DO THE CLAM

Author Lance Sawa’s son Nico enjoys digging for muddy bounty at a beach in Tokyo during a father-son clamming trip. The adventure conjured up memories of the author’s childhood of clam digging along the Southern California coast. (LANCE SAWA)

CAN YOU DIG THIS? CLAMMING IN TOKYO

By Lance Sawa

Dad would be in our garage, cutting half-inch rings from a PVC pipe in the vice, which could only mean one thing: Clam digging!

He cut out at least one ring for each person who planned to come along. When I was little, a string would get attached as well for my wrist so that I wouldn’t lose it during the day.

Our normal Southern and Central California clam digging location was San Pedro Beach, but we also went to Pismo Beach and Ventura Beach occasionally. We would drive over a bridge after skirting a beach, and after parking we’d dig almost directly under the bridge we had driven over. Everyone had their own buckets and PVC rings in hand while walking down to the beach. Dad would carry a shovel to use during the day.

Sometimes it was a big party, with other friends or families waiting for us to join in. This was a summer event and all the adults would chat as they dug for littleneck clams. There was a familiar thump sound from the buckets every time a legal one was found. Most of the children didn’t care too much about the clams themselves, but it was fun to dig in the sand and find little treasures.

On days that it was only us there, I think getting limits was faster. There was no need for chatting and catching up; just digging. Normally, winter days were like this, even though the tide was lower in that season. I loved that checking the size of clams was so easy; if the widest part of the shell fit through the ring, it wasn’t legal and went back into the hole. Every once in a while a ghost shrimp would swim through the hole we were digging, which would catch me off guard.

Not far from Tokyo’s popular Disney theme parks is the Nishi Nagisa area, which features its own ferris wheel and a bridge leading to a man-made beach on Tokyo Bay where clamming is popular. (LANCE SAWA)

Along with the white ghost shrimp, we would find the long razor clams that would cut us, living up to their name. I knew of a few people who dug for and kept the razors, but we never did. Pretty much the only clams that came home were the littlenecks, though as children they had no name; they were just clams. Multiple buckets of saltwater came home with us too for the clams to spit the sand.

Depending on how many people were digging, we’d have either one or two buckets full of the tiny mollusks. They would stay on the front porch and spit sand for at least two days. After coming home from school, I would watch them for a while with their tongues sticking out. A little touch to the bucket and they would shut their mouths quickly, with their tongues retreating inside.

All the different colors inside the bucket looked like a treasure chest full of jewels. There were also little jets of water and little bits of sand that came out with them. When it was time to cook the clams, I was always surprised at how much sand was left at the bottom of the bucket. We usually cooked them by simply boiling them, with salt to taste. Even though us kids didn’t like them, there never seemed to be any leftovers.

NOW, AS I THINK back, it has been about 15 years since the last time I went clam digging. Living in a landlocked part of Japan hasn’t helped my opportunities to do it again.

In Japan, clamming season is very short and varies by area. Most are open from mid-March to late May and sometimes into June. I decided to make a detour during a planned trip with the family to also include one day of clam digging – shiohigari in Japanese.

This trip was into Tokyo, which meant that I couldn’t bring that much equipment – just one small net with a makeshift digging tool for my son Nico. In Japan you dig with a modified garden trowel with three fingers and webbing between, called bear hands, to catch any clams. Nico

was happy to dig with the old pasta stirrer and I was happy with my bare hands.

This location is called Nishi Nagisa, near the small island of the same name in Tokyo Bay and a short walk from the Kasai-Rinkai-Koen JR (Tokyo’s light rail transit) train station. You can’t miss it, as you can see the huge 56-foot Ferris wheel after exiting the station. This station is the one right before the stop for Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea. From the train, it’s a short walk through a great green park that also has an aquarium and bird-watching areas.

Nico and I got to the beach in the morning about an hour before low tide. It was advised that everyone wear shoes or boots of some kind, but that request didn’t last long with my son and I didn’t even bother. The few boulders were worn smooth from the ocean waves.

Quickly we were on the sand and heading for the water’s edge. Others were already digging and more clammers crossed the bridge to the man-made beach. Before we’d leave this little beach would be packed with people.

IT WASN'T LONG BEFORE we found our

first clam, a Japanese littleneck (asari). These mollusks look very similar to the ones I found in California. The minimum size is not dictated by law, but you are asked not to take anything smaller than a 10-yen coin (about quarter-sized). It was large enough and went into the little net we brought along. That was it for the first hole and we moved to the next.

Actually, a hole is a wrong way to explain it, as most asari are found in about one hand-width of sand. I dug in a sweeping motion, using my hand as a guide to how deep into the sand to go. Nico just dug straight down and had fun. We found many tiny clams before our next keeper appeared, which we added to the net.

As we moved around, I watched the razor clam searchers. All had little bottles of salt that went into any holes they saw. Normally, they put a bit in and went to the next hole until about 10 holes were salted. Then if they got lucky a razor clam would come popping out. On this day I only saw a few razors come up. I could tell that the children were looking forward to the clams rocketing up and out of their holes.

As the tide was reaching its lowest point, I found a hamaguri, or Japanese hard clam. They have a wonderfully smooth shell and are more bulbous than the littlenecks. I was ecstatic because I had heard these are the most delicious clams you can find. They can be quite expensive and are almost never seen in the stores back

home. Before we left I found another.

It was around this time that Nico got bored with digging holes and started playing on the beach. Oysters are farmed here and their shells can be found everywhere. The water does not get deeper until you go past the poles the oysters grow on. Nico splashed and looked for interesting things as in the distance planes took off and landed at Haneda Airport.

A LITTLE BEFORE NOON we decided to

leave, since we both were getting tired and baked by the sun. Our original plan was to give away the clams we found to some other family. That changed when Nico started having fun and wanted to eat them at home. Except that for us, we wouldn’t be home for another four days. I knew I needed more saltwater for the clams, so I filled a large bag with some.

With two large bags full of water and our clams, we returned to the hotel. We were so sticky with salt that

Nico was happy to show off the Sawas’ smallish clams, such as the Japanese littleneck (asari). Also under the sands were hamaguri, a hard-shelled clam, and razor clams. (LANCE SAWA)

About the size of a 10-yen Japanese coin, these clams taste just as good when boiled. A cold beer makes the meal complete. (LANCE SAWA)

we both needed a bath. We cooled off afterwards before heading to the next destination of the day: the Ueno National Museum of Nature and Science.

This attraction was for Nico’s benefit, but inside we saw an area all about the local area’s flora and fauna, including a display with many kinds of clams. Nico spotted the clams we had found earlier in the day, even one that had the same pattern as one of those we found on the beach.

FOUR DAYS LATER AND we were finally

back home, and the two bags of water and clams were down to just a small cup of clams and water. They had had plenty of time to spit sand and clean themselves of anything slimy.

A side trip to Tokyo’s Ueno National Museum of Nature and Science just happened to have a clam display, making it an educational experience for

There wasn’t enough to make soup, but just enough for us all to snack on, so we made sake-steamed clams. Clams are very popular in Japan and this method and clam soup are how most home cooks prepare them here.

The clams are added to a pot with sake and soy sauce before being brought to a boil. The smaller ones are then removed, while the larger clams need just a minute more to cook. You can drink the broth as you eat the clams, and it is all great with rice and a beer. The hamaguri did not disappoint and was easily the besttasting clam I have ever eaten. CS

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