[Kuroyasha] Fugu Mentaiko 2 pieces for 410 yen [Energy 139kcal Carbohydrates 1.9g]. When carefully inspecting the store, there are quite a few fascinating souvenirs available. However, after having a heavy lunch and feeling physically exhausted, I opted for a small and light fugu mentaiko purchase. The fugu mentaiko was on the milder side. I was expecting a stronger mentaiko flavor. Suica is accepted.

At the end of my trip to Saga, I had some time to spare at Kokura Station. I couldn't resist going into a souvenir shop. Once you go in, you end up buying something, right? Since I was in Kokura, I ended up getting a souvenir from Hakata. When you think of Hakata, you think of "Amaou" strawberries. There were various sweets to choose from, but I decided on the "Balmstick Hakata Amaou Strawberry" made by the famous "Nitsurudou" known for their "Hakata women." They use Amaou strawberry jam and puree. The nutritional information per 100g is: 514 kcal, 7.6g protein, 24.3g fat, 66.3g carbohydrates, and 0.5g salt equivalent. Since I have no idea what 100g looks like, I wish they would say "per piece" or "per box." Inside the box are 10 long sticks. When you open it, you'll see sticks with a slightly unusual shape. I understood the meaning of "Balmstick." It's a long Baumkuchen cut vertically. That's why it's called "Balmstick." When you taste it, it has a cookie-like texture. It's not as fluffy as Baumkuchen, a bit firm, with a subtle strawberry flavor. It goes well with coffee or black tea. This is delicious. Truly the manufacturer of the "Hakata women"! It can also be a good souvenir to give out. I highly recommend it.

West Japan has released a special travel ticket called "Dice Ticket". The third edition allows you to travel round trip from Okayama to Kokura, Matsuyama, Nara, and Tsuruga for 5,000 yen on weekdays and 8,000 yen on weekends and holidays. My dice rolled to Kokura. I took the Shinkansen from Okayama and headed straight to Kokura... I visited the Kyushu Railway Memorial Museum and the Moji Electric Railway Retro Museum, explored the Moji Port souvenir street, and returned to Moji Port Station. I arrived back at Kokura Station, the starting point for the return trip on the Dice Ticket. I still had time before my reserved "Sakura" train, so I took a look under the viaduct at Vieira Kokura. I bought some souvenirs on the Moji Port souvenir street and thought about getting a cup of local sake, so I looked at this shop too. That's when I noticed a product called "City Confectionery" in the sweets section. Kitakyushu City was originally formed by the equal merger of five cities: Moji, Kokura, Wakamatsu, Yahata, and Tobata. "City Confectionery" contains one specialty sweet from each of the five cities. Some are famous, while others are more surprising. The concept of the product was interesting, and I couldn't resist buying one. When I got home, I opened the box with my family. I tried the Chochin Yama Monaka. It's shaped like the lantern mountain from the Tobata Gion Yama Gasa festival, showing how the Yama Gasa culture has spread to Kitakyushu, not just Fukuoka. We shared the other sweets among the family and enjoyed them together. It was a delightful meal. Thank you.

I have been relying on Omiyage Michi-san for souvenirs in various places. They have Fukuoka specialties like sweets, mentaiko, motsunabe, and chicken skin... They have everything! Here, I bought some snacks for the evening and a favorite of mine, uni and fugu mixed rice seasoning ♡ Later, I realized that the mixed rice seasoning was actually a souvenir from a different prefecture... Oh well, as long as it's delicious, it's all good! (๑>◡<๑)

I visited the Viela Kokura store of the "Omiyage Kaido" at Kokura Station. The store is located on the 3rd floor of the commercial facility "Viela Kokura" on the Shinkansen side (north exit) of JR Kokura Station. "Omiyage Kaido" mainly sells Kokura specialties and souvenirs from Fukuoka. There is also a store of "Omiyage Kaido" inside the Shinkansen ticket gate at Kokura Station. Viela Kokura opened on June 30th last year. "Omiyage Kaido" has been operating since the time of the previous commercial facility, "Kokura Ekinaka Himawari Plaza," and I have used it several times since the "Himawari Plaza" days. ◆Items purchased on this day: Kokura's specialty Kashiwa Udon (420 yen including tax) I made the udon at home following the instructions on the package. This Kashiwa Udon is a souvenir version of the popular standing udon at platforms 7 and 8 of the local lines at Kokura Station. This udon is sold by "Kitakyushu Ekiben Co., Ltd.," established in 1891. I always thought that the udon on the platforms at Kokura Station was from Higashi Tsukiken in Orio, but I only found out about "Kitakyushu Ekiben Co., Ltd." for the first time when I bought the udon this time. The udon came with noodles, retort kashiwa meat, and udon broth. I only added green onions. The udon is made with domestic wheat and water from Hita Tenryosui. It didn't have a strong firmness typical of Fukuoka udon. It had a moderately chewy texture. It had a solid wheat flavor and was to my liking in terms of taste and texture. The broth was thick and slightly sweet. Kashiwa meat is a soul food of Kitakyushu, so udon in Kitakyushu often contains kashiwa. The kashiwa meat, simmered in a sweet and savory sauce, was finely chopped. It had a strong seasoning but I found it delicious. I have had udon on platforms 7 and 8 a few times, but I haven't had it in over 30 years because I don't use the local lines at Kokura Station very often. Therefore, my memory of the taste of the udon on the platforms is vague, but I thought it was almost the same taste. It was delicious, so I would like to buy it again when I go to Kokura Station. If I have the opportunity, I would like to have udon on the platforms. "Omiyage Kaido" also sold many Kitakyushu specialties such as yakisoba from Kokura and baked curry from Moji Port. They also sold popular items from Hakata such as "Hakata Torimon" and mentaiko. I thought it was a convenient store. Thank you for the meal.

Before riding the Shinkansen, I explored Fukuoka sweets at Kokura Station ♫ One of the items I recently tried was freshly baked "Nanban-oro", but I realized I had never tried the normal version, so I decided to buy it for comparison. The sweet potato flavor and raspberry sandwich. When I opened the bag, there was a nice buttery smell! The basic structure is a pie crust bottom with plenty of buttery almond dough. This one has sweet potato in it, so you can taste the sweet potato flavor. Comparing it to the freshly baked one, you can see that the butter has melded into the dough over time, making it moist and delicious. The bottom of the moist sweet potato dough is like a thin pie dish! This shows the high quality of souvenir sweets! As expected from gourmet town Fukuoka ✨ The freshly baked one had a crispy pie crust, but this one is moist. However, the good smell is still there, and the almond dough is light and crispy. The freshly baked one had a lightness to it, but this one, after the butter and sugar have melded over time, has gained weight and transformed into a moist and flavorful dough. Each has its own merits, and I like this one as well! Depending on your preference for financiers or baked sweets, I recommend purchasing according to your taste ♡ "Amaou strawberry milk cheese tart". I thought that tart sweets would inevitably be inferior to cake shop pastries, but it looked delicious, so I bought it. It was really delicious! The tart was crispy, and the strawberry and cheese were both rich ✨ The cheesecake inside the tart was rich and moist, and it was really delicious. The strawberry flavor was not artificial, but sweet and sour, with a good balance! This is a delicious Hakata souvenir. I would definitely buy it again.

Nunu Chicken @ 1080 yen x 3 = 3240 yen THE SaBAR Mentaiko (Smoked Mackerel) 864 yen Mentaiko Matsumae Pickles 1080 yen Hakata Torimon 560 yen Total: 5744 yen Nunu Chicken (Dream Chicken) is definitely delicious. Once you start eating it, you can't stop. THE SaBAR Mentaiko has a nice spicy kick and is perfect as a snack. The Mentaiko Matsumae Pickles are also tasty and go well with plain rice. As for the Hakata Torimon, it's okay. I would eat it if it's served elsewhere, but I wouldn't buy it myself. It seems to be popular among those who like steamed buns.