On the evening of June 13, customers gather at a number of open-air yatai food stalls in Nagahama, Fukuoka City.
16:30 JST, July 27, 2024
FUKUOKA — A “yatai concierge” service that introduces foreign visitors to the charms of Fukuoka’s open-air food stalls has launched at the international terminal of Fukuoka Airport to encourage more tourists to try the dining experience.
The service, operated by the Fukuoka city government, was launched on June 27 in response to the recent increase in the number of visitors.
The Yomiuri ShimbunYatai concierge Keiko Toyoshima (left) provides information to a foreign tourist.
The yatai concierge corner is set up at a tourist information desk in the arrival hall of the terminal. Staff at the desk explain how to order food at the yatai and other etiquette by showing materials and maps in English. They also recommend yatai that suit the preferences of visitors.
“Fukuoka has such a rich variety of these mobile stalls,” said Keiko Toyoshima, a member of the concierge staff. “I want to convey what makes this yatai special to many people.”
On-site training
On the evening of June 24, two female staff members from the information desk came to watch the preparations for yatai on a sidewalk in front of the city’s fresh fish market in Nagahama District. The two women were there as part of their training to work as yatai janitors at the airport.
The women sampled various dishes served at a stall and spoke directly to the operator, who confirmed that the stall has an English menu and that families with children are “very welcome” to eat there.
“This confirmed for me that yatai are places where you can get a real feel for Fukuoka,” said Seiko Mine, one of the staff at the tourist information desk. “In the past, I often recommended that tourists visit places like Dazaifu, Nakasu or Ohori Park, but now these charming yatai are another option.”
Home of Nagahama ramen
Many yatai in Fukuoka opened shortly after the end of World War II. At their peak in the 1960s, there were more than 400 stalls operating in the city.
Although this number decreased in the following years, the city government decided on a plan to transform the areas where yatai were located into tourist attractions. In 2013, an open registration system for yatai operators was introduced.
The city promoted Tenjin, Nakasu, and Nagahama as the three main yatai districts of Fukuoka. Although a growing number of stalls in Tenjin and Nakasu quickly became popular and lines of people often formed to eat there, the recovery of the Nagahama district took longer than expected.
In January 2019, there were few Yatai customers in Nagahama.
Nagahama is said to be the birthplace of Nagahama ramen, famous for its very thin noodles and for kaedama — an extra serving of noodles added to the remaining broth. However, Nagahama is some distance from major business districts, so for several years there was only one yatai operating there. Moreover, it opened irregularly.
The city government has been ramping up promotion of Nagahama Yatai Street for about a year, resulting in seven stalls applying in the fourth round of invitations for applications. These yatai will open in June 2023.
The city government decorated stairs and walls at the nearest municipal subway station, Akasaka Station, with noren shop curtains and lanterns, and held a temporary stamp-collecting rally and contests with original merchandise as prizes. The city uses the Line messaging app to let users check whether certain yatai are open for business.
According to the city government, the combination of these efforts has proven somewhat successful in attracting customers to Nagahama.
Popular stalls emerge
One yatai in Nagahama that has developed a loyal following is Mentai Chudoku, which serves dishes with mentaiko-salted cod roe. There is often a line of customers before the stall opens.
Tatsuji Yonemitsu, owner of Mentai Chudoku, was initially skeptical that customers would come to his stall, but he decided there was only one way to overcome the potential disadvantage of his location.
“I had to get people to come to Nagahama specifically to eat at the yatai,” Yonemitsu said.
Yatai operator Tatsuji Yonemitsu (left) chats with customers at his mobile stall on June 18.
He improved his cooking skills to serve high-quality meals and increasingly used social media to spread information about his stall.
The first yatai to specialize in mentaiko dishes quickly became popular among diners. “The food is delicious,” said one, while another added, “The stall has a good atmosphere.”
Daisuke Tosu, head of a group consisting of Nagahama yatai and other businessmen, believes the district can only grow stronger.
“The daily preparations and cleanup are hard work, but being close to customers is one of the biggest draws of yatai. We will be working with other stores to bring even more energy to Nagahama,” Tosu said.
