Hokkaido’s Nemuro Saury Festival Draws over 10,000 People Enjoying Freshly Grilled Autumn Fish, One of the Flavors of Autumn

The Yomiuri Shimbun

15:21 JST, September 28, 2025

The annual Nemuro Saury Festival was held Saturday in Nemuro, Hokkaido, known for its abundant catches of saury, called sanma in Japanese.

Around 11,000 visitors from across Japan gathered at the Nemuro Port venue, where the savory aroma of charcoal-grilled fish filled the air as people enjoyed one of the flavors of autumn.

A total of 6.1 tons of saury freshly landed at Hanasaki Port in the city were prepared for the two-day event through Sunday.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve had such large, fatty saury,” said an 86-year-old man visiting from Shibukawa in Gunma Prefecture. “It reminds me of the days when the catches were abundant.”

Hanasaki Port has boasted the largest saury landings in Japan for 15 consecutive years, with some days in September seeing more than 1,000 tons hauled in. This year, the city is experiencing one of its best fishing seasons in recent memory.