Walking around Kumamoto Arcade

Kumamoto has a long arcade street covered with a transparent roof, with shops on both sides.

It seemed nice because you can shop without getting wet even if it rains.

Personally, I felt Kumamoto was more Japanese than Fukuoka, and I liked it.

There were fewer tourists than Fukuoka, maybe because there was less English or Korean. It felt like somewhere between a city and a rural area!

Kumamoto shopping arcade

Katsuretsu Tei Shinshigai (Cutlet Restaurant)

A famous cutlet restaurant recommended by a friend who lives in Kumamoto!

There was a waiting line, but there were many seats and the turnover was quick, so it was worth the wait.

We were given a very large table where we could sit with our group, and it seemed like most tables were this large.

Large table

They have English menus and explain how to eat each dish in English. So kind!

My friend said the cutlet made with black pork was delicious, so I ordered it right away without asking any questions!

First, grind the sesame seeds.

There are 2 types of dressing,

and 2 types of cutlet sauce, spicy and non-spicy. I chose the non-spicy one. It’s sweet!

The sauce spoon was shaped like a well, which was cute and fun.

Here comes the black pork cutlet!

Look at the thickness! It's so juicy.

It was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, with a good chew.

It was quite a lot, so I was really full.

Highly recommend Katsuretsu Tei!
I want to eat this cutlet again! Chubeurp.

Kumamoto Castle

I moved to Kumamoto Castle from Sakuramachi.

But the color of the wood is so pretty.

Spring green warm tones.

On the way up to Kumamoto Castle, there was this area designed like the old castle’s outer walls, with places to get ice cream, local products, food, performances, and places to sit and relax.

If you search for “Sakura no Baba Josaien”, it will come up.

It was fun to explore the tourist spots here. Kumamon was especially cute, but I didn’t get a picture.

It was spring..!
I bought ice cream on my way down, and those two cherry blossom marshmallows are so cute!

Why are there so many cute things here?! These details are amazing!

The flavor was green tea, of course, and it was really rich and delicious.

Kumamoto Castle

If you keep going up from that food court, there’s a park. From the park, you can see the Tenshu-kaku (the two towers on the right) and the Uto Yagura (one tower on the left).

The Tenshu-kaku consists of the Great Tenshu and the Small Tenshu. They say that there were devices for defense against war.

The Uto Yagura is a watchtower.

You can enter on the opposite side of the park (there’s an entrance fee), but it didn’t seem like there was much to see so I didn’t go in.

But the park is huge, and people are enjoying spring, so it was nice and peaceful.

Quiet – peaceful –

I walked around the park, saw everything, and headed to the next spot!

Sakuramachi

You see Kumamon on the top right, don’t you? lol.

Kumamoto really places this cute black bear character everywhere, which makes it fun to find. lol.

Sakuramachi is a shopping mall with a food court, sweets, general merchandise, clothing, and many other cute and delicious things.

I went into a few select shops, and they had beautiful clothes and unique clothes, which was fun to look at.

My sister bought various unique and delicious teas to share with the people around her, and I bought a French Rusk, which is famous in Japan, from a brand called Gato Festa Harada. The name is a bit complicated. It comes in a pack so it’s easy to share with people. lol.

There are 13 packs in one box and it cost 1080 yen, so I bought 2. Recommended as a Japanese gift!

I ate it at home, and it was buttery, sweet, and went well with coffee.

Picture from the official website (gateaufesta)

Next up is a Totoro shop! It says “Doroli Republic”. lol.

It wasn’t super special because it’s already in Korea as “Doroli Forest”, but

for me who loves Totoro, it was heaven. My eyes sparkled! I wanted to buy lots of things, but my house is small, and I knew I wouldn’t use them, so I didn’t buy anything.

I took a look around and everyone bought gifts for themselves and left. lol.

On my way out, I saw tulips in a beautiful color, so lol.

To be continued in the next post –