Octopus Sasame, Semi Gyoza, Ageduke: A Look at Beloved Regional Side Dishes

A collection of exciting local delicacies

“A locally-rooted ‘regional supermarket’ is a place filled with the excitement of discovering local dishes and foods, where you can learn about the traditions and food culture of that area. When you don’t know how to eat something, you can ask the staff or the lady with the ingredients in her basket. While tourist spots are of course fun, the most interesting places are the local supermarkets loved by the locals,” explains Yoshimi Sugawara (59), the author of The Complete Guide to Local Side Dishes in Japan (Tatsumi Publishing) and known as a supermarket researcher.

Sugawara has visited over 1,000 supermarkets across the country, tasting more than 40,000 types of local side dishes and bento. In 2019, he established the Japan Local Supermarket Association, aiming to uncover food culture across the nation. His book highlights local side dishes made with regional ingredients and traditional cooking methods that have been eaten for generations.

“Last summer, I was surprised by ‘Tako Sasame’ at the ‘Aizawa Food Department Store’ in Wakkanai, Hokkaido. It looked like the Ohmu from Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, but it was boiled gill of a common octopus, with a mild taste and no strong odor. I ate it with ginger soy sauce and enjoyed both the soft, creamy parts and the firm, crunchy texture.

When I visited in summer, I couldn’t find it in the store, so I asked the president of a fishery company, Yasuhiko Kobayashi of Yamato Kobayashi Shoten. He told me that octopuses caught in Hokkaido are in season in winter, and are larger than those caught in the Kanto region, so Tako Sasame can only be found in supermarkets during winter. There are still new foods to discover, like Tako Sasame, which is why the charm of local supermarkets never fades.”

Sugawara’s fascination with local supermarkets began 34 years ago when his family moved to Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture, and he was shocked by the culture he encountered in local stores. Coming from Okachimachi in Tokyo, Sugawara searched for the soy sauce-flavored rice crackers he was used to but found only shrimp crackers. The miso section was all red miso, and the fried food in the deli was topped with a sweet miso sauce, with no sign of any soy-based sauces.

“It was like stepping into a completely different world, something I had never seen in a Tokyo supermarket. But for the locals, it was the norm. That feeling of difference led me to the discovery of regional flavor.

Shrimp crackers are said to have originated about 100 years ago when a large catch of Akasha shrimp from Mikawa Bay, which spoils quickly, was mixed with potato starch and baked into crackers. It tasted so good that it spread throughout the Mikawa Bay area. Today, although the catch of Akasha shrimp has decreased and imported shrimp is now used, there are about 100 manufacturers in the Mikawa Bay area producing shrimp crackers, from luxury gift items to children’s snacks, and they dominate the domestic market. However, it’s said that most of them are consumed in Aichi Prefecture. The discovery of shrimp crackers at local supermarkets led me to learn about their history, and I became captivated by the charm of local foods.”