Hinase Oyster Festival in Bizen City

This time I am going to share our short trip to Hinase City for its annual oyster festival.

Contents

About Hinase City

Hinase has the second largest produce of firmed oysters in Japan (FYI, No. 1 is Hiroshima). Hinase gets quite busy this time of the year.

hinase_image

 

Way to Hinase

It’s about 60-minute drive from Okayama City to Hinase City. Easier to access by train (Ako line).

Passing Saidaiji City which is known for Naked Festival.

passing_saidaiji

Alright. Almost there. See the oyster farms down there?

hinase_oyster_farm

Normally parking is available nearby the market but not during the event. There are some places as temporary parking (for free). A bit hassle but bearable.

Let’s walk down to the central.

walk_in_hinase

 

Piled up oyster shells.

hinase_oyster_shells

 

Hinase Oyster Festival

Here we are.

hinase_oyster_festival

We planned on having all-you-can-eat oyster BBQ but changed our mind to try different foods from food stands (we just couldn’t help!)

Oyster congee (200 yen)

hinase_oyster_congee

Kaki meshi (400 yen), and deep-fried oyster (500 yen)

hinase_oyster_lunch

Had Warabimochi for dessert.

hinase_warabimochi

You know what, we’ve made Warabimochi at home. You can try it if interested. This one above was very different though…

Had a Kebab also. I know it isn’t related to oysters or Hinase at all. Again, we couldn’t resist! (>_<)

hinase_kebab

Many people buy oysters and cook out.

hinase_bbq

Oysters for sale at the wet market near by.

hinase_market_01

Sea cucumbers? Hmmm not my thing.

hinase_market_02

The view of the entire market from upstairs.

hinase_market_03

Got some oysters to go as well (1,500 yen for two packs). That’d be enough for the rest of the year….

hinase_souvenir

 

Alright, we are done.

On our way to the parking, we saw little street stores by locals. Thought they would serve the same stuff but…

hinase_cheap_store_01

hinase_cheap_store_02

What the hell? Kakioko (oyster Okonomiyaki) is for 200 yen? (it was 1,000 yen in the central). Also Kaki meshi is 200 yen??? (>o<) These looked way smaller though couldn’t help buying extra. Perhaps save for dinner…. I’ll remember this next time.

Lastly

Well, it was all about food. Hehe. Hope you enjoyed it. Check the official website for the latest information (in Japanese).

Spring is just around the corner and there will be more events coming up in Okayama.

See you around!

hinase_grilled_oysters

Grilled oysters at home (burp)

 

You may want to check these out as well!
Bike Trail at Kibi Plain
Strawberry Picking in Okayama
Ajisai Festival at Kibitsu Shrine, Okayama City
Hokubo, Maniwa City: Breathtaking View of Japanese Fireflies
Okayama Kyobashi Morning Market

You may also like...

2 Responses

  1. ᐃᓄᒃ ᑭᕙᑖ says:

    I wouldn’t say oysters are my all time favourite, but I enjoy them. Looks yummy

  1. 2020年12月4日

    […] refers to oyster Okonomiyaki. It is known in Hinase City where we visit every year for the oyster festival. Oysters are best in winter but it is available all year around. Tamachan is a popular local […]

Leave a Reply