Tanga Market

Tanga Market, the kitchen of Kitakyushu citizens, is a 10-minute walk from JR Kokura Station. It has a nostalgic atmosphere as if you have time-traveled back to the "Showa" era.

Around 120 stores selling fresh fish and vegetables and prepared and processed foods line the 180-meter-long street, including a restaurant that serves "Nukadaki," a local dish of Kokura. "Nukadaki," sardines and mackerel are cooked sweet and salty with Nuka-Doko (salted rice-bran paste). Some restaurants boast of their 100-year-old Nuka-doko passed down from generation to generation, so check them out.

Also located in the middle of the street is "Daigakudo," a café space run mainly by students of the University of Kitakyushu. This café serves "Daigakudon," a bowl of only rice, which is a unique system whereby you can take it to any store you like in the market, purchase sashimi, meat, Nuka-daki, or any other ingredient of your choice, and place over the rice of your own bowl to create their own unique bowl. Of course, you can eat your rice bowl at "Daigakudo."

Inside the market, visitors can enjoy carefully selected brews from all over Japan, including beer, wine, and sake. The rare café and bar with an in-house beer brewing facility are gaining popularity.