Every sushi piece is 110 yen. Every. One.

Fukuoka City in Japan is often known for dishes like tonkotsu ramen and mentaiko beloved by Japanese taxi drivers, but did you know it’s also a great place to grab seafood? Its close proximity to the ocean means it offers fish and shellfish-based dishes ranging from gourmet to super affordable.

You know the SoraNews24 team is all about getting the best bang for our yen, so when we heard about a restaurant where any type of sushi is only 110 yen (US$0.75), our Japanese-language reporter Takashi Harada knew he had to try it out.

The restaurant in question is called Hakata Toyoichi, located in Bayside Place by Fukuoka’s Hakata Ferry Terminal.

You can hop off the boat and right into the restaurant.

It’s no secret among tourists visiting Fukuoka, however, so even though Takashi got there right before opening time at 11 a.m., there was already a sizable line.

Takashi waited, hopefully to be seated along with the first customers, but luck was not on his side that day. Though the person in front of him managed to grab a seat, Takashi was told to wait 30 minutes.

On the bright side, Toyoichi also has a takeout section. Time is money, so Takashi moved to the takeout section instead. There’s a separate semi-outdoor seating area where eating is allowed near the restaurant, so he planned to chow down there.

▼ Sushi alfresco!

In retrospect, he was glad he opted for takeout instead, because the sight was something to behold. Box after box after box of different types of sushi were lined up, just waited to be mixed and matched in a personalized to-go box. It was like a sushi theme park.

Along with common types like maguro and salmon, Hakata Toyoichi also boasts a few rarer types of sushi like whelk (tsubugai), cutlassfish (tachiuo), and filefish skin (kawahagi).

The rarest types were marked in the upper-right corner with the characters “珍味”, which means “rare flavor”.

▼ This razor claim (mategai) sushi had an eye-catching label, claiming to be “delicious!! and hard to get”.

▼ The one that was completely empty already? Fatty tuna.

Takashi completely understood why this buffet-style, pick-your-own takeout sushi option is so popular with international tourists especially. It’s a great way to try many types of sushi for an affordable price.

▼ There’s also a lot of signage in both Korean and English.

▼ In total, Takashi picked up 17 pieces of sushi for just 2,032 yen.

He had to purchase soy sauce and wasabi separately, so it came out to a little over 110 yen a piece. He thought it was about the same as he’d spend at a revolving sushi restaurant.

He was pleased with how fresh and tasty each piece tasted. He couldn’t believe he’d snagged all of this for just 110 yen a piece.

Admittedly, the rice was a bit lacking, but the most important part of the sushi is the seafood, right? If it meant lower prices, Takashi was willing to go without a few extra grains.

All in all, Takashi was very satisfied with Hakata Toyoichi’s takeout sushi, and he’d definitely go again. If you’d like to visit, note that they have irregular days off and they only accept cash payment.

Restaurant information
Hakata Toyoichi Bayside Place Hakata Branch / 博多豊一　ベイサイドプレイス博多店
Address: Fukuoka-shi, Hakata-ku, Chikkohonmachi 13-6
福岡市博多区築港本町13-6
Open 11 a.m. – 8:30 p.m. on Mon, Tues, Thurs; 11 a.m. – 9:30 p.m. on Fri; 10 a.m. – 9:30 p.m. on Sat; 10:30 a.m. – 5 p.m. on Sun
Closed Wednesdays
Website

Photos ©SoraNews24
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[ Read in Japanese ]