Nokke-don is a bowl topped with various raw fishes on rice. A visitor buys those by going around the shops, and eats at the rest area. Its birthplace is the Furukawa Market in Aomori.
Furukawa Market derives from the black market after the war. Both sides of three rows of alleys wet with water were lined with shops with a stand. Most of the shops dealt with fish and shellfish, and the rest was a greengrocer.
I came by because of the Nokke-don. After getting rice and raw fishes, a visitor eats it at the rest area that offers soy sauce and green tea. Most of the toppings cost 100 to 300 Japanese yen. Depending on the shop, the price may differ slightly even if the amount is the same, so it is better to go around first. It's also a fun time to talk with vendors.
Recently, other towns adopted this scheme. But the pioneer was here. The Chamber of Commerce in Aomori City planned it in 2009 to revitalize the downtown. They selected Furukawa Market since it had no cafeteria. Big gimmicks were not necessary. Shops only installed a topping corner beside the products for citizens. I was impressed by the skill of planning an attractive low-cost project. In a few years, tourists visiting here have skyrocketed.
That was in 2011. In 2017 when I visited again, the air changed slightly. Previously, a product for citizens was at the center of the stand. Now the toppings for the Nokke-don were in the center. It had been nice for me to visit the market for citizens. Now when a tourist was the main target, I felt a little unsatisfactory. The so-called tourist is a tiresome existence.
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When you want to know more → Time of Travel - Public Market in Aomori City :
Furukawa Public Market and Nokke-don Bowl
(Aomori city, Aomori, Japan)
reference
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