A Foodie's Guide to Travelling Around Kyushu

Kyushu is renowned across Japan and beyond for its diverse, high-quality cuisine. The island takes travellers on a flavourful journey, from Nagasaki's internationally inspired dishes shaped by centuries of cultural exchange to Fukuoka's unique offal hot pot that teases your palate and the melt-in-your-mouth Miyazaki wagyu. Complete the experience with local drinks, including the bold, nutty shochu and the delicate, umami-rich sake. Kyushu is a gourmet traveller's wonderland, offering a rich mix of flavours, textures, and regional traditions

 

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Nagasaki champon noodle (Photo Credit: Shutterstock)

 

Nagasaki

Nagasaki's delicacies stem from centuries of tradition, during which the prefecture interacted with and established connections with countries like the Netherlands and China. One of these sumptuous dishes is mouthwatering champon. Champon is a Chinese-inspired noodle dish cooked in a thick broth packed with pork, seafood, and vegetables, and you can enjoy an authentic bowl at Shinchi Chinatown. After that meal, you can take a stroll through Chinatown and have the melt-in-the-mouth Kakuni Manju (braised pork buns).

 

Another Chinese-influenced meal you definitely have to try while in Nagasaki is Touba (pork belly stew), named after the Chinese poet who loved it. Enjoy stewed pork belly that has been braised until it dissolves on your tongue.

 

If you want a taste of original American burgers while in Nagasaki, you should visit Sasebo City. The US naval base has occupied the area since the post-war era, infusing the city with American traditions and developing cultural products like the Sasebo burger. Several shops sell burgers, and you can go shop-hopping, trying different burgers as you explore the city.

 

Try shochu before leaving the prefecture. Iki Island in Nagasaki is considered the birthplace of mugi (barley) shochu in Japan, which has been produced since the Edo period. The shochu (Japanese spirit) comes in diverse flavors depending on factors like the distillation methods, yeasts, and aging techniques. You can enjoy shochu with grilled white fish, fresh squid, and yellowtail caught in Iki's surrounding waters.

 

 

Hakata ramen (Photo Credit: Shutterstock)

 

Fukuoka

Fukuoka is the largest city on Kyushu island, and is a foodie's paradise. If you want to try noodles, you can start with the signature Hakata or Tonkotsu ramen. For this dish, pork bones are boiled over high heat for long hours until the marrow seeps out, creating a deliciously creamy soup. It is served with al dente noodles and green onions.

 

Another dish we highly recommend in Fukuoka is Motsunabe, an offal hot pot. This meal features beef or pork innards simmered with cabbage, garlic chives, soy sauce, and chili pepper. If you're not familiar with this dish, you have to move past the initial hesitation and enjoy this flavourful hot pot, high in protein and low in calories.

 

Experiencing the Yatai street food culture is another activity that promises to be unforgettable. A yatai is a mobile food stall that sells quick, affordable meals bursting with authentic local Flavors. As dusk approaches, wooden carts transform into mini restaurants along riverbanks and street corners, serving ramen, takoyaki, oden, gyoza, and yakitori (grilled chicken skewers). The Tenji district offers classic Japanese specialties; Nagahama specializes in ramen stalls, and for a twist, there is Chez Remy, run by a French expatriate, serving pastries, wine, and French small plates.

 

 

Saga Wagyu (Photo Credit: Shutterstock)

 

Saga Prefecture

Saga, situated in the northwest of the island, is a place overflowing with sumptuous regional delicacies accompanied by stunning views. The Yobuko Squid is a popular dish prepared by expert chefs who prepare a live squid in 30 seconds and serve it in raw sashimi style.

 

Saga is famous for its sake. It is a top rice-producing area, meaning they have enough resources to produce sake – Japanese rice wine. This prefecture houses about 30 sake breweries.

 

If your mood is for luxurious dining, you have to try the Saga wagyu, widely recognized as one of the best beef brands available. It comes from the region's black cattle breed, intentionally reared under the best conditions to produce meat that tastes the best. It can be savored as steak, yakiniku, or shabu-shabu.

 

 

Cold Hiyajiru Soup with Rice and Vegetables (Photo Credit: Shutterstock)

 

Miyazaki Prefecture

Miyazaki Prefecture, situated in the southern region of Kyushu, is a culinary treasure trove. You can start with the region's signature dish, the chicken Nanban, which was initially served in family restaurants before becoming a national sensation. What you get is golden-fried chicken, coated in sweet-and-tangy vinegar and tartar sauce. While you can find it in several places in Japan, nothing beats trying it in its birthplace.

 

Miyazaki beef is a refined dish known for its rich cherry colour, buttery texture, and clean flavour with fine marbling. The locals save this beef for special occasions, and it is usually served as premium steaks, sukiyaki, or BBQ.

 

Another dish the locals love is Hiyajiru, featuring grilled mackerel, sesame seeds, and miso poured over cold white or barley rice. This dish, showcasing Miyazaki's seafood traditions, is perfect for hot summer days.

 

 

Unagi no Sueyoshi

 

Kagoshima

This prefecture occupies the southern tip of the island and is renowned for many things, including its robust culinary heritage. While you're here, you should treat yourself to the Kurobuta, premium black Berkshire pork prized for its marbling, tenderness, and sweet flavour. You can experience it as tonkatsu (crispy-breaded pork cutlet), in a shabu-shabu hot pot, or grilled yakiniku style.

 

The Kagoshima region boasts an expansive coastline, making it the perfect place to savour delectable seafood. A variety of fish is used in preparing mouthwatering dishes, including Kibinago (silver-stripe round herring), Tobiuo (flying fish), and Katsuo (bonito), served and enjoyed in sashimi style. Kagoshima also produces the highest volume of farmed Unagi (eel) in Japan, and you can enjoy it at Unagi no Sueyoshi, where it's prepared in a high-end style that showcases the eel's natural sweetness. You could also try the Satsumaage (fish cake), Kagoshima's signature processed seafood product.

 

Kurozu or black vinegar is an important ingredient in Japanese cuisine. It is typically prepared by steaming brown rice, adding koji and water to ceramic pots, and leaving them outdoors for 1 to 3 years. Kurozu has a flavour profile that makes it ideal for glazing and braising meat

 

 

Akagyu-don

 

Kumamoto

Kumamoto, a bustling city and prefecture, famed as "The Heart of Kyushu," offers a rich gourmet scene. It is the country's premier destination for basashi (raw horse meat), a dish that challenges and delights palates simultaneously, especially for its high glycogen content, which gives it unexpected sweetness. It is typically served with ginger, garlic, and onions and is dipped in salt or soy sauce.

 

Akaushi beef is a local specialty in Kumamoto, where cattle are raised on the vast Aso Plain. You can relish this lean red meat, known as some of Japan's most prized beef, savoring its rich marbling and exceptional flavour. The signature dish is "Akagyu-don," a bowl of rice topped with grilled tender Aka tender inner thigh. The rich flavour of bonito and iriko dashi (dried bonito and dried sardines) enhances the flavour of the red beef, creating a unique taste that makes the rice go down a treat.

 

You shouldn't visit Kumamoto without trying the Karashi Renkon (spicy mustard lotus root). It is a regional specialty that combines bold and spicy flavors with ingredients native to the region. It can be enjoyed with tea and even alcohol.

 

 

Hell Steamed Food

 

Oita

Oita is a prefecture on the eastern coast of Kyushu, famous for its onsen (natural hot springs), awe-inspiring terrain, and rich agricultural traditions, which are reflected in its diverse gastronomic delights.

 

There are so many delectable dishes to try in Oita. There is Jigokumushi, which means "hell-steamed cuisine". It involves steaming ingredients, including meat, seafood, and vegetables, using the steam from the natural hot spring, which infuses subtle mineral flavours.

 

Another meal to check out is the Hitsumabushi, one of Kyushu's finest eel dishes. Its smoky-sweet glaze and perfectly charred surface are meant to be savoured in stages. First, on its own to appreciate the pure, undiluted flavour, then with condiments like wasabi and radish, before pouring green tea or dashi broth over the rice.

 

Toriten (chicken tempura) is a beloved local specialty. It is bite-sized pieces of chicken lightly seasoned in tempura-style batter and deep-fried until golden and crispy on the outside, retaining juice on the inside. It can be enjoyed with mustard, vinegar-soy dip, ponzu sauce (citrus-soy dipping sauce), or kabosu-based sauce (a local Oita citrus).

 

 

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