Due to a wide-area transfer or relocation, I decided to spend the remaining 4 days at the business hotel "Heiwadai Hotel Otemon" in Chuo-ku, Fukuoka City, Fukuoka Prefecture. I woke up around 6 am on the morning of the 3rd day, completed the check-out preparations such as washing my face and getting ready, and headed to the first-floor restaurant around 7 am to take advantage of the "free breakfast service" for guests being held from 7:00 am to 9:00 am. When I sat at an available table, a staff member greeted me with "Good morning. Would you like tea or water?" I replied, "Tea, please." About 2 minutes later, a "Japanese set menu" was served as an alternative to the buffet-style free breakfast service that was suspended due to COVID-19 precautions. The set menu included regular rice, hearty miso soup, ham and eggs, macaroni salad, simmered fish, fresh vegetable salad, seaweed, chicken and vegetable stew, furikake, seasoned seaweed, mentaiko, natto, soy sauce, and hot tea. After putting natto on the rice, I tried the Japanese set menu, which was free but still of high quality in terms of content, volume, and taste. It was delicious! The menu changed daily, so I didn't get tired of it even for multiple nights. After the meal, I enjoyed the complimentary morning coffee for guests and promptly checked out of Heiwadai Hotel Otemon.

Due to a wide-area transfer or relocation, I decided to spend the remaining 4 days at the business hotel "Heiwadai Hotel Otemon" in Chuo-ku, Fukuoka City, Fukuoka Prefecture. I woke up around 6:00 am on the second day of my stay, finished washing my face and getting ready, and headed to the restaurant on the first floor around 7:00 am to take advantage of the "free breakfast service" for guests, which was available from 7:00 am to 9:00 am. When I sat at an empty table, a staff member greeted me and asked, "Good morning. Would you like tea or water?" I replied, "Tea, please." About 2 minutes later, a "Japanese set menu" was served as a substitute for the buffet-style breakfast service that had been discontinued due to COVID-19 precautions. The set menu included rice, miso soup with plenty of ingredients, omelette, sausage, simmered fish, macaroni salad, green salad, pickled plum, strawberries, simmered burdock and taro, furikake seasoning, seasoned seaweed, shirasu (whitebait) and dried young sardines, natto, soy sauce, and hot tea. I tried the natto on rice and enjoyed the Japanese set menu, which was free but had a high level of quality, volume, and taste. The menu was different from the previous day to ensure that guests staying for a long time would not get bored with their breakfast, which I appreciated. After the meal, I had the complimentary morning coffee available only to guests and headed to my last work in Fukuoka.

Due to a wide-area transfer and relocation, I decided to spend the remaining 4 days at the business hotel "Heiwadai Hotel Otemon" in Chuo-ku, Fukuoka City, Fukuoka Prefecture. On this particular day, I woke up around 6:00 am as I had work, and after washing my face and getting ready, I went to the restaurant on the first floor. The restaurant offered a free breakfast service for guests from 7:00 am to 9:00 am, so I arrived a little after 7:00 am to take advantage of this service. I was seated at an empty table, and a staff member asked me if I preferred tea or water. I chose water, and a few minutes later, a set menu of Japanese breakfast items was served instead of the usual buffet due to COVID-19 precautions. The set menu included rice, miso soup with plenty of ingredients, sausage, rolled omelette, fresh vegetable salad, fruits, vegetable side dish, mentaiko, furikake, seasoned seaweed, natto, and soy sauce. I topped the rice with natto and enjoyed the Japanese breakfast set, which, while not flashy, was of high quality considering it was complimentary. After the meal, I tried to purchase coffee from the paid coffee maker in the lobby, but during the free breakfast service hours, the coffee maker was also complimentary. I gratefully enjoyed the hot coffee in my room before heading to work.

This hotel was chosen because it is easy to go to a morning run. It is a hotel with a view of the Heiwadai Athletic Stadium, which made history in the Japanese marathon world. Unfortunately, I couldn't take a walk nearby because it was raining in the morning. Breakfast is free, but considering the overall price, it's not bad. I usually like bread for breakfast, but the hotel with a bread buffet nearby was full, so I had to settle for this. The buffet had a variety of options, including a Japanese breakfast with slightly dry rice. The miso soup helped soothe my stomach after a night of drinking. I couldn't resist trying the tonkotsu ramen as well. There were quite a few options to choose from, and I was satisfied with the vegetable salad. It would have been nice to have a better selection of juices, but I shouldn't be too picky.

I ended up having to go to Fukuoka once a month. I always use cheap business travel packages on Rakuten Travel, and this time the cheapest option with airfare included was the Heiwadai Hotel Otemon. Just to give you an idea, it was 42,600 yen for 2 nights with airfare. (July 2017) This hotel is honestly quite old. The hotel key feels old, and the unit bath gives off a retro vibe. Plus, the elevator has a kerosene smell. There are also a lot of noisy young Asian guests staying here. When I first entered the hotel, I thought "Oh no." The only advantage is that it's close to the Yahoo Dome and Ohori Park. No, that's not it. The real highlight of this hotel is the breakfast buffet. Normally, breakfast buffets only have grilled fish and natto. But this one had sweet and sour chicken (made with chicken instead of pork) and ham cutlets stuffed with shiso leaves and eggs, which were delicious. The hijiki seaweed and salads were also tasty, and they even had tonkotsu ramen as part of the soup options! The variety aside, the taste was really good. I felt like I wanted to stay here again just for the breakfast. I stayed for 2 nights this time, and on the last morning, I finally got to do some fishing at Ohori Park. Unfortunately, I didn't catch anything, but it was still fun. However, I couldn't book this hotel for my August trip. If I have the chance, I would like to stay here again.

One Coin Lunch! Dining Heiwadai (Dining Heiwadai) {Fukuoka City Chuo-ku} June 9, 2016 (Thursday) I went to Dining Heiwadai (Dining Heiwadai). This restaurant is located on the first floor of Heiwadai Hotel Otemon in front of Fukuoka Castle's moat. They offer a one coin lunch, which is the only lunch option available. When you sit down, the lunch is automatically served without the need to order. I arrived before noon, and the place was bustling with customers. Since they only have table seating, sharing tables is common. On the table, there were pickles and two types of dressing. The one coin lunch arrived, costing 500 yen including tax. The rice was a mix of grains, and you could also get a refill of white rice. The side dishes included broccoli with scrambled eggs, okra, baby corn, taro, pumpkin, and eggplant. These are ingredients you wouldn't find in convenience store bento boxes. The main dish was ginger pork. I was very satisfied with the one coin lunch, especially after getting a refill of rice. The address is 1-5-4 Otemon, Chuo-ku, Fukuoka City. Closed on Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays.

For lunch today, I went to the "Heiwadai Hotel," a well-known restaurant that always caught my eye with its sign saying "1 coin price!! ¥500." The lunch set included rice, miso soup, two side dishes, and two main dishes!! The plates were so full that they were overflowing haha! One of the main dishes was "Grilled Sawara with Saikyo Miso," served with daikon and carrot namasu. The subtle flavor of the sawara fish combined with the sweetness of the miso, and the crispy grilled surface made it very delicious. The other main dish was "Menchi Katsu," freshly fried and crispy, which made my friend exclaim "Delicious!" The table also had tonkatsu sauce, sesame dressing for salad, and pickles, and you could get free refills of rice! The simmered bamboo shoot side dish and the miso soup with wakame, fried tofu, and daikon were also tasty. And to top it off, they offered self-service coffee, with options for Americano, as well as tea bags for those who don't like coffee. The location may be a bit out of the way, but it's no wonder that it's popular with office workers and OLs for its delicious food and great value.

I found this hotel by chance as it was quite crowded due to the upcoming Yamakasa festival. The hotel itself is quite old, but the facilities are sufficient. I didn't mind the age of the hotel. The next morning, I had a free breakfast. There was a buffet with a variety of dishes, including ramen. The curry was my favorite - it had a spicy and flavorful sauce that was surprisingly delicious for a free breakfast. The Napolitan pasta also had a unique and tasty flavor. I think people would stay here just for the breakfast.