Enjoy retro style!
Futa has visited Nishijin shopping street, a place full of warmth of the local people. [Part 1]

Hello, I'm a Fukuoka Tower sky attendant. Thank you for reading our Fukuoka Tower's blog! This time, like last time, we will show you a good sightseeing spot where you can visit when you come to Fukuoka Tower! This time, it is Nishijin shopping street.

You can even walk there, but it is also good to take Nishitetsu Bus. You can take a bus at "Fukuoka Tower (TNC-TVBLDG)" bus stop and get off at "Nishishin Palace Mae" bus stop. No.10, 15, 54-1 and 94, almost all buses are going there.

If you want to walk there, it is recommended to walk through Sazae-san Street. Sazae-san Street is a 1.6 km path from the entrance of Momochi Seaside Park to Wakiyamaguchi intersection, passing in front of Shuyukan High School and Seinan University.

It is known that Machiko Hasegawa, the author of the national cartoon Sazae-san, came up with the idea while walking down this street. There are a statue of Sazae-san and signs along the way. It is fun to find them while taking a walk .

It is collectively called as Nishijin shopping street, but actually it consist of seven different shopping areas including "Nishijin Main Shopping Street", "Katsutaka Suijin Shopping Street", " Hatoya Shindo Shopping Street", " Nishishin Meitengai", "B-dish" and "Nakanishi Shopping Street." There are lots of attractive shops lined up on the 1.5 km street from Hiigawa to Fujisaki intersection.

Oh, Futa - wait wait!

Grandma Hisae Matsuo kindly responded , "Oh, are you taking a film about me? "

Hey Futa. Handcart sellers are the specialty of this Nishishin Shopping Street. They sell seasonal vegetables, home-made pickles, cut flowers etc. It is actually quite famous in Japan. They sell their goods between 13:00 and 19:00 (closed on Sundays) when the shopping street is closed to vehicles.

"Oh, someone is coming from the other side" says Hisae.

Here is Hisae's husband!

No, that wasn't the case. They were a very nice couple! Mr. and Mrs. Matsuo sell vegetables, fruits such as citrus fruits, and hand-made yuzu gosho (I bought it! It was sooo yum!) on the handcart. Please come and see this lovely old lady, Hisae.

I know Futa! You must be so hungry.

Hahaha, you sound like you are going to enjoy a lot of food in the shopping district! Well, what about this long-established udon restaurant located at the entrance of the shopping street?

This is Yaohachi Udon located in Katsutakasuijin shopping street. "Yum, cheap and fast" written on the wall. Many are regular customers who have been coming since a long ago. It is always busy during the daytime!

At this restaurant, you can choose between "udon or soba" and "hot or cold". Also, you choose and order toppings that are lined up on the table. Since it is an advance payment system, it is smooth if you prepare in advance.

Delicious soup and soft udon noodles, crispy burdock tempura... this is Hakata's soul food.

Rice balls with udon. These are all reasonably priced, but it makes you full and taste is also nice!

There are many other toppings such as shrimp tempura, sardine tempura, and deep fried oysters, so please enjoy your favorite toppings.

Well after satisfying your stomach, let's walk around the shopping street! If you keep going ahead ...

Are you going to eat even more, Futa? A little while ago, you even finished all of your noodle soup though. But you are already in a line anyway!

Houraku Manju is a very popular bun shop that in Fukuoka. Of course you can take it home with you, but it is also nice to buy freshly baked hot ones and eat while strolling around the shopping street!

The 110 yen Houraku Manju has a lot of anko inside. The anko is not too sweet, so even men who don't like sweets have a lot of fans. There are many customers on Saturdays and Sundays, so please be prepared to wait in line.