{"id":824618,"date":"2025-11-30T09:50:01","date_gmt":"2025-11-30T09:50:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wacoca.com\/tour\/824618\/"},"modified":"2025-11-30T09:50:01","modified_gmt":"2025-11-30T09:50:01","slug":"japans-cheapest-and-most-delicious-katsudon-only-3-50-in-fukuoka","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wacoca.com\/tour\/824618\/","title":{"rendered":"Japan\u2019s Cheapest and Most Delicious Katsudon Only $3.50 in Fukuoka"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title = \"Japan\u2019s Cheapest and Most Delicious Katsudon Only $3.50 in Fukuoka\"   width=\"580\" height=\"385\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/waTGG6DZzHQ\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><br \/>\n<br \/>\nJapan\u2019s Cheapest and Most Delicious Katsudon Only $3.50 in Fukuoka<br \/>\n<br \/>\nKatsudon Pork Cutlet Rice Bowl: \u00a5540 ($3.50) Katsu Curry (w\/ Pork Cutlet): \u00a5730 ($4.50) That\u2019s why we aim for Japanese-style fast food. Today, we&#8217;re going behind the scenes at a Japanese-style fast food spot in Fukuoka. It\u2019s been a favorite among locals since opening 18 years ago. A husband-and-wife team runs this massive restaurant all by themselves! They start prep at 8 a.m. Prepping the karaage (Japanese fried chicken) We marinate the karaage overnight. That way it absorbs plenty of flavor before we fry it the next day. One kg and one kg (2.2lbs). Owner: No, 2 kg and 2 kg (4.4 lbs). Oh! Two and two, sorry! Wait, this was two kilos? Seriously? Meat marinated overnight Shio koji brings out the most umami And it makes the meat super tender and juicy. We&#8217;re always experimenting And tweaking our recipes to make them taste even better. JFC Staff: So you keep experimenting as you go along? Exactly. With the karaage and the curry, too. Compared to the beginning We&#8217;ve changed the recipes bit by bit. We want our customers to enjoy really good food. For the lowest prices possible. So we get creative and try not to spend too much While still making everything taste great. Most places use premade mix for the karaage coating. But we blend our own. To keep costs down. We make everything ourselves, even the sweet vinegar sauce for Chicken Nanban. That\u2019s how we keep prices low. Same with the cabbage\u2014we cut it all ourselves. Prepping the curry. Mixing agodashi fish broth, onions and their secret recipe soup stock. We typically let it sit for 2 days. Want some coffee or something? JFC Staff: You sure? Here you go. JFC Staff: Thank you! Curry: \u00a5480 ($3.00)   Katsudon: \u00a5540 ($3.50)   Udon: \u00a5310 ($2.00) So, the A Set and the Karaage Set Those were my ideas. I suggested them to my husband. I&#8217;m someone who speaks her mind. And my husband&#8217;s like, &#8220;Oh, really?&#8221; It&#8217;s like we built this place together as a couple. We used to have 3 or 4 part-timers. But they all quit. So now it\u2019s just us two. We try not to burden each other too much. We both handle cooking, customer service, everything. Because we both can. So it doesn\u2019t really feel too overwhelming. JFC Staff: How long has it been just the two of you? About two whole years. We can\u2019t just close the store. So until someone new joins, we\u2019re hanging in there a bit longer. Cleaning the entire huge store all on her own. She even cleans outside! You can see the bus stop clearly from here. So if it&#8217;s dirty it bothers us. Ever since we opened, my husband&#8217;s like, \u2018Let\u2019s clean all the way out there, too!&#8221; Every single day. You can see the bus stop perfectly from inside. So we make sure it&#8217;s clean, too! The large parking lot fills up with cars. A line starts to form! Katsudon Pork Cutlet Rice Bowl: \u00a5540 ($3.50) Katsu Curry (w\/ Pork Cutlet): \u00a5730 ($4.50) Meat Curry Udon: \u00a5600 ($4.00) Chicken Nanban Rice Bowl: \u00a5640 ($4.25) Every dish is served within 2 minutes of ordering. A-Set: \u00a5820 ($5.25) Seasoned and smooth teamwork! The place fills up with customers. I\u2019ve come here so many times. Since way back. I think I was in elementary school when I first came! You never have to wait long. The food comes out fast. And hey, it\u2019s cheap and delicious! If I lived closer, I\u2019d probably come every day. He loves katsudon, so we came for katsudon. It\u2019s super good. It&#8217;s great! How old are you? Three? JFC Staff: What a unique three! I&#8217;m three! A little louder! It\u2019s yummy! Helping customers with the meal ticket machine. A single takeout order with nine items. Tickets 10 through 18 are ready! Thanks for waiting! Thank you very much! We always feel bad if we keep people waiting. Some customers only have a one-hour lunch break. So we try to serve them as fast as possible. Oh, sorry about that. Thank you! Washing dishes is a team effort. JFC Staff: How long have you been running the place? About 18 years now. We opened our first location in Mikawachi, Sasebo in Nagasaki. Then we were approached by someone in Fukuoka And wanted to expand in the Fukuoka area. So we opened this Umi location for a total of 3. But things didn&#8217;t go well at the other locations So we closed them. Now this is the only location left. I\u2019d still love to expand into more locations again. I  want to create Japanese fast food I even got to train in the U.S. That made me think, &#8220;Japan needs something like this, too!&#8221; That\u2019s why we aim for Japanese-style fast food. I\u2019ve worked in food service for a long time. Bento shops, conveyor-belt sushi Udon shops, a bit of everything. Since I was about 22. So it\u2019s been\u2026 around 42 years now. We never eat breakfast or dinner together. Our schedules don\u2019t match. So we try to eat lunch together, at least! On our days off, we usually go to the flower shop And to the roadside market together. We\u2019re together all the time. I hate being alone, so I follow him around everywhere. He worked away from home for a long time, maybe that&#8217;s why. We lived apart for over 10 years&#8230; So now I want to be with him all the time, in response to that! JFC Staff: Sorry if this is embarrassing, but&#8230; Is there anything you want to thank each other for? You first, dear. Thank you for always working so hard, at home and at the shop. No, thank YOU! I am so happy we got married. You\u2019re kind to our kids, you&#8217;re kind to me. You always bring home a steady paycheck. You show our kids what hard work looks like. I&#8217;m thankful every day. I can smile like this every day because of him. Thank you. He&#8217;s kind and takes good care of me. Open for dinner! 9 p.m.\u2014 Closing time That\u2019s it for today. Time to start cleaning up! We had 238 customers today since lunchtime was especially busy. This might just be our best day in the past six months! Wife: Maybe ever? I can hardly believe we managed just the two of us! We\u2019re so grateful so many customers came. What a great sense of accomplishment. Like we gave it our very best. Like we reached the summit! It&#8217;s the best feeling ever! It makes you want to aim even higher. So we keep trying new things. We don\u2019t want to stop here. Like, look at us at this age, still going strong! We want to make it so anyone can do what we&#8217;re doing. So we can hire some part-time staff And still provide the same level of service. Once we get some part-time staff again He can finally do things the way he wants. This just might be our last big challenge! Thank you for your support! Quite the adventurer, this man! He&#8217;s had my back all these years. So now I&#8217;ve got his! Good evening. This is Sakoda from the Japanese Food Craftsman channel. I\u2019d like to talk about what we hope to accomplish through YouTube. Over the years, I\u2019ve met many craftsmen and chefs. Their skills, their attitude, and their spirit\u2014 I\u2019ve come to realize that they are truly world-class, something Japan can be proud of. But at the same time, the number of craftsmen are declining every year. When I learned this reality, I strongly felt the need to pass on their legacy to the next generation. That\u2019s why, through our videos and products, we want more people to discover the beauty of craftsmanship. However, there are challenges in bringing this vision to life. We are a small team. And our filming time is limited. There are many times we think, \u201cIf only we had a few more hours, we could\u2019ve made an even better video.\u201d We often feel that frustration deeply. We want to share the charm of these craftsmen more deeply and carefully. We also want to film lesser-known local shops and even take on filming overseas someday. That\u2019s why we started our YouTube Membership program. We\u2019ve also prepared various member benefits. If you resonate with our mission and want to support what we\u2019re doing,<br \/>\nwe\u2019d be truly grateful if you joined as a member. Your support directly connects to the future of craftsmanship. Please consider supporting us. Please support us! I\u2019m Abe from Yatai Keiji. Nice to meet you.<br \/>\nPlease continue supporting Japanese Food Craftsman as well! Our channel strives to share the skills of true craftsmen with the world and pass them on to the next generation. Our videos and products aim to showcase the appeal, pride and philosophy behind the artisans and their craft. If even one person watches this and thinks \u201cJapanese craftsmen are awesome!\u201d that\u2019s already a step toward preserving Japan&#8217;s fading traditional crafts. That\u2019s the mission of our YouTube channel. Thanks for your support!<br \/>\n<br \/>\nJapan&#8217;s Cheapest and Most Delicious Katsudon shop in Fukuoka serves delicious Japanese food at fast food pace and for very cheap! They have been operating as a couple for 18 years at this restaurant and its always packed! Amazing dedication! <\/p>\n<p>\ud83c\udf89Check out our new Channel with 4K Extended Videos here\ud83c\udf89: https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@japanesefoodcraftsmanlong<\/p>\n<p>\ud83c\udfe0 Shop Name:\u3069\u3093\u30de\u30c3\u30af \u5b87\u7f8e\u5e97<br \/>\n\ud83d\udccdLocation on Google Maps:https:\/\/maps.app.goo.gl\/96mnxKUvaY2SLUPQ9<\/p>\n<p>\ud83d\udecd\ufe0fOPEN!\ud83c\udf89Shop Japanese hand-forged knives and crafts at our online store!<br \/>\nhttps:\/\/shop.japanese-food-craftsman.com\/craftsmanship<\/p>\n<p>\ud83e\udde7Sign up to our NEWSLETTER below for info on our shop restocks and background stories on our videos!<br \/>\nhttps:\/\/shop.japanese-food-craftsman.com\/newsletter-signup<\/p>\n<p>\u26e9\ufe0f Book a English-guided Yatai Keiji food experience through our online shop!\ud83c\udf5c<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/shop.japanese-food-craftsman.com\/collections\/yatai-food-experience\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Yatai Food Experience<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\ud83c\udf81 Japanese Food Craftsman Merchandise! Buy Yatai shirts and other fun items!<br \/>\nLink: https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@Japanesefoodcraftsman\/store<\/p>\n<p>\ud83c\udfe1Check out the lodgings our channel manages in Fukuoka city!<br \/>\n\u3000Website Link: https:\/\/www.shokuemon-yado.com\/<\/p>\n<p>\u30fc\u30fc\u30fc\u30fc\u30fc\u30fc\u30fc\u30fc\u30fc\u30fc\u30fc\u30fc\u30fc\u30fc\u30fc\u30fc\u30fc\u30fc\u30fc\u30fc\u30fc\u30fc<\/p>\n<p>\ud83d\udcc1 POPULAR Japanese Food Craftsman Selected Videos \ud83d\udcc1<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"YATAI | Fastest Worker of Japanese food stand in Japan | street food | \uae38\uac70\ub9ac \uc74c\uc2dd | puesto de comida\" width=\"770\" height=\"433\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/BtaPTeT5b90?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><br \/>\nFastest Worker of Japanese food stand in Japan<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"YATAI | OVERWORKED? JUST 3 Hours of SLEEP for this Ramen Yatai Owner\" width=\"770\" height=\"433\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/aBzdqioFvh8?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><br \/>\nOVERWORKED? JUST 3 Hours of SLEEP for this Ramen Yatai Owner<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Yo Yo! Check-out This Young CHARISMATIC chef&#039;s EGG MAKING SKILLS!\" width=\"770\" height=\"433\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/ETJQWgm_R2w?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><br \/>\nYo Yo! Young CHARISMATIC chef&#8217;s EGG MAKING SKILLS!<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"HIDDEN Ramen shop! Young Couple COMPLETELY transform their HOME!\" width=\"770\" height=\"433\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/thWA7MJDtYA?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><br \/>\nHIDDEN Ramen shop! Young Couple COMPLETELY transform their HOME!<\/p>\n<p>0:00 Intro<br \/>\n0:46 Fried chicken!<br \/>\n3:32 Preparing the secret curry recipe!<br \/>\n5:40 Cleaning!<br \/>\n6:33 Lines Begin to Form!<br \/>\n9:27 Regulars who&#8217;ve been coming for over 10 years!<br \/>\n11:00 Handling massive orders by themselves!<br \/>\n12:50 Passion for Japanese fast food!<br \/>\n14:00 Always together, even on days off!<br \/>\n15:36 Thorough cleaning after closing!<br \/>\n18:24 The couple&#8217;s dreams for the future<\/p>\n<p>#katsudon #japanesefood #fastfood<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Japan\u2019s Cheapest and Most Delicious Katsudon Only $3.50 in Fukuoka Katsudon Pork Cutlet Rice Bowl: \u00a5540 ($3.50<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":824619,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[144749],"tags":[442588,139365,442583,442580,66151,442587,89012,1425,279155,442579,75530,442584,442585,84601,442581,442582,442578,442586,95137,1170,442570,320355,144104,435052,195629,442575,420,430651,442589,663,370915,140806,442573,442574,395834,964,442576,428566,442590,147670,146266,442577,17386,203647,965,442572,442571,1423,145039,6630,144552,145038,8699,163591,395833,442569,442568,43174,380852,380847,163812],"class_list":{"0":"post-824618","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-fukuoka","8":"tag-cheap-japanese-food","9":"tag-cheapest","10":"tag-chicken-katsu","11":"tag-elderly-japanese","12":"tag-fast-food","13":"tag-fast-food-fukuoka","14":"tag-fast-food-japan","15":"tag-fukuoka","16":"tag-hardwork","17":"tag-hardworking-japanese","18":"tag-japanese-food-craftsman","19":"tag-katsu-sandwich-japan","20":"tag-katsu-sandwich-recipe","21":"tag-katsudon","22":"tag-old-couple","23":"tag-old-japanese-couple","24":"tag-overwork","25":"tag-secret-recipe","26":"tag-umi","27":"tag-ytccon","28":"tag-442570","29":"tag-320355","30":"tag-144104","31":"tag-435052","32":"tag-195629","33":"tag-442575","34":"tag-420","35":"tag-430651","36":"tag-442589","37":"tag-663","38":"tag-370915","39":"tag-140806","40":"tag-442573","41":"tag-442574","42":"tag-395834","43":"tag-964","44":"tag-442576","45":"tag-428566","46":"tag-442590","47":"tag-147670","48":"tag-146266","49":"tag-442577","50":"tag-17386","51":"tag-203647","52":"tag-965","53":"tag-442572","54":"tag-442571","55":"tag-1423","56":"tag-145039","57":"tag-6630","58":"tag-144552","59":"tag-145038","60":"tag-8699","61":"tag-163591","62":"tag-395833","63":"tag-442569","64":"tag-442568","65":"tag-43174","66":"tag-380852","67":"tag-380847","68":"tag-163812"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wacoca.com\/tour\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/824618","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wacoca.com\/tour\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wacoca.com\/tour\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wacoca.com\/tour\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wacoca.com\/tour\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=824618"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.wacoca.com\/tour\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/824618\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wacoca.com\/tour\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/824619"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wacoca.com\/tour\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=824618"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wacoca.com\/tour\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=824618"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wacoca.com\/tour\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=824618"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}