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Grilled Sanma in Meguro
Spring
The scene depicted by Hiroshige inspired a popular Rakugo comedic story-telling. This story is about a Shogun during the Edo period, who was enjoying falconry in Meguro and happened to eat delicious Sanma (pacific saury) at a nearby teahouse. Sanma was back then, known as a type of commoner’s cuisine. The lord was amazed by how delicious it was, but couldn’t have it back home at his palace. So he went on saying “There is no better sanma than the one in Meguro”. For this reason small delicious Sanma restaurants are still a common find in the alleys of Meguro.
Notes
The Meguro Sanma Matsuri is held every September in the Meguro ward. It began in 1996, and every year, tons of thousands of people gather to eat Sanma in Meguro. The festival was started to bring back the area’s warm, local, atmosphere in the now office building-jammed Meguro ward. Although the lines for the free Sanma can get unbelievably long, the delicious grilled fish is worth the wait.