Yobuko Morning Market — Japan's Freshest Squid

Yobuko is a tiny fishing port at the northern tip of the Higashimatsuura Peninsula, accessible only by car from Karatsu, and it exists primarily to supply Japan's finest live squid. The Yobuko Morning Market (朝市) has operated daily since 1900: a 200-meter covered street of vendors selling live squid pulled from overnight traps, local vegetables, seaweed, and dried seafood from 7:00 until around 12:00. The squid are kept alive in seawater tanks and cleaned to order in seconds — the flesh is transparent, sweet, and has a texture nothing like the restaurant version.