Why Did He Become a River Fish Chef at 23? Drinking Turtle Blood and Cutting Carp & Eel All Day

Koi Hiromatsu | Restaurant Information 📍 2-18-8 Toharanishi, Chikushino, Fukuoka, Japan Hours: 11:00 AM – 8:00 PM Last order: 7:30 PM Closed: Tuesdays (except public holidays) We go behind the scenes at restaurants and kitchens across Japan. If you enjoy seeing what really happens inside Japanese kitchens, please subscribe! ▼ Subscribe here ▼    / @ikepysjapan   This time, we spent a full day at Koi Hiromatsu, a traditional freshwater fish restaurant in Chikushino, Fukuoka. Hiromatsu Fish Farm, which operates Koi Hiromatsu, began raising carp in 1915. For more than 100 years, the family has dedicated itself to carp and other freshwater fish. Today, that tradition is being carried on by 28-year-old third-generation owner Hikaru Hiromatsu. Every day, he works in the kitchen with one goal: to introduce more people to the unique appeal of Japanese carp cuisine. And carp isn’t the only thing served here. The restaurant also prepares eel, softshell turtle, and other traditional freshwater fish dishes. And the secret behind the young owner’s energy? Softshell turtle blood. In this documentary, we follow his entire day—from preparing and cutting fresh carp to making koi no arai, a traditional chilled carp dish served almost like sashimi, and koi-koku, a rich carp miso soup. We also capture the intense kitchen action as orders continue to pour in. Carp was once a familiar food in many parts of Japan. Today, however, many Japanese people have never even eaten it. At just 28 years old, Hikaru has taken on the family business and is working to pass this traditional food culture on to the next generation. Why has he devoted his life to carp? This is the story of a fish farm with more than a century of history, a disappearing part of Japanese food culture, and a young man determined to keep it alive. Stay with us until the end. ▼ Restaurants interested in being featured Mail: [ikepykikaku@gmail.com](mailto:ikepykikaku@gmail.com) #KoiHiromatsu #Carp #JapaneseFood #FukuokaFood #FreshwaterFish #SoftshellTurtle #Eel #Fukuoka #JapaneseKitchen #FoodDocumentary #Japan