Freshness is outstanding! Rare, premium brand shirasu used Awajiya Kobe City Fisheries Cooperative Association and

Awajiya, a bento box lunch store based in Higashinada-ku, Kobe City, will sell a limited-time product, “Kobe Dawn Shirasu Donburi” from Thursday to Monday between August 31 and September 18.

Hyogo Prefecture boasts the largest catch of shirasu in Japan. However, because it is not well known, young fishermen of the Hyogo Fishermen’s Cooperative Association decided to “raise the value of Kobe shirasu even more! Awajiya and the Kobe Fishermen’s Cooperative jointly developed this product, which has now gone on sale.

Kobe Dawn Shirasu,” a premium brand of Kobe-grown shirasu that is landed by pre-dawn shirasu fishing, which is specially allowed only to fishermen in Kobe, is a rare type of shirasu that is characterized by its clear and white flesh even when boiled, because it is landed before breakfast. The freshly caught shirasu are sent directly to the processing plant near the fishing port owned by the fishing cooperative, so they are extremely fresh.

The “Kobe Dawn Shirasu Don” is a bowl of rice topped with a layer of shirasu, sesame seeds, nori (seaweed), and vegetables. To maintain freshness, the dish is sold only at nine restaurants in the prefecture. It is also only sold on the days of the week from Thursday to Monday (no sales on Tuesdays and Wednesdays).

<A word from the reporter>
I am very curious about this bento using the rare “Kobe Dawn Shirasu” (dried young sardines)! Since it is sold on a limited basis, it is sure to become a hot topic as a souvenir. I will buy it at “Awajiya Sannomiya Center-gai Store” which opened last month.

Sales period

August 31, 2023 (Thursday) – September 18, 2023 (Monday, national holiday)

Product

Kobe Dawn Shirasu-don: 950 yen (tax included)

Sales

Awajiya stores (Shin-Kobe, Kobe Station, Nishi Akashi, Tarumi, Sannomiya Center-gai, Ashiya Daimaru, Nishinomiya Hankyu, Takarazuka Hankyu, Kawanishi Hankyu)
*Not available at Uozaki headquarters, other stores or online store
*Reservations can be made at the above stores.

• Awajiya official website https://www.awajiya.co.jp/