Shizuoka's food cultureKnow

The food we will be introducing this time is "Lake Hamana oysters." Oysters from Lake Hamana are based on the concept of ``feeling happiness with just one oyster,'' which has been passed down through farming techniques since the Meiji era. Lake Hamana is a brackish lake with a mixture of freshwater and seawater.

It is said to be home to more than 500 types of seafood that are rich in nutrients, and is said to have the largest number of them in Japan. While it is a favorable environment for seafood, the area is also surrounded by rivers, mountains, and the ocean, centering on the Miyakoda River, so it is rich in plankton, which is the food for oysters. It is also known as a production area for delicious oysters.

This time, we spoke to Shoichi Yagita, the 11th generation owner of Yagita Oyster Shoten, which was founded in 5. He sells oysters from Lake Hamana under the "YAGITA OYSTER" brand. Oysters are thick, hard to shrink, and have a rich flavor, making them plump whether you eat them raw, grilled, or steamed. Depending on your ideas, you can use it for a variety of dishes such as aqua pazza, hot pot, and fried oyster sandwiches.


Mr. Yagita himself loves oysters and has eaten oysters from many different regions. ``Oysters have a relatively bland taste, so you can eat a lot of them, but with ``YAGITA OYSTER'' from Lake Hamana, each oyster is thick and firm, and has a rich flavor. I feel very satisfied even if I eat just one piece."




The key to ``YAGITA OYSTER'' is that they move their oysters three times before they are harvested. Generally, oysters are cultivated in the same location, but based on our years of experience and knowledge, we move oysters to areas where the plankton they feed on is more abundant. By doing so, you can feed the oysters enough food, resulting in ``oysters that have a thick, rich flavor and don't shrink when heated.''






And harvesting oysters at the right time. While I own multiple aquaculture racks, not all locations grow at the same time. After understanding the overall situation, we find a location where the oysters will satisfy our customers and begin harvesting. Furthermore, our craftsmen carefully select each grain.

The landed oysters are transported to a nearby processing factory, where they are quickly shucked by the shuckers. After that, each grain is judged by a craftsman, and only the top-quality grains are packed into bags.


You may have the impression that the oysters are white in color, but "YAGITA OYSTER" is cream-colored, as you can see in the photo. This is proof that the oysters are fresh and rich. When choosing oysters at the store, it seems better to choose cream-colored oysters.

Those who have actually eaten YAGITA OYSTER have said, ``It doesn't shrink even when cooked,'' ``Even though I don't like oysters, I now like it.'' ``It has a rich flavor and is plump, and you can make it delicious with a little effort.'' ``Choose the dish.'' Feedback has been received such as, ``The oysters taste amazing,'' ``The oyster extract is amazing,'' ``The oysters are filling,'' and ``The scallops are large.''


The recommended cooking method is oysters from Lake Hamana pickled in olive oil. It seemed to be easy to make, so I asked her to teach me how to make it.

(1) Stir-fry oysters with olive oil
(2) Boil oysters with oyster sauce
(3) Remove from heat, put in a jar, add garlic, hawk claws, and laurel, and leave in the refrigerator overnight.

By doing this, the flavor of the oysters and the aroma of the olive oil will make it rich and delicious.

▼Click here for the recipe for Lake Hamana oysters devised by “Fuji no Kuni Food Capital Creation Craftsmen”▼
Lake Hamana oysters and mushrooms with duxelle sauce

There are many variations, such as eating it as is, oyster peperoncino, stir-fry with rice to make garlic pilaf, or eating it on a baguette. Please, try it.


Although it is difficult to increase production any further, the company's vision for the future is to proactively utilize social media (Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter) to develop sales channels.

Also, towards the end of the harvest in late March, the oysters begin to hold eggs and the flavor deteriorates. They hope to complete the harvest before they have eggs, vacuum freeze the oysters in good condition, and create a system that will allow them to serve them even outside of oyster season. In order to increase the number of sales, they hope to have a system in place to fulfill orders by purchasing oysters from competitors or the market.


Producer information
Name: Yagita Oyster Store
Address: 18-1 Maisaka, Maisaka-cho, Nishi-ku, Hamamatsu City, Shizuoka Prefecture
Phone number & FAX: 053-592-0485 *If unable to connect, please call 053-592-0484
Business hours: 9:00-16:30 *Late November to late March
Closed holiday: irregular holiday
*Depending on the harvest situation on that day, we may not have it ready, so please call to confirm before coming to the store.
home page:https://yagitaoyster1922.jimdofree.com
Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/shoichiyagita/?hl=ja
Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/yagitaoyster/