What you are looking at here is the best food, and the most friendly service, found in Kitakyushu.  Yakyudori, which translates to "baseball bird", is a yaki-tori (grilled chicken on a stick) restaurant/bar.  Although it is dubbed yaki-tori, you will see that it has much more to offer.  The building itself can be misleading.  From the outside it does not even look like there is anything there, and when you get inside it is not a "sit in your Sunday best and sip martinis" kind of place, it is a good old Japanese bar, and that you will learn to appreciate.

Staff

The owner of Yakyudori, and also head cook, is Koichi-san.  Better known as "Master".  He is an avid baseball fan, who also has found a passion for making foreigners feel welcome in his native country.  You can find Koichi-san at the bar every night of every week, most of the time with his right hand man, Michael (yes a Japanese guy named Michael).  The third member of the team is Soejima, who is not there as often, but gets brought in for the busy nights.  Although they will claim that they do not speak English, you will find that Koichi-san has learned a lot in his 25 years of running the bar, and can often surprise you with what he knows.  Michael, who is younger, has a few years of catching up to do, but I'm convinced he understands.  Koichi-san has a knack for remembering anyone who has ever been in his bar, and better yet he has a memory for your likes and dislikes (talk about a memory, he knows when the two of us started dating... down to the minute!!!).  Many of his customers he can call by name, and also remember their eating habits.  For example, Jeanette does not eat beef or pork, so whenever he puts something on the bar with either in it, he turns to her and says "you cannot eat this".  In Japan it is very difficult to order food to your desires, most places are unwilling to change their regular menu.

It is Koichi-san and his staff who make Yakyudori what it is.  Although the food is great, and the beer flows like water, it is the environment they create that makes for a very relaxed evening.  We had a friend visit from Canada, and when he was there he said "it feels like you are at a friend's house", and this was on his first visit.

Food

As I mentioned Yakyudori is a yaki-tori restaurant, but calling it this does not do it justice.  The main focus is on fried meats, such as beef, pork, and chicken, all on skewers, but there are many other foods, some meat, and many not meat.  The thing I like most about the food is I do not have to order anything.  As soon as I walk in, my favourites are thrown on the grill, and in front of me before I have made up my mind on what to drink (although that is pretty easy now as well, as soon as Michael sees me walk in, there is a draft sitting at my place before I get there).  This is not to say you can not order, Jeanette likes to mix it up quite a bit.  So although there are certain things prepared for her without need of asking, she always decides on a few specialties of the night.  If you would like, ask to see the English menu, there is one floating around somewhere.

Koichi-san also insures to make an effort to satisfy vegetarians, offering several non-meat dishes.  There are different types of salads, potatoe dishes, grilled mushrooms, green peppers and corn.  As well as rice and even Japanese curry.  Basically you can just let him know what you do eat, and he will make it his mission to satisfy your hunger.

So what does a night at Yakyudori look like.  Well, short from actually looking at the pictures, I will try to give you my best explanation.  When you sit down you will get a plate of cabbage placed in front of you, this is the setting for your food, not a pre-dinner snack (although feel free to eat it if you want).  As I mentioned, you will not have to wait long for a drink, you will be asked as you sit down.  The first food presented to me is always "bacon and cheese", as Koichi-san knows it is my favorite.  I normally get 3 or 4 skewers of 3 pieces of cheese wrapped in bacon on each.  Next there is normally a skewer of beef and 1 of pork.  This is when it starts to vary by night.  There is normally some kind of vegetable plate, followed with some more meat, be it spicy chicken, or fish.  Then the rush of food dies down a bit.  As you sit and chat, every once and a while Koichi-san will ask "is this okay", holding up more food.  It is really hard to describe all the food that comes, but I have never gone home hungry, or unsatisfied.  I have had everything from curry rice to a hamburger.  There have even been times when he has pulled out small tubs of Häagen-Dazs ice cream.  Each time is a new adventure.

Location

The restaurant is located within a few minutes walk of Kokura station, or about 3 minutes from the major bus routes, making it quite convenient to get to.  From Kokura station, exit from the main exit and walk straight out (in the direction of the monorail).  After coming down off the raised walk-way make you first left (after the Isetan department store).  Yakyudori will be on your right, on the second block.  Look for the sign (in the picture at the top of this page).  The map to the right is pretty self explanatory, or simply ask a second year ALT, I can almost guarantee they know the place.

Price

Here is where it gets a little bit confusing.  Although there is a menu I don't know when it is considered.  From what I have seen, the price seems to be ￥3000 for most people and ￥2000 for regulars.  This includes all of your food and drink, alcoholic or other.  I have seen some people order from the menu, and they pay this price, but I have seen others who pay much more.  Going in as an ALT, you will most likely be paying the ￥2000, which you can't top for all you can eat and drink.  Now, no where does it say that it is all you can eat and drink, and no where is the price listed, it is just fact passed down from one ALT to another.

Pictures

Well, I have told you all I can, except that this is the one thing I will miss the most about Japan.  It sounds strange to think I will be missing a bar, but you will begin to understand if you try it out a few times.  We have accumulated quite a few pictures from Yakyudori over the last year, so I have put a bunch of them here for you to look at.  Keep in mind that most of these have been taken on my cell phone after more than a few beers.

"When the weight of Japan is baring down on your shoulders, you come to Koichi's and it's all good."

- Dion, third year ALT                  

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