Gain a mastery of Fukuoka cuisine at the open yatai
Yatai are a favorite even among the city locals as they popularly attract tourists as a signature of Fukuoka. They have a long history as they first appeared in the city from 1945 immediately after the war under the title of “Mobile Restaurants”. At their peak at around 1970, there were as many as 400 yatai, but at present, there are about 150 with half of them congregating in the Tenjin area. With the bulk of the yatai serving ramen, yakitori and oden, there are also a variety of places serving Italian, French and Asian cuisines, and naturally, beer, sake, wine, cocktails and other forms of liquor are sold there, so that one of the attractions is that you can easily go barhopping. They open up at around 7 p.m. and go on until 1 a.m. All of the yatai in Fukuoka are officially licensed establishments so you can enjoy a meal there securely. Adhering to the rule of a 3x2.5m space, the yatai always have a supply of seats so you can leisurely enjoy the food there. Have fun in the lively atmosphere of a yatai while enjoying that pleasant breeze only in Fukuoka.
Can’t resist tonkotsu ramen, a Fukuoka specialty
There are 3 large areas for yatai: Nakasu, Tenjin and Nagahama. Since the locations of yatai are fixed, check out the yatai that you are interested in beforehand. In the Nakasu area, the ever-popular ramen shop Ichiryu is a hit for its super-rich tonkotsu (pork bone) soup. In the Nagahama area which gave birth to the ramen of the same name, Nagahama Tonkichi Nidai-me is recommended for its lighter soup. And in the convenient Tenjin area which also has a shopping mall, there is Kokin-chan, the home of yaki-ramen, where you will get addicted to the rich taste of tonkotsu ramen fried up on a teppan grill. How about also giving salt-infused innards a try?