Oct–NovOn 6 November the trawlers leave every port from Fukui to Toyama. For the next four months this coast eats better than anywhere in Japan, and it is the reason to come in winter.
Snow crab season in Hokuriku runs from 6 November to 20 March. The male crab has a different brand name in each prefecture: Echizen-gani in Fukui (yellow tag), Kanō-gani in Ishikawa (blue tag). The small female, kōbako in Kanazawa and seiko in Fukui, is landed for only about two months from opening day and is what locals queue for. Eat it at Omicho Market in Kanazawa, at a ryokan in Awara, Mikuni or Kaga, or straight off the boats in Toyama Bay.
The fishery opens on the same day every year along the whole Sea of Japan coast. Boats sail at midnight and the first auction is held that evening; in 2023 storms pushed it back three days, so do not book a crab dinner for the 6th itself. Prices are highest in the first week, at New Year and on Saturdays. January and February weekdays are the value.
| Name | Where | What it is | Season |
|---|---|---|---|
| Echizen-gani 越前がに | Fukui: Mikuni, Echizen, Tsuruga ports | Male snow crab with a yellow tag. The top grade is Kiwami (極): 1.3 kg or more, shell 14.5 cm or wider, claw 3 cm or wider, undamaged. Fewer than 500 a year qualify. | 6 Nov – 20 Mar |
| Seiko-gani せいこ | Fukui | Female: small, full of roe | 6 Nov – 31 Dec |
| Kanō-gani 加能ガニ | Ishikawa: Kanazawa, Kaga (Hashitate), Noto ports | Male with a blue tag. The top grade, Kagayaki (輝), needs about 1.5 kg and a 14.5 cm shell. One crab sold for ¥4.5 million at the 2025 first auction. | 6 Nov – 20 Mar |
| Kōbako-gani 香箱ガニ | Ishikawa | Female. The best are branded Kagayaki-hime. Eaten as kani-men, the shell packed with meat and roe, in oden. | 6 Nov – 29 Dec |
| Beni-zuwai 紅ズワイ · “Kōshi no Aka-gani” | Toyama: Shinminato, Uozu | Red snow crab, a deeper-water cousin. Sweeter, softer, far cheaper. Boiled the moment it lands. | September – May |
| Zuwai-gani ズワイガニ | Everywhere | The generic name on menus. Untagged crab may be imported. |
A tag on the claw is the guarantee of port and grade: yellow for Echizen-gani, blue for Kanō-gani. Ask to see it.
From a ¥1,000 market snack to the dinner of the trip.
From 7 November the fish stalls are stacked with tagged crab and trays of kōbako. Stalls will boil and crack one for you to eat standing. In the evening, order kani-men at an oden counter such as Akadama in Katamachi. What to eat in Kanazawa · Kanazawa restaurants.
Mikuni is the best-known Echizen-gani port, and Fukui has presented Echizen-gani to the Imperial household for over 90 years. Ryokan in Awara switch to full crab kaiseki (a multi-course dinner) from 6 November: sashimi, grilled, boiled, then rice porridge in the shell. Awara Onsen · Mikuni-minato.
The Ishikawa port best known for Kanō-gani. Lunch at a harbour restaurant, then a night at Yamanaka or Yamashiro onsen. See Hashitate port and the shipowners' village.
Shinminato lands red snow crab and auctions it at 12:30 (market closed Wednesdays and Sundays; viewers check in 11:00–12:00, ¥100). Visitors can watch from the 2nd-floor gallery at the Kittoki Market; register at the market, tel. 0766-84-1233, and ask about any fee. In Himi, crab shares the table with winter yellowtail. Himi and Amaharashi.
Echizen-gani with fugu and winter mackerel at small inns where dinner is the point. Wakasa food.
The crab course is sold as a room plan. Look for the words kani or Echizen-gani in the plan name; prices are per person, two sharing, and crab season costs more. Compare crab ryokan by area, with 2026–27 prices.
Awara's grand old inn, rebuilt in 2021. All 17 rooms have a private half-open-air bath of free-flowing spring water.
Classic big ryokan with one of Hokuriku's largest garden open-air baths. A reliable crab-kaiseki plan.
Sixteen suites in restored townhouses at the port that lands Echizen-gani. Dinner is French cooking with Fukui produce.
Every room faces the sea from the hill by the Mikuni port. Mid-range, with suites that have open-air baths.
Hot-spring ryokan on the Himi coast whose open-air baths look across Toyama Bay to the Tateyama range. Winter yellowtail and crab on the table.
A restaurant-inn where the kaiseki dinner is the reason to stay. A short walk from Higashi Chaya, with kani-men season in November and December.
From 6 November to 20 March for male crab (Kanō-gani). Female kōbako crab is available for about two months from 6 November.
They are the same species, male snow crab. Echizen-gani is landed at Fukui ports and carries a yellow tag; Kanō-gani is landed in Ishikawa and carries a blue tag.
The female snow crab, as named in Ishikawa. It is small and prized for its roe, and its season lasts only about two months from 6 November.
For a full crab dinner, a ryokan at Awara Onsen or Mikuni in Fukui. For a taste on a budget, Omicho Market in Kanazawa. For value, red snow crab at Shinminato in Toyama.
A branded male crab is a luxury. Female crab, red snow crab in Toyama and market set meals are affordable.
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