December 04, 2025
Tottori’s Matsuba-gani crab, sake offered at New Otani Tokyo event
The Hotel New Otani Tokyo is holding a special event featuring Tottori Prefecture’s Matsuba-gani crab until Dec. 29. Tottori Gov. Shinji Hirai, hotel Executive Chef Shinsuke Nakajima, and restaurant manager and Executive Chef Sommelier Nobuhide Tani talked about the charm of the Tottori foods and sake offered during the event.
Annual events highlighting Tottori Wagyu-brand beef have been held at the hotel’s restaurants since 2018, but this is the first event featuring Matsuba-gani, one of the prefecture’s signature winter delicacies.
Matsuba-gani are fully grown male zuwai-gani (snow crabs) landed in the Sanin region. The first catch of the season arrived in Tottori on Nov. 7, just three days before the beginning of this event. Their greatest appeal is the firm texture of the meat packed tightly in the shell and how its refined, rich sweetness spreads across the palate.
Hirai, who has sampled some of the dishes offered at this event, remarked that they are artistic creations showcasing the quality of the ingredients by incorporating innovative ideas.
He particularly praised a dish served at the Japanese restaurant Kato’s Dining and Bar: crab meat and crab miso (a creamy paste of boiled innards) grilled on the shell with Tottori’s Hakushu Bijin white leeks, calling it a stunningly delicious creation achieved by adding subtle arrangements to ingredients that are already deeply flavorful on their own.
Hakushu Bijin leeks, used alongside Matsuba-gani in several other dishes as well, were developed from a traditional leek grown in western Tottori and are characterized by thick, tender white sections rich in sweetness and umami. They are a precious variety that is difficult to cultivate, Hirai explained.
“Cooking it brings out its characteristic rich, mellow flavor,” he said, adding that he was particularly impressed how the leek, “which is usually a supporting player in a dish, co-stars with the crab in this grilled dish.”
Hirai also enjoyed the vinegar-marinated appetizer served in the Matsuba-gani course meal at the Japanese restaurant Senbazuru. He commented that the dish was beautifully finished, highlighting the contrast between its white crab meat and glossy black caviar. He also noted that the kanitama (crab omelet) served at the Chinese restaurant Taikan En features the combination of the flavorful crab and rich, creamy egg.
Nakajima explained that in developing menus using Matsuba-gani, the chefs at the Hotel New Otani Tokyo shared the consensus that they should focus on “creating a harmonious balance of sourness, saltiness and sweetness in each dish.” Nakajima said, “The sweetness of Hakushu Bijin matches exceptionally well with Matsuba-gani.”
The a la carte and course menus featuring Matsuba-gani at these three restaurants during the event have been “extremely well received by customers,” Nakajima said. “We have received a surprising number of reservations, as well as many repeat customers.”
Sake from Tottori is also being served at the fair. Hirai described Tottori’s sake as hōjun umakuchi” (rich and mellow with deep umami) and explained that sake made from Tottori’s water and rice brings out the aroma and flavor of the rice cleanly, adding that this pairs well with the rich flavor of the crab.
He also noted that this year, Tottori obtained internationally recognized Geographical Indication (GI) certification for its sake. He noted that sake produced in Tottori is mostly junmai-shu (pure rice sake), which is made only from rice and water without added alcohol. “It is valued as a distinctive sake, crafted slowly in small batches and by hand,” he said.
Tani agreed, saying, “The rich umami of the locally produced rice and the softness derived from the region’s soft water can be felt in the junmai-shu made in Tottori.” During the fair, the three restaurants serving Matsuba-gani dishes each offer a different junmai daiginjō-shu, made from rice polished to the highest degree: Marobashi Goriki from Yamane Shuzojo, Takaisami Goriki from Otani Shuzo and Chiyomusubi Goriki 30 from Chiyomusubi Shuzo. Goriki is the name of a Tottori rice brand.
Since the ingredients used in this event, including Matsuba-gani and Hakushu Bijin, are characterized by a delicate sweetness, Tani said that wines with a strong acidity could potentially overpower them but that “Tottori’s local sake, with its softness, is truly the perfect match for Tottori’s ingredients.”
Hirai expressed hope for future collaborations with the Hotel New Otani Tokyo as a venue where guests can enjoy the diverse products that Tottori takes pride in.
