Our driving tour of Kyushu officially kicked off today! After picking up our rental car from Nippon Car Rental, we quickly set off eastward towards Kitakyushu (北九州市) — a city of nearly a million residents that I had never set foot in before.
Our first stop was The Outlets Kitakyushu, an outlet mall that, to be honest, has received less-than-stellar reviews from visitors. We were running slightly behind schedule this afternoon, so upon arrival, we headed straight to the food hall for a quick lunch.
While a few of us opted for a simple tendon (天丼), I decided to take a chance on something a little more exciting. Inspired by my recent interest in Fukuoka-based Hikiniku to Come (挽肉と米), I thought I’d give Kiwamiya (極味や ハンバーグ) a try, who's known for its charcoal-grilled beef patties.
Unlike Hikiniku to Come, where the chefs grill the patties for you before serving, Kiwamiya serves the patty on a sizzling hot plate, leaving the final grilling to the diners themselves. Unfortunately, this DIY approach meant the beef was missing the usual smoky chargrilled flavor I was longing for. To make matters worse, the patty was riddled with tendons, making the whole experience rather underwhelming.
On the bright side, lunch was quick — which gave us more time to shop! 🛍️🛍️
While I managed to do some serious damage to my wallet at the outlet, Jelloman and little nugget skipped shopping altogether and instead embarked on an adventure next door at the Kitakyushu Museum of Natural History & Human History (北九州市立自然史・歴史博物館). By all accounts, little one had a fantastic time, especially getting an up-close look at some of his favorite dinosaurs.
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That said, judging by some of the photos, he didn’t exactly look like he was having a blast! If anything, he looked a little terrified more like he was running from the dinosaurs than admiring them! 😁😁
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Food Rating: 3.8/10
Price: ￥￥￥
Address: The Outlet Kitakyushu Food Hall, 4-1-1 Higashida, Yahatahigashi-ku, Kitakyushu, Fukuoka, 805-0071 Japan
Closest Train Station: Space-World
Opening Hours: 10:00am - 9:00pm daily
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