When I think of November, I think of crabs. And when I think of crabs, I think of Marine Dream Nou. Sounds fancy, right? Like some high-end restaurant overlooking the ocean? Well it is on the coast, but Marine Dream Nou is actually a michi-no-eki (roadside station/rest stop) located in Itoigawa City, Niigata!
Now roadside stations in Japan are completely different from those that I’m used to in the States. There are always tons of clean bathrooms, somewhere to buy food/snacks from, and a place to throw out trash; but many of the larger ones have restaurants, a Starbucks, markets showcasing local foods, and more. Marine Dream Nou is famous for having a large seafood market where you can buy huge, cooked crabs. You can eat them at the chairs and tables in front of the stores, in the large park area in the back, or take them home to eat later. There’s a pretty wide range of prices available for these crabs too, from ￥500 all the way up to ￥5000!
If cracking and eating a crab is too messy for you, there are souvenir shops and restaurants in the building next to the market. They have things like crab-flavored rice crackers, crab ramen, and more! Here are a couple of things Hunter and I have tasted from Marine Dream Nou.
カニ・コーラ
On one adventure to Nou (it’s a gorgeous sea-side drive), we were pursuing the gift shops when something caught my eye. I swear I read it fifteen times to make sure my eyes weren’t playing tricks, then I called Hunter over.
“Is that…. Crab cola?”
“I think…. it is….”
Of course we bought it.
I took the top off and sniffed it… and it smelled like Coke. Maybe a little fishy, but not too bad. I took a sip and was surprised to find that the crab flavor really wasn’t strong. A more thorough look at the label revealed that it was made using crab-flavored dashi, a Japanese soup stock. Well no wonder it was a weak flavor! A bit relieved, Hunter and I took a couple more sips before putting the lid back on. Not a great drink, but definitely better than we were expecting.
カニ天丼
On a separate excursion, Hunter and I stopped by one of the restaurants. I ended up ordering a カニ天丼 (tempura crab rice bowl) and Hunter got a 甘エビ・ カニ天丼 (sweet shrimp and tempura crab rice bowl). While we waited, we had fun looking out the window at the groups of people walking out to the grassy park with their crabs and buckets. Everyone seemed to be enjoying the feel of the sun, the sound of the ocean, and this time with their friends and family.
Eventually, the food arrived! Mine was a huge bowl of rice covered in tempura crab legs, a bowl of miso soup with crab in it, and some pickles. The crab was the most delicious crab I’ve ever tasted! It was crunchy from the tempura, but soft and buttery on the inside. I honestly could’ve done with more of that and less rice. It was gone too fast and left me craving a second bowl.
Hunter’s was the same as mine with the exception of two large, fried shrimp. I wasn’t watching him when he took his first bite of the shrimp, too absorbed in my own delectable don, but when he asked if I wanted a bite, the look on his face made me immediately say no.
“Are you sureeeeee?”
“Yeah, I think so… why’re you making that face?”
“….The shrimp has eggs in it.”
“WHAT??!!”
Indeed it did! There was a layer of eggs underneath the shrimp. He said it didn’t taste bad though; he wouldn’t have even noticed it if he hadn’t looked and saw the eggs. The second shrimp was eggless, and Hunter quickly scarfed it down.
カニパイ焼き
Hopefully I’ll be able to nab this treat when I go back sometime! Very close to the restaurant we ate at is a counter where they sell taiyaki, fish-shaped sweets. They have the usual flavors, custard, red bean. And one not so typical — crab! They put a big chunk of fresh crab and some coleslaw right in the middle when they cook it. The first time I noticed it I jumped in line, but they were already out. I’ll make sure to update this page if I’m lucky enough to grab one in the future!
