Mother and daughter trip to Fukuoka with first bonus.

*Prices include tax.

A memorable luxury trip for mothers

To show my appreciation for her, I gave my mother a gift of travel. Fukuoka, the setting for this trip, is known as a gourmet town and a compact city, and is an attractive place that can be thoroughly enjoyed even in the limited time of one night and two days. I will introduce a model itinerary that includes enjoying local specialty dishes while receiving professional hospitality, spending a night at a hotel in the quaint Dazaifu, and touring the sweets and local products of Dazaifu, selected with my mother's favorites in mind.

<First day>

On the first day, you will spend the day in Fukuoka city enjoying Fukuoka Mizutaki hotpot for lunch, then enjoy a stroll around the city before heading to your hotel in Dazaifu.

Enjoy the hospitality of a long-established restaurant at Mizutaki Nagano

About 20 minutes by car from Fukuoka Airport. We will have lunch at "Mizutaki Nagano".

Mizutaki Nagano, located in a quiet residential area, is a long-established restaurant that was founded over 90 years ago and is so popular that it is difficult to make a reservation. The reason for its popularity is not only the deliciousness of its mizutaki, but also its reasonable price range.

There are two menu items: "Hakata Specialty Mizutaki Nagano Bone-in Course" and "Mizutaki Nagano Minced Meat Course [with Soup]" (both 3,200 yen), but you can also order a "Mix" which lets you enjoy both dishes for the same price.

First, you'll enjoy the rich, cloudy soup made by simmering a whole chicken for several hours. This is the traditional Hakata style of savoring the flavor of the soup itself, and then enjoying the chicken and vegetables.

Next comes the bone-in meat, made only from 90-day-old young chickens with little fat, which is added to the soup. It has a nice chewy texture without the typical chicken odor, and is topped with grated radish and spring onions in a slightly sweet homemade vinegar and soy sauce. The taste of the cloudy soup changes with each addition of ingredients, and the harmony of the homemade vinegar and soy sauce is a taste that cannot be reproduced at home.

After enjoying the bone-in meat, a set of cuts (breast and thigh meat), heart, liver, minced meat, and vegetables is brought out.

The staff will do everything from adjusting the heat to adding the ingredients, so you can take your time and enjoy the hospitality that only a long-established restaurant can provide.

In addition to the mizutaki, we also recommend sharing a la carte dishes, so we ordered the "Karaage(fried chiken)" (480 yen). The karaage at mizutaki specialty restaurants is packed with the flavor of the meat, has an exquisite seasoning, and is rare because it is served on the bone.

Mizutaki Nagano

Express your feelings with a gift. Get a good luck charm for good health at "Yamabikoya"

About 25 minutes by bus from Mizutaki Nagano, we searched for souvenirs at Yamabikoya, a shop that mainly sells local toys from the Kyushu region. The unique local toys lined up in the store were all expressive, and my mother couldn't help but smile.

"Yachiko Daruma," made by female artisans in Fukuoka Prefecture, are small enough to fit in the palm of your hand and make a perfect souvenir.

The owner's top recommendations are "Neko Dakko" (2,200 yen), in which you hold a cat, and "Parade" (3,300 yen), in which a Daruma doll waves a flag.

Koyori dolls, made by craftsmen in Miyazaki Prefecture, are good luck charms for good health. They make a great gift for your mother as a tangible souvenir.

Yamabikoya

HOTEL CULTIA DAZAIFU: An extraordinary stay with a concierge

A 40-minute bus ride from Hakata Bus Terminal takes you to the historic city of Dazaifu.

The HOTEL CULTIA Dazaifu, where we will be staying on this trip, is a "decentralized hotel where the entire town is the hotel." Historical and cultural buildings scattered throughout the town have been reused, with the reception, guest rooms, restaurants, etc. dispersed across each building, turning the entire town into a single accommodation space.

First, head to the front building, Kokoan.

A concierge is always on-site at Kokoan, and as an expert on the town, he will fully support your trip by suggesting activities and tours in Dazaifu. We recommend consulting with the concierge about what you and your mother would like to do and creating a special trip plan. For this trip, we will add a rickshaw activity that can be enjoyed the next morning.

When you check in, the concierge will give you a detailed explanation of the history of the building you'll be staying in. The concierge hopes that you'll learn how the building was used and imagine what it was like back then.

Dinner is an exquisite French meal made with ingredients sourced from all over Kyushu. If you make a reservation in advance, you can also have a message plate prepared, so you can surprise your guests with a message of gratitude that you normally can't put into words.

After filling your stomach, you can relax and soothe the fatigue of your journey in a specially made cypress bath made by a craftsman from Dazaifu (some rooms have a system bath).

The hotel also offers breakfast with a particular attention to detail, so we recommend the breakfast and dinner plan. The sesame mackerel, made with mackerel from Itoshima, Fukuoka Prefecture, and the hotel's homemade plum salt and ochazuke with Yame tea are both excellent.

HOTEL CULTIA DAZAIFU

<the 2nd day>

On the second day, we went to the town of Dazaifu. We enjoyed eating at restaurants selected based on my mother's preferences, and made the most of the time before our flight back home.

Take a rickshaw for a special, private tour of Dazaifu

First, we started off in a rickshaw, which we had reserved the day before through the concierge at HOTEL CULTIA Dazaifu.

The famous "Dazaifu Tenmangu Shrine area" is on the east side, but there are also many historical tourist spots on the west side, such as the ruins of the Dazaifu Government Office. Tour the historical and cultural spots with a rickshaw driver who knows Dazaifu inside and out, and enjoy the deeper side of Dazaifu that you can't experience on foot.

Enjoy gourmet food at your leisure on the approach to Dazaifu Tenmangu Shrine!

The final stop on the rickshaw is near Dazaifu Station. From there, enter the approach to the shrine and fill your stomach at Aji no Mentaiko Fukuya Dazaifu Branch, located about a 3-minute walk away.

You can't leave Fukuoka without trying mentaiko, the soul food of Fukuoka residents. Aji no Mentaiko Fukuya, which was founded in 1949, has multiple stores throughout Fukuoka Prefecture. However, some products are only available at the Dazaifu store, and there are often long lines on weekends.

The specialty of the Dazaifu store is the takeaway "Mentaiko Warm Chazuke" (500 yen), which can only be eaten at the Dazaifu store. We also recommend the seasonal menu "Mentaiko Cold Jelly Chazuke" (500 yen). It's also fun to share half between two people.

There is a mentaiko tasting corner inside the store, so you can find your favorite flavor and spiciness and take it home as a souvenir.

The "Pass Can" is named after Dazaifu Tenmangu Shrine, which enshrines the god of learning, and the "Shusse Can" is made with the roe of the Shusse fish. Both are limited edition products only available at the Dazaifu store, and are popular souvenirs.

Aji no Mentaiko Fukuya Dazaifu branch

Next up is "Dazaifu Sando Tenzan", which is perfect for a hot day.

The "Amaou Kudzu Ice Bar" (500 yen), which is only available in the summer, is a hot topic on social media due to its vibrant appearance. It is made with slices of Amaou strawberries from Fukuoka Prefecture inside a jelly-like kudzu, and even though it is ice cream, it has an addictive, bouncy texture. Kudzu is also known as a superfood and is said to have health benefits. Unlike regular ice creams that contain eggs and dairy products, it does not melt easily, making it perfect for eating on the go.

It is not uncommon for the homemade "Amaou Kudzu Ice Bars" to sell out by 3 p.m. It is a popular shop, especially on weekends, where there are often long lines, so we recommend going early.

The "Kushiwarabi" (350 yen) is so soft and jiggly that it almost slides off the skewer. It comes in two flavors, Yamecha powder and Kinako, and they sprinkle the powder on it after you order.

A recommended souvenir is the "Onigawara Monaka." Each one is carefully handmade using only the finest ingredients, such as the red beans and the cake skin.

Dazaifu to Tenzan

When we got tired from walking, we decided to take a break at Matsuya, a historic restaurant that was a regular lodging for the Satsuma clan and where Saigo Takamori also stayed.

The cafe "Matsuya Ishin no Iori", adjacent to the souvenir shop "Matsuya", opened in 1987 (Showa 62).

I immediately ordered the matcha set. It included freshly baked Umegae mochi, matcha, and homemade pickled plums for 700 yen. Each plate was decorated with fresh flowers, showing the hospitality of the restaurant.

The subtle sweetness of the Umegae Mochi matches perfectly with the sweet and salty pickled plums.

You can eat and drink not only inside the restaurant, but also in the garden. We recommend taking the time to reflect on your trip while being soothed by nature. (Note: The garden is not a rest area, so please order a drink at Matsuya Ishin no Iori before using it.)

Matsuya Restoration Hermitage

Two people drinking from lunchtime. To finish off, we went to "DAZAIFU BREWERY" to compare the taste of alcohol.

At the end of the trip, I enjoyed a long-awaited drink with my mother. Just past the approach to the shrine is DAZAIFU BREWERY, which opened in 2023.

You can also bring in food purchased from other stores, and enjoy tastings, which is a nice service. They have a selection of rare local alcoholic beverages, so you can compare different types.

The cute, pop-designed beer bottles all have a QR code attached. When you scan the code, a fortune slip will appear and tell you your fortune for the day.

The "plum" beer (750 yen), unique to Dazaifu, has a light and refreshing taste, and offers the strange experience of having a strong plum aroma yet the taste of beer.

Another new craft beer is "Cebu4," made with passion fruit from Miyazaki Prefecture, which looks and tastes like a passion fruit smoothie. It's easy to drink and recommended even for those who don't like beer.

The time I spent drinking with my mother and talking about the taste of alcohol was something I could only enjoy as an adult. It will be an unforgettable memory of my trip.

DAZAIFU BREWERY

Once you've had your fill of eating your way around, head back to Fukuoka Airport by bus from Dazaifu Station to Fukuoka Airport International Terminal (it takes about 11 minutes by free shuttle bus from Fukuoka Airport International Terminal to Fukuoka Airport Domestic Terminal).

Your final shopping trip in Fukuoka will be at Fukuoka Airport. Don't worry if you have left some souvenirs behind. There are over 50 souvenir shops in the airport, so you can get everything you want.

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[Option] We also recommend using domestic first class

If you are going on a mother-daughter trip, why not give them the gift of luxury travel in a spacious private space? Fukuoka has domestic first class.
(Set on some flights)

The in-flight meals, which change every month, feature seasonal flavors produced by Japan's most renowned restaurants. You can also enjoy exclusive check-in counters, lounges, and security checkpoints, so you can relax even before you depart.

web: JAL First Class

A two-day, one-night trip to Fukuoka to create memories together as a mother and daughter. The time you spend together is irreplaceable. Why not take this special trip as a way to show your gratitude to your mother?

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