Eat seafood bowls piled with the morning catch
At fishing ports in Shizuoka, about an hour from Tokyo by shinkansen, canteens run by the local fishermen's cooperatives pile rice bowls with fish landed that morning, from shirasu (tiny whitebait) to marinated tuna. Hop between two or three ports to compare them, and start early, since the popular bowls sell out by early afternoon.
A canteen run by the fishermen's cooperative at Tagonoura Port in Fuji, where Mount Fuji rises behind the harbor on clear days. Shirasu comes over rice either raw, glossy and slippery, or boiled and fluffy, and the Red Fuji bowl is made in limited numbers each day. It opens only from April to December and closes when the food runs out, so arrive early.
A small shop run by the fishermen's cooperative at Yoshimune, a fishing port in Shizuoka city, serving raw shirasu bowls and the Yoshimune bowl of marinated tuna and shirasu over rice. Raw shirasu is served only on days the boats go out, and the shop closes when it rains. Check that day's status before you go.
A canteen in the middle of Ogawa fishing port in Yaizu, a big fishing town known for tuna and bonito, long used by the people who work at the fish market. Bowls include mixed seafood, marinated tuna and kakiage of sakura shrimp, a crisp fritter of tiny pink shrimp from Suruga Bay. It opens at 7 a.m., so you can come for breakfast.