Yobuko morning marketPhoto: gtknj / CC BY 2.0
- Getting there
- Kawataro is about 1 km north of the Yobuko bus stop (our estimate); bus 25 min from Nishi-Karatsu or taxi about ¥6,300 each way
Checked · Researched, not yet visited · times from official timetables and our estimates · Takumi Yamada
Yobuko calls itself the squid town, and its dish is squid served live as ikizukuri sashimi. Kawataro’s Yobuko shop opens Mon–Fri 11:00–17:00 (last order 16:00) and at weekends and holidays 10:00–19:00 (last order 18:00); closed at Obon and from 30 December to 4 January. It does not take bookings as a rule, so go early.
- On a 4–6h ashore call our verdict is "Yes, on an 08:00 arrival" — bus there and back with the market, the boat and a squid lunch: about 5 hours.
- Kawataro closes at Obon and from 30 December to 4 January. Check the day before you plan around it.
- 07:30–12:00 — every day except 1 January; each stall sets its own hours.
- 3 hr 30 min door to door needs a 5.5-hour call: a 2–3 hour stop cannot hold it. Pick something closer instead.
The place to have it
| Place | What you get |
|---|---|
| The famous oneKawataro Yobuko河太郎 呼子店 | Squid ikizukuri by the harbour, 1744-17 Yobuko. Mon–Fri 11:00–17:00 (last order 16:00, last entry 15:30); Sat, Sun and holidays 10:00–19:00 (last order 18:00). Closed at Obon and 30 Dec–4 Jan. No bookings as a rule; cash only, no credit cards. |
Each name opens in Google Maps. Opening days change; check before you build a day around one.
Things worth knowing
- Take the bus back from Yobuko at 12:35 on an 08:00–15:00 call; the next one is an hour later.
- The Ika-maru sails hourly 09:30–16:30; rough seas cancel it.
- Bus fares are not printed on the timetable: carry coins.
Squid sashimi in Yobuko and your ship
Both pins on one map, so the distance is a fact rather than a feeling.
Questions
Can I visit Yobuko on a Karatsu cruise call?
Yes, if the ship arrives at 08:00: the morning market runs 07:30–12:00. Walk about 25 minutes to Nishi-Karatsu-ekimae and take the Showa bus, 25 minutes, or a taxi, about ¥6,300 each way by our estimate.
What time does Yobuko morning market close?
At 12:00. It opens at 07:30 every day except New Year’s Day.
Routes that already include it
Finished days timed from official timetables and our estimates, with this stop in them.
What to put beside it
Each of these still lands you back aboard with the hour to spare.
See · ~2hKaratsu Castle
A white keep on a hill between Karatsu Bay and the mouth of the Matsuura River, built from 1602 by Terazawa Hirotaka; the present keep dates from 1966 and its museum was refitted in 2017.
See the detail
See · ~1.5hThe 14 Kunchi floats
The giant lacquered floats of the Karatsu Kunchi festival, lions and samurai helmets among them, all 14 under one roof; the oldest, the red lion, was made in 1819.
See the detail
See · ~1.5hKyu-Takatori residence
The seaside house of Takatori Koreyoshi, who made his money in coal, built in the late Meiji era and now an Important Cultural Property.
See the detail