Food Retreat at a Fishing Village Mother's Home in Matsuura, the Mecca of Fried Horse Mackerel - Cook a Seafood Lunch with Mother - + Matsuura City Tour + Dorayaki Making Experience (Matsuura City, Nagasaki)

Matsuura City is situated in Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan. It holds the esteemed title of "Ajifurai Holy Land" due to its abundant fishing grounds, which provide exceptionally fresh and high-quality horse mackerel (aji), the primary ingredient for its renowned deep-fried horse mackerel (ajifurai). The city actively champions its ajifurai as a signature local delicacy.

While Matsuura City's ajifurai is available and delicious throughout the year, the period from spring to early summer, particularly April to June, is often considered the peak season. During these months, horse mackerel tend to be at their plumpest and most flavorful, offering an optimal culinary experience. However, you can find high-quality ajifurai to enjoy during any visit to Matsuura.

Matsuura's ajifurai is celebrated for the outstanding freshness and superior quality of its locally caught horse mackerel, often considered among the finest in Japan. To fully immerse yourself in its culinary appeal, you can participate in a unique food retreat experience. This involves cooking ajifurai and other regional dishes alongside a local mother, utilizing vegetables harvested from her garden and fresh local fish, followed by sharing the meal in her traditional home.

Beyond the signature ajifurai experience, the Matsuura City sightseeing plan offers a delightful dorayaki making experience at an old-established Japanese confectionery shop. This provides a hands-on opportunity to engage with local culinary traditions by creating a popular traditional sweet. The plan also incorporates a general sightseeing component within Matsuura City, allowing exploration of its charm and local attractions.

You can anticipate an authentic and interactive culinary journey. The experience begins with harvesting fresh vegetables from a private garden, then proceeds to cooking a traditional "one-soup, three-dish" lunch with a local mother. Dishes may feature local fish like ajifurai, pressed sushi, or simmered yellowtail with daikon (buri daikon), with the exact menu being a pleasant surprise on the day. The meal is then shared in a tatami room, followed by a relaxing coffee break on the veranda.

Yes, the Matsuura City plan explicitly includes a traditional dorayaki making experience. This engaging activity takes place at a long-standing Japanese confectionery shop located within Matsuura City. Participants will learn the techniques for crafting this beloved Japanese sweet, adding a memorable cultural and gastronomic element to their visit, and allowing them to savor their freshly made dorayaki.

Convenient transportation is provided for your journey to the local home for the cooking experience and other sightseeing points within Matsuura City. A taxi service is included as part of the plan, offering pick-up directly from either Matsuura City Hotel or Amista Hotel. This ensures smooth and hassle-free transfers between the various activities throughout your day.

The core highlights of this plan in Matsuura City include an immersive culinary retreat where you cook and enjoy a homemade lunch with a local mother, beginning with harvesting vegetables from her garden. Another significant feature is the hands-on dorayaki making experience at a traditional confectionery shop. The plan also covers a general sightseeing tour of Matsuura City, all complemented by included taxi transport from your hotel, offering a comprehensive cultural and gastronomic adventure.