It was disappointing that I couldn’t take the Nanatsugama (七ツ釜) sightseeing boat, but thanks to that I was able to walk a little more through the alleys of Yobuko.
I also got to see Yobuko Tenmangu (呼子 天満宮), and I felt relieved, as if I had explored Yobuko enough.
Now it was time to say goodbye to Yobuko.
The weather was good today, so I was heading to Hadomisaki (波戸岬). It takes about 20 minutes by bus from Yobuko. It’s not far at all.
So if you come to Yobuko, I think you should definitely stop by Hadomisaki.
After checking out of the ryokan, visiting the Yobuko Morning Market, and planning to take the sightseeing boat, I had left my luggage in the coin lockers at Yobuko Bus Terminal.
I returned to the terminal to catch the 11:46 bus bound for Hadomisaki. The weather was getting better and better. It had rained all night yesterday.
Once on the bus, the scenery outside was beautiful. We ran along roads with the sea in view and then turned into mountain roads.
With such good weather and scenery, I felt like it would be fine if the ride lasted even longer.
As we were about to arrive at Hadomisaki, I was the only passenger left. I pressed the stop button for the next stop.
Then the bus driver asked, “Are you going to Hadomisaki?” When I said yes, he stopped not at the bus stop but in front of the Hadomisaki parking lot. He also told me, “When you leave again, you can’t board here. You need to get on at the bus stop.”
The bus stop was about 100 meters away from the parking lot. To explore Hadomisaki, you have to head toward the parking lot, so he let me off at a more convenient spot.
I was also carrying a heavy suitcase, so it helped me a lot. I was very grateful.
Dragging my suitcase behind me, I opened the door of the building I had seen in photos—the one where the grilled turban shell shops are gathered.
It really looked exactly as it did in the photos, just as I had imagined.
One thing that was different from what I expected was that there was no aggressive solicitation at all.
Among the several shops, a woman from the middle shop guided customers to whichever shop had empty seats. Instead of competing for customers, they were calmly taking them in order. It was interesting.
It felt like a small, subtle system was in place. When all the shops were full, customers would wait in one place and then be assigned seats in order as they became available.
I first learned about this place from a travel documentary I saw on TV.
It introduced the Kyushu Olle Trail, and Hadomisaki was the endpoint of the Karatsu course of the Kyushu Olle Trail.
The scene of eating grilled turban shells at the end of the trail left a strong impression on me. I made a quiet promise to myself that someday I would go there.
Perhaps that memory played a strong role when I chose this destination for this trip.
However, it seems that the Karatsu course, which includes Hadomisaki, is no longer managed under the name Kyushu Olle Trail. I couldn’t find that course on the official website.
Since I came to eat grilled turban shells, I should start with that.
Because the woman was continuously grilling them over the brazier, when you order, a plate is served almost immediately. She also gives you a paper cup of green tea.
There were four turban shells on one plate, a mix of larger and smaller ones.
She gives you a pointed tool, and you use it to pull out the shellfish and eat it. She shows you how to do it.
I really like this kind of shellfish and have eaten it many times, so I pulled it out all the way without breaking the innards.
It’s just grilled shellfish—why does it taste so good? Is it the atmosphere? I was about to think that, but as I kept eating, I noticed a buttery aroma. When I asked her, she said she adds a bit of butter. That’s why it tasted even better.
Four turban shells weren’t enough for lunch, so I ordered a plate of squid as well.
I hesitated between salt-grilled and soy-sauce grilled, but since I was in Japan, I chose the soy sauce. The squid I had eaten raw as sashimi last night—today I was having it grilled with soy sauce.
After finishing lunch with grilled turban shells and squid, I took a walk around Hadomisaki. When the walk was over, I finally headed back to Karatsu, the basecamp of this trip.
I boarded the bus at the Hadomisaki Kokumin Shukusha (波戸岬国民宿舎) bus stop according to the bus schedule.
This bus runs for about an hour to Oteguchi (大手口) in Karatsu. You can think of Oteguchi as Karatsu’s bus terminal. Almost all buses passing through Karatsu stop here. Judging by the atmosphere of the waiting area, it feels just like a regional bus terminal.
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