Kurume City is a highly competitive area with many yakitori restaurants, and is known as the city of yakitori. It has attracted so much attention that it is considered one of the seven great yakitori restaurants in Japan.

Let's explore the characteristics and history of Kurume Yakitori.

Characteristics of Kurume Yakitori

Kurume yakitori is a local dish from Kurume city, Fukuoka prefecture. When you hear yakitori, you probably think of chicken, but in Kurume, anything that is skewered and grilled is called yakitori. Various ingredients are skewered on bamboo skewers and slowly grilled over charcoal.

It is basically grilled with salt, and is often characterized by having onions sandwiched between the meat. The sweet onions add a nice accent to the dish.

When you order Kurume Yakitori, you will be served cabbage with vinegar sauce for free. Moreover, you can have as much cabbage as you like. Cabbage is also effective in preventing stomach upset, so it's great. The sauce for the cabbage varies depending on the restaurant. It is generally lightly seasoned, so it is perfect as a palate cleanser for the skewers.

The appeal of Kurume Yakitori

The appeal of Kurume Yakitori is the variety of options, including chicken, pork, seafood, vegetables, and original rolls.

In Kurume, even horse meat ajillo is considered yakitori if it is skewered. Kurume City, which once had a military facility, raised military horses and developed as a transit point for transporting goods between Fukuoka and Kumamoto, has a culture of eating horse meat.

Among all the Kurume yakitori, the pork belly is especially popular. The delicious fat that fills your mouth is irresistible.

"Makimono Kushi" (rolled skewers) are also one of the most popular dishes that are indispensable to Kurume Yakitori. "Makimono Kushi" (rolled skewers) are made by wrapping various ingredients in pork, and are said to have been invented by Toshimitsu Kinoshita, the founder of "Yakitori Teppo Honten" in 1979.

Kinoshita, who trained at a hotel in the Kansai region, said, "He came up with the idea for rolled skewers because he wanted to attract more women. The first ones he made were asparagus rolls, shiso rolls, and enoki mushroom rolls.

Another popular dish is the white pork offal called "dalum (small intestine)." Another appealing dish is the crunchy, firm, squid-like texture of the "senpoko (aorta)."

The owners of the Kurume Yakitori restaurant added new dishes one by one in pursuit of flavors that would please their customers, and as a result, the number of items on offer has steadily increased. The rich variety of Kurume Yakitori is popular with a wide range of people, from children to adults.

The history of Kurume Yakitori

Kurume yakitori first started being served at food stalls. The history of yakitori in Kurume is long, and there are records that in 1937, soy sauce-flavored pork bone soup shina soba was being served.

In the 1950s, pork belly, darumu, gizzards, etc. were already being offered. Kurume has had specialized businesses such as butchers and offal dealers for a long time, so it is said that pork, beef, and horse meat were easy to obtain. Chicken was expensive, so there were not many varieties available.

Kurume was home to Kyushu Medical College (now Kurume University), which was founded in the early Showa period, and was a town with many doctors and medical students. One day, medical students ordered yakitori in German, and names like "Darm (pork small intestine)" and "Senpoko (beef aorta)" became established.

Besides medical students, people who worked in rubber processing factories and other places often ate Kurume Yakitori on their way home from work. As Kurume Yakitori became popular, it expanded from a food stall to a restaurant.

In 2003, the Kurume Yakitori Society was established. Based on a market survey, the society established the three principles of Kurume yakitori: "cheap," "wide variety," and "large toppings." In addition, the Kurume City Hometown Culture Creation Citizens Association (Carchachi Kurume) held a symposium and declared that Kurume was "the best yakitori in Japan."

Recommended sightseeing spots in Kurume City

Kurume City, rich in nature, has a variety of tourist attractions.

The Chikugo Plain, where Kurume City is located, is a region that produces a lot of rice, wheat, vegetables, and fruits. Grapes, strawberries, figs, pears, and persimmons are especially famous.
There are also many facilities where you can enjoy fruit picking. The Chikugo River, Kyushu's largest river, flows majestically through the Chikugo Plain and is the symbol of Kurume.

A little way from the city center, in the eastern part of the city, is the Mino Mountain Range, a chain of mountains stretching from east to west for about 30km. They are also called "Byobuyama" (folding screen mountains) because they look like sheer cliffs resembling a folding screen.

Kurume also has many famous temples and shrines.

Suitengu Shrine, located on the banks of the Chikugo River, is the head shrine of all Suitengu shrines across the country. It enshrines Ame-no-Minakanushi-no-Mikoto, Emperor Antoku, Takakura Heichu-no-Miya, and Nii-no-Ama.
Suitengu Shrine is said to grant prayers for safe childbirth, fertility, and protection from evil spirits. The Chikugo River Fireworks Festival, held in August, is so popular that it attracts about 450,000 visitors every year.

Many people also visit Takara Taisha Shrine, located at the summit of Mount Takara, and Naritasan Kurume Branch Temple, which features one of Japan's largest statues of the Bodhisattva Kannon.

How to get to Kurume City

There are various ways to get to Kurume City. Most people use JR trains or airplanes.

If you are coming from Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya, etc., it is convenient to travel by plane.

Here is the travel time required to get to Kurume City from each area. Travel time varies depending on the season and weather.

[Access by plane]

About 2 hours 15 minutes from Sendai Airport About 1 hour 40 minutes from Haneda Airport About 1 hour 15 minutes from Chubu Centrair Airport About 1 hour from Itami Airport About 45 minutes from Miyazaki Airport

There are several means of transportation to get from Fukuoka Airport to Kurume City, including JR trains, buses, and taxis.

[Access by JR]

About 2 hours 30 minutes from Shin-Osaka About 2 hours from Okayama About 1 hour 30 minutes from Hiroshima About 20 minutes from Kumamoto About 1 hour 15 minutes from Kagoshima

To get from Hakata Station to Kurume City, there are several means of transportation available, including JR trains, buses, and taxis.

[Access by car]

About 3 hours 45 minutes from Hiroshima About 1 hour 40 minutes from Oita About 50 minutes from Kumamoto About 2 hours 55 minutes from Miyazaki About 2 hours 45 minutes from Kagoshima

Location of Kurume City, Fukuoka Prefecture

summary

Kurume yakitori is a local B-class gourmet dish that allows you to enjoy a variety of ingredients. The rare yakitori varieties "Dalmu" and "Senpoko" are highly recommended.
They are reasonably priced, so we recommend trying them all to compare the flavors.
Some restaurants also offer a platter of Kurume yakitori.

If you visit Kurume City in Fukuoka Prefecture, be sure to try Kurume Yakitori.

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