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Ai Nishimura
Administrator of the blog "My Diary," which began in 2004. A writer who has traveled to all 47 prefectures and loves local culture and history.
Author of Shimane's "Geography, Place Names, and Maps" Mysteries (Jitsugyo no Nihonsha), My Town is the "Number One in Japan" Dictionary (PHP Institute), and Prefectures Explained in Neko Neko Japanese History (Jitsugyo no Nihonsha). Official blogger for Suntory Gourmet Guide, official top user for Retty, and official platinum blogger for Excite.
A summary of what I ate throughout my trip! The food in Kagoshima is so delicious. There were so many other things I wanted to eat, but I didn't have enough stomach space. I left Kagoshima with a lot of homework, so I definitely want to come back. This time, I'll introduce everything from yakitori to ramen to sweets.
Enjoy Satsuma red chicken at the famous yakitori restaurant Senmyo.
Someone told me about this restaurant before I went on a trip to Kagoshima. I made a reservation before visiting because I heard it was a famous restaurant that everyone was impressed with.
Most of the people (groups) ordered a course meal, but I chose a la carte. You can order whatever you want one by one. When the restaurant gets busy, they have a system where you write your order on a piece of paper and hand it over.
First, we had "chicken sashimi," one of Kagoshima's specialties. Once an order is placed, the chicken is grilled over charcoal and served while still juicy. The chicken sashimi is seasoned with ginger, garlic, and yuzu pepper and drenched in sweet soy sauce. The chicken is chewy, has a fragrant skin, and is well-balanced between fat and meat. It's so good that it makes you feel glad to be alive!
This restaurant is popular, so make sure to make a reservation. We will show you the skewers in photos.
This is Yakitori restaurant "Senmyo". It is located very close to Tenmonkan Park.
I was taken to the back of the beautiful counter seat.
In the case of a la carte, write the order and give it to the clerk.
Table setting. Lava plates and thin chopsticks that are easy to use. There were two appetizers.
Yakitori is grilled over charcoal.
This is chicken sashimi. The outside is freshly seared, so it's slightly warm.
The sweet soy sauce used for the chicken sashimi is rich, but the recommended option is "yolk soy sauce" which contains added egg yolk. The egg yolk is sticky because it is dried and does not break even when you poke a toothpick into it.
The zucchini is served with prosciutto and grilled to perfection until juicy.
The chicken skin must be one of the specialties of this restaurant. The skin is rolled up and the fat is removed from the surface, trapping the juicy meat juices and collagen inside.
The chicken skin skewers are a perfect mix of soft and crispy. The inside is so hot it could burn you!
Neck meat. The balance of fat is very good.
* Lip-sticky chicken collagen. Easy to eat as it is boneless.
Momo Negima. This is a method in which a large percentage of meat is used to make the dish, allowing you to fully enjoy the meat.
We finished off with soup. The explanations and service were polite and I understood why everyone was saying this was a famous restaurant.
Ramen Kokinta is not only delicious, but also has long opening hours and is convenient to use.
Ramen Kokinta is marked by a red shop-style curtain. Popular Kagoshima ramen shops are popping up one after another, but Kokinta is open until dawn, making it convenient for both locals and tourists. It is a popular shop that is also loved as a final dish.
As soon as the restaurant opened at 6pm, customers flooded in and the place was filled to capacity in no time. There were even customers from overseas. Ramen has become firmly established as a Japanese food.
Cloudy white tonkotsu in a pure white bowl. Tonkotsu soup is found throughout the Kyushu region, but is it typical of Kagoshima? the bonito broth is quite strong. It goes perfectly with the thin noodles, and if I had stayed a few more days, I would definitely have come here again.
According to other customers, the fried rice is also popular, so if you have room in your stomach, be sure to try both!
Ramen Kokinta is a Kagoshima ramen restaurant located near Tenmonkan Park and Senmyo.
It's a convenient store that's open until 4am.
On the table is "pickled radish (lightly pickled)". The standard way to eat this is to wait for the ramen to be prepared.
It didn't take long for the Kokinta ramen to arrive. It's based on tonkotsu, but has a strong bonito broth flavor. It's rich and creamy, but the bonito broth in the background makes it taste nice.
At first glance, it looks like a typical topping for Kyushu tonkotsu ramen...
There was a cabbage hidden in the back! Is this a common practice in Kagoshima?
Comparing new and old sweets! The classic "Mujaki Shirokuma" and the newly opened "Tenmonkan Kajitsudo Pudding A La Mode".
When talking about sweets in Kagoshima, the first thing that comes to mind is Shirokuma at Tenmonkan Mujaki!
Tenmonkan Mujaki has been serving cute, sweet and delicious shaved ice for a long time, even before the recent shaved ice boom. I hadn't eaten there in years.
It would be lonely to eat alone, so I asked Shirokuma-san to join me... We ate together, attracting the attention of people from overseas.
The other is "Tenmonkan Kajitsudo" which opened in Tenmonkan.
The shop "Kakoi," which handles fruits unique to Kagoshima, uses carefully selected fruits, and as much as possible uses fruits from within the prefecture and Kyushu, and they are particular about cutting them only after an order is placed.
The pudding a la mode could be called the "pinnacle of the pudding world." It features homemade pudding, fresh fruit and cream. The glassware is also somewhat retro and made of beautiful crystal, making it a refined dessert.
Kagoshima Prefecture is a place where you can see, play, and eat. It was a fun trip with a warm climate even in winter. There are so many things to see and do in Kagoshima, such as "Kirishima" and "Ibusuki", which I didn't visit this time.
It was a wonderful city that I would like to revisit soon.
You can eat at Tenmonkan Mujaki, an already well-established restaurant.
Of course, it's "Polar Bear (shaved ice)". It's a luxurious version with pudding on top.
The shaved ice is covered in condensed milk right down to the very bottom of the ice. It's nice to have seasonal kumquats on top, and the ingredients change depending on the season.
This is the regular size, which is enough for 2-3 people. There is also a mini size available.
Tenmonkan Kajitsudo is a newly opened fruit parlor in Tenmonkan. Its simple exterior catches your eye.
There was a juicer I was talking about called "Zumex" installed. It is a machine that squeezes juice just by putting oranges or mandarins in. At the time, it was being used to make mandarin juice from Kagoshima Prefecture.
This pudding a la mode is so beautiful. It looks great from any angle.
The homemade pudding, freshly cut fruit, and fresh cream are all rich and delicious.
The interior of the restaurant exudes a healthy atmosphere. It is clean and has a pleasant feel.
Bonus! If you go to Kagoshima, you must try "Satsumaage". Agetateya in Tenmonkan is a shop that fries them on the spot after you order. You can buy them by weight.
There is an Agetateya restaurant in the city, but the Tenmonkan branch is the only one where you can eat fried food on the spot after ordering.
Once carefully molded.
They fry it in a fryer. It takes a little time, but they make it carefully.
It is completed! If they give it to you like this, you can eat it and walk around. Satsuma-age is now a snack.
There is a space inside the store where you can sit and eat. The food is piping hot, so be careful when eating.
You can also buy things that are already made.
The contents published are accurate at the time of publication and are subject to change.
