I visited a restaurant where the owner, Mr. Kitajima Savlou, who sings while deeply immersed in horse racing, is known for his great food. I tried the lunch special for 1,080 yen and had a California roll-like sushi for the first time. The owner and the hostess were kind enough to offer a homemade cheesecake as a gift from a customer. I thanked them and enjoyed the meal with gratitude.

Today's lunch was at Sushi Taro! Lunch is until 2pm, but I called and arrived at 2:30pm! It seems to be run by a couple, and they are very friendly and provide great customer service! They complimented my outfit a lot, haha. The wife is very talkative, which I enjoy because I also like to chat! I had a kappa maki roll and 7 pieces of sushi - salmon, shrimp, tuna, scallop, conger eel, flounder, and sea bream. The scallop and conger eel were especially delicious! The kappa maki roll was tasty with sesame seeds on top! The flounder miso soup was also delicious! The chawanmushi had a lot of ingredients - mitsuba, white fish, octopus, squid legs, shiitake mushroom, and fish cake. I love chawanmushi with lots of ingredients! The price was 1080 yen including tax. Will definitely visit again! Thank you for the meal!

Located about 500m from the intersection of Route 10 "Kan" at Shimo Kanamori in the Minami Ward of Kokura. This shop offers handcrafted sushi made with seasonal seafood at reasonable prices. They also serve lunch, and the cheerful owner couple creates a cozy and welcoming atmosphere. I decided to stop by at Shimosone Station on the Nippo Main Line for some errands. Despite the somewhat deserted atmosphere due to the nearby shopping mall being closed, I finally found a sushi restaurant a few kilometers away from the station. Sushi Taro. It's different from the young sushi chefs in Hakata. The restaurant has a counter with 6 seats and a few tables in the tatami room. For lunch, you can get nigiri and chirashi with chawanmushi and soup for 1000 yen. The regular prices range from 1500 yen for sashimi to 1100-2700 yen for a serving of nigiri. The omakase nigiri for 2700 yen comes with chawanmushi. I decided to have the special nigiri. The selection included thick and sweet shellfish, as well as delicious flounder that was lightly pickled in kombu. After enjoying the nigiri platter, I was served eel and plum shiso roll separately. The eel was tender and not too sweet, and the vinegared rice had a pleasant texture that made the nigiri enjoyable. The friendly atmosphere at the counter, with the owner and his wife chatting about fish and ingredients, made the experience even better. The restaurant has been in business for over 30 years, and they moved to their current location about 13 years ago. The reasonable prices and cozy atmosphere make it the type of place you want near your home. I would love to visit again for dinner, but the location might make it difficult. Overall, it was worth the long walk.