We just got finished with a big trip to Japan. I was there for 3 weeks, 1.5 weeks working and 1.5 weeks of vacation. Being previously on assignment there we spent a ton of time traveling, but didn't spend any time very much west of Kyoto/Osaka (short trips to Kobe & Himeji) or North/East of Fukuoka. So, that area was our target!
We spent most of our time on trip on the island of Shikoku, and a few days in Kochi which we really liked.
We love going to 'food alleys' (yokocho, yatai) and 'markets' (think morning market or wet market) and Kochi in particular did not disappoint.
Just within a few blocks of our hotel, we walked past various little yokocho.
But our main target was
Hirome Market
This is maybe 1/5 of the seating and 1/10 of the shops, we had a hard time finding a place to sit on a Saturday evening.
Every place in Japan has their own specialty food, and we fell in love with Kochi's food called Katsuo no Tataki. The literal translation is pounded (tataki) bonito (katsuo). The modern version isn't pounded but it may have been in the past. It's lightly seared over very high heat over straw.
Then marinated, often sprinkled with salt and garnished with spring onions, garlic, with a dipping sauce on the side.
Perfectly warm and smoky on the outside with a balance of cool and fresh sushi taste on the inside.
I'm dreaming about how to make this at home, since it would be especially hard to find a good version outside of that area, but especially in the states!