Akita's Kitchen [Akita Citizen Market] From dinner ingredients to souvenirs!

The Akita Citizen Market is located near the station in Akita City, the capital of Akita Prefecture. It's about a 5 minute walk from the west exit of the station. Surrounded by banks and shops, this citizen's market, with its large gray building that catches the eye, is a treasure trove of fresh ingredients that support the people's diets.

We would like to introduce you to Akita Citizen's Market, a treasure chest of Akita prefecture ingredients that is conveniently located and easily accessible from Akita Station. The market is not only fun to just browse through, with its seasonal produce lined up, but it's also a great spot to pick up food souvenirs.

A place where Akita's seasonal food gathers

When you think of Akita Prefecture, what kind of ingredients come to your mind? Akita Prefecture is a thriving rice producer and is the third largest prefecture in Japan in terms of rice production. The rice called ``Akitakomachi'' is famous nationwide. Akita also has many other famous ingredients, such as Hinai Jidori, one of Japan's three major local chickens, Yuri beef, which is popular for its brightly marbled meat, and Hachiryu melon.

Of course, seafood is also famous. Hatahata, which is used as an ingredient in fish sauce, is a representative fish of Akita. Sandfish is a fish that is not only used as an ingredient in fish sauce, but also comes with the famous winter dish ``shotsuru.''

Link: Akita's winter symbol "Hatahata"

The Akita Citizen's Market is home to many of Akita's rich ingredients. Akita Citizen's Market is a representative market of Akita Prefecture that is close to the station.

Akita Citizen Market is a treasure trove of ingredients with a history of over 50 years.

The predecessor of the Akita Citizen's Market was established in 1951. It originally started as the Asakura Citizen's Market, and continued to provide food for citizens even through construction and store changes until it took on its current form in 2003. In recent years, there are many food stores around Akita Station, but there is still a sense among citizens that if you want fresh Akita ingredients, go to the local market. It is a historic market that can be called a symbol of Akita Prefecture's local production for local consumption.

This is a photo taken of the aisles of the citizen's market. There are rows of fruit and vegetable stores. Of course, this is just one section of the Akita Citizen Market, and there are many other food-related shops such as butcher shops, flower shops, fresh fish shops, and processed goods shops. It's a market that will make you hungry just looking at it.

Inventory availability and the ingredients on display in stores change depending on the season and harvest status. There may be some rare ingredients that can only be purchased locally.

Purchased ingredients can be shipped from within the market to various locations.

On the other side of the fish object is a conveyor belt sushi restaurant directly managed by the citizen market. Since it is a directly managed store in a market, it has a reputation for the freshness and deliciousness of the ingredients.

What you want to have with sushi is zappa soup. Zappa soup with fish bones is a miso soup that is packed with the deliciousness of fish. As of July 2017, it is still offered as one of the popular menu items. If you want to enjoy local flavors while touring the market, why not take a break at one of the directly managed stores inside the market?

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Akita Citizen's Market is the cornerstone of Akita Prefecture's food. The Akita Citizen's Market is packed with all the charm of Akita's food, from fresh fish to vegetables to processed products.

It is an easy market to get to as it is close to Akita Station. If you want to take food as a souvenir, why not take a look here? Of course, don't forget to enjoy the food at the restaurants inside the market!

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