Esashi Town

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Esashi Town (えさしちょう), on the eastern Okhotsk coast of the Soya region of Hokkaido, is nationally famous as the town with Japan's highest hairy crab (kegani) catch. The town's celebrated 'post-drift-ice hairy crabs' (esashi kegani), caught from March to May when the winter sea ice retreats, are prized for their extraordinarily dense, rich flesh — the result of crabs feeding abundantly on plankton that blooms beneath the winter ice. Known as 'the king of crabs' in Japan, these crabs are a signature delicacy of the Okhotsk region. The annual 'Esashi Kani Matsuri / Okhotsk Esashi Umaimo Festival' in July is the largest summer festival in the Soya region, featuring crab stalls, speed-eating competitions and enka concerts. The coastline near Esashi offers the dramatic basalt formations of Usutaibe Senjoyowa, while the eastern Teshio mountain range provides highland scenic drives.

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北海道枝幸町 PR動画 | 4K

北海道枝幸町 PR動画 | 4K

Esashi Town

Esashi Town

Address
6 Kabanokidori Minami, Esashi-cho, Esashi-gun, Hokkaido 098-5801 Japan
Website
https://esashi-kankou.com/
Operator
Esashi Town Tourism Association

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