Deep-Sea Dining Popular in Numazu; Locals Have Tradition of Serving Strange Fish from Japan’s Suruga Bay

By Ayane Sato / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer

14:10 JST, July 27, 2025

NUMAZU, Shizuoka — Visitors to Japan’s highest mountain, Mt. Fuji, may not realize just how close they are to the country’s deepest body of water. That would be Suruga Bay, off the coast of Shizuoka Prefecture.

In the Heda district of Numazu in the prefecture, deep-sea fishing has flourished since the Taisho era (1912-26), supporting the livelihoods of the locals. In recent years, restaurant owners and fishermen have been devising ways to make Heda a tourist spot for deep-sea fish, delighting fans from all over Japan.

Deep-fried torobocchi, megisu tempura and stewed goso are just a few of the unfamiliar fish dishes being offered. At Marukichi, a diner near Heda’s fishing port, the owner recommends deep-sea fish that have just arrived, even if they are not on the menu.

“They may look grotesque with their big eyes, but they can be made into sashimi with a concentrated taste or heated to a fluffy texture. They have a deep and exquisite flavor,” said the owner, Toshiyuki Nakajima, 71.

The deepest part of Suruga Bay — 2,500 meters below the surface — is home to a wide variety of deep-sea fish. According to the Heda fisheries cooperative’s records, deep-sea fishing began in the area in 1917. However, because deep-sea fish goes bad quickly, the catch has never been distributed outside the area, and these tastes remained little known.

Nakajima, who took over the restaurant from his father-in-law in 1995, was impressed by the variety of deep-sea fish he encountered for the first time at Heda. He wanted the public to know about these wonderful sea creatures, so he began searching for the best way to cook each one and working to spread the word.

In 2011, a local fishery company opened an aquarium featuring deep-sea fish at Numazu Port, near the center of Numazu, bringing in many visitors from inside and outside of the prefecture.

Spurred on by this, Nakajima and his friends launched a project in 2015 to attract visitors to the Heda area using deep-sea fish. They had local fishers give them fish that were not well-known even in the area and would normally have been thrown back, then invited people to observe and take pictures of these specimens for a photo contest. Many fans came to take part, and since then, they have held events allowing visitors to actually touch the fish, as well as lectures by university professors, to teach people about the unique charm of the deep sea.

In 2017, the area’s deep-sea fish exhibition facility was renovated and an information center opened in preparation to accept tourists year-round. The number of restaurants near Heda’s fishing port that serve deep-sea fish is increasing, and although there is no fishing from mid-May to mid-September, these establishments can always fry or stew frozen fish, attracting fans throughout the year.

Spider crabs, which live in waters deeper than 200 meters and can grow to over 3 meters in length, are another specialty of Heda — but not only as food. For many years, the town had a custom of making “crab masks” by painting the creatures’ angular, thorny shells and leaving them on doorsteps to ward off evil spirits.

The practice died out for a time due to a lack of creators, but now Itsuo Ishihara, 78, a former fisherman, is working to popularize it again by holding crab mask exhibitions. In the past, the masks were often rather fierce, but nowadays many people enjoy giving them colorful, artistic designs.

“You can make dynamic and powerful paintings on these large shells. I would be happy if someone interested in them were to take over after me,” Ishihara said.

Deep sea remains popular

Sharks that live for centuries; giant isopods that can go years without eating; and the adorable-looking flapjack octopus — deep-sea creatures have been highly popular in recent years.

In 2012, Japanese researchers were the first in the world to successfully photograph a giant squid swimming in the deep sea off the Ogasawara Islands, surprising the world, and in 2013, a special exhibition entitled “The Deep” was held at the National Museum of Nature and Science, attracting about 600,000 visitors over three months.

The illustrated book “Shinkai Seibutsu” (Deep sea life), published by Shogakukan Inc. in 2021, also went into reprint almost immediately after its release, selling 290,000 copies. “The mysterious and unique photographs captured the hearts of children. The unknown world of the deep sea thrills people,” said a Shogakukan employee who worked on planning and editing the book.