CONTENTS
Yakoboku: <br>Worth the Trip: Kumamoto's World-Class Bars - Part 1 -<br>

INTERVIEW

Yakoboku:
Worth the Trip: Kumamoto's World-Class Bars - Part 1 -

new #Interview

Koba Shinya／木場進哉 from「夜香木」

The fact that Kumamoto's "Yakoboku" ranked 25th in "Asia's 50 Best Bars 2025"—not in the Tokyo metropolitan area or Kansai region, but in Kyushu (a first for the region!)—can truly be called an epoch-making event in Japan's bar industry. We asked co-founder and owner bartender Shinya Koba about Yakoboku's journey so far and its future!

writer：DRINK PLANET　撮影：大塚淑子

A ryokan over 150 years old welcomes you!

The downtown area of Kumamoto City, Kumamoto Prefecture, is densely packed with over 100 bars, making it one of the cities with the highest number of bars per capita in Japan. The downtown area is broadly divided into Kamitori and Shimo-dori by the Tōmachi-suji street leading to Kumamoto Castle.

Shimotori is the so-called entertainment district, lined with bars and other eateries.

Kamitori, on the other hand, is a relatively quieter area where cafes, galleries, bistros, and select shops are scattered among preserved old streetscapes.

Passing through the arcade of Kamitori and turning one street further back into Ueno-ura Street... "Yokamoku" quietly stands on the first floor of a traditional Japanese building over 150 years old, which was originally a ryokan.

(You'd easily walk right past it if you didn't know it was there!)

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