Fukuoka city and YATAI (street food vendors)

Posted on May 22, 2012 in Hiroko's Blog

Let me talk a little bit more about food in Fukuoka prefecture. Fukuoka city is known as the city of Yatai, street food vendors. Sushi, tempura, soba, ramen, curry rice,….all started at the hand of street food venders in Japan. Street food venders are popular scene when we travel through South East Asia today, but in Japan they have become rare. After the World War II central and local governments drove street food venders into inside establishments – restaurants – in order to control hygiene standard. The exception was Fukuoka city. The government allowed the vendors to stay operating. Though today the number of street food vendors in Fukuoka city has dramatically decreased compared to the peak time, there are still about two hundreds vendors remain. On my visit to the city 4 years ago I tried several of them. Many venders carry ramen noodles, but each of them boasts their own special flavor of the broth and texture of the noodles. In addition to ramen dish vendors carry intestine hot pot, okonomiyaki panckake, yakitori, curry rice, tempura and/or oden stew. Here are some of the names of the yatai food vendors for your visit to Fukuoka city. Kenzo, Nagahama Ramen Tomochan, Kiryu, Naochan, Tenichi, Kitaro. Also, do not forget to check Ebichan, which is a Yatai cocktail bar! Father and son team donned in a crisp white shirt and bow tie makes varieties of cocktails on order.