Eat with Locals in Kirishima

We arrived Kirishima late in the evening and wanted to find a place to eat near our hotel. Many restaurants were near closing at 9pm but we were lucky to find Izakaya Mitsunaga which opens until midnight. From the outside, it seemed to be just a two story Japanese style house and the sign was not too clear from the road. There were a few parking spaces in front of the entrance. Once you walked in, the vibe was totally different. There were a few tables of locals and one large group was having a gathering with lots of food and beer on the table! It was perfect for Friday night! We ordered fish cake, gyoza, sukiyaki and yakisoba. The portion for the one person sukiyaki was quite big and excellent quality for the price. My favorite was the eggplant gyoza which was crispy and light. The yakisoba was also delicious and filled just the right spots. The lady who run the izakaya was really kind. While she didn’t speak any English, she did everything she could to make sure we had everything we needed and enjoyed the dinner. She even gave me the remote control to find my preferred tv program! Izakaya Mitsunaga is the kind of restaurant that I always try to find in all my travels. Meet the locals, enjoy local food! Address: 5 Chome-12-1 Kokubuchuo, Kirishima, Kagoshima 899-4332, Japan Hours: 6pm- midnight daily #kyushu #Kirishima ##japanesefood ##izakaya