Making “Extraordinary” Ordinary
— Our Takaramono (treasure)

Thank you for visiting our Kani Monogatari website. We truly appreciate your interest. Maybe this was meant to be. So please give us a moment to introduce ourselves and tell you our story.

Kani Monogatari was born following the Great East Japan Earthquake, which had occurred on March 11, 2011.

Its parent company, Kanedai Co., Ltd. (Kesennuma, Miyagi Prefecture) has been fishing Deep Sea Red Crab, a kind of crab which is referred to as “the dream crab” in Japan, in Namibia, Africa, since 1974. Deep Sea Red Crab lives in the Atlantic Ocean at depths of 400 to 1,000m, and while it is also sometimes caught in Japan around the open seas of Shizuoka, etc., Deep Sea Red Crab is so rare and delicious that fishermen are known to eat it all without putting it on the markets. This is why it is known as “the dream crab”.

We have engaged in Deep Sea Red Crab fishing for over 40 years. Crab fishing for this particular kind of crab is extremely rare in Japan, such that there are only two (2) ships from Japan that are permitted to do so Deep Sea Red Crab is black in color and has a round, plump shape. Although we see it as being misshapen in a cute way, it is this ungainly appearance that has gotten in the way of it being well received in Japan. However, with our strong belief in its rich flavor and high quality, we have always strived to make this crab become more known to the public in Japan,.

Then, the Great East Japan Earthquake struck Japan. We lost all the factories where we had processed our crabs as well as our offices. It left no trace of them whatsoever; such that now, after six years, it has become difficult for us to clearly remember what they used to look like.

All that was left was our employees and a ship that had been away to fish in Namibia at that time.
We were in pain. We were in distress.
But we were also happy; because we had something important left: our takaramono (treasure).

“We need to take this treasure and help it grow with even greater love and care.” With this determination, hand in hand with valuable members of our team —eight months after the Earthquake— we opened our restaurant, Kani Monogatari, in one section of the Fukko Yatai Mura Kesennuma Yokocho, as a place where customers can relax and enjoy Deep Sea Red Crab.
We wanted to make a “special day” when people tend to eat crabs “any day”.
We felt this way because up until then, we had been doing business and living our daily lives as something very ordinary. However, since that tragic day, all the ordinary things that we knew of suddenly became extraordinary.
Actually, no, we take that back. It was then that we realized that all “ordinary” things have always been “extraordinary”.

Precisely because of this realization, we have come to wish for people to spend more and more days that they feel as “extraordinary” in the same way we did. We would also like to do that ourselves. This is our hope.
The message, "Making “Extraordinary” Ordinary," which is always displayed next to the Kani Monogatari's logo, was chosen to convey all of these feelings.
It also contains our hope that we will be able to bring great happiness and extraordinary moments to all of you, and your loved ones,. With such earnest hope...

Thank you for taking your time to read our story. We are extremely grateful to have met you.