Several years ago, if you had lunch or dinner at Kingyo Izakaya, you would likely sit at a table on its main floor. Perhaps your seat would be in part of its big booth, or at the communal dining table with a tank containing the restaurant’s namesake, goldfish, in the middle. You might find yourself in the basement, another space dedicated to dining. In 2021, this restaurant closed down. Perhaps the pandemic made it infeasible.

A year later, it reopened as Kingyo Fisherman’s Market. The main floor was now a shared space between the restaurant and a market which sells sashimi grade sushi, sauces, and air-sealed frozen ramen bowls from other local ramen restaurants. You can browse the market while you wait for a seat, or order a small donburi for lunch and microwave it instead. The basement is closed off, perhaps as storage space for the market’s inventory.
Everything, including this restaurant, has to evolve at some point. In this case, diversifying the dining space into a market felt inspired and smart.