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Hakata Traditional Craft and Design Museum
As the name implies, the Hakata Traditional Craft and Design Museum showcases Fukuoka’s traditional handmade crafts, from the well-known Hakata-ori textiles and Hakata dolls to Hakata magemono (wooden crafts), Hakata koma (tops) and even Hakata scissors. It’s especially interesting to see how the designs of Hakata dolls have changed over the years. Don’t miss the doll of the God of Luck—he’s the museum’s mascot! The first floor houses weekly exhibits and has a cafe serving coffee and green tea, making the museum a great place to visit after a trip to Kushida Shrine.
Hakata Traditional Craft and Design Museum
Address: 6-1 Kamikawabata-machi, Hakata-ku (Next to Kushida Shrine)
Open: 10:00~18:00 (Last entry: 17:30)
Closed: Wed. (Thu., if Wed. is a Hol.), 12/29~31
Tel.: 092-409-5450
http://hakata-dentou-kougeikan.jp/
Nagata Pan Hakozaki
Just in front of Hakozaki Shrine’s main gate is a cozy bakery called Nagata Pan. Occupying a renovated old house, this place focuses on providing “really delicious bread”. In the showcase you will find classic favorites like cream bread and melon bread among the 40~50 items on offer. The regulars stop by when they know their favorites will be piping hot, and the store is always bustling with customers looking for a snack, or something more filling. If you want to dig in right away, you can use the cafe space upstairs. Why not enjoy a cup of coffee too? It’s free with any purchase.
Nagata Pan Hakozaki
Address: 1-44-20 Hakozaki, Higashi-ku
Open: 8:00~19:00
Closed: 1st Tue. of every month, 12/31 ~ 1/3, 8/13 ~ 8/15
Tel.: 092-643-8680
http://www.pannagata.com/hako.html
Menu: Melon bread ¥120, cream bread ¥140, condensed milk bread ¥130, mentaiko french bread ¥190, chocolate cornet ¥140, plain bread (1/2 loaf) ¥370, bottled coffee milk ¥160
Kikosoba Gen
Great soba requires three things: 1) freshly ground buckwheat flour turned into 2) freshly cut noodles that are 3) served right after they’re cooked. Gen’s Nagahama shop uses 100% pure buckwheat ground on site, and noodles aren’t cooked until you order. By streamlining, Gen can offer excellent soba at surprisingly reasonable prices. The zarusoba (cold soba with dipping sauce, ¥290) affords a chance to enjoy soba in its simplest form, but in winter, many opt for the chicken nanban soba – cold soba with a side of chicken and Welsh onion hot broth (¥490). There is also a range of kake-soba dishes (soba in hot broth), each served with “white” broth or, for an additional ¥50, “black”, Kanto-style broth. We particularly recommend the nishin soba, (soba with herring). Stop by after 17:00 to enjoy some of Gen’s original evening-only menu items, including agedashi sobagaki, fried soba and yam dumplings in broth, and their very unique and tasty soba pizza.
Kikosoba Gen
Address: 1-2-24 Nagahama, Chuo-ku, Fukuoka
Open: 11:00~22:30 (L.O.: 22:00)
Closed: Never
Tel.: 092-714-0355
Credit cards: Not accepted
No smoking
http://www.sbhotel.net/gen/gen_nagahama.html
Menu: Cold soba ¥290, cold soba /w shrimp tempura ¥490, chicken namban soba ¥490, soba w/ herring ¥590, *soba pizza ¥550, *satsuma-age (squid) ¥390, *cc ¥390, *mentai sticks ¥290, draft beer ¥480, sake (180ml) ¥480
(*: Only available after 17:00)
Originally published in Fukuoka Now Magazine (fn205, Jan. 2016)
