Yushokutonsai Ichiniisan Tenmonkanten — Restaurant in Kagoshima

If you are a foreign tourist, please avoid this restaurant at all costs.

Due to heavy rain, I arrived in Kagoshima at 3 PM and decided to dine here because of its many reviews. I’m not sure if it was because of the time (late afternoon), but the food was terrible—especially the chicken dish, which was just a plate of plain grilled chicken yet priced at ¥880.

But the worst part was the service. Perhaps because they cater to many foreign tourists, they don’t care about their attitude. When we entered, the host at the door didn’t even look at us, just told us in Japanese to wait. Inside, the two servers didn’t smile at all throughout our meal.

We also ordered steamed pork and fried pork cutlet. The younger female server simply brought the dishes without explaining which sauces paired with which dish or how to eat them. Only when I asked did she casually mention that both sauces were for the steamed pork—though I suspect the one with green onions was actually meant for the soba. The older server was slightly better, but when I pressed the call button for service, she saw me, and I ordered a beer. Later, another server (who handled food delivery and had a decent attitude) came by. I wanted to order another beer, but we couldn’t communicate. I said, "I have already ordered with her," referring to the older server standing nearby, but even after hearing us talk about her, she didn’t come over to help.

I’ve visited Japan 31 times, and this was easily in my top three worst dining experiences in the country.

To emphasize again—if you’re a foreigner, stick to restaurants that primarily serve locals. That’s where you’ll truly experience Japanese hospitality and food quality. This place feels like a tourist trap meant for group...

A Shabu Shabu restaurant specialising in Kagoshima Black Pork. Not sure exactly where I heard the claim, but supposedly this type of pork is said to be 'scientifically proven to be four times tastier than regular pork'.

We ordered the 4,200 yen set which came with Black Pork Shabu, Assorted Vegetables, Black Pork Cutlet, Miso Soup, Soba Noodles, a few other small sides and dessert (creme brulee).

Everything was clean and fresh and overall the lunch was satisfying. I don't think the pork tasted any different to any other Shabu Pork I've eaten before, so the claim of it being 4 times more tasty doesn't seem true. That being said, it's still great pork.

You get a good variety for the price, so would recommend this as a good place to try Kagoshima Black Pork. I'd suggest maybe going with the Sukiyaki over the Shabu, just for a bit more flavour, as the Shabu while highlighting the quality of the ingredients was otherwise fairly bland in...

We have visited this place during beginning of April, since we have read a lot about this place. They had kurobuta, which is special kind of pork, sometimes known in Europe as Berkshire. And shabu shabu. When we arrived, this place was really, really crowded. Well, not Japanese-style crowded where you wait two hours for a table, but still full. Our waitress for the night was quite nice lady, professional, but her behaviour was bit cold.. But as said, professional, kind and not rude.

We went for shabu shabu and it was amazing. They bring everything to your table, turn the heater on and ask if you need help. We did it by ourselves, as it is nothing that difficult. First you put there vegetables and then you put there the pork and slightly "stir" in the hot water - "shabu shabu".

The prices are bit above average, which is somehow strange in Kagoshima, far away of big cities and so on. But nothing...