Yobuko and Karatsu, Kyushu, Japan (May
2024)
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On the last
day of this trip, I went to Yobuko and Karatsu. Located 50km west of Fukuoka,
the coastal town of Karatsu is one of the closest Japanese cities to Korea. In
the past it used to be a major stopover for ships trading with Korea and China.
It was also an important pottery-making town. Today the city is certainly less
busy than before. Yobuko is a fishing village 12km north of Karatsu, which is
known for its daily morning seafood market. Karatsu is well connected to
Fukuoka by trains and buses., while local buses connect Karatsu and Yobuko.
Yobuko
Fishing boats
in the port of Yobuko.
Seafood
sellers at the morning market.
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Fish and
seafood for sale.
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Karatsu
Views of the Karatsu
castle. The original Karatsu castle had been built between 1602 and 1608. It
was demolished shortly after he Meiji restoration. The current castle was built
in 1966.
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The fifth
floor of the castle offers a 360-degree lookout with stunning views over the
bay and the city.
- View toward
the east, with the bay on the left, the Matsuura river on the right, and
Higashi Karatsu in between.
View toward
the center of Karatsu.
Six of the
fourteen floats on display in the Karatsu Hikiyama Exhibition Hall. These
floats are paraded in the streets of Karatsu during the annual Karatsu Kunchi
Festival (November 2 to 4).
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