It rained quite a bit overnight, but it started to clear from early morning.
Thanks to that, I was able to take a short walk around the ryokan.
The weather forecast had said it would rain all day.
So I was even thinking of giving up all my plans and checking into a hotel in Karatsu instead.
Thankfully, the rain stopped and I could move as planned.
It was truly the luckiest moment of this trip.
After breakfast, I checked out of the ryokan.
The first plan of the day was to visit Yobuko Morning Market (呼子朝市).
If I walked from the ryokan, I would have to pull my heavy trunk for 30 minutes.
To avoid walking another tough route like yesterday, I checked the bus timetable in advance.
At the bus stop in front of the ryokan, I waited for the Noriai Taxi (乗合タクシー).
They say the Noriai Taxi is like a special bus that runs in areas with low traffic.
Although it is called a taxi, it has fixed routes and schedules.
It was my first time riding a Noriai Taxi, so I was curious about what kind of vehicle would come.
I was also a bit worried that I might not recognize it and miss it.
But as soon as I saw the van, I knew, “This must be it!”
The fare was cash only.
It was 200 yen.
I was the only passenger.
Yesterday, I walked 30 minutes in the rain pulling my trunk.
Today, I could go out comfortably like this.
I got off at Yobuko Bus Stop.
You could even call it the Yobuko Bus Terminal.
All buses coming into Yobuko stop there, and there is a building with coin lockers, a waiting room, and a ticket booth.
After storing my luggage in a coin locker, I finally began my proper Yobuko sightseeing.
Yesterday, it was raining, and all I did was walk to the ryokan to check in.
So in fact, I only saw the ryokan and didn’t see Yobuko at all.
Today is the day to explore Yobuko itself.
Yobuko is famous for Yobuko Ika and Yobuko Morning Market.
Since I had Yobuko Ika yesterday, today I came to see the morning market.
It only takes a short walk from the bus terminal to reach the market.
The market is open from 7:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
That means you cannot visit in the afternoon.
So I made this my first schedule of the day.
It was winter, the off-season, and a weekday, so I expected it to be empty.
But surprisingly, there were quite a lot of people.
It felt pleasantly lively.
Then I realized that today was Japan’s National Foundation Day (建国記念の日), a public holiday.
It is said to be the enthronement day of Emperor Jinmu (神武天皇).
Perhaps it is similar to National Foundation Day in Korea.
The market was, literally, a market.
It felt different from markets in big cities — more like a rural fair.
There were street foods, and elderly women were directly selling seafood and fish at their stalls.
The most noticeable items were, of course, squid and turban shells.
I thought about having one Sazae no Tsuboyaki (サザエのつぼ焼き), grilled turban shells cooked in their own shells over fire.
But I was planning to eat that somewhere else later today, so I held back.
The market is not very large.
Even if you walk slowly and look around, 10 to 15 minutes is enough.
After going back and forth a few times, looking around and taking photos, I found a local craft beer shop and decided to take a short break.
Local beers made in different regions of Japan are called Jibiru (地ビール).
This place is called Whale Brewing, which makes Yobuko’s own Jibiru.
They also sold light snacks, but I only ordered one glass of pale ale.
I stood at the table in front of the shop, drinking my beer and watching people pass through the market.
After this, I planned to take a sightseeing boat to see Nanatsugama.
But… that plan did not go as I expected.
I will continue that story in the next post.
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