Since you are there, let’s visit to worship there.

In front of Higashiko Port, when you go entering a road, which is on the other side of the sea, and where folk houses are line up, there is “Anrakuji Temple” that is also known as an energy vortex of a good marriage.

When once an island that was located in-between Himakajima Island and Sakushima Island sunk by an earthquake, a statue of Buddha of a temple there streamed out, and it was pulled up by fisherman’s net.

At that time, as an octopus was holding as if protecting Amidah, that statue of Buddha became enshrined as “Octopus Amidah”.

Even now, belief is well devoted by Ujiko (people under the protection of the local deity), and customs that pray for large catch and safety, and Long-lives of descendants continue.

From octopus’ habit that is sticking to and drawing in, it is famous also as an energy vortex for pulling in a good relationship.

An octopus is drawn even on a votive tablet!

When you worship, let’s pray for the fulfillment of your love relationship.

Eat whitebait, the hidden specialty of Himakajima Island!

Many restaurants gather also around Higashiko Port.

One of the stores that we wish you to stop by is “Shima-Cafe Barca“.

It is the cafe that “Maruko”, a whitebait processing factory of the island, operates, and there are the abundant menus that use freshly caught whitebait.

Of course, an octopus is a special product, but actually, the whitebait catch in the nearshore of Himakajima Island is the largest in Japan.

Whitebait are also a hidden local specialty.

If you wish to eat a whitebait dish for lunch, it is recommended to have your lunch after you come to this store of Higashiko Port!

It is the popular menu “Fresh whitebait rice bowl of whitebait store” (Yen 1,100).

As the whitebait processing factory is located in a place where a few steps from the port, it is said that they can process fresh status just as caught.

On the bowl, there are topped with two kinds that are fresh whitebait and boiled whitebait, so you can enjoy both tastes.

If you top an island chili oil, which is a specialty of the store with Umami-flavor of fish, on light salt flavored whitebait, it becomes richer flavor and so more delicious.

Let’s shoot photos at fairy-tale-like “a swing of lovers”

From “Shima Cafe Barca”, going toward the north for about two minutes.

Where you will go toward the next is “a swing of lovers”.

It can be swung together by two of you, and it is also said that you will become happy if the lovers ride together.

A swing is fastened to a large tree on high ground, and at the moment when you start swinging, you will be like flying out to the sky and the sea.

It is the outstanding moment shooting best-looking photos!

Here also is gathering attention in SNS.

It looks similar to a swing that appears in the opening of “Heidi, Girl of the Alps”, so it is also called as a common name “Heidi’s swing“.

When you go toward the swing, please try going according to a signboard that is written as “Heidi’s swing” along a road.

Let’s stroll also the north side of the island

Going further on the periphery road facing the sea, let’s go to the north side of the island.

A bit different from the Nishiko Port where has a beach and around the Higashiko Port, it is a place where you can see many appearances of fishing boats and fishermen.

You can catch a glimpse of the daily life of Himakajima Island.

“soft-serve ice cream with whitebait” at north side

Among such landscape, what draws your eyes by the outstandingly fashionable look of the store is Cafe “Marutoyo“.

As “Marutoyo Shoten”, a whitebait factory, is directly managing, it is a cafe of a bit strange origin.

Leveraging such origin, the store serves desserts of the new feeling “soft-serve ice cream with whitebait” (Yen 400).

Although it is an unexpected combination, once you eat it, you will find the combination of the salty flavor of boiled whitebait and a soft-serve vanilla ice cream as matching strangely!

Tako Senbei (Octopus rice cracker) of “Suzuen Honpo” where you visited earlier at Nishiko Port, is also topped, and it is the desserts full of Himakajima Island.

At the last, going again to Nishiko Port

Once you came to the north side, Nishiko port is already just right there.

Although it was a go-around of the island in a blink of an eye, there is also pleasure still more until a returning boat!

“Takou Manju (bean-paste bun)” as a souvenir

Running a bicycle from Cafe Marutoyo for about eight minutes, and return a rental bicycle when you get back to Nishiko Port.

And let’s select souvenirs.

A classic of Himakajima souvenirs is “Takou Manju (Yen 324 including six pieces)” that is sold at the “Kamome store” of a front of Nishiko Port.

As the name suggests, there includes a bean-paste bun modeled on an octopus, the specialty of the island.

In addition to it, there also includes a bean-paste bun of the shape of blowfish that is a specialty of the island in winter.

Inside the bun, there is a smooth red-bean paste, so you may eat unintentionally as many as you like, as it is simple and light taste.

If you are in good timing, you can buy freshly baked one that is on demonstration sales at the storefront.

Have a drink at a bar only on the island on a returning boat

After you got souvenirs without any problem, it just is to ride on a boat and to go home, but if you still have time until the boat, what we recommend you is a bar, the one and only on the island, “Shima Baru daitome“.

It is a store that is lined up with the island specialties of nibbles group.

As the timetable of boats is written on a wall, it is also a happy point that you can drink while checking the time so that you will not miss a boat.

“octopus and whitebait ajijo” (Yen 1,200) that is cooked with seafood that is caught in the nearshore of Himakajima Island is a perfect dish as nibbles for a drink.

An oil used for Ajijo and fried food is rice-bran oil, and if you try eating, it tastes unexpectedly light.

Even after you moved your body for all-day cycling, you can eat it refreshingly.

Feeling the island breeze, have a drink with a fashionable bar menu of specialties, and then get going home.

It is a perfect store for wrapping up the trip.

How was the Himakajima Island?

How did you like the relaxed strolling on Himakajima Island?

It was the place where you can thoroughly enjoy one whole day and where you can easily go from Nagoya, including the specialties that you can enjoy in various dishes of the special products, such as an octopus and whitebait, the photo-shooting spots that you can surely shoot the best looking photos, and the landscape of an isolated island where viewing the sea.

Though you can fully enjoy there with a day-trip, if you have time, it is also recommended to stay on the island for a night and to go around hidden spots.

“AZU Cafe” that serves popular “colored doughnuts” (Yen 200) among local people as it is good for photo-shooting that opens irregularly.

By staying overnight, the probability may raise to come across a business day of such a rare popular store.

Moreover, stargazing at night is a pleasure only of an overnight stay tourist.

On a slope of the back of “Himakajima Shinryojo (clinic)” that is located almost at the center of the island, there are especially few buildings, so the starry sky expands on top of your head inside the island where became completely quiet after day-trip tourists went back.

Please experience the beauty of nature on the island where you cannot think that it is located in a distance of about one hour from Nagoya!

Please try thinking of Himakajima Island by all means as a trip destination on a weekend.

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