If you’re visiting Shimonoseki, Karato Market is definitely a must-see spot.
Fresh and delicious sushi is waiting for you inside. For those arriving by ferry, you can easily hop on a bus or taxi (or even walk, since it’s not too far). But if you’re driving, be prepared—parking can be a bit of a hassle, especially on sunny days when the wait time tends to get long. Most people enjoy their food in the open area right next to the market, but recently they’ve opened a dining space on the second floor. There’s a small fee (I believe it was about 300 yen per person), but on a hot day with nowhere to sit, it’s a very welcome option. Grab some tasty sushi, relax, and take in the view of the peaceful blue sea—you’ll really feel the charm of Shimonoseki!

Karato Fish Market in Shimonoseki is a lively waterfront market famous for super-fresh seafood, especially blowfish (fugu). On weekends and holidays, stalls sell sushi, sashimi, and seafood bowls at affordable prices, making it popular with both locals and visitors. You can buy your food, then enjoy it outside while overlooking the Kanmon Strait. It’s a great spot to taste fresh Japanese seafood in a casual atmosphere.

🐟 Karato Fish Market (Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi) Review Karato Fish Market is one of the liveliest and most enjoyable seafood markets in western Japan. Located right by the sea in Shimonoseki, it offers visitors a vibrant atmosphere filled with the sights, sounds, and smells of fresh seafood. Every morning, local fishermen and vendors display an incredible variety of freshly caught fish and shellfish. The highlight for most visitors is the weekend sushi market, where dozens of stalls sell beautifully prepared sushi, sashimi, and seafood rice bowls at very reasonable prices. You can walk along the pier with a tray of fresh sushi while enjoying the sea breeze and view of the Kanmon Strait — a truly local experience. The market staff are friendly and energetic, happy to explain the different types of fish and preparation styles. There are also souvenir shops and small restaurants nearby where you can try blowfish (fugu), the specialty of Shimonoseki. The area around the market is clean, lively, and easy to explore. It’s best to visit in the morning (around 8–10 a.m.) when the selection is at its peak. Overall, Karato Fish Market is a must-visit for seafood lovers — a place where you can enjoy delicious, affordable sushi, learn about Japan’s fishing culture, and feel the authentic spirit of a coastal city.

If you’re visiting Mojiko, take the ferry across to Shimonoseki on Honshu, where you’ll find the famous Karato Fish Market—a popular spot among tourists. The market is especially known for selling sushi and is only open on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. You can buy sushi inside and then enjoy it outside at the many seating areas while taking in the ocean view. The market’s signature specialty is fugu (pufferfish), served as both sushi and sashimi. In fact, the pufferfish is even the symbol of the market. The sushi here is quite affordable, with plenty of vendors to choose from. The taste is pretty good too—not bad at all. The fugu, in particular, has a unique texture: it leaves a slight numbness on your tongue, but it’s delicious.

We went crazy in this market. Great fresh sushi and sashimi with great value. This market is famous for puffer fish and whale. My first experience with whale sushi, it was wild. 22 pieces of sushi with toro, hamachi, eel, sardine, whale with a place of toro and a puffer fish sashimi for below ¥10,000. You can sit and eat by the sea.

This bustling fish market is located a few bus stops away from Shimonoseki station. It's a great place to try out the fresh seafood, which are available at affordable prices. Don't miss out the local specialties such as the fugu sashimi and fugu soup. 🐡

​I spent last Sunday morning at this bustling fish market. There were huge crowds, but I spotted a stall with a massive queue, which is always a good sign! After waiting, I got an amazing haul—a ton of fresh, delicious sushi—all for under 3,000 yen. Seriously, what a bargain! When I come back to Kyushu, I'm going to make sure I stay close to the market on a weekend so I can enjoy that incredible seafood on back-to-back days.

Akama Jingu is a beautiful shrine is located on the stunning Kanmon Straits. The shrine is dedicated to the child emperor Antoku and other warriors who fell during the battle of Dan-no-ura in 1185. The location also provides many other historical locations to explore near by and offers beautiful water front views, and restaurants.

Not many people seem to know the true charm of Akama at night. It may not shine as brightly as shrines in bigger cities, but here in Shimonoseki, there's a quiet, subtle beauty that lingers like a faint scent on the breeze. Under the dark sky, it glows with a deep red hue—soft, yet captivating. There’s no need for noise or lights. Just the sound of the sea breeze brushing past, and the stillness that gently wraps around you. As I strolled through the night, passing by this small yet majestic shrine, I found myself completely at peace— a rare moment to quietly walk, breathe, and simply think. I hope you, too, get to experience that kind of night.

A red-white shrine located close to the sea. The architecture is quite unique. The red & white contrasting color makes a pale pink sakura flower more beautiful. The sea view from the shrine is also stunning.

I visited the jingu at around 1pm, 8 May 2025. There were only a few visitors in the jingu, but there were some construction projects ongoing at that time. The complex is free to enter, and the buildings are brightly coloured in a traditional red hue. There is information about the history of the jingu, its relationship with Antoku Tenno and Hoichi the Earless.

Came to this jinja after a short ferry ride from the Kyushu/Mojikou Port side to the Honshu/Yamaguchi side of the beautiful Kanmon Straits. It's about a 10-15 minute walk from the Karato ferry landing dock. Beautiful red and white structures and s pretty cute of the Kanmonkyo Bridge as you head back towards the street. No fee to enter our to look around, but a gift shop awaits to separate you and your funds. We went on a weekday during the late morning/early afternoon. A nice stop if you are in the area. Recommended!

The shrine is kinda quite shiny and fabulous to us. It is nice to stop by and enjoy the beauty of shrine architecture and decoration.

Great Shinto shrine in Japan. This shrine has sacred atmosphere. Vivid colored shrine buildings are impressive!

We were waiting to take the Kampu ferry to Busan and thought the tower looked interesting, so we dropped over, it's right near the port. It was quiet and easy to travel up. The views are fantastic, across the islands of Japan. Highly recommend!

went around 5pm. this place is very quite only one person came after me. 600 yen and you go to 30 th floor to start, then go to 29th ( which they close at 5pm) and elevator go back down on 28th / F you see a 360 view of the city, which is very nice.

Aerial view is perfect . No discount for foreigners anymore but worth to visit if you are in town

Pretty standard tower experience. Part of the big co-op, really enjoyed the views of the islands and water from the observation deck. Daughter enjoyed the stuffed any ufo/gatcha machines. Always a joy to go with very small weekday crowds as well.

The whole building is an observation deck. It was amazing that only the top was not used as an observation deck.

This is so awesome place to visit. It is the tallest building in West Japan. The night view is so beautiful from the top of the tower. There is a corner where couples can tie love lock. Good luck charms and other things are also there. It is a good place to visit with friends and family as well.

A good price to enjoy aerial views of shimonoseki and its bay. They offer 2-hr free parking if you bought a ticket. Not very commercialized as there was no souvenir shop.

Very overrated. Nothing but this bridge which does actually look quite good on a sunny day, but you can move on after a few pictures. On a cloudy or rainy day, don't even bother. Recommended for those driving through, but you shouldn't go out of your way for this, especially by public transport.

It is beautiful, but seems like it’s a long way to go for a snapshot. Plus, although pleasant, the beach entrance of ¥400pp plus ¥600 parking was steep(although showers were free). Few people seem to have been on to the island itself.

Most beautiful beach I have ever visites

long detour to nothing special over hyped

Beautiful and quiet place

Shin kamen rider scene last

I really like the island which has beautiful sea

Free to visit. With a lot of Peter the rabbit inside. There is even a Valentine’s Day wish card tree inside

You can easily take a look around for free. The rooms are decorated with a lots of Peter Rabbits due to the collaboration event now (04/2025).

it was raining and cold outside, so we decided to stop here and take a break, we didn't really came here for the museum but the building is very "British". the tea set and coffee are not cheap, min 1 order pre customer is needed. I believer they also offer whisky (I didn't notice until we are about to leave)

Interesting place. Their Peter Rabbit exhibition and cafe was really cozy.

Very nice historic building. Great place to have a tea & cake. The staff are all very friendly & knowledgeable . Great place to visit & learn some history.

Kinda Gimmicky. Do not expect anything fancy. Just a chance to see old history.

A nice European spot in the Japanese landscape. Pamphlets and the multimedia explanation was in English. Next time I would like to try the cafe on the second floor.

This place is popular with the locals for a reason. Expect long waits on weekends but heading in a bit early on a weekday will get you a seat asap.

Highly recommend. I always go to this shop when I visit Shimonoseki. You can experience Kawarasoba, Japanese style room and garden. tasty and very good atmosphere.

I enjoyed lunch at this restaurant. First time I ate Kawara soba and rice with eel. But I like the rice and eel most compared to Kawara soba.

うなめしが旨い美味しい♪(^q^)

Local food of Soba

(Translated by Google) My first time in Yamaguchi Prefecture! ✨ I rented a car from Kitakyushu 🚗 For lunch, I headed to the birthplace of Kawara Soba! This restaurant's signature dish is Kawara Soba and Eel Rice! It looks so filling! 😳✨ You can enjoy it any way you like: eat it right away or grill it a little (for a crispy texture!) 🙆‍♀️ Made with Kagoshima Prefecture eel, it's delicious just as is! It's also delicious with dashi and condiments 😋 Please note that opening hours and opening days vary by restaurant ⚠️ (Original) 初の山口県✨北九州からレンタカーを借りて🚗 ランチは瓦そばの発祥店へ！ このお店の看板メニューは、瓦そばとうなめし！ 見た目ボリューミー！😳✨ すぐ食べるのと、少し焼いてから食べる(パリパリに！)、二刀流で楽しめるので好きな食べ方が可能🙆‍♀️ 鹿児島県産うなぎ使用、そのまま食べても美味しい！出汁と薬味を入れても美味しい😋 お店によって時間や営業日が異なるので注意してください⚠️

(Translated by Google) Kawara soba is a local dish that originated in Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi Prefecture. I visited this restaurant on the recommendation of an acquaintance and it seems to be the original kawara soba restaurant. The sight of the food being brought out on a piping hot kawara roofing tile is quite striking. I had the fragrantly crispy brown soba noodles dipped in plenty of sauce. It was just as delicious as recommended. Apparently, it's a dish that locals commonly make at home. I had looked at the information for another branch and thought they were open until 8pm, but this store is only open on weekends and holidays and usually closes until 3pm. I went in at 4pm, but it happened to be the middle day of a three-day weekend so they were open until 5pm, which was very lucky for me. (Original) 山口県下関発祥の郷土料理、瓦そば。 知人のお奨めで伺ったこちらは元祖瓦そばのお店だそうです。 熱々の瓦で運ばれてくるこの見た目はインパクトがありますね。 香ばしく焼けたパリパリの茶そばを、つゆをたっぷりつけて頂きました。 お奨めされた通りとっても美味しかったです。 地元では家庭でも普通に作るそうですね。 別の支店の情報を見て20時までの営業かと思っていたのですが、こちらの店舗は土日祝のみの営業で通常は15時まで。 16時に入ったのですが、この日は3連休の中日でたまたま17時までだったそうで凄くラッキーでした。

English menu, Fresh seafood , Reasonable Price and friendly staff.

The Indian staff were nice, and spoke English. The old Japanese lady was nasty. We did not have reservations and she seated us at the left section (it has several tables, all completely empty) where u have to take off your shoes. I asked to change to another table that was not directly facing the men's toilet but she refused. We ordered seafood nabe, which took a long time to be served, and we waited for the raw seafood in the nabe to be cooked on the portable gas stove on our table. Nabe being hot, we ate slowly. All the time, even after we finished and paid up, not a single customer came to sit in the section where we were. That old Japanese lady is horrid 🤨

Shimonoseki is known for blowfish so we searched for restaurants which serve blowfish. Blowfish dinner is usually very expensive but this place has very reasonable prices for its quality. When ordering, waiter helped us deciding what to order. Her suggestions were perfect. We had fulfilling delicious dinner. If you want to eat any seafood, I highly recommend this place. We were able to get a table at 5 but later all tables were full so reservation is recommended.

Large portion. Delicious. Cheap

Very traditional Japanese seafood restaurant, good hot saki, sashimi and udon. Very impressed of food!

A restaurant that looks more fishmonger than restaurant. Exceptional cost-performance and friendly atmosphere. Food is OK, but worth it because sashimi at this price is near unbeatable. I had the normal kaisendon at 1100¥, which was an incredible price, considering how there's more seafood than rice. There is a larger version that I did not try as I wanted to try other things in the area. You may be surprised to enter the restaurant and see fish tanks and fresh seafood lying around, rather than tables and chairs. This is normal, as it is simply the waiting/queuing area. Don't be afraid to enter the restaurant. The staff will ask for your preferred language, though you can directly ask for an English menu if you can't read Japanese.

Must go seafood izakaya!!

If you’re visiting Shimonoseki, Karato Market is definitely a must-see spot.
Fresh and delicious sushi is waiting for you inside. For those arriving by ferry, you can easily hop on a bus or taxi (or even walk, since it’s not too far). But if you’re driving, be prepared—parking can be a bit of a hassle, especially on sunny days when the wait time tends to get long. Most people enjoy their food in the open area right next to the market, but recently they’ve opened a dining space on the second floor. There’s a small fee (I believe it was about 300 yen per person), but on a hot day with nowhere to sit, it’s a very welcome option. Grab some tasty sushi, relax, and take in the view of the peaceful blue sea—you’ll really feel the charm of Shimonoseki!

Karato Fish Market in Shimonoseki is a lively waterfront market famous for super-fresh seafood, especially blowfish (fugu). On weekends and holidays, stalls sell sushi, sashimi, and seafood bowls at affordable prices, making it popular with both locals and visitors. You can buy your food, then enjoy it outside while overlooking the Kanmon Strait. It’s a great spot to taste fresh Japanese seafood in a casual atmosphere.

🐟 Karato Fish Market (Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi) Review Karato Fish Market is one of the liveliest and most enjoyable seafood markets in western Japan. Located right by the sea in Shimonoseki, it offers visitors a vibrant atmosphere filled with the sights, sounds, and smells of fresh seafood. Every morning, local fishermen and vendors display an incredible variety of freshly caught fish and shellfish. The highlight for most visitors is the weekend sushi market, where dozens of stalls sell beautifully prepared sushi, sashimi, and seafood rice bowls at very reasonable prices. You can walk along the pier with a tray of fresh sushi while enjoying the sea breeze and view of the Kanmon Strait — a truly local experience. The market staff are friendly and energetic, happy to explain the different types of fish and preparation styles. There are also souvenir shops and small restaurants nearby where you can try blowfish (fugu), the specialty of Shimonoseki. The area around the market is clean, lively, and easy to explore. It’s best to visit in the morning (around 8–10 a.m.) when the selection is at its peak. Overall, Karato Fish Market is a must-visit for seafood lovers — a place where you can enjoy delicious, affordable sushi, learn about Japan’s fishing culture, and feel the authentic spirit of a coastal city.

If you’re visiting Mojiko, take the ferry across to Shimonoseki on Honshu, where you’ll find the famous Karato Fish Market—a popular spot among tourists. The market is especially known for selling sushi and is only open on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. You can buy sushi inside and then enjoy it outside at the many seating areas while taking in the ocean view. The market’s signature specialty is fugu (pufferfish), served as both sushi and sashimi. In fact, the pufferfish is even the symbol of the market. The sushi here is quite affordable, with plenty of vendors to choose from. The taste is pretty good too—not bad at all. The fugu, in particular, has a unique texture: it leaves a slight numbness on your tongue, but it’s delicious.

We went crazy in this market. Great fresh sushi and sashimi with great value. This market is famous for puffer fish and whale. My first experience with whale sushi, it was wild. 22 pieces of sushi with toro, hamachi, eel, sardine, whale with a place of toro and a puffer fish sashimi for below ¥10,000. You can sit and eat by the sea.

This bustling fish market is located a few bus stops away from Shimonoseki station. It's a great place to try out the fresh seafood, which are available at affordable prices. Don't miss out the local specialties such as the fugu sashimi and fugu soup. 🐡

​I spent last Sunday morning at this bustling fish market. There were huge crowds, but I spotted a stall with a massive queue, which is always a good sign! After waiting, I got an amazing haul—a ton of fresh, delicious sushi—all for under 3,000 yen. Seriously, what a bargain! When I come back to Kyushu, I'm going to make sure I stay close to the market on a weekend so I can enjoy that incredible seafood on back-to-back days.

This was my first time try to eat the fugu, puffer fish’s dish, so I found out this restaurant where the price is not so expensive. I think their puffer fish is nothing special, but I like their sauce, based on vinegar and shoyu with a little bit spicy, very match with rice and fugu.

Food was alright. I just feel disappointed about the service. There were a lot of empty seats and table inside while a long queue waiting outside under the heat…. I just don’t get it.

So So

(Translated by Google) I went before noon on a public holiday. This is a system for buying meal tickets. I ordered the blowfish sashimi bowl. I think the price was around 1000 yen. I thought there was less sashimi than I expected when it came out, but now that I think about it, I was able to get sashimi and skin for 1000 yen, which was a good deal. The taste was spicy. The sashimi was fresh and the skin was crunchy and delicious. Water was self-serve in paper cups. I ate too much sushi at Karato Market in the morning, so I wasn't really hungry, so it was a bit tough. Next time, don't you get too excited at Karato Market? I'm hungry and want to go eat puffer fish. (Original) 祝日の正午前に行きました。 食券を買うシステムです。 フグ刺し丼を注文。 値段は1000円いかない位だったと思います。 出てきたとに思ったより刺身が少ないかなと思ったのですが、今思うと1000円で刺身と皮が食べれてお得でした。 味は辛ぽんず味でした。 お刺身も新鮮で皮もコリコリして美味しかったです。 お水は紙コップセルフ式でした。 朝、唐戸市場でお寿司を食べ過ぎてお腹があまりすいてない状態で入ったのでちょっときつかったです。 次は唐戸市場ではしゃぎすぎないか お腹をすかせてフグ目当てに食べに行きたいと思います。

(Translated by Google) [Reasonable blowfish sashimi bukkake bowl] Enjoy the fresh blowfish sashimi bukkake bowl (980 yen), which is reasonably priced and has the best cost performance. Cheap compared to the market Fully enjoy the flavor of blowfish! It was really, really good. (Original) 【リーズナブルなふぐ刺ぶっかけ丼】 リーズナブルでコストパフォーマンス最高の新鮮なフグ刺ぶっかけ丼(980円)を頂く。 市場に比べれば格安 ふぐの旨味を十分に堪能! ほんま、ぶち、うまかったわ。

(Translated by Google) A restaurant near Shimonoseki Karato Market where you can eat fugu at a relatively low price. As this is the home of Fugu, there are many blowfish restaurants nearby, but since the rice here is cooked with Fugu, I had no hesitation in visiting this place. There are about 8 counter seats and 2 table seats inside the store, and there are also table seats outside. I immediately bought a meal ticket and ordered the Torafuku sashimi set meal. The contents are fuku rice, fuku soup, fried fuku, fried fuku, and tessa. This is 2200 yen. The tessa was delicious, but the other items didn't feel freshly made and were often made ahead of time. Still, the cost performance was good, so I was satisfied. Thank you for your meal. (Original) 下関唐戸市場の近くにある、比較的安価で河豚が食べられる店。 河豚の本場だけに、ふぐ料理店はこの近くには多いが、ここはご飯が河豚の炊き込みご飯なので、迷わず訪問した。 店内はカウンターが8席くらいとテーブル席が2つ、店外にもテーブル席がある。 早速食券を購入し、注文したのはとらふく刺身定食。 内容はふく飯、ふく汁、ふくの唐揚げ、ふくのフライ、てっさ。 これで2200円。 てっさは旨かったが、その他のものは出来たて感があまりなく、作り置きっぱい。 それでもコスパは良いので、満足できた。ご馳走さま。

(Translated by Google) I had the Sesame Fugu Shirakodon. Crispy fried chicken roe topped with sweet and spicy sauce. The seasoning was just right and the rice was delicious. It also comes with miso soup. The rice bowl and soup were a bit unsatisfactory, so I thought it would have been better to order at least one more dish. The tables in the restaurant are on a semi-terrace with a large door left open. The ocean is right in front of you, so it's nice to have a sense of openness. There was also an open sky table in front of the store. Karato Market was closed, so I looked around Kamon Wharf, but I couldn't find it, and as a tourist myself, I was drawn to the exterior, which looked like a set meal restaurant at a fishing port, so I went in. (Original) ごまふぐの白子丼を頂きました。カリっとあがった白子の唐揚げに甘辛のタレがかけてあります。味付けもちょうどよくご飯も美味しく頂けました。お味噌汁も付いています。丼と汁物だけだとちょっと物足りなかったのでもう一品くらい何か頼めば良かったかなと思いました。 店内テーブルは大きい扉が開きっぱなしの半テラス状態です。目の前は海なので開放感あって良いです。店舗前に青空テーブルもありました。 唐戸市場が休みでカモンワーフの中もぐるっと回りましたがピンとこず、観光客の自分としては漁港の定食屋みたいな雰囲気の外観に惹かれて入店しました。

My first time, search by google, rated 4.3 having dinner tonight without booking, unfortunately it is full, we are very disappointed. Finally we can as special arrangement made by a manager I guess, it is great!! We have tried 2 sets and medium size of raw squib. Food is above standard, service is intensive & environment (besides the bridge) is attractive, price is really affordable. Really, it is my first time to be here, and surely not the last time, will come back again

This is a stylish and moderately upscale restaurant. I walked in alone and was shown into a very large private room. At first I felt awkward visiting such a nice restaurant alone but it was no problem. You could easily order single dishes for as little as ¥1500 (yakisoba, sashimi, etc.) and set meals start around ¥2500-3000. I ordered a set, fugu sashimi, and a drink for around ¥5000-6000. Overall, not too pricey for the location and quality. The views of the Kanmon Strait are very excellent. I particularly liked the kawara soba. Fugu sashimi was an interesting experience but I would not seek it out again. If you order it, it comes with a spicy garnish and dipping sauce. Shimonoseki is the most famous place in Japan for fugu, so you should try it while you are here.

We had a unique dining experience here at akama. It's a romantic place to have dinner, located along the Kanmom straits. Unique for me since it is our first time to try their delectable fugu dishes.

So authentic and delicious!!! Such a wonderful view and by a number of touristy/historical quick visits. Such an enjoyable meal and experience.

Food: I wouldn’t know since everything we wanted was sold out. Made a reservation but nothing to eat Service: staff clearly didn’t know what is in stock and have to constantly check Atmosphere: seems nice but we didn’t stay long enough to enjoy as no food left

Ordered kawara-soba and fugu shumai, super good! Also the view was very beautiful.

Amazing location, private rooms to enjoy a meal alone or with friends, and the food is fresh and delicious. Foreigner friendly.