After lunch I went back to the hotel in the late afternoon, took a nap, and headed out again in the evening. Maybe because Dontaku was over, things had calmed down a lot, but it was still Golden Week, so the yatai stall area was packed with people.
KENZO cafe.
It’s apparently famous for yaki ramen, and it almost looked like they make people line up on purpose. There are only four or maybe eight seats, and if it’s this popular, surely they could add a few more? In the old days I’d have joined the end of that line too, but these days everything feels like too much effort. So I just snapped one photo and left it at that..
Yatai stalls by the roadside
You see yatai stalls all over the city. Somehow this kind of thing reminds me of Korea. Then again, are there even still pojangmacha tents in Korea? I haven’t been to one in ages..
The streets of Nakasu, Fukuoka’s biggest nightlife district
It’s called a nightlife district, but everything is packed inside the buildings; outside, the scenery isn’t all that spectacular. In Korea, aren’t the outsides of the buildings covered in flashy neon signs too.. This street must gather countless bars and good restaurants, with all kinds of people crossing paths. But hey, a nightlife district is a nightlife district.. someone like me only notices the good places to eat, so that evening too I dropped into a spot not far from here.
A stall in the yatai area
This is right next to Nakasu, and it’s the most famous spot. You apparently have to queue to eat, and I suppose that experience is half the fun, but doing it alone felt a bit awkward, so I just took photos.
Lots of people inside, too.
There wasn’t even room to stand; I’d guess they were mostly tourists.
Tetsunabe, the iron-pan gyoza place said to be famous around here
This was supposed to be their regular day off, so I thought they’d be closed, but they were open. I’d actually bookmarked this place too, planning to have some gyoza if I had room, but in the end I gave up. It’s only gyoza after all, so I don’t really mind.
Ramen Ichiryu
Apparently they did well as a yatai stall and went on to open a proper shop. Sadly, I’d meant to try this place too if I had room, but at the next place I’ll introduce I lost all self-control and ate way too much, so I had to give up. No regrets, though. I don’t know when I’ll make it back to Fukuoka, but I’ll remember this as a day I ate really, really well.