At the Karato Market, you can enjoy different seafood like nigiri sushi, seafood bowls, pufferfish, and even whale, which is considered a delicacy in Japanese cuisine. It’s no wonder they call this area “Kanmon’s Kitchen.”

“Where are you from?”

The shopkeeper calls out to me as I’m finishing my meal. I was surprised at how friendly she was-- like old friends meeting after a long time apart.

She insisted I order some sushi. I politely declined, but that didn’t deter her. “I cannot recommend this one enough! And it’s so cheap!”

Her persuasion skills won me over in the end, and I don’t regret a single bite. I had a hard time believing sushi this delicious could be so cheap, but I was witnessing it firsthand. It was so good I completely forgot that I was already full. As I ate my highly recommended sushi, I thought about how droves of people gathered in Shimonoseki and Moji during the economic boom of Japan. With all those people gathered here, it’s no wonder the cuisine is top-notch as well.

Karato Market is full of life but in a Showa era old-fashioned sense, as if it was stuck in time.