The black area of the Scallop is the midgut gland.
Scallops sometimes eat a type of toxic dinoflagellate (known as the cause of the red tide), accumulate this toxin in their bodies and become poisonous. This toxin is called Saxitoxin and it has a high fatality rate.
Symptoms of poisoning start with numbness in the lips, tongue and side of the face as well as a burning sensation that eventually spreads to the ends of the limbs and causes loss of sensation. When it gets even worse, the victim loses the ability to move their body. Even in end stage, the victim maintains consciousness until breathing ceases and then finally dying from suffocation. There have been a number of cases of death from Saxitoxin on either coast of the North American continent, but there are very few cases of poisoning in Japan.
In Japan, six types of sea urchins are caught: “Bafun uni”, “Ezobafun uni“, “Murasaki uni”, “Kitamurasaki uni”, “Aka uni”, and “Shirahige uni. At sushi restaurants, “Bafun uni” and “Ezobafun uni” are sometimes called “Aka uni (red sea urchin),” while “Murasaki uni” and “Kitamurasaki uni” are called “Shiro uni (white sea urchin). Generally, red sea urchins are considered more expensive than white sea urchins because red sea urchins are sweeter and last longer, but recently, due to the effects of sea desertification, the place of origin has become more important than the type of sea urchin.
The “Kitamurasaki uni” is distributed north of the Tohoku region and the “Murasaki uni” south of the Tohoku region, the “Ezobafun uni” north of the Tohoku region and the “Bafun uni” south of Matsushima Bay, respectively.
The “Kitamurasaki sea urchin” is distributed north of the Tohoku region and the “Murasaki sea urchin” south of the Tohoku region, the “Ezo-bafun uni” north of the Tohoku region and the “Bafun uni” south of Matsushima Bay, respectively.
“Ezobafun uni” and “Kitamurasaki uni” are caught on Rishiri Island and Rebun Island, “Bafun uni” and “Murasaki uni” on Shakotan Peninsula, “Bafun uni” on the four northern islands (Kunashiri Island, Etorofu Island, Shikotan Island and Chimai Islands) and Sakhalin Island, “Kitamurasaki uni” on Sanriku, Hakodate, Matsumae, Esashi and Okushiri Island, and others. Aka uni is caught in Yura, Karatsu, Hagi, Iki, and Amakusa. In Kagoshima and Okinawa, the word “sea urchin” refers to the “Shirahige uni”.
The price of that sea urchin has not stopped soaring. It is said that the price of sea urchin has doubled over the past few years. Combined with the weak yen, we hear that the Toyosu market is losing out to foreign sushi restaurants and other buyers. Increasing conflicts and rising sea temperatures are probably part of the reason for this. And foreigners visiting Japan are beginning to understand the deliciousness of sea urchin, so the number of foreigners who do not eat sea urchin is decreasing. The situation is such that the price of sea urchin is rising more and more.
We have made a list of sea urchin producers as far as we know. We honestly do not know how we should utilize this information, but we hope it will be useful.
Higashizawa Suisan (東沢水産)
Higashizawa Suisan uses carefully selected Kitamurasakiuni from Hokkaido.
143-1 Wakumoto, Chonai-cho, Kamiiso gun, Hokkaido 〒049-1104
+81-11392-5-5237
Types：Kitamurasaki uni
Hadate Suisan (羽立水産)
Hadate Suisan has a processing plant in Mori Town, Hokkaido, facing Funka Bay, and specializes in producing the highest quality Kitamurasakiuni from Hokkaido.
2-19-1 Sunahara, Mori-machi, Kayabe-gun, Hokkaido 〒049-2222
+81-1374-8-3355
Types：Kitamurasaki uni
Tachibana Suisan (橘水産 まるひろの生ウニ)
Tachibana Suisan operates two brands. One is manufactured at the Hakodate factory in Hokkaido and labeled with a green label (特選生うに). The other is manufactured at the Kamikuni factory in Hokkaido and labeled with a light blue label (まるひろの生うに).
238-6 Aza-Osaki, Kaminokuni-cho, Hiyama-gun, Hokkaido 〒049-0603
+81-139-55-3555
Types：Kitamurasaki uni
Daisen Komamine Kaisan (ダイセン駒嶺海産)
Daisen mainly uses Kitamurasakiuni from Aomori Prefecture.
142-1, Aza Furugamatanihei, Oaza Hebaura, Kazamaura Village, Shimokita-gun, Aomori Prefecture 〒039-4503
+81-175-35-2628
Types：Kitamurasaki uni
Ogawa Shoten mainly produces Kitamurasakiuni and Ezobafununi. Although the label says “Ogawa’s fresh sea urchin (おがわの生うに),” the supplier calls it “Abuta Ogawa.” There are three sea urchin manufacturers with “Ogawa” in their names, so unless it is specified whether it is Abuta Ogawa, Hamanaka Ogawa, or Ogawa Company, it is unclear which one the supplier is referring to.
In summer, Kitamurasakiuni is harvested from the Japan Sea side of southern Hokkaido, including Shakotan, Sutto, Setana, and Okushiri Island.
Additionally, Tenma and Yakushima Islands, as well as Rishiri and Rebun Islands, are the closest to other manufacturers, offering the advantage of freshness and quick processing.
On the other hand, Ezobafununi is harvested from Shakotan in summer and Funka Bay in winter.
1-21 Yura, Sumoto City, Hyogo Prefecture 〒656-2541
+81-90-3673-7307
Types：Murasaki uni、Aka uni
Yamaguchi suisan (山口水産)
The appearance of Yamaguchi suisan uni
543-5, Uchida, Yura-cho, Sumoto-shi, Hyogo Prefecture 〒656-2542
+81-799-27-2162
Types：Murasaki uni
Ogawa Suisan (小川水産)
Ogawa Suisan is known for its green label and is commonly referred to as “Hamanaka Ogawa” by industry insiders. The company primarily produces Ezobafununi. Hamanaka Town is located in eastern Hokkaido, between Akkeshi and Nemuro, and is renowned for its high-quality Ezobafununi. Additionally, during the winter season, sea urchins from the Northern Four Islands are widely available in the market.
Hirakawa Suisan (Maruki Hirakawa) is headquartered in Hamacho, Hokkaido, where it also operates a processing plant. Taking advantage of its location in eastern Hokkaido, the company specializes in the production of Ezobafununi, which is found in Hamacho, the Nemuro Peninsula, and the Northern Four Islands.
484 Biwase, Hamanaka-cho, Atsukishi-gun, Hokkaido 〒088-1532
+81-153-62-3556 Hirakawa Suisan
種類：Farmed Bafun uni
Taisho Bussan (泰匠物産)
125-4 Hoka, Nemuro City, Hokkaido 〒087-0037
+81-9050-70-8334
Types：Ensui uni
Marukyo Akatsuki (マルキョウ あかつき水産)
123 Hanasaki Port, Nemuro City, Hokkaido 〒087-0032
+81-153-23-3453
Types：Northern territories
8-123 Nishihama-cho, Nemuro City, Hokkaido 〒087-0025
+81-153-22-3501 Kananese Setoshoten
Types：Ezo-bafun uni, Ensui uni
Sapporo Kaneshin Suisan (札幌カネシン水産)
The appearance of Kaneshin suisan sea urchin
5-3-9, Hachiken 1-jo Higashi 5-chome, Nishi-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido 〒063-0861
+81-11-676-9531 Sapporo Kaneshin Suisan
Types：Ezo-bafun uni, Ensui uni
Murakami Shoten (村上商店)
Murakami Shoten has a processing plant in Hokuto City, adjacent to Hakodate City in Hokkaido. They mainly use sea urchins from the Hakodate area, which allows them to process them while they are still fresh and ship them quickly to Toyosu.
Hakodate Fisheries Cooperative Association (函館市漁協共同組合)
16-7 Irifune-cho, Hakodate, Hokkaido, Japan 〒040-0057
+81-138-22-4673
Basically, even if you contact us, we are not sure if you can deal with us directly. As far as we know, for example, you would have to buy from an Intermediate wholesaler at the Toyosu market. And the ones with images are the Ita-uni (basic means of distribution are two types: on a plate and in salt water) that you often see at sushi restaurants.
Among the fish that belong to the Anguilliformes order such as Eel, Conger eel, and Moray eel, some contain toxic components in their blood serum. This type of serotoxin is called Ichthyohemotoxin and indicates lethal and hemolytic actions. However, this is not the official name of the toxin, and the chemical structure is also not clear.
If a human were to drink a large amount of fresh blood from these fish, they would suffer from symptoms such as diarrhea, constipation, vomiting, cyanosis, arrhythmia, paresthesia, paralysis and respiratory distress, and it would then sometimes result in death. If the blood gets in your eyes, it causes an intense burning sensation, swollen eyelids, and a foreign body sensation that last for days. Sufficient caution must be practiced when preparing these fish, but there is no concern for toxicity if it is cooked. Incidentally, in case of Ichthyohemotoxin, found in eel’s blood, the toxicity completely disappears when cooked for 5 minutes at 60℃, so there are no issues with eating eel Kabayakai.
The definition of “Matcha” according to the Japan Tea Central Public Interest Incorporated Association is, “Fine powder made by grinding up Tencha with a handmill made from un-rolled, dried raw leaves that were cultivated under cover and shaded from sunlight.”
To put it simply, Matcha is made by grinding up Tencha with a tea grinding handmill, into fine particles 1 to 20 μm in size. Tencha is grown in mostly the same way as Gyokuro but covered for 5 days longer than Gyokuro. The initial steaming method is also the same as Gyokuro and Sencha, but the difference is that after steaming, it is just dried, without any kneading.
After steaming, a device called a tea leaf spreader is used to spread them over 5 to 6 m in warm air, the moisture from the steaming is removed, and then they are cooled. This process is repeated 4 to 5 times and then it is normally dried in a Tencha oven. The finished Tencha is then left to rest in a cool place until November.
Matcha produced at the beginning of November is ground using a handmill as “newly picked tea,” but since it had been resting, it emits the refreshing scent of new tea, giving it a mellowness. Meanwhile, lately, newly picked tea is ground with a handmill immediately to make Matcha that retains the refreshing scent, creating a flavor that differs from that of the tea ceremony world.
Consuming the actual Matcha leaves allows you to take in all the non-water-soluble components, so it’s gained attention as part of a health boom lately. In order to keep up with that demand, Matcha that strays from the original definition is mass-produced using mills.
Matcha is a drink used at places like tea ceremonies to enjoy with Japanese-style sweets. It goes without saying that this is not to be drunk with Nigiri sushi. When enjoying Nigiri sushi, you will be served Konacha, Mecha or Roasted green tea.
