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One early evening in Fukuoka, we were at the end of a long walk, and I told a friend, it’s time to eat; where shall we go? In Fukuoka it’s never difficult to find time to eat and find a place to eat! We crossed the street and he led us to a partly covered food stand with about 10-12 chairs, which I recall wasn’t there earlier in day. It was a Yatai. You could say food stall on wheels. We took our seats and welcomed by the other customers.

This seemed like it was going to be a pleasant experience. The menu is on a blackboard. We had chicken yaki toro, ramen and a cold drink. The closeness of the fellow diners and friendliness of the owner / chef, meant pleasant conversation goes well with the tasty fresh food. The Japanese are friendly people and like to engage, especially in an atmosphere like the Yatai. A yatai is a small, mobile food stall in Japan typically selling ramen or other food. The name means “shop stand”. The stall is set up in the early evening on pedestrian walkways and removed late at night or in the early morning hours. Yatai eating is popular in Fukuoka, which has about one hundred stalls across the city every night.

This culinary outdoor experience in the middle of the city attracts locals, businesspeople, and tourists for a relaxing evening, or just an hour, where you can make friends or sit alone with some tasty snacks and a drink at a reasonable price. One of the incredible aspects is the set-up and breakdown of the Yatai or the food stand. It includes the whole ensemble with chairs, a display case, a cooking stove, etc.

Yatai Lanterns

Another aspect is that the Yatai stand is not at its location between 3 AM and 5 PM. It arrives towed usually by a motorbike with a trailer on the back. All aspects/materials of a fully equipped food stand are in that trailer. He comes about 5 pm to set up and must leave by 3 am, with service finishing about 1 am. Amazing!

Quality food at a reasonable price result in a delightful experience. Some of the Yatai welcome the same people day after day. Your favourite Yatai becomes a place to meet your friends or colleagues and has a snack and drink before going home, just like a pub. We met a few friendly locals who engaged in friendly chat with us. It was a chilly evening, but they had curtains that protected them from the wind or rain. It is a relaxed, cozy atmosphere to chat, enjoy famous Japanese treats and drink. We had Yaki-ramen, Grilled ramen, Negi-Tama-teppan, green onion and egg cooked on a hot iron plate, Horumon-teppan, grilled offal with vegetables, Oden (Daikon, konnyaku, tamago, suji), and Yakitori.

Yatai customers

We couldn’t stay to watch the breakdown on his Yatai stand, but it’s fantastic to see the next day absolutely nothing left to indicate the 10-12 customers enjoying their ramen and beer! Walking by the same spot later in the day and seeing everything as before is astounding. It was an incredible experience and highly recommended. Again, Fukuoka is about food and so much else.

Japan’s answer to hawker stalls is a deliciously unique experience. The stall owner, Shohei Seto, or Seto-san, guided and hosted us. From our seats, we view the compact kitchen and the notes from which he reads the order, and then sets to work at his small cooktop, shortly after you are presented with a hot and tasty meal. A joy to watch and part of the experience.

We sat between Fukuoka locals along a rounded bar with about ten other customers. It’s a full house for this yatai tonight! Seto-san is busy, but he manages to chat with us as he can about how he can handle all the orders and drinks.

He is a man of many talents. This is the nightly scene at Fukuoka’s yatai – temporary food stalls that pop up every evening from about 5-6 p.m. until beyond midnight and disappear until the next day!

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