福冈 美食之旅(2)

Bruce was great. He took us to one of his favorite yatai’s and the food was amazing. He gave us walking tour of the city as well and pointed out a lot of good go to’s while in Fukuoka. We went to a local ramen shop and had authentic hakata ramen, which also was delicious. The group was having such a good time we hung out a little longer to grab some dessert. Highly recommended for anyone that wants a taste of authentic Fukuoka.

This was our first trip to Fukuoka for our group of 5 and we were looking forward to enjoying the Yatais. The Yatai Hopping experience was flawless thanks to Bruce! His introduction and detailed communication on the days prior and day of, meeting us at a convenient location, fabulous food selections at the Yatais, relaxing walking tour around the areas, and his bubbly personality were just a few of our positive experiences. Bruce was also very helpful on the following days when I had questions about places to eat/visit. He answered my multiple text messages promptly, and I felt like I was corresponding with a friend. Our entire group had a wonderful time and would recommend Bruce for this fun activity.

Bruce and his team were awesome hosts! The Yatai’s that he selected for us suited our taste buds perfectly, every dish that he ordered was absolutely delicious. His friendly demeanor made it more enjoyable as we met every guest that joined us; made it feel like we were at a neighborhood bar. At the end of the evening, Bruce put us into a cab and got us back to our hotel safely. My husband and I thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and we highly recommend this experience to everyone traveling to Fukuoka.

After watching Shizuka Anderson’s Yatai Hopping tour video with Bruce and reading all the positive reviews from previous Byfood tour participants, my brother and I went in expecting something special. Bruce and his team (Tomoko and Katsumi) absolutely delivered one of our most memorable nights in Japan. From start to finish, Bruce was the consummate host and we couldn’t have felt more welcomed and taken care of. The tour is everything as advertised and more, as Bruce has a true passion for yatai and Japanese culture and it comes across on the tour. We not only enjoyed yatai staples like mentaiko omelet, oden, and yakitori but based on our feed back Bruce also selected dishes completely new to us (hello Yamaimou “moving” steak and horumon!) That was the case throughout the tour as we could see Bruce tailoring the experience so that it became unique to us. Being tourists I don’t think we’ve had an actual “conversation” with any locals while eating but that all changed in the yatai’s with encouragement from Bruce and his team. Some of our fellow diners even wanted to practice speaking English with us! The best tours are the ones where you don’t feel you’re on a tour but one where you feel like you’re being shown the town by family or friends. This is one of those. For anyone who wants to experience Fukuokan yatai culture in good company look no further. (The tour has 2 time slots. If you want to see the yatai stalls being set up book the early one)

Thanks for an amazing yatai experience. It's truly the perfect way to have a real glimpse into this tradition and eat like the locals do. Highly recommended.