#2月好去地方202
#2月好去地方2025
In Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan, if you want to experience a feast of seafood and market culture, Karato Market is definitely a destination not to be missed. This bustling market located beside the Kanmon Strait is famous for its fresh seafood, especially the local specialty pufferfish, which is well-known far and wide. The market is open from 5am to 3pm on weekdays and from 8am on Sundays and national holidays. Admission is free, making it attractive to both food lovers and general tourists. Every Friday, weekend and holiday, the "Busy Maguan Street" event is held here, with vendors gathering to provide affordable and delicious hand-held sushi, seafood bowls, puffer fish soup and fried puffer fish, allowing people to feast on their food while feeling the vitality of the market.
There are two convenient ways to get to Karato Market from Fukuoka. If you take the Shinkansen, it takes about 20 minutes from Hakata Station to Kokura Station, and then transfer to the conventional railway to Shimonoseki Station for 15 minutes. From the east exit of Shimonoseki Station, take a direct bus for 10 minutes. The other route has a more marine flavor: transfer from Kokura Station to Mojiko Station, then walk to the pier to take the ferry. It takes only 5 minutes to reach Karato Market, and you can also enjoy the scenery of the Kanmon Strait along the way. The ferry service is not very frequent, with one every 20 minutes. After 7pm, it is adjusted to one every 30 minutes. Just pay attention when planning.
Before arriving at the market, you will pass by the Kamon Market shopping center, which has restaurants and gift shops and is a good place to stop for a while. The most eye-catching thing when it entered the market was a puffer fish dish vending machine that was advertised as "the only one in Japan". Although it is full of frozen food that needs to be taken home and cooked, this novel design still makes people want to take a few more glances. The seafood area in the market is bustling with activity, with a wide variety of pufferfish, sea bream, and yellowtail on display. The fishmongers are shouting enthusiastically, and chatting with them while choosing ingredients is a great pleasure here. During weekend events, the sushi and puffer fish soup sold at the stalls are affordable, but the ingredients are of the highest quality and the taste is fresh and unforgettable.
In addition to seafood, I also tried Bambi's matcha soft serve ice cream. The silky texture that melts in your mouth is paired with a refreshing matcha aroma, the sweetness is just right, and paired with a crispy biscuit cone, it brings a touch of coolness in warm weather. Standing on the deck next to the market, holding sushi in one hand and soft serve ice cream in the other, looking out at the Kanmon Bridge and the ships passing by, such a moment is truly pleasant. The market provides multilingual guidebooks in English, Chinese and other languages, as well as free Wi-Fi. Although there are no lockers, parking is convenient and it is also very friendly to tourists who drive here.
This trip to Karato Market was full of surprises, from transportation to food. Whether it is tasting seasonal seafood or feeling the lively atmosphere of the market, this place left me with a deep impression of Shimonoseki. If I come to Xiaguan again, I would like to bring my friends with me, eat and stroll along the strait, and enjoy the unique freshness and deliciousness of this land.
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