We were extremely disappointed with our dinner experience at this restaurant during our day trip to Dazaifu. As non-Japanese speakers and non-white foreigners, we were made to feel noticeably out of place and unwelcome throughout our dinner. Despite what earlier reviews suggested, there was NO English menu available, and the staff did not bother to help much with recommending or guiding us on what to order. In fact, we saw the boss/owner/head chef tell his subordinate/staff to receive and serve the other local Japanese guests first and leave us (unattended and helpless).

So what really stood out was the stark difference in treatment between us and the local Japanese diners. While they were warmly welcomed and provided with the full dining setup—we were not offered the same, which made us feel awkward and out of place. It was hard not to feel like we were being subtly sidelined simply because we were non-Japanese and couldn’t speak the language (and probably also since we were not Caucasians).

While the sashimi itself was fresh, the overall experience left a sour note. This restaurant experience was a serious and huge letdown, a heavy dampener to our otherwise pleasant day excursion in Dazaifu. The cold, rude and indifferent service overshadowed what could have been an enjoyable day trip.

We understand that language barriers can create challenges for tourists from overseas, but a bit of warmth and effort to make all guests feel welcome would go a long way. We hope the restaurant considers this for the future.