There is no parking lot in front of Kokura Station in Kitakyushu City. If you stay at the hotel, you can eat for 1500 yen including tax. The menu is quite extensive, but whether it's worth 1500 yen is debatable. There weren't many homemade items and the taste was just average. However, the apa curry was delicious! The seating was limited and the buffet lacked excitement. I will visit again. Thank you for the meal! (*'▽'*)

I worked in Kitakyushu Kokura and had breakfast. I was happy to see curry, but it was disappointing that it was lukewarm. No matter how delicious the curry is, I want to eat it hot. Buffet is nice because you can eat what you like without waiting for various dishes.

October 16th (Day 1) to October 17th (Day 2) Hiroshima and Kitakyushu Foodie Trip Part 9 On Saturday evening, we visited "Chisaku Itto" in Hiroshima, and the following Sunday for lunch, we went to "TOBIUME," a Japanese restaurant in Yahata, Kitakyushu. We received invitations to both places and planned a 1-night, 2-day trip to Hiroshima and Kitakyushu. We took a taxi from "Chisaku Itto" to Hiroshima Station and arrived at Kokura Station via the Nozomi Shinkansen around 9:30 pm. Our accommodation for the night was at "APA Hotel Kokura Ekimae," located about 200m to the right of Kokura Station's Shinkansen exit (North Exit). There is also a newly opened "APA Hotel Kokura Shinkansen Exit" about 100m to the left. Due to the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships scheduled to take place at the Kitakyushu City General Gymnasium from October 18th to 24th, most hotels around the station were fully booked, and we managed to secure a room at "APA Hotel Kokura Ekimae." This was our first time staying at an APA Hotel. Despite the heavy rain, we stopped by a convenience store on the way to buy bottled tea and carbonated water, and we checked in at 9:45 pm. We booked a plan through Jalan.net that included a Twin room with breakfast for two at 15,800 yen. The room was located across the street in a building with no great views and low ceilings, but the twin beds provided ample space. We were also pleasantly surprised with a complimentary can of the popular low-alcohol drink "Biari" each, which we enjoyed later in Osaka during dinner. The hotel, formerly known as "Blue Wave Inn Kokura" and before that as "Chisan Hotel Kokura," was built in 1987. After a day of exploring and dining in Hiroshima, where we enjoyed sparkling wine for lunch, beer in the evening, and champagne and shochu during a dinner meeting, we showered and went to bed early, falling asleep quickly. The next morning, we woke up at 6:30 am to find that the rain had stopped, but it was the coldest morning of the fall, with a strong wind blowing. To warm up, we went to the "Kitakyushu Ekiben Platto Pitto No. 4 Store" on the local train platform at Kokura Station and had the famous "Kashiwa Udon." We then returned to the hotel room and woke up our friend for breakfast at 7:30 am. The breakfast buffet at the hotel's 1st-floor restaurant, "Ginsuitei," included coffee, grapefruit juice, APA President Curry, side dishes, salad, miso soup, natto, and more, all for 1,500 yen. Due to the pandemic, breakfast buffets at hotels had been suspended, but it seemed like things were returning to normal. We started the day with hot coffee and grapefruit juice, and I enjoyed a variety of Japanese dishes, but the highlight was the APA Hotel's famous beef curry, the "APA President Curry." This retort curry was a huge hit, selling over 7 million units, and features the enigmatic smile of APA President Fumiko Motonoya on the box and posters. I added shredded cabbage to make it resemble the "Kanazawa Curry," but this time, I transformed it into a "Natto Curry." Natto is a must-have for breakfast for Myrebi-san from Mito, so I made sure to include it, keeping everyone happy. After finishing the meal, I took a nap for 2 hours before checking out at 10:15 am. Thank you for the hospitality. From Kokura Station, we took the rapid train to Orio Station. Bon appétit!

In October 2021, I had dinner in Hiroshima and then took the Shinkansen to Kokura. Due to the World Gymnastics/Rhythmic Gymnastics KITAKYUSHU 2021 event, most hotels around Kokura Station were fully booked, so I stayed at an APA Hotel. I arrived before 10 pm and checked in. I stayed in a twin room with breakfast included, costing around 7,500 yen per person. The room was spacious. However, the air conditioning in the rooms is centrally controlled, so you cannot adjust the temperature individually. It was a bit cold that day, so I turned off the air conditioning. I took a bath and went to bed early. The next morning, I woke up at 7 am and had breakfast at 7:30 am at the "Ginsuitei" located on the 1st floor. It was a buffet with a mix of Japanese and Western dishes, although there were no specific local dishes from Kokura. The mapo tofu and tofu were delicious. They also had APA curry, but I skipped it as I had lunch plans later. After a short nap, I checked out at 10 am. It was a brief stay, but thank you for the hospitality!

This is my first stay at an APA Hotel. I had breakfast at APA Hotel Kokura Station. The breakfast buffet offers a wide variety of dishes such as scrambled eggs, bacon, omelets, shumai, mapo tofu, chicken nuggets, simmered vegetables, various salads, grilled fish, and APA Hotel curry. The food was delicious. I ended up eating too much at the buffet. I am full. Thank you for the meal.