Suzuhiro Kamaboko no Sato

Kamaboko is a typical specialty of Odawara. Although everyone has eaten kamaboko before, it has a deep fascination with its history, regional differences, production methods, and ways of eating.

The village of Suzuhiro Kamaboko is a place where you can enjoy such “kamaboko” from various angles.

There are three main facilities in the village. At “Suzunari Market,” which has a spacious market atmosphere, visitors can enjoy shopping for dried and deep-fried fish cakes and other products, centering on kamaboko.

The “Kamaboko Museum” is a free hands-on museum where visitors can learn about kamaboko. There are also various restaurants in old houses and storehouses.

Suzuhiro Kamaboko Honten, Suzunari Market

This market offers about 200 kinds of souvenirs of Odawara and Hakone, centering on ita-kamaboko (flat fish cake). Not only can you enjoy shopping, but you can also taste hot deep-fried fish paste at the eat-in corner, and there is also a “fish paste bar” guided by a fish paste sommelier.

In between shopping, you can enjoy chiffon cakes and coffee at the Shiofu Café.

At the Kamaboko Bar, you can compare three kinds of kamaboko for only one coin. A free drink of locally brewed beer, sake, wine, or Ashigara tea is included.

The “Super Special Kamaboko Kokon” is a special type of kamaboko that is completely handmade by craftsmen and only 300 kamaboko are made per day, which is rare. Tokusen Kamaboko and Kinjo Kamaboko are made by machine. Surprisingly, the machine-made kamaboko has a very crispy texture, while the handmade kamaboko has just the right amount of elasticity and a refined sweetness.

It goes well with “Hakone Beer,” another local beer brewed in-house by Suzuhiro. You can also choose from an Itamae Chinmi set that goes well with local sake with Japanese flavors such as crab, shrimp, and conger eel, or a Grand Chef set to be paired with wine that uses cheese and nuts.

Suzunari Market has a full range of suggestions and products that go well with fish cakes. These include how to eat it with white wine or dry sparkling wine, and the 12 mm thick “cut ita wasa” set. For children, there are “Kamaboko Tomica” and “Rika-chan Heart Kamaboko.

The “palm-size red and white fish paste” is a small gift that can be given in a box in any package of your choice, and contains no preservatives or coloring.

The “Purikama” service allows customers to brand their own drawings and letters on the kamaboko.

Kamaboko Museum

Visitors can learn about the history and mysteries of kamaboko, its ingredients, and nutrition by looking at panels and exhibits, making kamaboko, and having fun at the museum.

Visitors can observe craftsmen making kamaboko through glass windows, and can even try their hand at making kamaboko (reservations required).

Kamaboko” is mentioned in the early Heian period document “Ruiju Zoyosho” as a banquet dish held in 1115 by the noble lord Fujiwara no Tadami, and the earliest known illustration of the dish still exists. Taking this number, November 15 is also called Kamaboko Day.

The origin of the name “kamaboko” is also interesting. The word “kamaboko” is said to have come to be called “gamanohoko” then “kamaboko” because it used to be made by rolling the ingredients into a cylindrical shape on a bamboo stick, which resembled the ears of a plant called kama, or “kama.

White fish is an expensive ingredient, and kamaboko is treated as a luxury item. It is sometimes used as a gift and incorporated into Goshoku dishes. It is also said to have been a favorite of Toyotomi Hideyori, the third son of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and was served at Honnoji Temple, the last supper of Oda Nobunaga.

Kamaboko” is also a general term for a dish made by kneading fish paste, seasoning it, and steaming or baking it. Various types of “kamaboko” exist throughout Japan, with different shapes, tastes, and textures depending on the region.

It was not until the Edo period (1603-1868) that kamaboko became available as a commodity.

Odawara was blessed with abundant fish and water that were ideal for making “kamaboko,” so its production flourished from the end of the Edo period. It is said that the name “kamaboko” spread throughout the country because of the prosperity of Odawara as a lodging town and because many people ate kamaboko during their journeys to and from Odawara.

In the back of the Kamaboko Museum, there is a processing factory where craftsmen actually make kamaboko. Visitors can observe the craftsmanship through the glass.

Kamaboko craftsmen are nationally certified, and this facility has several craftsmen who are certified as first-class technicians.

Try your hand at making kamaboko and chikuwa!

At the Kamaboko Museum, you can try your hand at making kamaboko and chikuwa (reservation required, about 50 minutes).

After watching a demonstration by a professional craftsman, visitors will actually try their hand at making the fish paste. After watching a demonstration by a professional craftsman, visitors can try their hand at making their own fish paste by smoothing it with a fish paste knife and carefully preparing the surface.

To make chikuwa, the surimi is smoothed in the same way, then formed into a rectangular shape on a cutting board and wrapped around a bamboo stick. After baking, the chikuwa is ready.

Erenna Gosso

This buffet restaurant boasts delicious dishes unique to Odawara, using local vegetables and fish. You can enjoy a menu of about 50 items and all-you-can-eat Suzuhiro fish cakes.

You can also enjoy our award-winning local beer. There is also a space for children to play, so the whole family can enjoy themselves.

CAFE107

Retired Hakone Tozan Railway “Moha1 Type 107” is on display at this CAFE. Visitors can enjoy Suzuhiro’s special menu that can be enjoyed only here, such as Suzuhiro’s original blend coffee and “local beer” using Hakone Hyakunen Water. You can also take a closer look at the train cars and enjoy their interiors.

Soba and Itawasa Bizo, Meisui Sweet Sake Katsuza, Gallery & Shop Chie, Kaiseki Oshimizu

This restaurant and gallery is housed in an old private house built more than 140 years ago. The all-lacquered storehouse is a relocated Akita Prefecture storehouse that has been in use since the end of the Edo period and is a registered national cultural property.

The chef makes the best use of seasonal ingredients. Sweets made from famous Hakone water “Hakone Hyakunensui” are also available. Enjoy your meal in a relaxed atmosphere.