Fukuoka

(Updated in Spring 2018)

Fukuoka prefecture（福岡）is located at the tip of Kyushu（九州）. To me, Fukuoka is all about food! Been to Fukuoka City a few times, and everytime it was tonkotsu（豚骨）ramen, tonkotsu ramen, and more tonkotsu ramen... Because I really love ramen! And I like mentaiko 明太子(spicy cod roe) too, another specialty of the area.

So here goes my ramen post... The 1st ramen I tried there was Ichiran 一蘭(photo above). Had it at other parts of Japan before that, but simply have to try from the place it originated from. Some people feel that Ichiran is expensive for the small serving. Others complain that there's no interaction and non-Japanese speakers feel intimidated.

For me, since I could understand Japanese and often travel alone, Ichiran's style is perfect! Also, quality matters more to me than quantity. Even though I prefer thicker to thinner noodles, I feel that Ichiran's noodles' springiness is not compromised. The soup is rich yet not smelly, unlike some other tonkotsu ramen. The spice (just a little) blends and complements the soup so well, unlike those chilli oil-type of spicy ramen. Also feel that the standard is quite consistent for the outlets I have been to so far (Fukuoka, Kyoto, Osaka etc)

Also went to Ramen Stadium at Canal City. Tried Hakata King and Hidechan. The former's soup was flavorful and not too thick, but it was lukewarm when served. Chashu and egg were good though. The latter is a famous one with many celebrities' autograph. There was a queue even though it was 3+pm. The tonkotsu taste and smell was strong. For hardcore tonkotsu lovers :P

The 2nd time I was at Fukuoka, had Ippudo（一風堂）at Tenjin（天神）, Fukuoka's downtown. Couldn't resist ordering my favorite type of ramen- tsukemen（つけ麺）, seasonal dish on the menu. It was SO GOOD! ok, i'm biased because I really love gyokai tonkotsu shoyu tsukemen（魚介豚骨醤油つけ麺）。

Also tried Daruma and Ikkousha（一幸舎）at Hakata（博多）train station. Daruma seems to be really famous, with so many autographs outside. Somehow I prefer Ikkousha. Soup was as rich, but less porky smell. Guess I'm not such a huge fan of tonkotsu. Prefer gyokai~

Fukuoka City is good for shopping (Canal City, Tenjin, Hakata station etc), and also famous for the yatai 屋台(night food stalls) at Nakasu Island.

During one of the trips, it was crab season, so we had a crab feast at Kanidouraku, which can also be found at other prefectures.

In another trip, I visited Kawachi Fujien in Kitakyushu City（北九州）for wisterias. The wisteria tunnel is very instagrammable, though in terms of quantity (scale) and quality (age), the wisterias at Ashikaga Flower Park is more superior.