Today, I’m going to tell you about how to enjoy Yatai. What’s Yatai? They are stalls, the places where you can eat food outside. The traditional stall Japanese stall style has the lights that are shining on top of them. When you visit Fukuoka in Kyushu, it’s one of the bucket lists that you must go to. You can especially enjoy it in the wintertime. However, you probably don’t know what you should order and how you enjoy it. So, let’s get started!
What’s Yatai?
As I mentioned earlier, yatai is a stall in English. It has a sign light on the top and has a lantern on both sides. It is also a mobile food truck. You might see it in many places like festivals and events. That’s true. Whenever there’s an event and a festival, yatai are a must-have there.
History
According to Wikipedia, it’s said that yatai were already there around by 1650 of the Edo era. They sold oden, tempura, sushi, yakitori, and things that you could eat instantly. After World War Ⅱ, there were many illegal yatai here and there. Nowadays, you can see them at festivals and events. Among those, the one in Fukuoka is special. It is a famous tourist spot today. I’m going to share my following article.
Location & Service Hours
There are a lot of yatai areas in Fukuoka, but I’m going to tell you a place that it’s easy to access from the airport. You can access from the airport without transferring at Nakasu Kawabata St. (中洲川端駅). It’s in the Nakasu (中洲) area that is situated in Nakagawa Dori Ave (那珂川通り) along the Nakagawa River (那珂川). It starts around 5:30PM and goes until midnight. It depends on the stores. Generally speaking, there is no toilet, but don’t worry about it. There’s a toilet at convenience stores nearby or public toilets, so you can ask staff about it.
What Should You Eat?
Of course, you can eat whatever you want. I’d prefer to hop to a different yatai rather than staying at the same place. I’m going to share my recommendations below.
No.1 Gyoza
Outside is crispy but inside is chewy and juicy.
No.2 Atsukan
No.3 Mentaiko Omelette
No.4 Oden
No.5 Tonkotsu Ramen
No.6 Tonkotsu Ramen Round 2
No.7 Yaki Ramen
Today’s list I visited
*No.1-3: 博多長浜ラーメン 山ちゃん
https://maps.app.goo.gl/eX3fJpZxDXQoPUx78?g_st=ic
*No.4-5: 中洲の屋台 小島商店
https://maps.app.goo.gl/Fxd7K5Mn7e6kFD3q9?g_st=ic
*No.6-7: 博多屋台よっちゃん
https://maps.app.goo.gl/FZo5rxPS1cpCtmLE7?g_st=ic
If you have more time, you might want to visit…
Kishida shrine (櫛田神社)
Ichiran headquarter (一蘭総本店)
How was it? Nowadays, most staff can speak English, so you can communicate with them. For me, yatai is one of the Japanese drinking cultures where you might get closer with strangers there by drinking a little. Frankly speaking, it’s a bit costly to eat yatai, but it’s worth it. Aside from the Nakasu area, there are more yatai in Fukuoka. If you have more time to stay, you can explore another one. Thank you for taking time to read my article to the end. See you in my next article soon!
I’ve been working at a trading company for many years. I live in Tokyo with my wife. Love skiing, traveling, IPAs, wine , X-treme sports, fashion, and learning English and Chinese.
