"Delicious" SDGs Begin with Gratitude for the Ocean and People - Shimizu Port Tuna and Tail Meat Project

Gastronomy is the exploration of a region's history, culture, climate, and people through food.
Gastronomy tourism is travel with the purpose of experiencing and learning about food culture.
I think it is deeply connected to people's memories and recollections.
Maybe it's because I'm a foodie, but I feel like memories are often deeply connected to the food we ate at the time. And those memories don't just relate to the deliciousness of the food, but also the blue sky I saw at that time, the beauty of the ocean, the mountain ridges colored with autumn leaves, or even the disappointing cloudy sky. Even the smiles of the people I ate with and the people who cooked for me, and even the conversations we had at the time, all come back to me at random times. Now that I'm older, I feel even more strongly that all of these are treasured memories stored away in the drawers of my memory.

This time, we will introduce a new specialty that has just been born in the port town of Shimizu, and the efforts being made to create it, which may someday become a ``taste that someone will remember.''

Shimizu Port, where tuna gathers from fishing grounds around the world

　Our first stop was the summit of Nihon-daira, a hilly area stretching across Shizuoka City's Suruga and Shimizu wards. From here, we could see Shimizu Port below, with the majestic Mount Fuji directly in front on a clear day, and it was easy to see that it was in a great location, nestled in the Miho Peninsula, home to the Miho no Matsubara pine grove known for the legend of the Hagoromo.

It has a long history, and the Nihon Shoki, one of the oldest historical documents in Japan alongside the Kojiki, records that the local powerful Ihara clan set sail to Baekje as a relief general on a ship built around what is now Shimizu Port.

From the Sengoku period through to the Edo period, the shogunate placed great importance on the city as a strategic military location and a trading center for both land and sea.

Shimizu Port's beginnings as a modern port date back to 1899 (Meiji 32), when it was designated an open port by the Meiji government. In 1906 (Meiji 39), Japanese tea was exported to America from Shimizu Port for the first time. With the advent of the steam engine and the modernization of industry as a driving force, Shimizu Port developed as an international trading port.

About a 20-minute drive from the summit of Nihon-daira, we arrived at a park adjacent to a commercial facility near the port.

In recent years, Shimizu Port has become increasingly popular as a port of call for large cruise ships, and on this day, a large cruise ship that could easily be mistaken for a building was anchored there. On days when large cruise ships are in port, you will often pass by foreign tourists enjoying shopping and strolling around, making you feel as if you are in a foreign country.

One thing you should definitely see here is the Shimizu Port Telfer, a strangely shaped structure made of steel members assembled like the framework of a roller coaster. (A telfer is a type of crane that lifts cargo and moves it along horizontal rails.)

This crane, completed in 1928 (Showa 3), is said to be the only Telfer-type timber lifting machine still in existence. It ceased its role in 1971 (Showa 46), but was designated a national tangible cultural property in 2000 (Heisei 12).

During the Taisho era, imports of lumber, primarily from North America, increased. This, combined with the demand for lumber following the Great Kanto Earthquake, led Shimizu Port to develop as one of Japan's leading lumber import ports. A railway station was also established to transport the lumber landed throughout the country.

Initially, timber transported offshore from Shimizu Port was lifted from the sea and loaded onto freight cars by conveyor belt. However, once the Telfar was completed, a task that previously only allowed loading one car's worth of timber per day could now be completed in just 48 minutes, demonstrating its astonishing performance.

The same type of Telfer was installed at six other stations across Japan, including Nagoya Port Station and Umi-Kanagawa Station, but the only one that remains is at Shimizu Port. It is a very valuable relic that tells the history and modernization of ports in Japan.

And one more thing: tuna is an essential part of the history of Shimizu Port.

Exports of canned tuna in oil began in 1930 (Showa 5). Shimizu-made canned food was apparently very popular in the United States. This success led to increased demand for tuna, and after the war, due to Shimizu's location almost in the center of the Japanese archipelago, improved transportation, and the development of large facilities with excellent freezing and preservation technology, the amount of tuna landed that was frozen on board the vessel increased dramatically.

Currently, Shimizu Port boasts the largest frozen tuna catch in Japan, accounting for approximately 50% of the total catch in the country.

The "Tuna Tail Project" began as a symbol of gratitude to the ocean and people

As befits Japan's number one frozen tuna town, there are many restaurants in the city serving a variety of tuna dishes, including seafood bowls, sashimi set meals, simmered tuna, and tuna cutlets. However, I heard about a project to create a new Shimizu specialty using the rare tail meat, which is only available in one piece per tuna, so I headed to Fuji Bussan, a general trading company located in the city.

"The Oinomi Project was started out of a desire to give back to the tuna boat customers who have been loading our bait for so long."

This was said by Kanegai Arizumi, head of the Regional Relations Promotion Office and a member of the project's launch team. Natsuko Asakura, a member of the Marine Division and currently a central member of the project, nodded vigorously next to him.

Fuji Bussan, which was founded 68 years ago this year, started out as an energy company. Its current main businesses are the sale of petroleum products and fishing feed, eel farming and processing, and a new energy division that promotes renewable energy.

Their relationship with deep-sea tuna fishing boats began with the supply of fuel. From there, their business expanded to include tuna feed and food for the crew. Deep-sea tuna fishing is a long-term, life-risking job, with the crew unable to return to their home port for six months to a year. In such circumstances, not being able to receive adequate supplies is a matter of life and death. Their job is like the unsung hero that supports tuna fishing, ensuring that fishing boats are reliably supplied so they don't run into any problems.

The O-no-mi Project is centered around the Marine Division, whose main job is to supply bait to longline tuna fishing boats.

"By providing better feed, the tuna bite better, which increases the catch. This means the fishermen can finish fishing earlier, return to port, and go home to their families. If they can then set sail again and catch more fish, the catch will increase, and this will be passed on to the crew as wages. We believe that this is one way that we can give back."

The Omi Project was started as part of this effort to give back, but why did they choose Omi?

"I've valued my relationships with the crew members for many years, so I was able to hear from them individually about their problems and ask, 'Is there anything we can do about this?' The idea for the tail meat came from a conversation where we asked, 'Is there anything we can do about this tail?'"

To maintain freshness, tuna is bled on board the boat as soon as it is caught. During this process, the area around the tail fin is cut off, but most of the tuna is not brought to land. However, there is still plenty of meat left in this area.

As tuna is a migratory fish, it is a part of the tail that is constantly moving, so it is muscular and sinewy, and although it is not suitable for eating raw, it is said to be a very nutritious part that contains a lot of collagen. When grilled or stewed, the sinew is soft and the meat is satisfying, and the tail meat is known as a secret delicacy for sailors who eat it as part of their meals on board. However, although it is known to be delicious, there is limited space in the ship's freezer, and most of it is not landed. This is because priority is naturally given to the main part, which is traded at a higher price.

"If we could buy the tail meat, it would provide income for the crew and allow us to repay them for their kindness. Also, it's so delicious that it's a shame to throw it away. We want people to know how delicious it is, and we want everyone to eat the tuna, from head to tail, without wasting any of the lives of the crew who risk their lives to catch them, so we're still working with that desire in mind."

The Tail Meat Project started in 2020. After trying various things, such as grilling round slices of tail meat on a hot plate and selling them as steaks at events, and selling curry that makes use of the shape and size of the tail meat, the new product "Omusubi" was born.

The thoughts behind the "tail knot"

　A year after Asakura joined Fuji Bussan, a new project began, exploring whether tail meat could be used in food to be sold at a cafe that was being built in a park near the company's headquarters.

"We came up with a lot of other ideas, like steamed buns using the tail meat, but we thought if we were going to eat in the park, we wanted to have rice balls that would give it a picnic feel.

 The goal was for the park to become a place where people gather and connect with each other, so I wanted to create a product with a concept that fit that.

A rice ball that "ties" people together, called "Omusubi" because it uses tuna tail meat.

We created this product with the desire to connect people with the sea, people with other people, and people with the region."

Regarding the taste, Asakura said, "I wanted to recreate the nostalgic taste of sushi made by local grandmothers."

Even if they don't like fish, many children still like salmon rice balls, so one is salty, reminiscent of salted salmon. The other is made with kabayaki sauce, which is also popular with people of all ages, and is a sweet-flavored rice-like dish. After numerous prototypes and tastings, one of the rice balls was shaped like a rice ball, rather than just the classic triangle, to evoke a nostalgic feeling. The size was also slightly larger, with the intention that one would be enough to fill a child up.

The tail meat is muscular and sinewy, making it difficult to handle.

"At first, they came up with something that was very finely shredded, like canned tuna, but that didn't really have the feel of tail meat. I thought that if they made it larger and chunkier, it would differentiate it from real tuna meat, so I repeatedly asked the supplier to make it bigger. I wanted people to know it was tail meat, but I didn't want them to think it was the same as tuna. After many trials and errors, the salt nigiri contains a large piece of tail meat that has been cut in half and is found around the bone."

"People who have tried it say it tastes like chicken or other meat. Cuts of tuna that are used for sashimi can become dry when cooked, but the tail meat is moist and has a rich umami flavor, which makes it taste different from raw tuna.

　The processor handled it well, so it didn't have as much of an odor as I had worried, but you might still think it's different from salmon. But that's one of the distinctive features of tail meat. I hope that even just one more person will say that it's delicious."

They are sold frozen, so they last a long time, and are easy to eat just by heating them in the microwave. Currently, they are only sold at events and online shops, but in the future they would like to develop sales channels such as the Shimizu River Market.

Someday I'd love to try it while looking down on Shimizu Port from the top of Nihon-daira.

"It's called 'Omusubi' because it's made with the tail meat of a tuna caught at that port." It's great when products have a story like that that makes you want to tell someone.

Tail meat x Shizuoka local bread

"Asakura's love for Onomi is so overflowing that he even made something like this."

Arizumi-san showed us a handmade stuffed toy of the original character "Ono Mi-kun." He says it has been a big hit when explaining about Ono Mi at events for children that he has held so far.

Another new product featuring Onomi-kun stickers has been created in collaboration with university students.

　For an assignment in a class called Design Thinking at Tokoha University, students focused on tail meat. Originally, the assignment was to raise awareness of the company, but the idea was to get people to learn about tail meat by eating it, and in turn, get them to learn about Fuji Bussan. We were given a glimpse of the product photo packaging. Could it be that bread that is popular as a local specialty and familiar to the people of Shizuoka Prefecture?

"That's right. It was developed as an homage to Noppa Pan. I would have liked to have collaborated with the manufacturer, Banderole, during the class, but we didn't have enough time and weren't able to make it happen last year. As a culmination of the class, we sold it at the home games of the Shizuoka Vertex, but the students said, 'We want to end the class by collaborating with Noppa Pan no matter what.'"

So this year, they launched the "Oppo Pan Project." In fact, the finished product was just unveiled the other day.

It is commonly known as "Opponoppo" and officially known as "Tuna Tail Cutlet Noppo."

They were sold at the Street Performance World Cup from November 1st to 3rd, and at the Shimizu Port Tuna Festival 2025 on November 8th and 9th.

"Taking advantage of the Noppo Pan's length of over 30cm, we've stuffed six pieces of tail meat cutlet with tartar sauce. It's big enough that two people could share half. For collaboration products, a sticker is affixed to the regular Noppo Pan packaging, and the students designed this sticker based on "O-no-mi-kun."

As Asakura's love for tuna was clearly conveyed to the students, and I feel that this passion will continue to spread. In this way, students will learn about tuna and tuna as if it were their own concern, and become aware of the issues, which could lead to recruitment in the future. Just as tuna is a fish that circulates in the ocean, Fuji Bussan also feels that various connections are created and circulated between people, things, departments, and other companies and our own company.

"Industry-academia collaborations are popular these days, but I secretly hope that by getting students involved in solving these problems from an early age, they might remember, 'Oh, that reminds me of the tuna tail thing,' once they enter the workforce, and continue this project.

　I would like to raise children who are from Shimizu and who, even if they leave their hometown for university or work, when asked, "What's there in your hometown?", will not say, "There's nothing in my town," but will answer something like, "You can eat tuna from head to tail," and be able to have a conversation like, "Really? That's interesting. I'd like to go there."

Arizumi continues, "To achieve this, we need to make the tail meat more familiar to people."

Towards a future that connects the sea and people, and people with each other

"The great thing about this project is that we've been able to involve people from the market (producers) and processors as stakeholders, come up with products together, receive advice, and think about them together. It feels like the results are gradually improving through multiplication. Even without our involvement, tail meat may have become more popular, but I feel like we've been able to accelerate that and play a part in it.

However, the price of tail meat has not yet increased. That is the next challenge. Ultimately, we would like to increase the amount of tail meat used, which will raise the value of tuna as a whole, leading to higher fish prices, increased catches, and a profitable business for the crew, allowing us to continue operating tuna fishing boats."

The number of Japanese-flagged tuna fishing boats is on the decline. One of the major reasons is the aging of the crew, resulting in a shortage of workers. Although the number of foreign crew members is increasing, mainly from Indonesia, the situation is still not sustainable.

"If people realized that working on a tuna fishing boat is a lucrative job, I think more people would take on the job.

 Some people may have a negative image of seafarers, based on the portrayal in TV dramas and manga of them being "used to pay off debts" or being forced to work in the 3K industry, but that's not the case. The pay system is in place, and the working environment has improved. More ships now have Wi-Fi so crews can keep in touch with their families, there are more days off, and when they replenish in overseas locations like Las Palmas (a city in the Canary Islands in Spain) or Bali (Indonesia), they can get two or three days off, so they can enjoy themselves overseas. The working environment has improved in many ways, but it's not widely known. Through the Onomi Project, we would like to support seafarers in their job search.

To achieve this, it is necessary to increase the value of tuna, including the tail meat.

"Recently, awareness of the tail meat has increased, and even at the riverside market, we hear people say, 'There's not enough tail meat.' However, we still can't use it all, so we continue our activities steadily.

The biggest obstacle to making tail meat more popular is that it is difficult to cook. It takes time and effort to prepare it, including removing the skin and bones."

So, to eliminate this hassle, they developed a boiled version that is broken into large pieces. There are two types: one that is boiled in water as is for easy cooking, and one that is boiled in salt and seasoned so that it can be eaten as is.

When I tried it, it had a moist texture similar to chicken breast or fillet cooked at low temperature. The soft, fluffy, and juicy meat spreads its flavor throughout my mouth the more I chew it. The cloudy white collagen melts in my mouth, and there's practically no odor to be detected. This would be delicious stewed in tomato sauce, used as an ingredient in stir-fries, or fried in curry flavors. It seems very versatile. It's also quicker to cook because it's already cooked.

If it becomes possible to prepare it in large quantities, it could be used as a local flavor ingredient in school lunches or as a wholesale product to restaurants. If various menus are created in school lunches and restaurants and people become familiar with the tail meat on a daily basis, it could lead to the birth of a new local food culture.

Eating the tail meat gives gratitude to life, saves food that would otherwise be wasted, is kind to the ocean and the environment, teaches the history of tuna in Shimizu, and enriches the lives of the crew on tuna fishing boats. This story of the cycle is also properly conveyed in classes and at the store.

If we can do this, it will help not only children but also adults like us to develop a sense of pride in our towns and hometowns.

We hope that people will pave the way for a future where tuna is a source of learning and inspiration, and that people will take pride in the taste of their hometown, such as tying the tail in knots or boiling the tail.

I believe that is the essence of gastronomy.

The Tail Meat Project was recognized for its efforts to reduce edible waste, and was awarded the 2021 Shizuoka Prefecture SDGs Business Award for Excellence. Utilizing unused resources, adding value to unused parts, revitalizing the local community, and giving back to seafarers... With a grand philosophy, the project will continue to take on new challenges.

In recent years, Fuji Bussan has been promoting sports in Shizuoka Prefecture through career support for athletes, engaging in activities to connect the region, and also working in the travel industry, proposing trips that allow people to rediscover the charms of the region.

"I hope to be able to use this to brand Shimizu Port as the place where the best tuna gathers in Japan, with its magnificent view of Mount Fuji. I started the travel business with the desire to become a destination tour company that spreads the appeal of Shizuoka. I would also like to consider tuna tours, which will help revitalize the region and boost tuna fishing."

"Tuna is also a high-protein food. In the future, we hope to clarify the evidence that it is a health food and increase the value of tuna combined with health, which will also lead to giving back to the local community."

Arizumi and Asakura spoke about their future goals. The word "giving back" came up many times during the interview. Their efforts to contribute to the local community are something that would not be possible without a deep understanding and respect for the area. I felt that this is also relevant to gastronomy, which involves learning about the history, culture, and climate of a region.

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Fuji Bussan Co., Ltd.

424-0847　

2-5-32 Otsubo, Shimizu-ku, Shizuoka City, Shizuoka Prefecture
TEL：054-349-7007

https://fuji-bussan.com
■Online shops where you can purchase tail ties
https://store.shopping.yahoo.co.jp/fuji-s/

■Event information is updated on Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/onomikun_maguro

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Date of coverage: July 2025, 10
Writer: Aoki Rika
Photo: Yoshihiko Konan