Shimakawa

A few streets west of Hakata Station is one of Fukuoka’s most vaunted restaurants, Shimakawa. For over 30 years, the restaurant has been bringing the “taste of the Genkai Sea” to Fukuoka, serving freshly caught seafood from off the coast of Kyushu’s northernmost prefecture. In spring and summer, the restaurant’s menus heavily feature the okoze devil stinger, a local bottom-dwelling delicacy whose fearsome appearance belies the tenderness and rich flavor of its flesh. Other regulars on the menu include yari-ika spear squid from Saga's Yobuko coast and red sea urchin from Karatsu — two of the region’s most famous seafood dishes — and the hamo pike conger, which is richest in oils in the summer. But the restaurant is no less popular in winter. From September to March, the restaurant enjoys brisk business with those looking for a taste of wild-caught fugu pufferfish, in a special menu expertly prepared by Shimakawa’s chefs so as to render the fish’s deadly poison completely harmless — and its flesh extremely tender. Yet others come for the chance to dine on hotpot of the extremely rare and prized longtooth grouper, called “kue” elsewhere in Japan but “ara” in Kyushu. At its fattest in winter, ara at its peak is especially valued for its mouth-melting texture, and fragrant aftertaste that lingers long after. Through these specialty dishes, Shimakawa conveys to its guests the taste and sense of Japan's four seasons. Over its 30-plus years of operation, Shimakawa’s sense of hospitality has come to be appreciated just as much as the freshness of its seafood and the mastery of its chefs. Whether at the six-seat counter or in one of the many private rooms, dine at Shimakawa is to be immersed in a traditional Japanese interior filled with tatami mats, natural wood, tasteful floral arrangements and warm lighting.