From Tsukiji to Karatsu: A Foodie's Journey in Japan

Back when I was a uni student almost 20 years already, I had an opportunity to work with a private banker in Singapore. He would take me to events that are organised by his team or ones he was invited to, every weekend. Then he would ask me, "So Ryu, you met a lot of people today. My former boss who invited me to join banking would ask me, what did you learn today?" 20 years down the road, I often ask myself the same question. "So, what did I learn today?" I learn a lot through walking I now place myself in a small city in Karatsu, and the ocean is right by my house. I try to walk everyday around sunrise to get my momentum of the day. Today, I met a highschool student that was fishing before he goes to school. I usually am the first to say Ohayogozaimasu or good morning when I do my morning walk, but he was one of the first ones that was faster than me to say so. So we talked a little about fishing in the area. The place I met him is where a fishing expert told me t...

１週目 8/30～9/5 ２週目 9/6～9/12 ３～４週目 9/13～9/26 天候 　湿った空気の影響で雲が広がりやすいでしょう。 　天気は数日の周期で変わるでしょう。 　天気は数日の周期で変わりますが、高気圧に覆われやすいため、平年に比べ晴れの日が多いでしょう。 平均気温 九州北部地方（山口県含む） 低10 並10 高 80 ％ 高い 見込み 低10 並10 高 80 ％ 高い 見込み 低10 並30 高 60 ％ 高い 見込み 数値は予想される出現確率（％）です Northern Kyushu will be hotter than usual in September, 2025. Based on the forecast from According to the  Japan Meteorological Agency ,   I summarized the 1 month weather forecast of North Kyushu including Fukuoka and Karatsu! 1 month Weather Forecast for Northern Kyushu (including Yamaguchi Prefecture) The weather forecast for September 2025 will be higher than usual. Northern Kyushu including Fukuoka, Karatsu, and Yamaguchi (prefecture at the western tip of the mainland, Honshu) is as follows: Key Forecast Points The region has been covered by warm air since mid-June, leading to a long period of high temperatures. This trend is expected to continue for the next month, with temperatures remaining high. The...

Sharing what I learned about sake from Saga My image before moving into Karatsu was that the Kyushu people are crazy shochu drinkers, not sake. But it turns out that Saga is a big sake area of Japan, winning many awards. Working in Choko Bar that serves a variety of Saga sake in Karatsu ware cups, I'm amazed that a lot of people from even Tokyo area come all the way here to try the local sake that doesn't get shipped to big cities like Tokyo and Osaka. Especially the seasonal ones are produced only in limited quantities, only enough to be consumed within Saga. So we have guests from Fuokuoka as well telling us they want to try the limited ones that don't get shipped there.   Choko Bar lets you try 4 local sake of your choice with a local appetizer for 1500JPY, and 4 limited/seasonal local sake for 2000JPY, so customers tell me that it's the best way to try good local sake at the same time. Fair enough. A small glass will usually cost around 500~1000JPY, and it's act...

It's been almost 6 months since I moved into Karatsu. I've found out that many foodies from all over Japan moved here for a slower life near the spaceyand sunny beaches and great food.  Today I gathered where and what I like doing in Karatsu so far! The Castle and the Sea I walk about an hour everyday around sunrise near the Karatsu Castle every day, and when I can sunset as well. It's just 10 minutes walk to the castle from where I live in the city center area, and there is a walking path along the beach going to the castle. The beach is managed by Karatsu City and Saga Prefecture, so it's very organized and clean. It's spacey and relatively empty, so plenty of breathing space. I only see a few people swimming or walking like me, and some fishing. I wrote about my walking experience here. My morning walk in Karatsu! Fishing in Karatsu Karatsu Bay is very rich in nutrients and a whole varitey of seafood can be fished here including: horse mackerel, mackerel, seabrea...

Out of the major cities of Japan which includes Tokyo, Nagoya, Osaka, Kyoto, Sapporo, and Fukuoka, Fukuoka is the hub of our southern island Kyushu and is a smart city that has an international airport just 10 minute train ride away from the city center. For a big foodie like me, local food is very important when I visit a city. After living in Hokkaido which is said to be the food capital of Japan, and the kitchen of Tokyo Tsukiji and Ginza area, I learned Fukuoka is my favorite place for good food. I've just started discovering Fukuoka, but I want to share with you what I love about it so far. Smart and compact City When it comes to how smart the city is, Fukuoka is probably my favorite city in the world right now.  I'm always amazed how close the airport is to the city center, just 2 subway stations apart. Fukuoka Airport is still compact and not as big as Narita or Kansai, the two biggest airports of Japan, nor is as busy like Chitose in Sapporo. The city center, Hakata has...