Nagisakan Kimura — Restaurant in Karatsu

We stayed at this ryokan in early November 2021, when the fourth wave of COVID 19 was rapidly subsiding. It was pouring when we arrived at the ryokan in Karatsu, close to the castle and facing the beach. I had thought that it was a restaurant offering lodging, but I understand that it was the other way around. In any event, a lady came out, showed us the car park, and brought us umbrellas. We went to the small reception, and it didn’t take us long to complete the registration. The receptionist, who I thought could be the owner as well, asked us if we had brought vaccination certificates, which we had forgotten to bring with us. “We ask because we are offering free drinks to guests. But let me see what we can do.”she said. With that we were shown to our room upstairs on the second floor. We were told that the public bath was on the ground floor, but it appeared that the bath was busy at the moment with some families. We decided that it would be better to wait till closer to dinner time, which was the right decision as I had the entire bath for myself and was able to relax from the long day. I was looking forward to dinner, as I had ordered a course including squid sashimi from Yobuko close to Karatsu and famous for its fresh squid. Dinner was served in our room, which I guess has now become standard practice with the pandemic. Luckily the ryokan gave me the free sake. The squid came first after the appetizer. The squid was still transparent, testifying how fresh it was. It was really delightful. This was followed by a sweet simmered head of seabream, some Saga Beef cutlets and fried blowfish. I must say it was one of the best (mainly)seafood dishes I’ve ever had. I really recommend travelers to try seafood dishes on the Saga coast. It was a most enjoyable dinner. The ryokan however did not accept credit cards, and I had...

We stayed at this ryokan in early November 2021, when the fourth wave of COVID 19 was rapidly subsiding. It was pouring when we arrived at the ryokan in Karatsu, close to the castle and facing the beach. I had thought that it was a restaurant offering lodging, but I understand that it was the other way around. In any event, a lady came out, showed us the car park, and brought us umbrellas. We went to the small reception, and it didn’t take us long to complete the registration. The receptionist, who I thought could be the owner as well, asked us if we had brought vaccination certificates, which we had forgotten to bring with us. “We ask because we are offering free drinks to guests. But let me see what we can do.”she said. With that we were shown to our room upstairs on the second floor. We were told that the public bath was on the ground floor, but it appeared that the bath was busy at the moment with some families. We decided that it would be better to wait till closer to dinner time, which was the right decision as I had the entire bath for myself and was able to relax from the long day. I was looking forward to dinner, as I had ordered a course including squid sashimi from Yobuko close to Karatsu and famous for its fresh squid. Dinner was served in our room, which I guess has now become standard practice with the pandemic. Luckily the ryokan gave me the free sake. The squid came first after the appetizer. The squid was still transparent, testifying how fresh it was. It was really delightful. This was followed by a sweet simmered head of seabream, some Saga Beef cutlets and fried blowfish. I must say it was one of the best (mainly)seafood dishes I’ve ever had. I really recommend travelers to try seafood dishes on the Saga coast. It was a most enjoyable dinner. The ryokan however did not accept credit cards, and I had...

唐津の海と器と人に抱かれる、静かな贅沢 渚館きむら 唐津茶屋での滞在は、心ほどける物語のようでした。 明治27年創業、131年の歴史を持つこの宿は、大人の隠れ家であり、家族や親族の憩いの場であり、商談にも選ばれる唐津の名宿。ここでしか体験できない「海・食・器・人」が絶妙に調和し、唐津という町そのものを味わう旅になりました。

■ 旅の始まりは、優しい“おかえりなさい” 到着してまず感じたのは、スタッフの笑顔が持つ温もり。 柔らかな挨拶とともに唐津の話を少し交わすだけで、不思議と安心感が湧いてきます。チェックインの手続きも軽やかで、ここから始まる滞在への期待を自然と高めてくれました。

■ 部屋に広がる、海と歴史の風景 畳の香りに包まれた和モダンの部屋。 窓の外には唐津湾の青が広がり、東には唐津城、城下には早稲田佐賀中高が見えました。スタッフが「夕暮れの唐津城は格別ですよ」と一言添えるその表情がまた、旅を彩ります。

■ 湯と海がひとつになる時間 お風呂はまさに、“海と同化する”感覚。 開け放たれた窓から波音と潮風が届き、無色透明の湯が心地よく肌にしみわたる。夜の静けさと、朝の光に輝く唐津湾――時間帯ごとに違う表情で癒しをくれる贅沢な空間です。

■ 部屋食で味わう、佐賀の真髄 夕食は部屋で、20年の経験を持つスタッフの軽快なトークとともに届けられます。 呼子のヤリイカの活き造りは、まるで光を纏った彫刻のよう。透き通った身の甘みと歯ごたえは、東京ではまず出会えない鮮度。天ぷらにすれば衣の香ばしさと出汁の旨味が調和し、また違った表情を見せます。（イカは時期により産地が異なる可能性あり）

佐賀牛ステーキは、香港のミシュラン三つ星「Caprice」でも絶賛された逸品。レアでとろける旨味に、塩と地元の山葵が寄り添います。（部位は予約時にご相談ください）じゃこ炊き込みご飯、唐津産野菜の小鉢、唐津焼・伊万里焼・有田焼の器たちが、佐賀・長崎の焼き物文化を静かに語りかけてくれました。

合わせる地酒も格別。万齢、鍋島、七田――それぞれが料理と見事に寄り添い、食の旅に深みを与えてくれます。

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