Engaging in the San Sebastian of Japan, Karatsu.

 I'm in my 5th month in Karatsu, and I've recognized something interesting. There is a little bit of Bushido left in Karatsu. Back about 400 years, a samurai lord wanted to expand to the continent and gathered his troops in Karatsu from across Japan. The Daimyo lords put their temporary houses, temples, and cultures here so that's probably one reason why I feel a bit of Bushido left in the Karatsu people. Karatsu Castle My daily walking course includes Karatsu Castle.  When I head towards the castle, there is a volunteer uncle that is taking care of the trees planted to protect Karatsu from the ocean waves. The way he talks, somehow resembles what I see pn samurai. tv dramas. When he learned that I grew up in California and from outside of town, but love Karatsu, he vowed and told me to be careful on the way to the castle. He emphasized that the stairs are steep and could cause injury, so I need to be careful. But the way he expresses that, kind of sounds as if he is talkin...

In 2023 I stayed in Bali for 2 months and was hooked filleting fish. How one incident in Bali changed my life On a plane coming back to Japan, I kept thinking about filleting fish. So I got off at Narita and headed to Kappabashi to buy myself a good kitchen knife. Since then, I now own 5 kitchen knives. In Tsukiji, the master told me, when you fillet fish there are two things that are most important. Learn to keep the knife sharp Fillet the fish along the bones. That's it. The most important is 1. Things become very easy when 1 is met, while it's a vicious cycle if 1 is not met. When I improved on keeping the knife sharp day by day, other essentials came as I continue doing it. I also have a few things I didn't know when I bought the knife which I wish I knew then, so I want to share that with you today. Which Knife should I buy? The obvious answer is, it depends on what you are going to do with it. In Kappabashi, I told Makoto-san, the knife sommelier at Knife Shop TDI  a...

There are times when you would never have imagined that wisdom would come out of nowhere. I lived in Niseko before and there is one incident I keep remembering.  I moved on to a few places and finally I settled in Karatsu in Kyushu, and when I'm figuring out a way to sustain the rich nature and environment here,  I remember the elder auntie that started talking to me in Niseko. A lot of people already talk about the bright side of Niseko. Today I want to talk about keeping that brightness Japan has. The Farmer auntie When I moved to Niseko was few years before Covid-19 hit. Niseko was experiencing a bubble, and there was new construction everywhere. I started to live with a farmer who works in Niki, and helps out the harvest for the farmers in Niseko as well. I joined the harvest in Niseko, and was introduced to many farmers. Then one auntie was interested that I grew up in the Bay Area, California. "Boy, I can't speak English so can you be the one to tell the developers t...

I'm amazed by the fish in Karatsu. Recently the best I had was aji horse mackerel. May~June is the best season to eat the fish, and when you grill it, the fat from the fish gives a perfect browning. When you become more and more experienced, just by filleting the fish you are able to tell whether the fish will taste good or not. We just had iwashi sardines which is also seasonal. The ones from Chiba tastes amazing during the monsoon period (now) But actually, today we had both from Chiba and from Karatsu and the ones from Karatsu were in better condition. Of course, because where it was fished is very close to where it's sold. It's also easier to maintain in good condition when it is sold right after it's caught instead of traveling all across Japan from Chiba to Karatsu. 4 main reasons why Karatsu fish are so delicious. Karatsu fish are seafood caught in the Genkai region of Saga Prefecture (Karatsu City, Imari City, and Genkai Town), and are known as a brand of fish t...

I'm a big foodie and love to cook. I'm content I came across a small city with a population of just 110,000, in Saga Prefecture in Kyushu. I talked about it already in these two posts. What I love about Karatsu, Saga. I moved to a fishing city near Fukuoka, Karatsu. If you are a foodie, or a cook especially fond of seafood, don't miss out on Karatsu. I think it has the potential to become the San Sebastian of Japan, and it is already going in that direction. The locals don't really know their potential I was stunned when I stopped by at Umakamon Ichiba , which translates to "Market of delicious things" in Saga Dialect. The big space of Saga Beef and all the seafood. Even local vegetables and fruits are sold in a very reasonable price. This led me to settle in Karatsu, and work for the market. I'm again stunned how the workers fillet the fishes. To them the whole city does the same thing, so it's nothing that special. But for me, I'm amazed by the t...

I was traveling across Japan to find where to settle then came across a fishing city 1.5 hours bus/train ride from Fukuoka City Center.  I wrote about it here. I moved to a fishing city near Fukuoka, Karatsu. 3 months have passed and the experience is much better than I intended. Today I want to share what I love about the city I settled in, Karatsu. The reason I love Karatsu 1. The location Karatsu is just 1.5 hours away west from downtown Fukuoka. I was looking for somewhere to settle within 2 hours of transport from the city center of Fukuoka. I even considered living in Fukuoka city center or in between Hakata Station and Fukuoka airport since it's so convenient and a budget to live. But I also love nature, and not very much a city person. Then I found Karatsu, where it's an hour drive from Fukuoka, and has both the sea and the mountains. Most importantly it is the hub to visit the smaller islands scattered nearby. You can access Iki Island from the ferry terminal of Karats...