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0:15Salmon, the most commonly eaten fish in
0:18Japanese households.
0:21It's a beloved breakfast staple.
0:24A classic onigiri filling and often the
0:27main ingredient in hot pots.
0:30Today, it's hugely popular as a sushi
0:33topping.
0:37Salmon has been part of the Japanese
0:39diet since prehistoric times.
0:43However, in recent years, persistent
0:46poor salmon catches have become a
0:48serious problem.
0:52In this episode, we look at the history
0:55of salmon, a cornerstone of Japanese
0:57food culture, and explore the
0:59cutting-edge initiatives dedicated to
1:01preserving salmon cuisine.
1:11>> Hello and welcome to Japanology Plus.
1:13I'm Peter Barakan.
1:14I'm in a town called Murakami in Niigata
1:17Prefecture.
1:19And the reason why is this.
1:22These are all salmon and all caught
1:25recently, apparently.
1:27Murakami has long been famous for its
1:29salmon, and the sight of these drying
1:31fish is an iconic winter scene here.
1:35It's also one that we may need to savor
1:37while we can because salmon catches have
1:40been on the decline. I'm told that the
1:42catch here in Murakami last year was
1:44only 1/10 of the year before.
1:48Japanese people eat all kinds of
1:50seafood, but among those, salmon is one
1:52of the most popular kinds of fish.
1:55What's so unique about that, you may be
1:56thinking? You're about to find out.
2:00>> Salmon are born in rivers,
2:02raised in the sea,
2:05and then return to their home rivers.
2:10Japanese archaeologists have found
2:12salmon bones at sites dating back 10,000
2:15years. Evidence that the fish has been
2:17cherished for millennia.
2:20Because salmon prefer water below 15° C,
2:24they were originally only eaten in
2:25northern regions such as Hokkaido and
2:28Tohoku, where water temperatures remain
2:30low throughout the year.
2:33These days, salt is used to preserve the
2:36salmon and keep it flavorful.
2:40But for a long time, salt was scarce and
2:43expensive, so salmon consumption did not
2:45spread throughout Japan.
2:51It was only in the 17th century that
2:54salmon came to be consumed across the
2:56country.
2:58The reason was a sharp increase in salt
3:01production, which made salt cheap and
3:03readily available.
3:06Salted salmon paired extremely well with
3:09white rice, making it a breakfast staple
3:12during the Edo period.
3:15And it remains so today.
3:19Until the 1980s, Japanese people viewed
3:22salmon as a fish to be cooked. That
3:25changed when farmed Atlantic salmon
3:28began to be imported from Norway.
3:35Around that time, there was a craze for
3:37conveyor belt sushi.
3:39One restaurant chain was looking for new
3:41sushi toppings and set its sights on
3:44farmed salmon.
3:49Rich and succulent raw salmon, new to
3:52Japanese people, became a popular sushi
3:55topping. It also gained popularity
3:58abroad.
4:00In its many forms that developed over
4:03time, salmon has been an integral part
4:05of Japanese food culture since ancient
4:07times.
4:10>> Good morning, Sano-san.
4:12Nice to meet you.
4:13Hello. Nice to meet you.
4:16>> Today's guest is Sano Masaki. He
4:19conducts economic research on the
4:21seafood supply chain, including that of
4:23salmon.
4:28>> Would it be a stupid question to ask you
4:30if you like salmon?
4:32>> Not at all. I've loved it since
4:34childhood. If there was salmon in my
4:36lunchbox, I was happy all day. I love
4:39it. How about you?
4:41>> When I was a kid in England, salmon was
4:44actually something of a delicacy. It was
4:46a bit expensive. So, to have fresh
4:48salmon was something really special. In
4:50Japan, not so much. Well, one could eat
4:52it quite regularly.
4:54>> In English, you just say salmon, but in
4:56Japanese, there are two different words,
4:58sake and salmon.
5:00>> I have often wondered why that is.
5:03>> Sake includes benizake and ginzake. It
5:06is salted and grilled or put in a hot
5:08pot. Cooked salmon is called sake.
5:12By contrast, raw salmon used for sushi
5:15or sashimi is called salmon.
5:18>> Why?
5:19>> The thing is,
5:21wild sake contains parasites, so you
5:24can't eat it raw.
5:28Salmon eaten raw as sushi or sashimi is
5:31farmed.
5:32>> Ah, so the fresh salmon is sake.
5:36And the farmed salmon is salmon.
5:38>> Right. That's the distinction.
5:42>> Okay.
5:43Finally got it.
5:45One thing I've always wondered about
5:46salmon is that
5:48they come back to the river where they
5:50were spawned and they swim up the river.
5:53How do they know where to go?
5:55>> It's called natal homing.
5:58And these salmon swim as far as the
5:59North Pacific. Then as they return to
6:02waters near Japan, they use something
6:05called a solar compass using the angle
6:08and direction of the sun as well as the
6:10Earth's magnetic field.
6:12That's how they understand the general
6:14direction and return to Japanese waters.
6:17Next, they detect the smell of each
6:19river and return to the river where they
6:22were born.
6:23>> That's amazing.
6:25>> This is the Miomote River. The salmon
6:27born here swim to the Sea of Okhotsk,
6:30then to the Bering Sea. Sometimes they
6:32even go as far as the Gulf of Alaska.
6:36Four years later, they return to this
6:38river.
6:39>> Four years, that's a long trip. Also,
6:43they're rare, I guess, in the sense that
6:45they live both in rivers and in the sea.
6:49>> There's something called osmoregulation.
6:52In the ocean, salmon drink large amounts
6:54of sea water, excrete salt from their
6:56gills, and produce only a small amount
6:59of concentrated urine.
7:01But when they go back up the rivers,
7:03they drink only a little water,
7:06retain as much salt as possible, and
7:08produce large amounts of dilute urine.
7:11The function of their gills and kidneys
7:13switches depending on the environment.
7:16>> That really is quite strange, isn't it?
7:24It's almost like walking into a period
7:26drama or something. Quite nice,
7:28actually.
7:30>> The two have arrived at a store that
7:32dates back to 1626.
7:35It still produces salt-cured dried
7:38salmon, a specialty that has long been
7:40part of Murakami's culinary tradition.
7:47>> Ooh.
7:49Ho ho.
7:51Hello.
7:53Konnichiwa.
7:54Wow.
7:56I wasn't expecting this.
7:59Why do you have so many of these hanging
8:02off the ceiling here?
8:05>> Hanging them up to air like this makes
8:07the salmon taste extremely good.
8:10There's a cold northwest wind blowing
8:13right now.
8:14We start production when the temperature
8:16drops below 10° C.
8:19>> Yeah, it's cold in here.
8:21>> That cold wind that everyone dislikes
8:24contains lots of negative ions.
8:26>> Huh.
8:27>> It creates a special fermentation and
8:29aging environment that's unique to
8:31Murakami.
8:32The salmon is first rubbed with salt,
8:35then left for 4 to 5 days.
8:38Like this.
8:39After that, they are carefully washed in
8:42water, then hung up like that.
8:45They are dried for 3 to 4 weeks, and
8:48during that time, the umami increases,
8:51giving the fish an umami-rich taste that
8:53is unique to Murakami.
8:57>> This is Murakami's traditional
8:59salt-cured dried salmon. Let's see how
9:02it's made.
9:04>> Ooh, look at the size of that. Ooh.
9:15Pay respect.
9:16>> We rub salt into the fish.
9:21>> Ah.
9:22>> Going against the direction of the
9:23scales.
9:24>> Mhm.
9:26Mhm.
9:33He's doing it with his bare hands.
9:42You even rub it into the fins.
9:44>> Mhm.
9:52>> Oh, and inside as well.
9:54>> Mhm.
10:01Mhm.
10:04>> And that goes here in the tub for Did
10:06you say 3 days?
10:08>> It depends on the size. 4 to 5 days for
10:11a big fish, around a week.
10:14>> Okay. And then you wash the salt off.
10:17And you hang them up like this.
10:19>> Mhm.
10:20>> It's quite impressive when you see them
10:22like this.
10:26>> There are said to be 100 salmon dishes
10:29in Murakami.
10:30You won't find another town like that in
10:32Japan.
10:34We eat parts that are normally thrown
10:36away.
10:38The innards, heart, liver, kidneys,
10:41stomach, milt. We eat it all.
10:46>> The two decided to try Murakami's famous
10:49salmon cuisine. At this restaurant
10:52specializing in salmon, diners can enjoy
10:54some unusual parts of the fish.
11:02>> Hello.
11:05Can you explain to us what all of these
11:08dishes are that we have in front of us
11:10here?
11:10>> There are 19 salmon dishes in total.
11:15>> Woah.
11:16>> This one is salmon heart.
11:19In Murakami, we call it donbiko.
11:22Next to it, the long thin item is salmon
11:26stomach.
11:27>> Oh.
11:28>> Next, on the far side, we have milt.
11:31And on the near side, liver.
11:34On top of the onion is salted innards.
11:38That's salmon kidney. It's an exquisite
11:40delicacy that dates back 1,000 years.
11:46>> There's also a well-simmered whole
11:48salmon head.
11:51Soft, crispy bones you can bite right
11:54through.
11:56And even salmon skin.
12:00Every last part of the salmon is eaten.
12:04First, Peter tries salmon heart.
12:07>> Slight trepidation about this, but
12:13Mhm.
12:15Mhm. I mean, if you've ever had
12:18any kind of liver, it's quite similar.
12:21Mhm.
12:22>> It's similar to chicken liver.
12:23>> Mhm. Mhm.
12:25>> Next, salmon stomach.
12:33>> The fact of eating a salmon's stomach
12:37wouldn't necessarily appeal to me
12:39in word terms,
12:42but to to actually have it in your mouth
12:43is fine. It tastes great.
12:46>> Actually, the stomach has a pleasantly
12:48firm texture.
12:50It's delicious.
12:53>> Salt-cured salmon is the king and the
12:55signature dish among Murakami's over 100
12:58salmon dishes.
13:01On New Year's Eve, Murakami residents
13:04enjoy a special meal of salt-cured
13:06salmon.
13:09The combination of salt-cured salmon and
13:11white rice is wonderful.
13:14Please enjoy them together.
13:24>> Mhm.
13:26I was expecting it to have a a stronger
13:28salty flavor, but it doesn't. It's very
13:30mild, actually. It's really nice.
13:33Oishi.
13:35One more Mhm.
13:41Oishi.
13:44Still have a few of these to go.
13:46But,
13:48I'm
13:49really impressed with
13:50how many different ways you can
13:53appreciate the taste of salmon.
13:55And I doubt if you can probably get this
13:58anywhere except from where I come in.
14:01>> It's only here that you can eat so many
14:02different parts of the salmon, each with
14:04their own flavor.
14:06That's a precious thing.
14:07>> Yeah, yeah, really, really. Mhm.
14:11>> Today, global warming is a pressing
14:14issue impacting many areas of society
14:17and the environment.
14:22Salmon catches are one example.
14:25In Japan, they are declining year by
14:28year.
14:31In Kesennuma, Miyagi Prefecture, over
14:3377,000 salmon were caught in 2008.
14:38But since 2019, catches have plummeted.
14:42In 2025, they fell to less than 40 fish.
14:55At Sasaki's home,
14:57salmon fishing gear lies idle in the
15:00storage shed.
15:08Back when he caught salmon, his daily
15:10catch could be worth between 500,000 yen
15:13and 1 million yen.
15:16Each fall in Kesennuma, salmon are
15:18caught as they return to spawn. Their
15:21eggs are fertilized artificially,
15:23hatched, and the juvenile fish are
15:25raised before being released in the
15:28spring.
15:29They want to increase the number of
15:31juvenile fish released,
15:33but so few salmon return to the rivers
15:36that the number of fry they can release
15:39is limited.
15:54Amid historically poor salmon catches,
15:57fishermen are experimenting with various
16:00approaches.
16:03The two have come to a place where they
16:04can learn about the history of salmon in
16:07Murakami.
16:11>> Hello.
16:12>> Hello.
16:14>> I saw the sign outside. It says you're
16:16the first salmon museum in Japan.
16:20>> Murakami has a long history of catching
16:23and eating salmon.
16:25And this museum highlights that
16:28tradition.
16:29>> Okay, so let's have a look.
16:38>> Please allow me to explain how salmon
16:40became deeply rooted in life in
16:42Murakami.
16:45It's connected to this person.
16:47Salmon have been coming up the Miomote
16:49River since the Heian period.
16:52>> So, we're talking about a thousand years
16:54ago,
16:55or maybe more.
16:57>> That's right.
16:59But from the Edo period, salmon stopped
17:01coming up the Miomote River due to
17:04overfishing.
17:07Salmon were an important source of
17:09income for the Murakami domain. So, this
17:12became a serious problem.
17:15That's when this low-ranking samurai
17:17called Auto Buheiji appeared.
17:20He focused his attention on salmon
17:23returning home to spawn and suggested to
17:25the Murakami domain that it divert part
17:28of the Miyamote River and use those
17:30branches as spawning grounds.
17:32>> Oh.
17:33>> Fishing continued as before on the main
17:36Miyamote River.
17:38But these two below are branches of the
17:41river.
17:42>> Mhm.
17:43>> Returning salmon were directed into the
17:45two branches and fishing was forbidden
17:49until they had finished spawning.
17:51>> Okay.
17:53>> By ensuring that the salmon could spawn
17:55safely, more eggs were produced, which
17:58meant more salmon will go out to sea and
18:01eventually return.
18:03This proved to be remarkably successful.
18:05>> And clever.
18:08>> This was the world's first successful
18:09attempt to breed salmon through natural
18:12spawning.
18:12>> Mhm.
18:16>> As the salmon returned and the Murakami
18:19domain's finances improved, residents
18:22began to feel gratitude toward the fish.
18:25This practice reflects their
18:27appreciation for the fish. When
18:29filleting salmon, part of the belly is
18:31left uncut so that it doesn't look like
18:33a samurai committing ritual suicide.
18:37The fish are also hung in an unusual
18:40way. Elsewhere, they are hung by the
18:42neck, but in Murakami, they are hung
18:45tail down so that they don't resemble
18:47people being hanged.
18:53>> This is a salmon that returned to the
18:55river this year.
18:57>> Just one?
18:59>> There are two.
18:59>> Oh.
19:00>> But most years you would see more.
19:04Very few salmon returned to the river
19:06this year.
19:08>> Yes, we've been hearing about the the
19:10catch.
19:12>> First of all, as a result of global
19:14warming, the waters around Japan have
19:16become warmer, making it difficult for
19:18salmon to return. Before coming to
19:21Japan, they pass through Russian waters.
19:23They gather in those sea regions and
19:25accord. They can also be eaten by
19:27dolphins and orcas.
19:29>> Ah.
19:30>> In addition, global warming and climate
19:33change are affecting the nutrients in
19:35the Bering Sea.
19:37With plankton production declining, the
19:39fish aren't receiving enough food, which
19:41prevents them from growing properly and
19:44can lead to death.
19:47This is thought to be one of the causes
19:49of the decline.
19:51>> Well, that's a natural phenomenon, so
19:53there's presumably not much that can be
19:55done about that.
19:57>> In Murakami, juvenile salmon are
19:59released into the rivers every year.
20:02Normally, they're released when they're
20:045 to 7 cm long.
20:06But, we're experimenting by raising them
20:09a bit bigger and stronger before
20:11release.
20:13The problem is that when juvenile salmon
20:15are released, they often lack sufficient
20:17nutrition.
20:19If they embark on long-distance
20:21migration in poor condition, they may
20:23not survive to return. That's also
20:26another reason.
20:28>> The huge popularity of sushi and other
20:30Japanese cuisine has introduced the
20:32world to delicious farmed salmon.
20:37However, there are worries even about
20:39this.
20:41Each year, around 330,000
20:44tons of salmon are consumed in Japan.
20:47About 80% of that is imported from
20:49countries such as Norway and Chile.
20:53Salmon has become popular across the
20:56world, and countries now compete to
20:58secure supplies. In Japan, the weak yen
21:01and changes to air routes after the
21:03invasion of Ukraine have pushed import
21:06prices to more than double over the past
21:085 years. This has impacted the stable
21:11supply of salmon.
21:15But recent years have also seen
21:17developments in land-based aquaculture.
21:20To meet demand, fish farmers are using
21:22another member of the salmon family,
21:25rainbow trout.
21:27Japan has around 150 land-based salmon
21:30farms, and some are creating branded
21:33products based on regional features or
21:35unique farming techniques.
21:38Let's look at landlocked Yamanashi
21:40Prefecture. It's a wine-producing
21:43region, and at a local salmon farm,
21:45finely chopped grape skins from the
21:47winemaking process are mixed into fish
21:50feed.
21:51As well as being a way to recycle waste,
21:54the skins themselves contain
21:56polyphenols, which have antioxidant
21:58properties and help keep the fish fresh.
22:03Meanwhile, at a salmon farm in
22:05Hiroshima, locally grown lemons are
22:08mixed into fish feed to help reduce the
22:11fish's odor.
22:15Major trading companies, power
22:17companies, and construction firms have
22:20entered the land-based aquaculture
22:22business. All eyes are on whether this
22:25will ensure a stable supply of salmon in
22:27Japan.
22:32>> We've had quite a long drive through
22:35empty country roads.
22:37We seem to be in the middle of nowhere,
22:39and this is a hot spring hotel, which
22:43from outward appearances seems to have
22:46very little to do with salmon.
22:49>> Actually, I've heard that salmon are
22:51being farmed in this hot spring hotel.
22:54>> Why do I not believe you?
22:57>> Let's go and have a look.
22:59>> The hot spring resort is at the foot of
23:02a mountain in Agano, Niigata Prefecture.
23:07>> You're welcome.
23:09>> My name is Kimura, and I work in
23:11land-based aquaculture.
23:13>> Ah, okay.
23:15Nice to meet you.
23:17>> Kimura shows them around his fish farm.
23:23>> This way, please.
23:24>> Oh.
23:25Oh.
23:30>> Please take a look.
23:31>> Woah, it's a lot of fish in there.
23:34How many of them are in here, I wonder?
23:37>> There are about 2,000.
23:39>> Woah.
23:40Why would you be doing this kind of fish
23:42farming in a hot spring?
23:45>> Instead of continually pumping and
23:47discarding cold water, we recycle some
23:51of the water here using the same gravel
23:54and sand filtration technology used in
23:57hot spring baths.
23:59>> Ah, okay.
24:01>> It allows us to produce fish that are
24:03very safe to eat.
24:08>> Aquaculture is something you think of as
24:10being done in the sea, not in a pool
24:13like this. It's quite an interesting
24:15experiment, I suppose.
24:18>> Aquaculture typically happens out at
24:20sea,
24:21but there are both advantages and
24:22disadvantages to ocean fish farming.
24:26An advantage is that the fish are raised
24:28in a sea environment, so it's natural.
24:33Another is the low cost.
24:36The disadvantage is that it's very much
24:38affected by the environment.
24:41If a typhoon comes, the fish are washed
24:42away. All the fish can be killed by red
24:45tides.
24:47And fish can only thrive within a
24:48certain water temperature range, so it
24:50has to be a place where the water
24:52temperature stays within that range. And
24:54it also it to be quiet. Good locations
24:57for fish farming are surprisingly few
25:00and we've reached our limits. There are
25:01no more suitable places.
25:05On the other hand, the advantage of
25:07land-based aquaculture is that you can
25:09do it anywhere.
25:11You can even do it at hot spring resorts
25:14or build large facilities and use
25:16electricity to control everything
25:19including water temperature and water
25:21quality.
25:24But of course, the disadvantage is that
25:26it's expensive.
25:28There's the cost of building a large
25:29facility
25:30and paying for electricity.
25:33>> Okay.
25:35>> Thank you for waiting.
25:37Here's our salmon.
25:40>> So let's try some.
25:53Are you having a lot?
25:53>> Very nice indeed.
25:55The aroma is nice.
25:58Salmon has a distinctive smell but it
26:00isn't unpleasant.
26:03It makes you want to eat more.
26:05>> Another piece with just a tiny bit of
26:07soy sauce.
26:11It's really fresh.
26:12>> You can really taste the freshness.
26:15For us Japanese people, freshness is
26:17everything.
26:20Outside Japan, salmon farming is done on
26:23a mass production scale.
26:26Companies target the global market and
26:28compete on costs. This involves
26:30producing large quantities thereby
26:33lowering costs.
26:35But in Japan, producers are motivated to
26:38deliver fresh and delicious fish and the
26:41people who eat the fish also demand
26:43freshness.
26:44>> That's true, yeah.
26:46>> Today, salmon farming combines a range
26:49of scientific advancements,
26:51selective breeding,
26:53improved feed, and sophisticated water
26:56filtration.
26:58Which together produce incredibly fresh
27:01salmon,
27:02like the one we just ate.
27:06In Japan, this is done at the local
27:09level using local products.
27:12I believe this approach is unique in the
27:14world.
27:17It's distinctly Japanese, careful and
27:20meticulous, and it has helped bring
27:22producers and consumers closer together,
27:25which is what I find so wonderful about
27:27it.
27:30>> Okay, that I'm I think I'm convinced.
27:34Thank you very much.
27:35>> Thank you.

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