Delicious food from beyond the sea! Hawk Island

Takashima Island, located at the entrance of Imari Bay, has a history of being attacked by the Mongolian army in the late Kamakura period.
It is a treasure trove of seafood, boasting an abundance of fish species, with tiger puffer fish and tuna being cultivated extensively.
Enjoy the finest flavors at a roadside station where the main attraction is tuna demolition, or at a long-established inn that is famous for its puffer fish cuisine.

Delicious fish bring good fortune to an island associated with the Mongolian invasion

Takashima Island in Matsuura City, located in Imari Bay, is across the pure white "Hizen Takashima Ohashi Bridge. The island has a history of being attacked by the Mongolian invaders about 730 years ago. This is the so-called "Bun'ei/Koan War". The "Takashima History and Folklore Museum" exhibits materials on the Mongolian invasion. The Mongols, who were land people, crossed the sea using Chinese and Korean shipbuilding and shiphandling techniques, and attacked with gunpowder-packed flying weapons called tetsuhau (guns). At the adjacent "Takashima Archaeological Cultural Properties Center," relics and other artifacts from the Mongolian ships are being preserved and investigated.

Although connected to the mainland by a bridge, Takashima is surrounded entirely by the sea. The local specialty is, of course, the abundant variety of seafood. The fresh fish at the "Roadside Station Takara-jima," located just across the Hizen-Takashima Ohashi Bridge, is a popular destination for visitors. The restaurant serves "Otoko-meshi" (male fish meal) using the fresh fish. The menu changes daily and includes yellowtail, sea bream, horse mackerel, octopus, etc. The rice is topped with the catch of the day and served with sweet sesame soy sauce. This is a menu item to promote the local community by arranging traditional local fisherman's cuisine, and offers a bold and luxurious taste that is unique to the fishing islands.
The highlight of the station is the tuna disassembly and sale, which is held every Saturday from 10:00 am. The 80-kilogram class tuna raised at a fish farm on Takashima is dismantled in front of customers and sold. The knife work that quickly cuts up a tuna large enough to be held by several adults is a sight to behold, and the low price, which is unthinkable in urban areas, is another secret to its popularity.
A new menu item using this tuna, "Tuna Manju," is also available at the take-out corner. The skin used for Nagasaki's specialty, manju, is sandwiched between two slices of deep-fried marinated tuna, allowing customers to enjoy the delicious taste of tuna at a reasonable price. In addition, Matsuura City has declared itself the "holy land of fried horse mackerel" because it has the largest catch of horse mackerel in Japan, and the "horse mackerel burger" is available as a menu item unique to Matsuura City.

And if you want to stay on an island blessed with delicious fish, "Ryotei Yoshinoya" is the place to go. The inn was founded in 1868, but the proprietress says that it has actually been an inn that also served as an amimoto since the Edo period (1603-1868). The inn's signature dish is the fugu (blowfish) course, which is available year-round. The inn is proud of its fugu course, which is available all year round, because the fish is farmed at a fish farm located right in front of the inn. The water in Takashima is cold, so the blowfish grow slowly, but that nourishes them and makes them fat," she says. The island is completely surrounded by an army of delicious fish.

Matsuura Municipal Center for Archaeological and Cultural Properties

Roadside Station Takara Island

Ryotei Yoshinoya