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What I learned about fish in Japan

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 I came across a moment where I became very interested in cooking fish. I came back to Japan, bought myself a kitchen knife in Kappabashi, then I've been studying the craft. I had the opportunity to work in Tsukiji, and now I even moved to a fish city Karatsu, spending time cooking local fish. The experience has been amazing and I understand fish a lot better than when I started. I wanted to organize what I learned so far, so that it helps me to navigate what I should study next. So, here is what I learned about fish in Japan. 1. Ideal environment for the best seafood Japan attracts fish as it is a natural, nutritious buffet. Japan is known to be industrial but it's actually very green. We have very green mountains close to the ocean, and the rivers push nutrients to the sea. Planktons and small food develops in the sea surrounding the islands of Japan. Fish take in these nutrients and become fatty. One interesting experience in Tsukiji was the fish shop I worked for loved sell...
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What I learned so far about Fish in Karatsu

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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...
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If you are a foodie you must come to Karatsu!

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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...
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The 2 Local Sake of Karatsu you must try!

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The Karatsu Sake Brewery Summit attracted many visitors last Sunday. I was inspired how happy people were talking about the Saga Sake they like. I'd like to extend the happiness by digging deeper on Saga Sake. The 2 Local Sake of Karatsu There was a guest, a local from Karatsu that told me how much he loved Sake. He was telling me about Komatsu Sake Brewery that makes Manrei, and Narutaki Sake Brewery that makes Taki and Taiko which is home to Karatsu City.  The rest of the sake served at Choko Bar are all from other cities within Saga Prefecture. So, I decided to taste and take note of the ones from Karatsu first.  Manrei From my experience so far, locals choose Manrei over Taki. Maybe because Taki is the premium version of Taiko, the signature sake for the Kunchi Frestival. Manrei is sweet and rich. Starting off drinking sake, or when you are drinking sake without food. Manrei is a good choice. Taki This time it was the same as the first time I tried it. It's clear and round...
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My Learning Journey so far these past few years.

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I'm hooked on learning something new everyday. Right now I try my best to walk every morning around my neighborhood in Karatsu City.  The people here are much more laid back and polite and I learn from them a lot about the city and fishes as well, which was the main reason why I decided to settle here. What I learned so far about Fish in Karatsu They care more about spending quality time with family than chasing money. I know a lot more about things outside of Karatsu or Kyushu, so I answer what they're curious about. In return they teach me about Karatsu and how it used to be and how it is today. Each person has their opinions and thoughts about how they see the city, of course.  And that's very interesting and inspiring for me. It makes me think about what I want to do here. My interest is fishing and fishes in general. So I learn about that a lot here and through my morning walks. What I learn everyday from my morning walks! I've been around many places in the world,...
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What I learn everyday from my morning walks!

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Back when I was a uni student almost 20 years already, I had an opportunity to work with a private banker in Singapore. He would take me to events that are organised by his team or ones he was invited to, every weekend. Then he would ask me, "So Ryu, you met a lot of people today. My former boss who invited me to join banking would ask me, what did you learn today?" 20 years down the road, I often ask myself the same question. "So, what did I learn today?" I learn a lot through walking I now place myself in a small city in Karatsu, and the ocean is right by my house. I try to walk everyday around sunrise to get my momentum of the day. Today, I met a highschool student that was fishing before he goes to school. I usually am the first to say Ohayogozaimasu or good morning when I do my morning walk, but he was one of the first ones that was faster than me to say so. So we talked a little about fishing in the area. The place I met him is where a fishing expert told me t...
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What I learned about sake from Saga!

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Sharing what I learned about sake from Saga My image before moving into Karatsu was that the Kyushu people are crazy shochu drinkers, not sake. But it turns out that Saga is a big sake area of Japan, winning many awards. Working in Choko Bar that serves a variety of Saga sake in Karatsu ware cups, I'm amazed that a lot of people from even Tokyo area come all the way here to try the local sake that doesn't get shipped to big cities like Tokyo and Osaka. Especially the seasonal ones are produced only in limited quantities, only enough to be consumed within Saga. So we have guests from Fuokuoka as well telling us they want to try the limited ones that don't get shipped there.   Choko Bar lets you try 4 local sake of your choice with a local appetizer for 1500JPY, and 4 limited/seasonal local sake for 2000JPY, so customers tell me that it's the best way to try good local sake at the same time. Fair enough. A small glass will usually cost around 500~1000JPY, and it's act...
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