Our second day in Kumamoto saw us taking in (or going Kumamon spotting in) more of the downtown area and making a special visit to see Kumamon in person. Already in the city, we take the opportunity to sleep in gloriously late into the mid-morning as shops don’t open until 11 AM.
Kumamoto
We head to Sakuramachi for a quick breakfast at 10 AM. We see Kumamoto Castle peeking out in the distance.
Sakuramachi
SAKURA MACHI Kumamoto, 3-10 Sakuramachi, Chuo Ward, Kumamoto, 860-0805, Japan
This is the view of the walls and ceilings above the escalator going down into the basement where the food court and supermarket are located.
There’s a store selling bento including Kumamon-themed ones.
There’s a generous selection of fresh sashimi and sushi.
Kumamon recommends the local mikan.
We decide on a box of conger eel sushi and a rice wrap with fried prawn and lettuce, which were both hearty and satisfying.
Picked up a few days earlier in Ōita is this San A Hyūganatsu Drink. Containing 20% hyūganatsu juice, this reflected in a brighter, sweeter flavour of the fruit and made for a refreshing beverage.
At the local supermarket, this Kirin Mets Watermelon tickles our fancy. It has an enjoyable watermelon flavour with a balanced sweet that avoids artificiality.
And finally, this Asahi Mitsuya Cider Nippon was a limited edition re-release of the ‘Mitsuya Champagne Cider’ that was sold around 1955. This one had a richer sweetness that restrained the characteristic sharpness of the current Mitsuya Cider.
Sunroad Shinsaigai
Sunroad Shinshigai is a stone’s throw from Sakuramachi. It’s a covered arcade stretching over 200 m that was established in 1903 and the first downtown shopping area in Kumamoto.
We visit the 7-Eleven, which has an ICECOLD Coca-Cola machine. Regrettably, we forget to return for it.
We spot Kumamon at numerous Dipper Dan Crepe stores around Kyūshū but am always disappointed that he featured only on the paper packaging holding the crepes, rather than being a more collectible or edible feature.
Further down the street, we see a bidet or ‘toilet butler’ being sold for ¥149,800.
Shimotori Shopping Arcade
下通アーケード, 1 Chome-3-10 Shimotori, Chuo Ward, Kumamoto, 860-0807, Japan
At the eastern end of Sunroad Shinsaigai is Shimotori Shopping Arcade. We’re relieved it’s covered as the rain begins to come down heavily for the first time during our trip. Shimotori Shopping Arcade is over 500 m long with 175 stores and cafes.
These doughnut-shaped seats featuring various illustrations of Kumamon along the length of the arcade surprise us as seating is rare on mainland Japan.
We stumbled into a crockery shop selling handmade Kumamon plates and bowls.
Higomaru no Furusato Shop
ひごまるのふるさとショップ, New Frontier Building 1-2F 3-10 Shinmachi, Chuo-ku, 860-0803 Kumamoto, Japan
This is the Higomaru no Furosato Shop, which sells local souvenirs from foods, crafts and Kumamon goods.
There are Kumamon plush toys and clothing, as well as 1 million yen bills.
As well as dekopon flavoured foods and curry sauces made using local Kumamon produce.
Don Quijote
ドン・キホーテ, 5-27, Ansei-cho, Chuo Ward, Kumamoto, 860-0807, Japan
The Don Quijote has its walls lined with Kumamoto themed drawings including Kumamon with the DonQ’s Do.
We’re here for the Pitta Mask facemasks and were amused by these cute ones featuring Kumamon.
Always thirsty, we picked up an ume flavoured Pepsi, which tasted much like Pepsi with an enjoyable refreshing tart-sweetness of the fruit in the finish.
And for a pick-me-up, this is the Craft Boss Coffee Brown, which was rather watery but enjoyable as an iced coffee.
Shugei no Makino
手芸のマキノ, 1-28, Ansei-cho, Chuo Ward, Kumamoto, 860-0807, Japan
Shugei no Makino sells various fabrics and handicraft materials.
Of particular interest is their Kumamon print fabric in three colours.
The fabric is sold by the metre and also available as ready-made bags and tissue covers for immediate purchase. For those with more time, they’re also able to make a skirt using the fabric.
On display is a signed photograph of Kumamon himself cleaning outside the store.
Customers receive their choice of a button featuring Kumamon for every ¥1,500 spent.
COCOSA B1
COCOSA B1 1-3-8 Shimotori, Chuo Ward, Kumamoto 860-0807 Japan
COCOSA B1 is a modern supermarket situated in the basement of the COCOSA Shopping, which has an entrance on Shimotori Shopping Arcade.
Inside we find local produce with tags explaining the seasonality of various fruits as well as their source within the prefecture. We also find him recommending purple sweet potato from Kumamoto.
At the ready-to-eat section, can receive this Chikuwa Sarata X Kumamon tea towel as a present.
Kumamon also featured prominently on packages of rice.
In non-Kumamon related curiosities, this container contained the (non-vegetable) ingredients needed for pickling vegetables.
We also find some Orange Chocolate KitKat as well as matcha ice cream cones and nashi gelato.
At the north end of Shimotori, we see Kumamon in the backseat of a local bus on Densha Dori.
And to the west, we see Kumamoto Castle.
Kamitori Shopping Arcade
Crossing Densha Dori in the pouring rain, we take cover in Kamitori Shopping Arcade. Shimotori Shopping Arcade is more lively, with more shopping than Kamitori.
The seating at Kamitori Shopping Arcade is also Kumamon themed.
Surprisingly, their manhole covers are not Kumamon-themed and feature a flower pattern.
1-5 gakuya
1-5 gakuya, 9-6 Kamitoricho, Chuo Ward, Kumamoto, 860-0845, Japan
The menu outside 1-5 gakuya enticed us in with the promise of tomato ramen, which is our favourite type of ramen after trying the version from Kyūshū Ramen Kio in Ōsaka during a previous trip. The store operates as a bar, with most of its customers coming in the evening after work. We’re here during lunch, though, so only one staff member is taking the orders and making the food.
We both order the Sakaba no Tomato Ramen Set (¥800 +tax), which comes with salad and rice. We start with the salad, which is prepared fresh from the fridge with an enjoyable sesame dressing.
It’s a short wait until the ramen comes out, but it seems as if the soup were made from scratch as we watch the staff from our seats preparing numerous ingredients before placing them in the pot. Made with tomato, chicken and dried-shiitake, the soup is light and healthy, while the noodles themselves have a good bite and the de-skinned cherry tomatoes brought pops of prominent sweetness and the vegetable stems being crisp.
In typical Japanese style service, the staff appears immediately upon us finishing the noodles with bowls to provide us with the bowls of rice, parmesan cheese and spicy habanero sauce. The rice soaks up the delicious tomato and chicken soup while retaining their grains, and the addition of cheese balances the heat from the habanero.
We enjoy this tomato ramen with the addition of rice, although the flavour was less rich than the one from Kyūshū Ramen Rio.
Ocha no Horinoen
お茶の堀野園, 7-10 Kamitoricho, Chuo Ward, Kumamoto, 860-0845, Japan
Ocha no Horinoen is a branch of the tea house situated along Kamitori. The tea house is well known for being the first in Kumamoto to produce fukamushicha or deep-steamed green tea.
A cafe serving various matcha sweets is situated behind the street front, while a gentleman at the front enticed us with samples of their tea.
Further along, in the windows of a music store, we spot a gold Kumamon.
Kumamoto Dentetsu Antenna Shop
熊本電鉄アンテナショップ, ライズ銀座通り 1F, 1-9-11 Shimotori, Chuo Ward, Kumamoto, 860-0807, Japan
There’s an antenna shop for Kumamoto Detentsu on Ginza Dori.
The electric railway services two lines with carriages decorated with Kumamon wrapping. We initially planned a gratuitous trip on the train just for fun but there was more than enough Kumamon goods within the city centre to amuse us. This antenna shop sells mini versions of those trains for ¥3,960 per set and an additional ¥550 for the accompanying gauge. We pick up a more affordable canvas bag instead.
Kumamon Square
くまモンスクエア, 1F Tsuruya Department Store East Hall, 4-10 Tetorihoncho, Chuo Ward, Kumamoto 860-0808, Japan
At about 2 pm, we make our way to Kumamon Square to secure our spot for Kumamon’s appearance at 3 pm.
Arriving an hour before the performance, there were already a small handful of people and the space was full half an hour later. That said, the staff give priority to children, so even if you arrive early to secure a good seat, be prepared for children and their parents to sit directly in front of you even if they come just 10 minutes before the performance begins and the space is already full.
There have been over 2.5 million visitors to see Kumamon perform.
Right on time, he gave some fan service to the crowd who didn’t make it into the area before bounding in.
His handlers engage with the crowd to discover the far-flung countries that his fans travelled from to see him.
After that, Kumamon engages the audience in his signature song ‘Kumamon Taisou’.
After the exercise, he’s tired and takes a cheeky rest on stage while his handlers berate him.
Finally, he bows in thanks to the audience for coming to see him.
And at the end of each performance, visitors are invited to high-five him before he exits. Visitors are not permitted to leave the space for 15 minutes after the performance ends to allow him to work the crowd waiting for him outside.
After the crowd disperses, we take the opportunity to check out the store side of Kumamon Square.
There are plush toys with matching shirts, as well as figurines made using ash from Mt Aso.
There’s also glassware featuring Kumamon in various poses as well as collaborations with Japanese designers.
Above are collectible Kumamon plushies wearing limited edition outfits that aren’t for sale.
Kumamon’s office is situated at the back of Kumamon Square.
His office is replete with a name plaque and Kumamon telephone along with various books, autographs, photographs and trophies.
Outside his office, there’s a post box for fans to write him letters.
To the left of his office are a mini cafe serving various drinks and soft serves.
Two limited-edition motorbikes from Kumamon’s collaboration with Honda are on display. There are videos of Kumamon riding the motorbike on YouTube.
On display above the entrance is Kumamon’s themed De Rosa bicycle gifted to him by the Italian company.
And there’s also a Sony VAIO laptop featuring Kumamon on the lid.
We were so delighted with our chance to see Kumamon in person. He was every bit as cheeky and adorable in person as he appears on TV and worth waiting an hour ahead of his arrival.
Tsuruya Department Store
鶴屋百貨店, 6-1 Tetorihoncho, Chuo Ward, Kumamoto, 860-0808, Japan
On the 5th floor of the Main Building, a section is dedicated to Kumamon goods.
One floor down, half the floor was dedicated to stalls from Hokkaidō, serving the delicious seafood and confectionery we’d enjoyed on our earlier trip.
iroHa
We stumble across a popup shop for iroHa outside the PARCO at the north end of Shimotori Shopping Arcade. iroHA pops up at various locations around Japan selling daifuku made from glutinous rice grown in the clay-rich soils of Lake Biwa in Shiga Prefecture. The rice is called shiga-hane and its silky smooth qualities make it well regarded as the finest glutinous rice. At ¥100 (+tax) each, we tried a large number of the flavours they had on offer —
This is the yuzu, which had an uplifting and zesty flavour of the fruit embedded into the shiroan centre, while the mochi was pillowy soft.
This is the black sesame, which had a balanced sweetness with the black sesame paste adding an enjoyable nuttiness.
This is the red plum, which had a bright and natural ume flavour in the shiroan centre that came through with every bite. This is our favourite flavour of the lots, with the yuzu being a close second.
This is the zunda, which forms the centre of the daifuku. It has the same slightly grassy flavour of edamame with a chunky texture and mellow sweetness.
This is the Hokkaidō Melon, which had a creamier, dairy- rather than shiroan-based centre. A fresh Hokkaidō melon flavour came through in the centre that is well complemented by the cream base.
Finally, this is the Black Soybean. The mochi had black soybeans embedded through which gave a slight saltiness that balanced well with the sweet azuki bean centre.
We enjoyed these daifuku so thoroughly we were disappointed that their short expiry meant we couldn’t bring any back to Australia with us.
Before returning to our hotel to enjoy the daifuku, we headed to the supermarket SAKURAMACHI.
I was intent on picking up this Lipton TEA ICE in Tapioca Milk Tea flavour that had just been released for sale that day. The milk tea flavour was bright with a good balance between the boldness of the tea and the sweetness of milk, while the pearls retaining their chewiness despite being frozen, much to my surprise.
And for D, he picked up this Glico Giant in Cookie and Cream flavour. The crispiness of the cookie bits delighted him as did the rich chocolate top.
We found a box of sesame dango at the supermarket for a mere ¥100 (+tax). They delivered mini pops of bright sesame flavour with an anko centre while having a decent softness in the dough. Delicious at that price!
And finally, as if we didn’t have enough food to ward off pre-dinner munchies, this is an onigiri packed to the brim with salmon. That said, it didn’t taste three times better than the ones from the konbini, as demanded by the price.
nana’s green tea
nana’s green tea, SAKURA MACHI B1F, 3-10 Sakuramachi, Chuo Ward, Kumamoto 860-0805, Japan
Nana’s green tea is a large chain serving tea-based desserts with a modern twist. There are stores all around Japan and the one in Kumamoto drew us in with its numerous panels of wood breaking up the interior with the high ceilings and its mirrored ceilings to give the feeling of being amongst a forest of tall cedar trees.
We’d padded our bellies with daifuku, so it’s late by the time we consider having dinner. I’m intent on dessert, though, so we have dessert first as it closed earlier.
This is the black sesame parfait. It consisted of layers of kuromitsu and kanten, whipped cream, corn flakes, shiratama, smooth anko, and a scoop of black sesame ice cream before topped with more whipped cream and kuromitsu.
We enjoy the parfait overall with the chewy shiratama, black sesame ice cream and the kanten in the kuromitsu being the highlights. We’re not huge fans of the whipped cream, though, as we feel it’s just padding.
On our way out of SAKURAMACHI, we’re enticed by some free tea at Minami Aso Tea House just moments before the store closes. We ended up leaving with some
We head back to Sunroad Shinshigai for dinner.
Tonkatsu Matsunoya
Matsunoya Kumamoto Shinshigai Store, 9-4 Shinshigai, Chuo Ward, Kumamoto 860-0803 Japan
Having indulged in pricey tonkatsu a few days earlier and in anticipation of another indulgent meal the following day, we’re in the food for something satisfying and filling for a reasonable price. Tonkatsu Matsunoya is a branch of their more usual gyudon restaurants that specialises in katsu — right up D’s alley!
This is D’s Pork Lion Cutlet and Fried Shrimp Set Meal (¥730, including tax), which he thoroughly enjoyed — the shrimps and cutlet were audibly crispy while juicy on the inside — and with the unlimited rice and soup refills, he was praising the meal endlessly even after we left the store. The ‘special sauce’ for the cutlet had more depth of flavour than the standard tonkatsu sauce, while he enjoyed the sudachi dressing on his salad, but was not a fan of the bittersweet carrot sauce.
This my Pork Loin Cutlet Bowl (¥500, including tax) which came with miso soup and unlimited rice. Having filled up with dessert before dinner, this was one hefty portion to follow. That said, I enjoyed the moisture that the egg added to the rice, although the crispness of the coating on the cutlet suffered.
And finally, to finish the evening we have a dekopon drink containing 30% dekopon. We enjoy its sweet citrusy flavour that’s without the zestiness of the mandarin or the sharpness of the orange.
Kumamoto was Day 12 of 15 in this Japan 2019 trip around Kyūshū. Day 13 saw us staying in Kumamoto.