Protected local food
Lake Ogawara Shijimi
小川原湖産大和しじみ
Large Yamato shijimi clams from Lake Ogawara in eastern Aomori. They give a rich broth and have enough meat to enjoy too.
Key facts
- Registered as a protected name
- 15 December 2017
- Region
- Tohoku
- Official name in Japanese
- 小川原湖産大和しじみ
- Official area (in Japanese)
- 青森県上北郡東北町（小川原湖を含む。）、上北郡六ヶ所村、三沢市
One of Japan's top clam lakes
Lake Ogawara, near Misawa in eastern Aomori, has water and a lakebed that suit Yamato shijimi well, and it is one of Japan's leading shijimi grounds. Fishers only take clams after about four years of growth, once the shell is at least 15 mm, to keep the lake productive.
A market just for clams
In 1993 a wholesale market just for shijimi opened by the lake. Every clam caught goes through it, so quality is checked and stays even. The clams are large, look good and stay fresh after shipping.
How to eat it
Shijimi miso soup or clear soup shows off the rich broth. These clams are big enough to eat the meat too.
Good to know
- Misawa has an airport with flights from Tokyo. Restaurants around the lake serve shijimi dishes.
- Aomori has two clam lakes: compare with Jusanko Yamato Shijimi on the west coast.
Questions travellers ask
What are shijimi?
Small clams that live in brackish water, mostly cooked in soup in Japan.
Where is Lake Ogawara?
In eastern Aomori Prefecture, near Misawa and Rokkasho.
Where it comes from
More protected foods from the same area
Crafts from the same area
Heritage stories from the same area
Sources
We checked the facts on this page against these sources.