If we’re talking about Japan’s prefectures with the most lip-smacking grub, Hokkaido is almost always up there. Year after year, it keeps topping various rankings and it’s easy to understand why. Its seafood? Divine. Salmon, scallops, crab—real oceanic treasures. But just when you think you’ve tasted all the oddities the sea has to offer, you stumble upon Uni Labo Hachi, a shop whose banners brazenly advertise: uni ice cream. You read that right, not uni on rice, not uni sushi, but uni. Ice. Cream.
Sometimes You Find the Unexpected
Managed by the sea urchin processing company Marumasa Ogawa Foods, Uni Labo Hachi is a snug little shop nestled in the streets of Otaru. They’ve got everything from fresh sea urchin packs to sea urchin butter—basically, it’s sea urchin heaven. Perhaps looking to become the next viral sensation, they launched uni ice cream in April 2022, and at least according to their website, it’s the talk of the town.
Now, my Hokkaido food bucket list was all set with conventional fare—Sapporo Ramen, Jingisukan, and soup curry. But there I was, trudging through Otaru’s wintery streets when Uni Labo Hachi entered my line of sight. Seafood and ice cream—a culinary collision that could either have me belting out hallelujahs or racing for the porcelain throne.
Getting the Inside Scoop
Stepping in, I was the shop’s sole patron. Rows of sea urchin delights awaited, like treasure in a culinary Pirates of the Caribbean. After pretending to survey the goods, I marched to the counter and did it—I ordered uni ice cream. The attendant flashed a knowing smile, probably thinking, “Ah, another adventurer,” as she handed me my frozen challenge.
What sat in my hands was a generous scoop of creamy, soy-flavored ice cream, complete with a sliver of candied seaweed and a dainty teaspoon of uni. After tentatively nibbling on the candied seaweed—which was delicious, by the way—I went in for the kill. Uni met ice cream on my plastic spoon, and into my mouth, it went.
The Verdict
So how was it? Creamy? Check. Oceanic? Absolutely. Delicious? Jury’s still out on that one. It’s like my tastebuds had an existential crisis, torn between land and sea, sweet and savory, right and wrong. It was gone before I could even make up my mind.
But the question still remains: should you try it? Heck, yes! Look, even if you’re not a fan, the uni’s just a teaspoon. And the rest? That’s good ol’ delicious ice cream. The kind of ice cream you know you’ll enjoy, even as you ponder the meaning of life, one uni-infused scoop at a time.
Tasting the Unknown
In the grand tapestry of life’s culinary adventures, the quest for uni ice cream will forever be stitched as a wild, bewildering, yet oddly an exhilarating escapade. Was it delicious? Confounding? A little bit of both? The beauty lies in the ambiguity, in that swirling dance of creamy sweetness and briny sea, choreographed on the stage of a waffle cone. If you ever find yourself in Otaru, take a detour from the beaten path, and venture into Uni Labo Hachi. You’ll walk away with more than just a unique treat; you’ll leave with a story, a memento of that time you flirted with gastronomic anarchy. So go ahead—embrace the peculiar, challenge your palate, and remember: in a world teeming with vanilla experiences, dare to be uni-que.
Uni Ice Cream Video
Uni Labo Hachi is featured in the following Hokkaido Food Guide video. The segment starts at 2:32
How to Get to Uni Hachi Labo
Uni Labo Hachi (うにLABO HACHI)
10:00 to 17:00
Official Website
12-minute walk from JR Otaru Station
