Kobe City Fishery Cooperative and Awajiya, an ekiben bento store, offer limited “Kobe Dawn Shirasu-don” rice bowl

　Kobe bento store Awajiya (Higashinada-ku, Kobe; TEL 078-431-1682 ) has been selling “Kobe Dawn Shirasu Donburi,” a collaboration product with the Kobe City Fishery Cooperative Association, since August 31 for a limited time.

Kobe Dawn Shirasu” is spread on a bed of rice.

　According to the Kobe City Fishery Cooperative Association, Hyogo Prefecture has the largest catch of baby sardines in Japan, but the situation is not well known. The young fishermen of the cooperative, in an effort to “further raise the value of Kobe-grown shirasu,” have branded the shirasu landed in pre-dawn fishing, which is allowed only to fishermen in Kobe, as “Kobe Dawn Shirasu.

　Mr. Yuki Yanagimoto, vice president of Awajiya, says, “The ‘Dawn Shirasu’ is caught before the fish eat plankton in the morning, so the flesh is clear and white even when boiled. The freshly caught shirasu is sent to a processing plant near the fishing port immediately after it is landed, so it is extremely fresh. We developed this new product to let more people know that rare shirasu is available in our hometown of Kobe,” he reveals.

　The “Kobe Dawn Shirasu Don” (950 yen) is a bowl of rice topped with a layer of “Kobe Dawn Shirasu” and garnished with sesame, nori, and simmered vegetables.

　The storage temperature range is set at 15 degrees Celsius or lower to maintain freshness, and the product is available only at stores and on limited days of the week (Thursday through Monday).

　The product will be available until September 18.