Beat the summer heat with seafood: HowToTrip recommends Nagaya's cooling cuisine

Text by MOOK Scenic Spots Family Travel Life Network Editorial Department
 

In hot weather, the human body tends to expend a great deal of energy. If nutrient replenishment can't keep up with the rate of loss, it can lead to physical weakness or even illness. Nagaya Kappo Tensho at Beitou Nikken Sekkei Kagaya launches cooling cuisine during the hot months of July to September. Drawing on Japan’s traditional “shun” (seasonal) concept, different ingredients take the stage in each of the three months. Starting with July’s Noto Peninsula oysters and Hamamatsu eel, followed by August’s fresh live sea urchins and shellfish dishes, and culminating in September with Hokkaido hairy crabs, the menu gathers the quintessential summer flavors of the sea from Japan—offering diners a refreshing and energizing treat.

Nikken Sekkei Kagaya’s Kappo Tensho Restaurant hosts a three-month-long summer cooling festival, with featured ingredients changing according to their peak harvest seasons. One of the highlights in July is the “Noto oyster,” sourced from Toyama Bay in Japan’s Noto Peninsula. There, millennia of snowmelt from Mount Tateyama mix with uniquely deep ocean water, resulting in high mineral content that produces oysters with thin shells, thick meat, and rich aroma. These oysters, some larger than a palm, are priced at NT$650 each plus 10%. Grilled with sea urchin on top, they maximize the ocean’s umami while wrapping you in the sweet richness of the sea urchin. The calcium and zinc in the oysters also help revitalize and rejuvenate sun-exposed, rough skin.

Making a grand appearance in September is the “Hokkaido hairy crab,” sourced from the pristine waters of Hokkaido, Japan. Its flesh is silkier and more delicate than that of the thicker, meatier cod crab, offering a sweet and springy bite. Hokkaido hairy crabs cannot be bred artificially, and each crab weighs approximately600grams, taking ten years to grow to this size in pollution-free waters—hence the limited annual catch, making it a renowned and luxurious Japanese ingredient. A serving of hairy crab cuisineNT$4500costs +10%and is enough for two people to share. It comes with a unique way to enjoy it: “crab shell sake brewing,” where the crab shell is placed over a flame with sake poured in. As the sake warms, the air fills with the aroma of alcohol and the ocean. Take a sip of the warm, crab-infused sake, then scoop out the smooth crab roe—it’s a soul- and body-reviving delight.