Yamaguchi Walking Tour Around Karato Market, the Kitchen of the Kanmon Straits

Explore the flavors of the sea and the history of the Kanmon Straits at one of Japan's largest puffer fish markets

On a weekend morning, you will take a stroll through the famous Karato Market in Shimonoseki, which trades the largest volume of puffer fish in Japan. This is a walking food tour where you can enjoy fresh and hearty sushi, while watching lively conversations take place in the market. On this tour, you can eat sushi toppings that would cost thousands of yen at upscale restaurants for only hundreds of yen, and you can enjoy rare sushi toppings that you normally don’t see. You will have some fresh sushi while enjoying the view of the Kanmon Straits. After that, you will pray at the nearby shrine, while learning about the history of Shimonoseki.

Take a walk through the photogenic Kanmon Straits

After gathering at Shimonoseki Station, you will take a bus to the Kanmon Straits. The Kanmon Straits is the gateway between Honshu and Kyushu. With Kyushu separated by the sea in the distance, the dynamic scenery of the straits will undoubtedly shine through your photos. To get started, let’s go and check out the fresh seafood at the Karato Market!

Seafood paradise at the market

At the Karato Market, you can get fresh sushi for takeout. You can also buy sushi made with puffer fish or seasonal fish for a few hundred yen. The guide will purchase up to 2,500 yen worth of sushi for each person, so please choose the items you like as you receive recommendations. Once you have your sushi, let's then eat while gazing over the Kanmon Straits.

Immerse yourself in history after tasting the flavors of the sea

After the market, you will pray at the photogenic Akama-jingu Shrine. The Kanmon Straits is also the site of a historic battlefield, where the war between the Taira clan and Minamoto clan took place in the twelfth century. The shrine is deeply connected to this history, and the story behind it will be explained by the guide.