Top 5 Must-Visit Food Stalls in Japan! Meet the Masters Behind Lconic Yatai Culture ๐ฎ๐
How long does it take to assemble everything and be able to open for business? Well, about 2 hours. It takes about 2 hours to prepare. It’s like moving every day, so what about gas and things like that? It’s propane gas, which we brought with us. There’s a power box over there and we’re borrowing what the local government provided. I would like to make a normal contract and keep it as clean as possible. We handle charcoal and oils, so this is properly included. Ise Grand Shrine, Inner Shrine, Outer Shrine, and Izumo (Taisha). Originally I was a shrine carpenter, so as you write here, it says “materials for the 62nd Shikinen Sengu”. Ise Grand Shrine moves its buildings once every 20 years, and at that time, the materials for the construction are basically waste materials, so we are receiving them and using them in part. Well, there is a connection and there are four round things on top of this pillar, and the round things are those katsuo wood that we were given. We reprocess the materials we received and remake them into stalls. What are these? This is pork soup, boss. Do you eat a lot of sweets? Yes, I eat sweets. I only have one meal a day, but after I finish this job, I don’t have time for dinner or breakfast. Sorry I don’t have time to eat. I’d like a bowl of rice, a highball, and a Kaku Highball, please. Where did you come from today? Today is Happy New Year from Kochi, Happy New Year. Yes , we have some really delicious sake, but this is the first time we’ve had whiskey in Kochi. As for the highballs, we followed them from Shizuoka and even made a food stall , huh?! Made it?! I made a handcart stall. I made it because I was inspired by Keiji, who wanted to create a food stall village in Shizuoka . I think I’ll follow him on Instagram. Cheers . Welcome to Fukuoka. There’s a kid from Fukuoka among them and I like him . It’s a live show, we’ll be doing 30 groups tomorrow over three days. It would be great if there were locals there and they thought it was over, but when it becomes inbound tourists, they all quietly start eating, and it gets so anxiety-inducing that it scares them. On the other hand , we’re begging them to talk, and although you can see Mt. Fuji, if they end up landing at the airport there they won’t stay and will just drift away, so we’re wondering what we can do to get them to stay there. No, we didn’t expect it either. He made a stall and came all the way here because he was inspired by Abe. This is the first I’ve heard of this. How long have you been coming here, inspired by this stall ? But it’s been about six or seven years, isn’t it? I don’t think it’s that long, but it’s Abe-chan’s personality. The food is originally a French chef, so there’s no doubt about that, it’s all down to his personality. Abe-chan says he’ll be here soon , thank you very much, what do you think of the food stall? I love it, it’s delicious, first time? First time? Food stall , yes, that’s right, I’ll come here tomorrow, Furuya? It’s nice to go alone, but there are probably a lot of couples there too . I go to yakitori restaurants, but the food stalls are great after all. Food stalls, you know, there’s something indescribable about it, a food stall with substance like Abe-san. Ah, that’s nice. That was nice, it’s not much, but mine was the best, it was delicious. As I said earlier, food stalls in Kochi are no longer popular, so I’m really grateful that they have remained as a culture like this, and I really wanted to experience this atmosphere, so I’m overwhelmed. I’ll come again, and right after that I’ll go back to Shizuoka and create a food stall village, and I ‘ll do my best to revitalize the area in various ways, and I’ll do it . Thank you for the support. Ah, I feel like I’ve won , birthdays in Hakata are always celebrated at the food stalls. Today is our birthday party, the three of us here were born in January, so we were celebrating. Today is a birthday party? A birthday party, really? What a coincidence, mine was last year too. Atka mackerel is delicious when you eat it when it’s cold like this . Have you been friends with the chef for a long time? It’s been a long time, actually 15 years . For those who don’t know, Otsubo -san, can I ask you something? Yes, how long have you been in the restaurant? It’s been four years since I started working alone in August this year, and I’m finally ready to start working in 2023. I’ve finally found some excellent staff members since the fall of 2023, so what are you in charge of, Jeff? Well, it’s a lot of things. Setting up the stall and preparing the food . Cooking the food? Of course, the tables are custom made, aren’t they? I made them myself, Mr. Otsubo? Yes, this stall is fine if you work with people who can do various things, but why do you have to ask for sesame seeds back? I borrowed it, so are you a neighbor? It ‘s my mom. Thank you for not wearing lipstick. Are the neighbors friendly too? Chusuke has really taken care of me since the opening, and I think this is a real Hakata stall, so what are the customer demographics like? The customer demographics are exactly half, half locals and half tourists, about 30% are foreigners. I’ve lived abroad, so if you say many countries, how many countries have you been to? I’ve been to about 30 countries for work making Japanese food, and if I find something tasty, I’ll study it and come back. It’s not like we have a set person who makes it, right? No, we’re both already in tune with the situation, and I think we know each other, so our combination is already the best, right? Yes, as long as he’s not drunk, it’s fine. Is this the signature dish? It’s jerk chicken. It was the best food I’ve had in the countries I’ve been to, so I studied it and now I’m making it using the same recipe and spices. Jerk chicken, how do you like it? It’s delicious. It’s Jamaican style. You can eat food from various countries. Do you come here often? I come here sometimes. Is there anything you’d recommend here? Jeff makes that, right? There’s a galette that your mother taught you, and it’s delicious, right? What’s the recipe? It’s full of your mother’s secret ingredients, and it’s delicious. Would you like to try it? Please make it later. Understood. What made you decide to come here? Do you know the YouTube program “Japanese Kitchen Tour”? I’m doing that. So you filmed me here? Yes . I thought you were a lively young person, so I asked you if you wanted to be on YouTube, and you happily agreed, and it’s been viewed about 2 million times. I’ve always been in the food and beverage industry in Fukuoka, and I hope to make videos that make people feel happy, especially in these times. Yes, it’s getting really fragrant. Yes, I’m getting hungry. Well, it’s garlic, after all. It’s really shrimp and mushroom ajillo. Be careful not to get burned. It’s delicious. Where are you from today? From Kobe. Have you been to Fukuoka a few times? I think this is your first time here. It’s ajillo (with egg added later). Mix it all up and eat it. What do you think? This is my first time here and the atmosphere of this food stall is fun. What do you think of the food? It’s delicious. They’re all really delicious. Thank you. Please enjoy. The food goes well with tequila, right? So, just one glass please. Special tequila (oolong tea). What time do the food stalls open? Usually, or does it vary depending on the store? We’re open from 11:00 to 11:30 p.m. Then we clean up and do the dishes. What is this? This is fried ramen. We made it with the aim of making a pork bone ramen without soup, right? We also have ramen. Our ramen is provided by a famous restaurant in Hakata, so where is it from? I can’t say, but it smells really good. Yes, the smell of pork bone ramen is a little. Where are you from? From Osaka. How did you know about this place? By chance. Not by looking it up somewhere? Today I came here to see the food stalls. This is the third one. Really? It’s fried ramen. I can’t give you a food review. It looks delicious . It looks like fried rice noodles. It’s delicious. It’s quite light. I have to tell you how delicious it is. Have you tried fried ramen for the first time? It’s my first time. The smell is amazing, it smells like pickled ginger. Osaka people definitely love pickled ginger. This is Hakata’s specialty grilled ramen. It ‘s based on pork bones, and the flavor is pretty strong. The taste of pork bone ramen is something I eat every time. There are a lot of food stalls in Fukuoka, but there are also places where you can drink slowly, and this place has a feeling of everyone drinking together, so I think even people who come alone for the first time can enjoy a drink without feeling lonely. They have something like this too? This is original. I thought tourists would want to try some mentaiko dishes, so sorry to keep you waiting. This is mentaiko cheese rice crackers. Looks really delicious. Looks really delicious. What did you order? Mentaiko cheese rice crackers. Thank you for the meal. It ‘s crunchy. Speaking of Hakata , what comes to mind? Mentaiko . By the way, where are you from? How are you today? I’m from Aichi Prefecture and I’m very interested in food stalls. I don’t see them much in Aichi, so when I passed by this place, I thought it looked really delicious and it was crowded, so I chose it. It’s really good and bright . It’s brighter and more fun than I expected, and it’s ramen. Sorry to keep you waiting. It’s really pork bone, isn’t it? It’s really rich. I’ve never eaten pork bone before. Where are you from? How about California ? I really like this atmosphere. It’s nice. How about the food? Food taste? Oh great. Jeff, do you have a tattoo on your hand? He looks at it with clear eyes and decides. It’s the words of Ashitaka from Ghibli’s “Princess Mononoke”. Do you like Ghibli? I love it. I’ve been watching Ghibli since I was young, so I wanted to travel the world and go to Japan. Can you speak Japanese? I understand a little bit. Do you often come to food stalls? This is my third time. Jeff’s friends? Friends, Jeff? Please introduce me to the ones I don’t know . Thank you for coming for the first time last year and for coming again this year. Merci, nice to meet you. Nice to meet you, is it French? There is no such word as “yes” in French, it’s “yes” without you having to say itIs that powdered cheese? This one has Parmesan, it tastes better if you add ParmesanThis is a crepe salee, which is similar to a galette, but a galette uses buckwheat flour but this one uses crepe dough and ” salted” means salty, salty crepeIs this Jeff’s? The recipe my mom has always made is the sameYes, when she made the dough, my mom would add beer too , but she opened a bottle and added a little, then drank the rest, so I don’t know if it was really necessary to add it Maybe she just wanted to drink, but Jeff remembers thatYes, when she always makes it she says “yes, just do it like mom does” Cheers! It’s beautiful, thank you! Fukuoka, number one, thank you number one, cheers! 16:45 Moving the stall, we’ve just arrived. 17:00 Stall arrives. Please push it. This has to be taken down in the middle in a short amount of time , so it’s quite difficult. It’s so hot in the summer, you’re already sweating profusely. Even at this time you’ll have to put that in there, right? Are you a newcomer? I’m Sena, a recent employee. Nice to meet you. “Under One Roof” was opened in July 2023 by the owner, Takano Hikari. Fee: The reason I started was because my mother and father were originally running the food stall . There was a rule that it was for one generation only , so when my father passed away, I was supposed to take it over, but at that time I was very busy raising my children, so I felt like I couldn’t take it over, so I changed it to my mother’s name and spent one generation there. But I thought that one generation really meant that it should last until the children, not just the spouse, but the children, but it seems that’s not the case, so it wasn’t possible for my generation to continue. It’s a food stall that has been around for quite a long time, so there are a lot of customers, and I really wanted to take it over, but I couldn’t do that, so I thought I’d just apply through a public recruitment process.Where are you from? Vietnam.A place called Hue in Vietnam.Are there any food stalls in Hue? Yes, there are , and they’re like this.Are they like this? They’re smaller than this one.Why did you decide to work at this food stall? Food stalls are fun, and you can talk to customers, and you can learn a lot too.What can you learn? Like how to speak Japanese . (Owner of the food stall next door)We’re looking for wives! We’re looking for wives.The person next door is actually the owner.It ‘s just a coincidence, but you can’t choose the location, so it just happens to be next door.Everyone often says that it’s like a red thread of fate… The food stall next door, “Nakanakana”, is run by the owner, Masaki , and the couple are carrying on the food stall culture. (Staff member)What is the charm of Fee, the staff member at the store? He’s a very hard worker, he works a lot.I came to eat at the food stall once, and when I saw the recruitment website, I thought, “Oh? I’ve been here before,” and so I joined. (Staff member)What kind of pot is this for? It’s a pot for oden. There are probably about 10 to 20 different kinds. It depends on the time. Today we have mussels and other things. This konnyaku is for stewing beef tendons , and it doesn’t absorb flavors easily, so we season the konnyaku first. It’s popular among foreigners because they don’t really have a culture of dashi, so dishes like clam broth udon are popular. (Staff member) It’s an approach that only a woman can come up with. Usually, it’s not something you think about at a food stall. After all, we have a lot of things like ramen, gyoza, and yakitori, so this is the first time we’ve put up a noren . Sena can do it ! We’ll do our best! Make sure it’s tight! (Staff member) Who came up with the name Under One Roof? Actually, my husband came up with it. There’s a TV drama called Under One Roof, right? I think he named it after that because he wanted to create a food stall where complete strangers could gather like family. Welcome, please come in. We’re open, what do you think? 18:00 Open (Staff) What are they frying here? It’s chicken skin gyoza. We put chicken filling inside chicken skin, deep fry it, and serve it under the menu name of chicken skin gyoza. Some people even ask for seconds of chicken skin gyoza. A hairdresser said she wanted to come here once, and they’re filming for YouTube, so you can come out. The office is okay. Would you like to try some mochi? Popular orders include mentaiko cheese omelette, motsu nabe, grilled motsu oden 5 kinds, beef tendon stew, chicken skin gyoza, and mentaiko tempura. The menu is very extensive. Chicken skin gyoza 700 yen, ago dashi mentaiko cheese omelette 900 yen, 5 kinds of recommended oden 1000 yen, Hakata motsu yaki 1300 yen, beef tendon stew udon 900 yen, grilled mentaiko rice bowl small 1300 yen, large 1600 yen (prices may change) It’s delicious. I ‘m from my hometown. This is my first time at a food stall. We were talking about whether we should try a food stall, and someone called out to us. Mentaiko egg rice bowl looks delicious. It’s delicious . I’m from Saitama . I’m from Kanagawa. I came here on a trip. This is my first time at a food stall. (Regular customer) Why did you choose Fukuoka? I wanted to eat something delicious, and I’d never been to Kyushu before, so I came here.The next day, when I went to a restaurant, I almost started talking to the person next to me.My sense of distance is all messed up, so I ended up becoming friends with the person next to me.It’s fun when no one starts a conversation… (Shop owner)I feel like I’m always the one trying to keep the conversation going.Regulars at the shopSora (the dog) and Sora PapaSorry to have kept you waitingThis is the mentaiko cheese omelette.It’s delicious! (Regular customer)Wow, that’s great, me too! Me too! Me too! The mentaiko cheese omelette also uses flying fish broth, so flying fish broth!?Many people ask for it like thisSorry to have kept you waitingHere you go, this is my girlfriendI work in Fukuoka and live hereHe came to visit me (from Thailand) She strongly invited me to come and visit FukuokaIt’s a great restaurantCompared to Osaka and Tokyo, it’s a great placeI like the location hereThis is my second time at this food stall (Shop staff)What would you recommend at this food stall? Mentaiko and plum wineMany customers order plum wineAre you two traveling? Yes , we are travelingWhere are you from? Where is it? KyotoYes , please, sorry to have kept you waitingThese are chicken skin dumplingsIt’s freshly fried so it’s hot, so please be careful when you eat itIt’s delicious (Staff member)Do you come to Fukuoka often? I used to live thereI came here for the first time in about 10 yearsThere are a lot more foreigners here, so the atmosphere is quite different compared to beforeI think the image of the food stalls has changed a lot since the mayor changed? Before, food stalls were on the way outEncounter with a camera crew from the UKFilming a travel documentary program, covering tourist spots all over Japan (Staff member)What channel is it? It’s a BBC Two station (Staff member)Wow, that’s amazingYouTube is great! 21:00It’s always fullIt ‘s so friendly, isn’t it? Thanks to the guy who was good at livening things up (Staff member)How was your first food stall? It was a lot of fun – There were lots of fun people there and it was fun. Sora is our poster girl. Everyone is soothed by Sora, the dog of a regular customer. (Staff) How old were you when you met? (Husband) About 16 years old. She’s 42 this year and has been together for a long time . What is your wife like? She’s just like that, even at home. (Staff) She’s got a lot of energy, doesn’t she? Yes, she does. She sucks all of my energy out of her. (Staff) Working in the food service industry as a married couple can have good times, but it must also be tough when the times are tough. (Staff) How have you overcome those kinds of difficulties? We’ve always had the “it’ll work out” attitude, so we’ve managed to get through it. Are you both more drunk, this or three days ago? Today is better. You still remember, right? You were so drunk three days ago that you don’t even remember. Here you go, gyoza . Here you go, gyoza. It’s draft beer. Each person can order one food and one drink. Barley shochu, potato shochu. Sorry to keep you waiting . Yes, it’s delicious. I’ve been touring Kagoshima, Miyazaki, Kumamoto, Kitakyushu, and Fukuoka for two weeks. I came here to see the food stalls, which are a sight you can only see in Fukuoka, even in Japan. Compared to Korea, the taste is a little saltier. We like salty food, so it suits our tastes. It’s really the best. There are quite a lot of Korean people here too. There are more people from Fukuoka in the first half of the day, but by this time the number of people from various countries starts to increase and since the seats are close together and it’s an open, outdoor place, I guess that’s how people become friends so quickly.Thank you for putting up with a drunk person.The tequila was delicious.This is a kimono shop in the newly opened One Building in Tenjin.I’m going to make beef tendon stewed udon.I’ll add a little bit of bonito stock.The beef tendon stewed udon is done! It has a delicious soy sauce flavor.It ‘s a shop that buys from the fresh fish market in Nagahama.There ‘s a place called F Concept in Yanagibashi Rengo Market that opens at 9am and it’s really delicious!There are a lot of locals.I love Japan.Who is your favorite Japanese singer (shop owner)? X JAPAN (Shop owner) It’s so cool, I like TOSHI Look, show me, thank you for showing me Good night, thank you 0:45 The last customer leaves the shop They were good guys (Staff) All the customers are so warm I ‘m really proud of that They’re all so warm We have such good customers They line them up like Tetris every single time, every single day (Staff) In the future, is there anything you would like to do with the shop, or is there anything you would like the shop to become? I would like to make this a shop where people can come back to from all over the world anytime, feeling like they’re home In the future Oh! How are you? Customers say things like that to each other, and there are quite a few times like that, but I would like to create a stall with an atmosphere that makes everyone feel like they can go home happy like that (staff).We are truly under the same roof, right? Under the same roofSena: That’s enough, scrub scrub01 :15 End of workThank you for your hard work~ It’s a little heavy so be carefulIt ‘s sauteed anchovies in butterIt ‘s not a stall (1:30pm, arrived in a residential area of Fukuoka city) Is this your home? That’s right, your home/kitchenThis is where you prepare the food before it is served at the stall? That’s right, you prepare the food before it is served at the stallYou can never have enough garlic, so we want to spread the smell of garlic around the streetAfter all, everyone loves the smell of garlic (Before coming to Fukuoka, Kono ran an Italian restaurant in Ehime Prefecture) How long has your restaurant in Ehime been open? We opened in 2010 and closed in 2025, so we have had our customers for about 15 years. First of all, with the food stall, you have to create the situation, so it’s really interesting. (Making chicken liver paste) (Mr. Kono left Ehime, where his family lives, and started living alone in Fukuoka). (His family) told me to do my best, but he still calls me a lot and it’s all for his children, so he couldn’t have done it without this much space. It’s pretty full now, so I’m glad. It’s really anchovies in this house. (Making a sauce for bagna cauda using anchovies and garlic). It fits just right, it’s just the right amount. (Mr. Nakano, who used to work part-time at Mr. Kono’s shop, moved from Ehime to Fukuoka to help with the food stall.) It would have been a lot of work without him. I’m most grateful that he says it’s fun, but he’s really helping us out now. (After preparations are done, we load the food stall and ingredients.) (Around 4:30 pm, we depart for Tenjin, where the food stall will be set up.) (At 5:00 pm, We’ll spend an hour preparing for business. > What’s the sheet for? Everyone does this, but it’s to protect the stall from oil stains. What did you do? A senior colleague at a local iron processing company called “One’s Factory” made it for us to open a stall in Fukuoka? That’s right. This time, we made a difficult order, but we were particular about it all in about two months, so what did you do? Oh no, I kind of forgot to connect it , huh? Huh? ๅ ดใงใใ English: It’s completely differentI love mishapsStop it, really stopYou’ve got to get used to it nowThere ‘s nothing going onThe position of the sheet was wrongAh, don’t say that, I’m the culpritThe sheet was in a completely wrong positionThey said they would put the sheet up first because they were worried about oil stainsOur official opening is on the 8th AprilIt’s been just under 20 days since we openedI’m getting used to it little by little, but there are still many things I don’t know, and Ebi-chan and Chusuke-san from the food stalls have been teaching me all kinds of things, but at first I still had a lot of shortcomings and now I think they’re not pointing them out as muchOnce this becomes the norm, I don’t think it’s such a hassleI’m not so jealous of the other stores anymoreThis is the charm of this placeMr. Kono, here’s an unusual magnet, can you turn it over? The child of a customer at Balcono in Ehime Prefecture told me that Balcono’s carbonara is the best in the world and gave me this as a gift at the end, and I promised to always put it up on the stall, so it has a lot of feelings on it We’re local seniors and juniors, and I’ve known you since my early teens, so we’ve been friends for a long time. That’s right, I used to be really cheeky, but you always accepted my cheeky behavior. I’ve never seen you get angry. Really? <6pm Ready! We're open for business. (6:30 p.m., the first group of customers arrives.) I heard from an acquaintance that a new food stall had opened, and that it was Italian, so I thought I'd come and try it since it's a rare food stall. Today, I ordered Bagna Cauda . (Warm Broccoli with Bagna Cauda Sauce, 880 yen (excl. tax)). It's a flavor that goes well with alcohol. Normally, it's eaten with raw vegetables, but I can't eat raw food, so I used freshly boiled broccoli. It's a bit heavy, so be careful. (Manly Carbonara, 1,280 yen (excl. tax)). It has a great cheese flavor . Pasta eaten in a food stall atmosphere is also delicious. It's really delicious. (7 p.m., the number of customers is increasing.) That's because I'm going on a trip to Shikoku. I'm planning to travel around Shikoku by myself next week, and I'm going to do a week-long trip around the island. What should I do? There is Ishiteji Temple at the foot of Dogo Onsen in Ehime, and all the soil of the 88 temples is there. If I go around there, I will have visited all 88 temples. It's good, isn't it? It's the best. How about that? This is also delicious, with a strong anchovy flavor . Why did you decide to come to Fukuoka from Ehime? Of course the food stalls were attractive, but the main reason was that your eldest son plays soccer and said he wanted to come here as a soccer player. So you moved here as a whole family? No, we are still planning to come in order. So your son will be coming later? I'm 40 years old and I wanted to try something new, so I won the public call for food stalls. It 's amazing. I had a chance to talk to the mayor of Ehime, who was running a store in a shop and wanted to make a fresh start from there. I also asked the mayor, "Why did you go from a store to a food stall?" The mayor said, "Staats are attractive. Stores are good, but a food stall is worth it." He was happy and caught my eye, so thank you. But really, why are we going to go there from now on ? We can go straight there. (7:30 pm) How about this food stall from Ibaraki in the Kanto region today ? It's wonderful. To be honest, I went in thinking it was an Italian food stall, but it seems to be really good. I was surprised, in a good way. (Anchovy and mozzarella tomato spaghetti 1,250 yen (excluding tax)) Wow, isn't it a bit authentic? Delicious. Not a food stall today. The third food stall, and I'm just drifting? Yes, they told me that this Italian restaurant had recently opened, so I thought, "Let's go to the third place, " and decided to have pasta as a final dish, but instead of going to a restaurant, I can eat this authentic Italian food at a food stall, which is really great. It would be nice if there were this many types of pasta. It's nice to have a moderate number of options, so you can have pasta as a final dish or as a snack. (Squid ink spaghetti 1,350 yen (tax not included)) I'm really enjoying it. I ordered almost everything on the menu. What do you think of food stalls? They're fun, and extremely rewarding. Is there anything difficult about this job? The difficult things are all difficult, but the fun outweighs the difficulties, so I can do my best. (After 9pm) (Roasted beef cheek 2,200 yen (tax not included)) It's the best. (10:20pm The night at the food stall is still going strong.) (The menu also includes goyachampuuru.) Pork terrine, and finally egg, parmesan cheese, and black pepper. It's a little bit mixed with Italian, isn't it? It's a little mixed up, as expected. Goya Chanpuru Parmesan 850 yen (tax not included). It's delicious. There's cheese on top of the Goya Chanpuru. Where are you coming from today? From Yokohama. I went to see my favorite actor's play. What was the play? It was amazing . Hakata's food stalls are different from those in other cities, aren't they? They just don't have any walls. They're really established as shops, so I'm really looking forward to it. You can't go wrong no matter where you go, but the food here is really delicious. I love soccer, so I come here about twice a year when Marinos come to Avispa or when Marinos come to Tosu. I just came from Ehime. You just came? It's only been about 10 days since the shop opened, so it's fate. I can't believe I was able to get into such a new shop. 10:40 p.m. When I asked the proprietress of the food stall next door about the eggs that had run out, she said, ``We never have any, so thank you.'' ``These eggs are high-quality.' ' How did you find out about this shop? I came here because I heard from the food stall over there that their carbonara is delicious. I'm happy. I told my senior about it. Actually, I was out of eggs. I got two eggs from Chusuke next door, so it might be a carbonara with a lot of feelings. I watched and he reached out to help me. Jeff, the French guy two doors down, helped me carry Chusuke's luggage. Megane Coffee taught me a lot, and Ebi-chan taught me a lot, too. It's a really good line. Are you from Fukuoka? Yes, I live in Fukuoka. I like the food stalls around here, so I come here sometimes. (Man's Carbonara 1,280 yen (tax not included)) It's delicious . It's different from making it yourself. The ingredients themselves are simple, after all. Today, we will be focusing on food stalls in the Nakasu area! "Ultra C" is located on Showa-dori, one block behind the city center. This area, where many people who want to enjoy food stalls at a leisurely pace gather, is currently a hot spot. This person is the owner, still in his 30s. Good morning! Yes, good morning! 17:15 We start assembling the float. It's a must-see to see how the float transforms and is put together! (It's really well made.) It's a really amazing system, isn't it? (Who came up with it?) There's a float called "El Bajon" a little further up (on Showa Street), and we had someone there make it for us. Apparently they had a patent for it, and it was made by someone from a metalworking shop. After about two years, we were finally able to do it without thinking. At first, we had to think about it all the time, right ? What did you do? 18:00 The stall is assembled and we start preparing to open. (Was your previous job related to stalls?) It's completely unrelated. I worked for a company that runs izakayas and yakiniku restaurants. (Did you work in Fukuoka?) Well, I was in Tokyo at the time , and then I came back to my hometown of Fukuoka and started running a stall. (Do you have a master of stalls?) No, I don't have one. I started without knowing anything, and I changed a lot of things and somehow it worked out. I didn't have any problems with food or customer service, but I didn't have any know-how about the stalls themselves, so that was a struggle. Ultra C is a store that opened about two years ago after winning a public competition by the city. (What was the competition ratio for public competitions?) I think I was 13 out of 65 (successful), I think ( about the name "Ultra C") (Do customers ask you about the name?) They ask me, they ask me so many questions, it's really difficult. Well , I don't have a reason , so I thought of a lot of options , just kanji, and so on , but one came to mind. (What other options?) Other than that, I thought of words with meanings like "Shu-Ha-Ri" in kanji, but I came up with "Something Shop". 19:00 The lights came on at the food stall . Preparation of the very popular oden starts. We make the special soup. It's close to the taste of Kansai. It's not very dark. It's seasoned with light and white dashi and salt. Once the soup is ready, we add the ingredients. There's still not much left today, though. (Do you prepare everything yourself?) Yes, I prepare it when I get home and bring it out the next day. Popular dishes are oden, daikon radish, eggs, beef tendon, and duck. I cook it at low temperature and serve it about two hours later. (Is the size of the stall fixed?) The roof is fixed, 2.5m long and 3m wide, and the seats have to be under the roof to match that, so everyone is about the same size (the kitchen is so small when you see it from behind) , it's really really difficult to work in, but it's really only big enough for one person. Yes, that's why we have a part-time worker, but with just two people it gets quite cramped. 19:00 We finally open! Everyone, thank you for your hard work! Delicious Konnyaku and deep-fried tofu are delicious. I got an order for squid butter . Squid butter: 700 yen . 20:00 A part-time worker joined us. Today is the second time (I've spoken to him) (I thought he was a regular customer I know). The second time, he's already a regular. That's the good thing about a food stall, isn't it ? Yes! I think so. I wonder what the joy of a food stall is . Well, at times like now, it's really nice when people come once and then come again. I'm really really happy. It's a moment when I think I'm glad I'm doing this. 20:30 The number of customers is gradually increasing! At night, the lighting of the shop is really beautiful (are you alone today?). Yes, if you pass by here, you have to go in. Thank you! I 'm happy . 21:30 The relaxed atmosphere of Ultra C is very pleasant. The chive and egg is also popular. Chive and egg: 500 yen . Wow, it looks delicious! (How was it?) It was delicious. This is my second time. When was the first time you came? It was last month , last month (return visit) It's so fast, so fast I think it feels like you can just come in and talk to people at your leisure 23:00 Both locals and tourists come into the store casually I came here for the first time as a tourist Where are you from? I'm from Miyagi I went to Sendai (in Miyagi) the other day about a year ago Almost all customers order oden! Daikon radish is really good, it's delicious, this one is even better Thank you! It was fun Take care and please come again We look forward to seeing you anytime! We wash each dish and cup carefully Because we have many tourists visiting, we have menus in multiple languages Yakisoba to go with alcohol is very popular Delicious sauce base Yakisoba: 500 yen The chewy thick noodles are delicious! (If you're traveling to Kansai) I haven't seen Lake Biwa in Wakayama and Shiga yet.I've only seen Hakata and the surrounding area . Tourists and locals mix together and have lively conversations, which is unique to the food stalls (What do you think of the atmosphere in the food stalls?). I feel a unique culture that you don't get in Kyoto or Osaka.The distances are close, but I still can't get a sense of it.There are quite a lot of foreigners on weekdays, but sometimes it gets filled up with just foreigners.There are some people who can speak English, but even if they can't speak English, they can get excited about the nuances and general words.It 's really an international exchange.You can have international exchange at the food stalls! 11:30pm Even at this time new customers are gathering. The delicious food and relaxed atmosphere of the restaurant may be the secret to Ultra C's popularity. The preparation and cleanup is probably the most difficult part. Also, it 's a bit difficult being at the mercy of the weather. (In the Nakasu/Showa-dori area) I'm honestly glad I live here, where I can spend some time relaxing with my customers. I'm a bit jealous of the high foot traffic, but I think there are some business styles that are only possible here.
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