Japan (Lonely Planet, 11th Edition) - Chris Rowthorn [557]
Capricciosa (Map; 323-8622; 7-10 Kamidōri; pasta from ¥950, pizza from ¥1060; lunch & dinner) It’s easy to spot this imitation European building with red French awnings and a corner frontage onto the arcade, housing, funnily enough, an Italian restaurant with a definite Japanese twist.
Cafe Anding (Map; 352-6701; 4th fl, 4-10 Kamidōri; dishes from ¥1000) Satisfy your sweet tooth at this upstairs coffee-and-pastry hang-out with English sign and menu.
Izakaya Yokobachi (Map; 351-4581; 11-40 Kaminoura, Kamidōri; meals with beer ¥2000-3000; dinner) The menu at this snappy eatery includes basashi (¥1000). Gulp. Observe the open kitchen, or sit in the shaded courtyard. The signage has a red sideways number ‘8’.
Jang Jang Go (Map; 323-1121; 12-10 Hanahata-chō; per person around ¥2500; lunch & dinner) This trendy date spot serves neo-Chinese cuisine from an open kitchen and the speciality is taipīen (harusame noodles with cuttlefish and vegetables) for ¥735. There’s an extensive menu, so you can keep on ordering.
Okonomiyaki Arashiyama (Map; 395-2003; Sakai Bldg, 1-11-5 Shimotōri; dinner, closed Sun) This tiny hole-in-the-wall has about 10 seats and no English is spoken, but it has mastered the art of okonomiyaki (pancake; starting from ¥700). It’s in a side street opposite Core21 department store.
Drinking
Kumamoto is a convivial and lively city after dark. The Namikizaka-dōri area at the north end of Kamidōri Arcade is particularly hip and the laneways off Shimotōri Arcade are busy.
Shark Attack (Map; 090-6299-1818; 8th fl, 6-3 Ansei-machi; drinks from ¥500; closed Tue) Despite the name, the mood here is mellow – a sandy floor, surfboards and tiki lamps behind the bar set the tone.
Jungle Hearts (Map; 356-1655; 1-5-10 Shimotōri; closed Tue) Enter another world in this ground-floor jungle-kitsch bar with all-you-can-drink specials and a mainly Japanese clientele. The beer glasses are giant.
Jeff’s World Bar (Map; 2nd fl, 1-4-3 Shimotōri) Predominantly gaijin expats and local Japanese frequent this sometimes friendly, sometimes sleazy 2nd-floor pub with satellite TV, sofas and a good selection of beers. There’s dancing some weekends.
Entertainment
Rock Bar Days (Map; 323-7110; www.rockbar-days.com, in Japanese; 3rd fl SMILE Bldg, 1-7-7 Shimotōri; drinks around ¥600) An incredible cross-genre collection of CDs adorns the wall behind the bar. Kumamoto’s coolest hang-out has an awesome atmosphere that draws the best crowd. Dance if you have the space, sprawl out on sofas or make friends at the bar.
Euro Dance Bar (Map; 354-0803; basement, Shanse Shinagawa Bldg, 11-18 Hanabata; admission ¥400; 8pm-6am) Friday is salsa night, but you’ll hear everything from disco to hip-hop at this intimate Ginza-dōri basement spot. It can be a little hit-and-miss but plenty of other options are nearby.
Bar Sanctuary (Map; 325-5634; 4-16 Tetorihon-machi; drinks from ¥300) This massive multilevel dance, darts and karaoke extravaganza has no cover charge and a mostly 20-something crowd. It heaves on weekends.
Getting There & Away
There are flights to Kumamoto from Tokyo (¥36,700, 1½ hours) and Osaka (¥23,500, 1¼ hours), but most visitors come by train. The JR Kagoshima line runs north to Hakata (tokkyū; ¥3440, 1½ hours) and south to Kagoshima-Chūō Station (tokkyū/shinkansen; ¥6350, 70 minutes, change at Shin-Yatsushiro), while the JR Hōhi line goes to Beppu (tokkyū; ¥5130, three hours) via Aso.
Highway buses depart from the Kumamoto Kōtsū bus centre. Routes include Fukuoka (¥2000, two hours), Kagoshima (¥3650, 3½ hours), Nagasaki (¥3600, 3¼ hours) and Miyazaki (¥4500, three hours).
Getting Around
TO/FROM THE AIRPORT
Buses to and from the airport (¥670, 50 minutes) stop at the Kumamoto Kōtsū bus centre and JR Kumamoto Station.
BUS
One-day tram passes are also valid for travel on green Shiei buses (but not other city buses), useful for hopping between JR Kumamoto Station and the bus centre.
The Castle Loop Bus (¥130) connects the bus centre with most sights in the castle