{"id":1433,"date":"2025-01-28T14:03:31","date_gmt":"2025-01-28T05:03:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/higojournal.com\/en\/?p=1433"},"modified":"2025-01-28T14:03:31","modified_gmt":"2025-01-28T05:03:31","slug":"burnt-no-its-just-right-trying-the-black-tonkatsu-at-tonkatsu-aoi-in-hitoyoshi-city","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/higojournal.com\/en\/archives\/burnt-no-its-just-right-trying-the-black-tonkatsu-at-tonkatsu-aoi-in-hitoyoshi-city.html","title":{"rendered":"\u201cBurnt? No, It\u2019s Just Right! Trying the Black Tonkatsu at \u2018Tonkatsu Aoi\u2019 in Hitoyoshi City\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"

Four years after the devastating floods of 2020, while bridges and railways are still under reconstruction, tourist spots, eateries, and hotels are back in business!<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Among these recovering spots, I visited \u201cTonkatsu Aoi\u201d, known for its unique black tonkatsu.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/b>Near \u201cHassenba\u201d, the Hub for Kuma River Activities<\/b><\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u201cTonkatsu Aoi\u201d is located in Nanuka-machi, Hitoyoshi City, boasting a spacious interior.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/b>Exclusive Use of Fukuoka Prefecture\u2019s “Itoshima Hanabuta”<\/b><\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The menu features Itoshima Hanabuta pork from Fukuoka Prefecture, known for its sweetness and tender texture.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Let’s take a look at the menu.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The special Pork Loin Tonkatsu Set Meal is priced at 1300 yen, with unlimited cabbage and rice.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

There\u2019s a large \u201cEbi Fry\u201d (Japanese breaded, deep-fried shrimp) Set Meal as well.<\/span><\/p>\n

And there it was, the \u201cBlack Tonkatsu\u201d I was eager to try.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Japanese curry and a selection of soft drinks and alcohol are also available.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/b>Ordered the Black Tonkatsu Loin Set Meal<\/b><\/h2>\n

Upon ordering tonkatsu, a dish of sesame seeds and other condiments are brought to the table.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The rich array of condiments included sesame seeds, Japanese tonkatsu sauce, salt, black pepper, and Japanese mustard.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The tonkatsu sauce is slightly tangy.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The vegetables are crisp and fresh. All you can eat vegetables are especially welcome when prices are high!<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

There were two types of dressing available: tomato and onion.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

And then it arrived! The Black Tonkatsu Loin Set Meal!!<\/span><\/p>\n

The breading is pitch black!<\/span><\/p>\n

At first glance, you might think it\u2019s burnt, but no.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The tonkatsu is thick, juicy, and tender. You can really taste the quality of the meat.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Eating it plain allows you to appreciate the natural sweetness of the meat, but I recommend trying it with some <\/span>goma shio <\/span><\/i>(sesame salt).<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

There\u2019s also the regular loin katsu.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

This one too is tender and sweet.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Secret Of Being Black<\/b><\/h2>\n

I was surprised to learn how the black breadcrumbs are made.<\/span><\/p>\n

First, bamboo charcoal is kneaded into bread dough and baked into a pitch-black bread. The bread is then ground down into the breadcrumbs used for the tonkatsu. It\u2019s a labor-intensive process.<\/span><\/p>\n

The black tonkatsu has a satisfying texture and, despite its color, it doesn\u2019t blacken your mouth as you might expect.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Rice and cabbage refills are free, and fortunately, the soup served alongside the katsu was <\/span>tonjiru<\/span><\/i>, a heartier version of miso soup with plenty of vegetables and pieces of pork!<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The restaurant is closed on Monday evenings and all day Tuesday.<\/span><\/p>\n

If you\u2019re in Hitoyoshi, make sure to check it out!<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Four years after the devastating floods of 2020, while bridges and railways are still under reconstruction, tourist spot … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":1448,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1433","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-gourmet"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/higojournal.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1433","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/higojournal.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/higojournal.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/higojournal.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/higojournal.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1433"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/higojournal.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1433\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1455,"href":"https:\/\/higojournal.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1433\/revisions\/1455"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/higojournal.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1448"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/higojournal.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1433"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/higojournal.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1433"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/higojournal.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1433"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}