I feel like having sashimi, but also want to eat meat, so I strolled through the shopping street from Kokura Station and quickly found a shop. There is a counter, making it easy for a woman to enter alone. However, it feels like the air conditioning is too strong. Today's three-point sashimi plate is 1580 yen. It is undeniably delicious, with a satisfying taste. The ingredients are fresh. The alcohol also goes well with it. The menu's red line should be recommended, and when I saw the words "chicken karaage," I couldn't resist ordering it. It was hearty and had a strong flavor. I have no regrets, why is it so delicious! And I was moved by the sight of the staff working diligently in the shop. Thank you for the feast.

For dinner, I visited the Gotchan Uomachi restaurant. The friendly young waiter showed us to our table and we ordered grilled yellowtail collar, tuna yukhoe, and grilled dumplings. The grilled yellowtail collar was tender and delicious, especially when paired with lemon and grated daikon radish. The tuna yukhoe was rich and sweet with the raw egg, making it a perfect accompaniment to drinks. Among the many fish dishes, the grilled dumplings stood out as a unique option. Definitely try them if you're in the mood for something meaty. Thank you for the wonderful meal.

I returned by car from Moji and took a break. Next, I headed to Kokura from Shimonoseki by train. Finally, I was taken to the city of my dreams, Kokura. I was told not to go alone, so I finally went with a guardian. The train ride was only two stops, but the distance between stations was long. I was impressed when the train went dark due to a direct switch rather than running through an undersea tunnel. When I arrived at Kokura Station and stepped out into the city, I realized it was a big city. I eventually walked to the Yatai Market and made my way back. I tried one of the stalls I had my eye on. There were quite a few young people as customers, and it was a bit noisy – it was a Saturday night after all. The octopus was delicious, and the texture and flavor were great even without being cut too thick. Is this the characteristic of octopus in this region? I've always liked octopus as an ingredient, but the octopus from the Kanmon area became my favorite on this trip. The sesame hirasu (mackerel) dish may have been an arrangement of sesame mackerel. The firm flesh combined with the sauce was a rich flavor and a happy chewing experience. The tempura was fried perfectly and tasted delicious. Before I knew it, the final stop of my visit to Japan's designated cities was Kitakyushu City. I look forward to visiting Kokura again.

On New Year's Day, I walked around the shopping street in Kokura looking for a place to drink in the afternoon. Most places were closed, but I finally found one! This place is great. They have a wide variety of dishes and a casual atmosphere. The draft beer is cheap and the fried chicken is delicious! As for the sashimi...I won't get into the details for now. But for now, let's just say this place was a lifesaver for a lunch refugee on New Year's Day. Thank you!

"Alicia-san's food log: Today, I had some free time in the afternoon, so I met up with my close friend a bit early at 3:30. At first, there weren't many customers, but more and more started coming in later on. They have a good variety of fish, meat, and vegetables, so you can enjoy it like a regular izakaya. It's conveniently located near the station and they have a happy hour, so it's worth it. The sashimi was good, but the simmered fish was incredibly delicious and I enjoyed eating it bit by bit."

On the third night of my business trip in Kitakyushu, I arrived at this restaurant after 9 pm due to a delay. Since there were few open restaurants, I managed to find this one. I decided to enjoy Fukuoka's local sake with bonito sashimi and assorted tempura. The restaurant has a retro Showa-era vibe, which I found quite charming.

There has been a cheap and delicious izakaya in Osaka serving "seafood + tempura" for over 10 years. The place is called "Tottsuan" and it creates a casual atmosphere with vinyl sheets. Interestingly, there is another branch called "Gottsuan" which also serves "seafood + tempura". When I visited the branch with a tuna menu displayed outside, I was surprised to find that there was actually not much tuna on the menu. I ended up ordering bonito tataki, tuna yukke, and a few tempura dishes. The beer came with a side of edamame. The amount of foam in the beer and the highball refill was a bit lacking. The bonito tataki was good, but I prefer it with ponzu sauce and condiments rather than sweet soy sauce. The tuna yukke was tasty but seemed a bit too reliant on sauce and egg yolk. I would prefer to enjoy good tuna without all the heavy seasoning. The tempura was average. It's nice to be able to enjoy freshly fried tempura at this kind of izakaya, as it can be a hassle to make at home and eating tempura at a specialized restaurant can get boring. Izakayas truly have their charm.

◉Genre: Izakaya ◉Area: Around JR Kokura Station, Kokurakita-ku, Kitakyushu City ◉Access: Less than 5 minutes on foot from JR Kokura Station ◉Parking: None (Coin parking available nearby) ◉Credit card payment: Not available ◉Number of visits: First visit ◉Number of reviews: 1st review On this day, I casually visited "Jizakaya Gotchan Kokura Uomachi Store." ◇Exterior and Interior This izakaya is located near JR Kokura Station in Kokurakita-ku, Kitakyushu City. It has a casual pub-like atmosphere. It used to be a different shop before, and while it has transformed into the current store, there are still remnants of the old establishment. There are three TVs, giving it a somewhat sports bar-like element, yet J-POP music plays, creating a unique atmosphere. Smoking is allowed inside the restaurant. ◇Seating The main seating consists of counter seats and tables for two, giving it a stylish feel. ◇Menu Structure The menu includes speedy dishes, salads, fish dishes, sashimi, tempura, chicken dishes, rice bowls, etc. The prices are generally low. From 12:00 to 17:00, highball and lemon sour are half price, making it a recommended spot for daytime drinking! The items ordered were as follows: - Octopus sashimi (500 yen) → There are many dishes on the menu, and they are all affordable. When in doubt, go for the beef stew! But unfortunately, they didn't have it, so I opted for the octopus. It is labeled as "Kanmon" on the menu, indicating that it was definitely caught in Kanmon, but whether it is top quality is another question. Regardless, it's only 500 yen, which is a steal! Sometimes, dishes with a similar taste can cost around 850 yen, so 500 yen is a great deal! ◆Strong Points Great atmosphere for casual daytime drinking. ◆Service This is the only downside. It would be better if there was more energy and enthusiasm... Self-production is important, after all. ◆Summary Casual daytime drinking with half-price lemon sours. Despite the high turnover rate, I hope they continue to do their best! Thank you for the meal.

On July 8, 2021, I visited a restaurant to celebrate my 47th birthday. It was a day trip from Nagoya to Kokura by Shinkansen for business. Unexpected heavy rain in the Hiroshima area caused the Shinkansen to stop, so despite boarding at 7:35 in the morning, I arrived at 14:30, taking 7 hours to reach Kokura. Due to this delay, I couldn't have lunch and was starving after finishing my business meeting. Before boarding the Shinkansen, I wanted to eat something delicious, so I went to a restaurant with a colleague from the company. We started with draft beer, assorted tempura, squid sashimi, chilled tomatoes, and freshly fried sesame-crusted amberjack tempura. Everything was delicious, but the most amazing dish was the sesame-crusted amberjack. The fatty fish combined with the sauce was the best taste. I had the best sesame-crusted amberjack on my birthday.

Visited Nagoya, Miyazaki, Kagoshima, Saga, Fukuoka on a two-day business trip, ending the last evening with all meetings at Kokura Station. Returned the rental car at Nippon Rent-A-Car and headed to the neighboring Gotsu-An Shinkansen. Reserved a seat for a quick 30-minute ride. Toasted with a cold beer with a colleague. Enjoyed octopus sashimi, sesame seeds, and chashu pork as appetizers. The chashu pork, wrapped in onion and a hint of mustard, was flavorful. Beer flowed as we had a second round. The octopus sashimi was a delight, especially for someone from Nagoya. Gotsu-An was the favorite from the last visit. Ended with a bill of 3,470 yen, a great value for delicious drinks and food. Will definitely return.

Uomachi, Kitakyushu City, Kokurakita-ku. There used to be a restaurant focused on chicken near Kokura Station called Nanjamonja no Ki, but now it has changed to a seafood restaurant. The menu mainly features fish, with a variety of sashimi including flatfish and yellowtail, as well as a good selection of tuna dishes. However, they only offer four types of seafood tempura. In addition to salads, speedy dishes, and items like chicken karaage and grilled dumplings, there are other menu options available. The lineup seems to make sense with the presence of fisherman-style dishes. This time, I was drawn to the "seared salmon sashimi" and the staff-recommended "seseri ponzu." We ordered these along with bottled beer. Surprisingly, even the staff did not push for the fish dishes. The seared salmon sashimi had a rich fatty flavor, and when seared and lightly salted, it was incredibly delicious. It paired well with wasabi and soy sauce. Ordering it was a good choice. The seseri ponzu had a tangy ponzu sauce with a nice texture from the crunchy and soft seseri. The generous amount of grated radish and green onions was a nice touch. It was indeed delicious. The food was good, the prices were reasonable, but I feel like it lacks something to stand out from the surrounding restaurants. Personally, I don't see myself going back for a second visit unless it's for happy hour. Thank you for the meal.

Visited Nagoya -> Kokura -> Nagoya on December 22, 2020 for a day trip business meeting. After finishing the evening meeting at Kokura Station North Exit, I ran 3 kilometers with a colleague before catching the Shinkansen. We had a limited 20-minute time frame to grab a drink. The place offered draft beer for 280 yen, which was a great deal. We also tried sushi ginger tempura for 150 yen, crab miso with shiso leaf tempura for 480 yen, and salted kombu and sesame oil marinated red sea bream for 580 yen. The tempura was crispy and fresh, while the fish was tender and delicious. If we had more time, we would have ordered a tempura assortment. The prices were reasonable, the food was tasty, and we finished eating and drinking within 20 minutes before boarding the Shinkansen.

Long-awaited casual drinking in Kokura~ "Gottsuan" It's been a while since I had work in Kitakyushu. I finished my meeting early, so I headed to the Uomachi shopping street in Kokura and found just what I was looking for! A daytime drinking spot called "Gottsuan" izakaya. They are open from 12:00 without any breaks. First up, a highball! Daytime drinking price of 190 yen + tax. The otoshi (appetizer) was edamame for 300 yen + tax. I decided to order one more dish, the tuna yukke for 480 yen + tax. Mix it with wasabi, egg yolk, and green onions. For the second drink, a lemon sour at the discounted price of 190 yen + tax. I paid with PayPay, totaling 1276 yen. It was a great casual drinking experience~ ● Shop Information Gottsuan 093-482-1933 1-6-7 Uomachi, Kokura North Ward, Kitakyushu City Business Hours: 12:00-24:00

This is a rare smoking-friendly restaurant in Kokura. It is located near the entrance of the central shopping street, close to the station, with a noticeable red and large lantern. The first floor has a counter, two-person tables, and four-person tables at the back, while the second floor has four-person tables. They have a happy hour where you can enjoy great deals. The food menu offers fresh fish and all the dishes are delicious. The service is quick and the beer is ice-cold. The owner and staff are young but very attentive and likeable. They even give out candies at the end of the meal, which is a nice touch. Despite being busy, they always see you off outside the restaurant, making you feel appreciated. I always leave saying "I'll come back again" in my heart, every time I leave the restaurant. (laughs)

After returning to Kokura from Izakaya Saito, it was just around lunchtime. I could have gone back to Hiroshima, but since I didn't know when I could come back again, I decided to wander around the downtown area. I happened to come across a sign that said, "Day drinking available! Lemon sour is half price at 190 yen during day drinking hours!" Is this place welcoming me? Although I didn't plan to visit this restaurant, I decided to go in. It was a Sunday afternoon, so there were only a few customers, but there were definitely some day drinkers. I ordered the 190 yen lemon sour as my first drink. It was not homemade but it was good for the price. They served edamame as a complimentary appetizer (estimated at 300 yen). Looking at the menu, there were various options, including a surprising amount of fresh fish dishes for a casual dining place. Later, I noticed the sign outside said "Fresh Fish Food Stand." Ah, that makes sense since it's located in Fish Town. For my first dish, I ordered the "Tuna Avocado for 480 yen," which was not bad. The second dish was the "Deep-fried Seseri for 550 yen," generously seasoned with salt and pepper, perfect with drinks. For my second drink, I ordered the 380 yen Beam High, but the waiter kindly informed me that during this time, the Beam High was also 190 yen. So, I went with the 190 yen Beam High. When I saw the tempura being enjoyed by the older man and the young couple at the table behind me, I decided to order the half-size "Assorted Tempura" for 790 yen. It had sweet potato, eggplant, pumpkin, chikuwa, shrimp, and kisu (sillago). It was delicious as it was freshly fried. The tempura dipping sauce was also generously served. The total came to 2750 yen including tax. I ended up spending more than I expected after being lured in by the cheap drinks. The restaurant is open every day from lunchtime, not taking a break even during the pandemic. Keep up the good work and don't give up!

Today's small portion special: 780 yen Kihou Tsuru: 550 yen

I was able to enjoy a delicious meal at a reasonable price. The tempura was also available for individual order and was reasonably priced.