It’s nearly impossible to seek out the best sushi or sashimi restaurant in Japan, and honestly, sometimes you might not even be sure if the sashimi you had is great or not. However, there is one option you can never go wrong with, which is to head to the fish market and eat freshly caught fish!

If you're serious about your seafood, your best bet is to fly to Hokkaido, where they're known to serve some of the most distinguished seafood dishes in Japan, and where many sushi restaurants on the mainland prefer to get their ingredients from.

Once you arrive in Hokkaido, head to Otaru, where you will find a "hidden path" named Sankaku Market (三角市場).

When you venture into the narrow seafood market...

You'll find a small gem of a restaurant called Takinami Shokudou（滝波食堂). They offer almost every kind of Japanese seafood dish.

You can order your favorite mixed seafood bowl

Like this one, with a sweet, juicy shrimp in the middle

It also has sea urchin and slices of squid, as well as ikura (salmon roe), salmon, and tuna.

Or, warm up with some crab soup

Their jumbo crabs are also served fresh from their store...

Which makes for some pristine, rich crab soup

Takinami Shokudou is always overflowing with customers. The small humble family business has been running for years, and since all the ingredients are sourced by them, their dishes are more reasonable compared to those of most other sushi restaurants. Though the inside of the restaurant is small and far from fancy, you're guaranteed the chance to eat real Japanese seafood you won't be able to get anywhere else.