You can enjoy a custom-made donburi with your favorite sashimi. I wasn't expecting much because it seemed very touristy, but it turned out to be the most delicious seafood dish of my trip to Eastern Hokkaido. Sato Shoten: ★7.5 Ohyo - A flavorful white fish with a good amount of fat ★8 Matsukawa Karei - Priced at 200 yen compared to 50 yen for Ohyo, the difference is noticeable when compared side by side, but not otherwise ★7.5 Soi - Has a similar taste to hamachi due to its color ★8 Hanasaki Crab - Firm texture with a strong flavor ★6.5 Sakuramasu - Dry with little flavor, as expected from its appearance ★8.5 Atlantic Salmon - Tastes like salmon, but with a fatty texture that melts in your mouth ★8.5 Toro - Fatty and melts in your mouth, even more so than the chutoro. The chutoro here is even more impressive. Sato Mura: ★5 Whale "marbled" - A fatty, marbled version of whale meat, with a strong flavor that may not be to everyone's taste. I purchased the whale marbled meat from Sato Mura as it wasn't available at Sato Shoten. After comparing some items from both stores, I noticed that Sato Shoten was cheaper for some items. At the Kushiro Washo Market, I saw familiar fish from Eastern Hokkaido being sold. I learned that the market price for a giant 30cm Atka mackerel from Rausu is around 800 yen.

There are not many options for breakfast, so even though I am a local, this is my second visit. You can choose from 5 different rice portion sizes, with the smallest being really small, perfect for when you just want a little bit. It's great for those short time periods between breakfast and lunch. I like to choose my favorite sashimi, all locally sourced and visually appealing. I get tired of too much seafood, so I prefer toppings like cod roe, shishamo, salmon roe, and smelt roe. Must-haves are surf clams and a little bit of sea urchin, which were delicious. I will definitely come back for breakfast again!

Hokkaido Roaming Trip 94: Kushiro City, near Kushiro Station, has an underground parking lot at the Washo Market with no time limit for parking, which is convenient in the scorching heat. The area for Kattedon (bowl of rice with sashimi) is bustling early in the morning. Several fresh fish shops offer Kattedon, so you can check them out before choosing a shop. Once you decide on a shop, the staff will explain the process to you. You then choose the size, vinegar rice, miso soup, etc. at the affiliated "rice shop." You then take the bowl back to the fish shop, where they will top it with the selected sashimi. Your own customized Kattedon is ready! Unlike the market in Sendai, the sashimi sizes here are quite generous. If you're not careful, you can easily spend over ¥3000. I aimed to keep it under ¥1000, so I chose affordable and delicious options like ¥50 herring and fat greenling. But I couldn't resist adding ¥200 Atka mackerel and autumn salmon. In the end, with the rice set, it came to just over ¥1000. In places like this, you tend to get carried away by the atmosphere. It was fun, but being a tourist spot, it felt a bit pricey. The rice portion is small, so if you want to eat a lot, I recommend getting a large or extra-large size.

When it comes to breakfast in Kushiro, the must-try dish is the Kattedon, according to Natu-san, so I arrived around 8 o'clock in the morning. First, I bought rice, but I was a bit confused about the system because there seemed to be another place selling rice as well. You could choose between regular rice and vinegared rice, with the latter costing an additional 50 yen. I got a bowl and was handed a tray by the staff at the nearby shop to pick out the sashimi. Both of us chose everything from that shop, but each shop had different types of sashimi, so it might be worth trying different shops next time. It cost around 2500 yen for the two of us, but everything was fresh and delicious. We even got to try whale and hokke sashimi! I wanted miso soup, but it seemed like you had to order it with the rice. Since I didn't know where to get it, I ended up buying tea from a vending machine. Next time, I'll make sure to do proper research before going.

Information on how to make Katsudon: Buy your favorite size of rice and choose your favorite ingredients at a restaurant. It's fun to look for items with labels like "from Kushiro" or "from Eastern Hokkaido". Take a lap around and browse before making your selection. The ingredients are big and thick. Soft serve ice cream, side dishes, freshly made squid, various cheeses, and more are available. There is a nostalgic feeling to the old-fashioned restaurant names.

You can choose your favorite seafood from the showcase at the market and the staff will beautifully arrange it on the rice to customize your own seafood bowl. You can enjoy eating in as well. All the seafood is fresh and delicious, and the prices are reasonable. *You can choose the size of the rice. For an additional 50 yen, you can change to sushi rice. *The optional crab soup is also delicious with the rich flavor of crab. *Hokkaido seafood is marked, and you can also choose seasonal local specialties.

I arrived at Washo Market, a 3-minute walk from Kushiro Station. The Katteda Donburi allows you to choose your own toppings after the rice is served. There are 4 types of toppings to choose from. Going from shop to shop, I created a luxurious bowl with salmon roe, flounder, sweet shrimp, fatty tuna, squid, and rolled omelette. I also enjoyed snow crab served in its shell. It was a satisfying seafood feast.

I was pleasantly surprised to find several shops inside the store, and the staff were very friendly and had a great atmosphere! I tried the specialty Katsudon for the first time, and I was able to choose my favorite cut of fish and enjoy it at the table. I had a fun and delicious meal with fresh ingredients!

It has been a year since I visited Kushiro. I went there again to eat some fish. I bought rice and "teppozu" soup, then went to another store to buy sashimi. I ordered various things I liked and enjoyed eating them. The chewiness of the tsubugai was irresistible, the squid was sweet, and the kinmedai had delicious fat that went well with the rice. The "teppozu" soup was a bit salty. It's great that you can choose as much as you like from the things you love. Of course, it will be reflected in the bill, but that's the power of being an adult. I would like to go back when I visit Kushiro again.

I came to Kushiro and the market. The parking lot feels narrow with 3 numbers entering from the back to the basement. The first floor is more like a department store food section than a market. I was suddenly approached while walking, so I ended up buying without being able to choose a store. There was a shop that only sells rice, so I bought that first. When I bought the rice and went back to the store to choose ingredients, they put the rice on top for you. I chose a fish that said it was from Kushiro because I didn't know much else. The staff kept asking, "What about this? What about that?" without giving me space. In the end, the rice was small and the fish cost around 1500 yen, which seems a bit expensive. But maybe there is joy in making it yourself.

The original bowl pioneer to the Japanese market. If you don't understand the system and ask, you can choose from two shops and pay. In the end, it will be one shop. You buy rice and choose the fish to put on top. And then you pay. The advantage of finishing at one shop. The bowl at the market in front of the station in Aomori is to buy a ticket and go around different shops to put on top. It might be more fun in Aomori. The fun of choosing. The bowl was delicious.

When it comes to Kushiro, you think of robatayaki and seafood! I thought I had done my research, but it completely backfired. This is clearly a business targeting tourists. Since it's my first time, I don't know the range of hits and misses. I won't be trying again.

The fresh ingredients were delicious. It was fun to choose each item based on my mood at the time. I intended not to spend over 2,000 yen, but ended up exceeding it after visiting two stores. The only thing I would point out is that the vinegar rice was cold, so it would have been nice if it was warm. The crab soup was so delicious that I could have had two bowls.

30 years ago, my family visited Lake Akan on a trip and tried to visit the Kushiro Washo Market, but it was closed for the New Year holidays so we couldn't have the "Katte-don" (make-your-own rice bowl) experience. I was very disappointed at the time, but finally, after 30 years, I got my revenge! We visited during the same year-end holidays as before, and luckily it was the last day of the year that the market was open. I was able to create my own Katte-don with all my favorite sashimi toppings, and it was absolutely delicious. It was a taste filled with 30 years of memories! I was extremely satisfied with my bowl. My grandparents were also delighted with this 30-year-old revenge, and my wife and sons were thrilled to choose their favorite toppings and create their own delicious Katte-don. When we visit Kushiro again, we will definitely come back to the market!

When I came after a long time, I noticed that there were fewer shops. Apparently, there are only two shops left that serve ingredients for custom rice bowl toppings. We bought rice from a different shop and had it topped with various seafood at the fish market. I had octopus, scallops, salmon, whelk, anglerfish, yellowtail, squid, shishamo, surf clam, and surf clam innards. My partner had tuna, egg, salmon, squid (raw), surf clam, sweet shrimp, and flounder. The seafood bowl, with our favorite toppings, looked like a sparkling treasure box, but in photos, it appeared mostly white in color. The taste was truly amazing, thanks to the fresh fish from the market. It may be a bit pricey due to the toppings we chose, but we were completely satisfied with our delicious seafood bowls. It was so tasty. Thank you for the meal.

On November 16, 2022 (Wednesday), during the 4th day of my late autumn trip to Hokkaido, I visited the public market "Kushiro Washo Market" located west of JR Hokkaido Kushiro Station in Kurogane-cho, Kushiro City. Established in 1954, it is one of the oldest markets in Kushiro and is counted as one of the three major markets in Hokkaido along with Hakodate Asaichi Market and Sapporo Nijyo Market. With excellent access, being a 5-minute walk from JR Kushiro Station, the market houses around 50 shops including fishmongers, dried seafood and delicacies, greengrocers, and butcher shops. The market's specialty is the "Katte-don," where you can choose your favorite seafood on the spot and create your own seafood bowl. First, I purchased rice of my preferred size from a deli inside the market. With rice in hand, I wandered around the shops, searching for my favorite ingredients. The types of ingredients vary from shop to shop, including unique items specific to Kushiro. Once you select your favorite toppings and have them placed on the rice bowl, your original seafood bowl is complete! Since it was a little after 9 a.m. on a weekday, the market was quiet with few visitors, lacking the lively atmosphere typical of a market. It was a bit disappointing.

Kushiro Gourmet Part 3: Kushiro Washo Market In regions with abundant fishing, there is usually a market where you can enjoy delicious seafood bowls, but Kushiro is a bit special. Its name is the "Katte-don"! At Kushiro Washo Market, you can "freely" choose your favorite toppings to put on a bowl of rice, making it a popular gourmet dish. Around 8 am on holidays, it seems to be popular among tourists looking for breakfast, creating a lively atmosphere. There are various types of toppings, from classic sea urchin, salmon roe, and shrimp to more unusual local specialties like raw engawa, tokishirazu, and kin-ki. The fun of choosing from dozens of toppings is unparalleled. Even if you're indecisive, the staff will recommend something for you, so you can't go wrong following their advice! As I kept adding more and more toppings, the total cost started to add up, but hey, you're on a trip, so spend, spend, spend! Once you take a bite, you'll be enveloped in a feeling of happiness. My favorite was the shrimp! The firm, succulent flesh and rich miso flavor were amazing. Thank you for the meal!!!

When I came to Kushiro, I couldn't miss this place. Even though I took the second morning express train, it was still tough, so I opted for the midday express instead. I wish they would open earlier so I could catch the express train in the 8 o'clock hour. Also, I don't remember the system from last time, but it seems difficult to buy things at various stores now. When I tried to buy some rice and look for a restaurant that serves Kattedon, they immediately came to take the rice and prevent me from going to other stores. I ended up giving in and going back to the first store. While I enjoy the assertiveness of the store staff, it felt a bit too much. Also, it's not exactly cheap here! I thought the same thing when I came here last time. It turned out to be a luxurious breakfast, but all the dishes were delicious.

I went to eat in Kushiro in the morning. The "Katte-don" where you choose various ingredients little by little is famous but seems to be expensive. I wandered around the market and bought 4 pieces of Otoro for 500 yen. I also bought some "Zangi" to go with the Katte-don. The Katte-don was decent, the Otoro was like a mix of Otoro and Chutoro, so the cost performance was quite good for 500 yen. The Zangi was quite big. If there is a next time, I might go for a sashimi or sushi set. I also bought some Hanasaki crab, but it was not that cheap. Since it was the day I was going back, I brought it back in a cooler bag. It was a bit difficult to eat because of the spines, but the taste was quite delicious. I thought it was better cost performance than Taraba crab. Thank you for the meal!

The energy is starting to come back, although not as much as before. The prices for dishes are almost the same in every restaurant. It seems like there might be some sort of rule about it. The key is to determine the quality based on how the meat is cut, which parts are used, freshness, and if there are any additional services provided.

The accommodation I stayed at this time did not offer meals, so most people bought convenience store bento boxes to eat. However, my wife wanted to have a meal at the Washo Market near Kushiro Station to avoid feeling lonely with convenience store food. It took about 5 minutes by rental car from the accommodation to the market. The area around the market has many one-way streets and narrow roads, so be careful when driving. We parked the car and headed towards the market. The market's parking lot charges a fee because it is close to the station. If you make a purchase, you can get 30 minutes of free parking. We stayed for an hour, so we paid 100 yen. We entered the market through the automatic doors. We visited around 7:30 am and there were already quite a few tourists, especially high school students, perhaps due to some event. The market was different from a regular market, with more souvenir shops and sashimi restaurants than fishmongers. There were many signs advertising "Katte-don" (build-your-own bowl). First, we bought white rice from a store selling it. Since several places sell it, it's good to go to a less crowded one. We bought a regular portion of rice and crab soup. Then we looked for our favorite ingredients at different shops and added them to our bowls. The quality and freshness didn't vary much (although prices differed slightly), so you don't need to wait in line at popular shops. We bought some sea urchin to share among three people to save money. Each person bought their favorite toppings. Depending on the type of fish, it's easy to spend over 2000 yen, so it's not the best cost performance. Adding sea urchin, salmon roe, or crab quickly exceeds the budget. I think it's cheaper to eat at Kushiro's bowl specialty shops or Machizushi. My wife enjoyed the atmosphere of the place, but personally, I found it average in terms of taste and freshness. The level was just normal for me. The makeshift tables at the market made it a bit uncomfortable and chaotic. Despite being able to enjoy the market atmosphere, I personally found it a bit underwhelming. For bowl dishes, I think it's more satisfying to eat at local specialty shops.