Today I am introducing a famous spot for Tuna, Misaki port (三崎港、みさきこう) in kanagawa prefecture.
As fish-freezing technology advances, frozen tuna from overseas has become a majority in Japanese Tuna market since the 1960’s. Until then, Misaki thrived as a central port for Ocean fishing for Tuna since Meiji period (1868- 1912) for nearly 100 years. The volume of both catch and land for Tuna is in decline in Misaki since 1960’s, yet the port Misaki is still famous as “Port of Tuna” and there are quite a few restaurants that serve special Tuna meals, so a lot of people visit Misaki in order to eat good tuna today.
Misaki is located about 80 km away from central Tokyo, and it takes an hour and half to 2 hours if you take trains.
It takes less if you drive; if you use express way, it actually takes just over an hour. If you are staying in Tokyo and want to experience something different, Misaki visit can be a perfect day-trip. There are so many good spots to visit on the way back to Tokyo if you want to explore more.
You can have a look around the fish market there. Unlike fish market in Tokyo, it is not enormous, but you can enjoy a small, more laid back and less touristy atmosphere with less people. Fish market itself is open in the morning, but of course, the auction is for venders, restaurants, and supermarkets, so regular visitors are not allowed to come in. If you really want to see the inside, you need to make an appointment through the city hall website(Miura city). Misaki port also has a market that sells seafood from Misaki port, including Tuna, to local fresh vegetables. I am sure you will have fun just looking at lots of Tuna, seafood, and much more local produce.
Here are the link to the fish market for visitors.
https://www.umigyo.co.jp/marche/marche-sakana.html
This is the link to the tourist guide in English from Miura city.
http://www.city.miura.kanagawa.jp/hisho/eng/sightseeing.html
When I went there, I walked around the port, which was nice and quiet. And then I went to the Market. The main purpose of going to Misaki for many is to have special tuna dishes at a restaurant there. There are quite a few restaurants which specialize in Tuna, and many of them are really affordable. I had a big lunch there. Lots of tuna!
Here are the pictures of Misaki.
At the market. You see lots of Tuna head called kama. (かま）
Here is the link to じゃらん (jyaran- Japanese travel guide site), a list of some tuna restaurants in Misaki. You can check pictures of foods and prices from some restaurants.
https://www.jalan.net/gourmet/ckg_030004/g2_3g012/
The restaurant I went is called tachibana (立花、たちばな).
There are some other entertainment activities there, too. You can fish at a fishing pond, you can rent a small motor boat, or get on a cruise boat, there is an aquarium nearby. If you have a lot of time, you can also go to Miura beach （三浦海岸、みうらかいがん）in Miura city.
There are many places you can stop by on the way back. You can go to Kamakura, Yokohama, or you can go to Enoshima and stay the night there; that might be really cool, actually! Enoshima is also fun place to visit. Check it out if you like beaches.
Fujisawa, Enoshima official page is lined below.
https://www.discover-fujisawa.jp/
I went to Minatomirai in Yokohama on the way back and got on the ferris wheel. It is located right in front of the bay and its height is 112.5m (369 feet); you can enjoy a great view of Tokyo bay.
