On the last day in Kyushu, we had some free time in Yanagawa. The bus stopped near the Ohana-san area, so we decided to wander around from there. The local specialty here is steamed eel in a steamer basket, and there was an option for a river cruise and lunch. We decided not to sign up for that and just explore on our own. The first shop that caught our eye was this one. Instead of rice crackers, I bought some seaweed. The lady seemed happy when I bought it, saying it's delicious seaweed from Ariake. She also gave me a broken rice cracker to taste. Eating these kinds of snacks in a place like this is really delicious. She put two extra rice crackers in the bag with the seaweed, saying sorry for not buying the rice crackers.

I am strolling around near a famous place in Yanagawa known for river cruises. I bought some specialty senbei crackers at Harimaya, and next door there was another senbei shop called Yanagawa Bujou Senbei. The shop had a bright interior with a yellow tent as a landmark. The lady working there was very friendly and said, "It's delicious, it won the Prime Minister's Award, try it!" The sample basket had plenty of senbei, and they were all different flavors. I tried one with sesame seeds and it was really tasty. I ended up buying a box of Yanagawa Bujou Senbei for 500 yen, which had 13 individually wrapped crackers with the Yanagawa Bujou logo. They were soft and had a rich buttery and eggy flavor with a hint of sweetness and a touch of saltiness. They were truly delicious and I could see why they won the Prime Minister's Award. This would make a great souvenir. Overall, both Harimaya and Yanagawa Bujou Senbei were delicious, but if you prefer softer senbei with individual packaging, Yanagawa Bujou Senbei is a great choice. Personally, I really enjoyed the Yanagawa Bujou Senbei. It was a delightful stroll, and I even got a bonus "passing grade" senbei on my way out.

The Yukuwa Bujose Senbei has two stores in the city of Yanagawa, and this is the Gohanae branch. The whole place is filled with an appeal that says they won the Prime Minister's Award at the National Confectionery Exhibition, and that their senbei here is different. It's quite impressive. When you try it, the sweet wheat senbei has a strong egg aroma and is very easy to eat. However, it lacks volume, so you end up eating more and more as you go. It's definitely a famous senbei.