Hiroshimachi Market grills bonito over straw fire – a unique texture you’ve never tried: crispy outside, raw inside

▲ This is the signature salt-grilled straw-fired bonito. (Photo provided by Eastern TV Travel, all others below are the same)

Travel Center / Comprehensive Report

If you want to experience Kochi’s local culture or culinary life, Hiroshimachi Market is a must-visit. With around 300 shops, it feels like Taiwan’s night markets. It’s a place where many locals gather and where friends have recommended. But since there are so many options every day, we asked the locals for their recommendations – especially about one dish that melted our hearts on the spot. So how exactly is it prepared?

▲ Hiroshimachi Market is home to many bonito grill shops.

There are many bonito grill shops in Hiroshimachi Market, but you’ll need to line up to try the straw-fired bonito at Meijinmaru.

▲ The oily bonito at Meijinmaru, seasoned with salt, draws crowds who come to pay homage.

To find out why Meijinmaru’s bonito is so especially popular, we even asked an elderly man waiting in line with us. Turns out, this uncle had traveled all the way from Osaka just to taste the straw-fired bonito. Because Meijinmaru’s bonito is rich in oil, it is salt-cured before grilling. He had tasted it 20 years ago and has been nostalgic ever since, longing to try its delicious flavor again.

▲ You can see people coming for the fame of the bonito dishes.

The bonito dishes sold at Meijinmaru are grilled with straw on the outside until the skin is cooked, but the inside remains raw. To grill the fish thoroughly, the chef continuously adds straw to maintain the fire’s heat. This method seems unheard of in Taiwan!

▲ Grilling bonito using burning straw is truly unique.

▲ The emphasis on salt-curing brings out a more distinctive flavor.

A portion of salt-grilled straw-fired bonito costs about 700 yen. One bite reveals a blend of cooked and raw textures – the skin carries the aroma of straw, and the thick bonito meat is chewy and full of elasticity. This special mouthfeel has won everyone’s praise and has become one of the area’s must-try famous dishes. Let’s hear what Alen and Wenxuan thought after tasting it~

Hiroshimachi Market (Hiroshimachi / 弘人市场)
Location: 1-chome, Kochi, [Kochi Prefecture] (specific address not translated)
Phone: 088-822-5287
Business hours: 8:00–23:00 (weekdays), 7:00–23:00 (holidays)
 

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