Protected local food
Hamanaka Farmed Uni
浜中養殖うに
Hamanaka in Hokkaido farms bafun sea urchin fed on local kelp. The uni is deep orange-yellow, creamy and free of bitterness, and sells for more than wild uni.
Key facts
- Registered as a protected name
- 20 July 2023
- Region
- Hokkaido
- Official name in Japanese
- 浜中養殖うに
- Official area (in Japanese)
- 北海道厚岸郡浜中町内水面、浜中湾及び琵琶瀬湾
Farmed on kelp
Hamanaka sits on the coast of eastern Hokkaido, where kelp grows thick and calm bays and lagoons are sheltered from big waves. Local farmers raise Ezo bafun sea urchin there and feed it plenty of kelp, so every urchin fills out evenly and tastes good.
The roe is a deep yellow close to orange, even in colour and size. It melts like cream, with a rich taste and no bitterness, and sells for more than wild bafun uni.
Good to know
- Uni is best fresh. Try it on rice (uni-don) or as sushi close to where it's landed.
- If uni is new to you, start with a small portion: the flavour is rich.
Questions travellers ask
Is farmed uni good?
Yes. Hamanaka's farmed uni is valued for its creamy texture and lack of bitterness, and sells for more than wild bafun uni.
What is bafun uni?
A sea urchin species from northern Japan known for deep orange-yellow roe. Hamanaka farms the Ezo bafun uni.
Where it comes from
More protected foods from the same area
Crafts from the same area
Heritage stories from the same area
- Coal, steel and port: Hokkaido's northern industrial revolution
- Esashi: the herring town that outshone Edo
- Gyoda: the town of tabi storehouses
- Kitamaebune: the merchant ships that made Japan's port towns rich
- Masuda: a medieval masterpiece of Japan
- Otaru, the heart of Hokkaido: a merchant city saved by its people
- Sacred land of salmon: 10,000 years on the Nemuro Strait
- Takaoka: the castle town that became a merchant town
- The Kamikawa Ainu: living with the kamuy of Daisetsuzan
Sources
We checked the facts on this page against these sources.