Fukuoka's Yanagibashi Market

On my way to the restaurant in Fukuoka where I'm currently a shugyo, or trainee, I bumped into my chef, who motioned me to join him. His destination: the Yanagibashi market.

Established in 1916, this old market is a warren of stalls and narrow passageways, a cooperative of shops that reflect the easygoing charm of this city, the biggest on Japan's Kyushu island, one of my favorite parts of Japan.

As we entered the market the chef greeted fellow chefs also shopping for their restaurant. We stopped at a fish stall with rows of flying fish, tilefish, grunt, bonito, huge squid, sea urchin in their shells, clams and other sea creatures resting on ice or swimming in buckets. A fishmonger served us tea and the chef placed his order.

But chefs weren't the only shoppers at the market. Ordinary residents of the city walked the isles, too, snapping up the same pristine fish and vegetables the chefs cook with at their restaurants. And that's what I love about Japan: The quality and variety of ingredients here are so outstanding -- and readily available to everyone.

What also struck me is the leeway this bounty of ingredients gives the chef in the kitchen. His restaurant serves classic kaiseki cooking, an arresting procession of exquisite seasonal dishes. There's no menu, of course; diners expect the chef to select the finest expressions of "shun," an ingredient's peak season of flavor. And that's exactly what the chef does every morning at the Yanagibashi Market.

Posted by Harris Salat in Japan | Permalink | Comments (1) | Email | Print

Comments (1)

Can I hitch hike in your suitcase? All of this is amazing! I'm making notes for when I finally do get the opportunity to go to Japan. Thanks for the newspaper tip for knife sharpening. I've never heard of it but I'm going to try it today. I'm assuming you use the newspaper dry?

Marisa Baggett | Posted 10:44 27 May 2009

Post a Comment

Name

Email Address

URL

Remember personal info?

Comments (You may use HTML tags for style)

Captcha:

Type the characters you see in the picture above.