Sea Cucumber on Menus in Tokyo??
 

I have a list of goals for my visit to Tokyo this week. One is to eat Sea Cucumber.

Can anybody please help me w/ this goal?

1. Is Sea Cucumber actually served in restaurants in TOkyo?
2. How do I pronounce the food item "sea cucumber" in Japanese?
3. Any recommendation of a restaurant in Tokyo where I might find it?
4. Does it really taste a bit like chicken? :)

Sea cucumber is called namako – I think they eat this raw in Japan.

However, the salted entrails are called: Konowata and this is really what you should be looking for in Japan as along with uni (sea urchin) and karasumi (EDIT: DRIED mullet roe) it is one of the ‘top three’ delicacies of Japanese cuisine.
(Like the top three gardens, or the top three sights, this doesn’t mean they really are the best – but I’m glad you’re going to give it a try!)

I've seen Konowata in depachika (department store food halls) but I don't know where else you could find it - I'm sure some of the other FTers (with bigger budgets for meals than I have) can recommend a place.

EDIT: just found this link with some more info:
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/...20021110rl.htm
(I've just learnt why karasumi reminds me so much of Spanish Hueva - one of the most popular presents I take to Japan with me)

Missed your last question:
Konowata tastes NOTHING like chicken (my partner's grandmother fed me some)
(but I don't know what fresh namako is like)

Thank you for whetting my appetite!

It's worth noting though that the Japanese eat much, much less sea cucumber than the Chinese do, and it's not something you'll find on every menu. It's pretty darn close to tasteless as far as I can tell, but I never heard of eating it raw? :confused:

You sure they eat it raw??

Yes, the Chinese eat way more sea cucumbers than the Japanese in general. It's not the most tasty thing on earth -- a lot of protein, but not much else.

You should DEFINITELY try the konowata then!

It tastes like chewy jello (when cooked - haven't tried raw).

My first (now fuzzy) memories of sea cucumber are of finding it in Boullabaise in Marseilles. Seemed rather nondescript, so curious, I asked the waiter what it was.

The sea cucumber I've had in Japan has always been sliced crosswise and pickled (osumono). Never really thought about whether it was raw or cooked, just that it made me realize how a dog felt chewing on a rubber toy. So forgive me if I don't go out of my way to find this menu item. Also, seeing these creatures all over the sea floor every year while snorkeling in Guam doesn't do much for the appetite either.

I'm usually willing to try any food once. I've had crab brains (not bad), canned bee larvae (tastes like honey, of course), sugared grasshoppers (also not bad), etc., but I draw the line at slimy things such as shiokara and from the sound of things, konowata. Sorry.

I would have thought that shirako (sacs of fish sperm) also ranked right up there. I have tried this one time (thank you that was more than enough), as a guest at a well-known restaurant in Tokyo specializing in this delicacy. I think what really turned me off was that the entire meal was made up of shirako. We had it as appetizer, boiled, grilled, poached, etc., must've been about 6 or 7 courses.

BTW, my discussion of the above items is not to be construed as any wish on my part to partake of these items at the upcoming Bounen-Do. :p

Namako is gross......I'm sorry! KURAGE is great! :p (and no it's not fried chicken)

The hallowed land of raw shellfish and other creatures is Korea. Any beachside restaurant there can satisfy all your curiosity for once and all. :D

I see your kurage and I raise you ume-kurage...mmm!

(And it's a strange time of year to be switching from sushi to unagi, isn't it? Don't think we didn't notice! ;) )

I can vouch for this -- with a trip report complete with pictures: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showp...8&postcount=53

Wonderful Korean restaurant in Tokyo
 

This reminds me..
If you don't get a chance to visit Korea but want to try the cuisine, there's a place near Azabu Juban Station where the Korean Embassy staff go as well as visiting Korean film stars and dignitaries:
Kannichikan Minato-ku Azabu Juban 2-9-7
Following info in Japanese only: information and map
Alas (or maybe not having read jpatokal's report!), this is not somehere that specialises in raw seafood.

It's as authentic as it gets in Japan, most other Korean Restaurants adapt their food to suite the local palate.

Japanese on Korean food: "Yakiniku, mmm..." or "Ugh, the garlic smell..."

Koreans on Japanese food: "Zarusoba, mmm..." or "Ugh, the sweet taste..."

Most Japanese seem to enjoy soju while very few Koreans like sake.

DELETED as irrelevant - gomen nasai