I want to stop by during my trip! 4 popular new shops in Yamaga City, Kumamoto Prefecture

Sasamoto store

About 5 minutes walk from Yachiyoza. ``Sasamoto Shoten'', which opened in October last year, is a ``breakfast specialty store'' where you can enjoy homemade pickles and dashi rolled eggs. A corner of the house is a store, and when you enter through the mustard-colored noren curtain, you'll find three counter seats and one table. Although it is a small shop, the space is filled with the attention to detail of the owner, Yasuyuki Sasamoto, and his wife. The restaurant opens early, starting at 6:30 a.m., but office workers and tourists flock to the restaurant as soon as it opens, and it often fills up quickly. All three types of set meals are carefully prepared using local ingredients and are delicious, making this a restaurant where you can charge up your energy and happiness while enjoying breakfast.

It's a small restaurant that seats 6 people. The homely atmosphere will soothe your soul.

Breakfast menu with 3 types to choose from. The ``curry of the day,'' which is popular among regulars, changes daily and includes green curry, yellow curry, and chili con carne. Dashi rolled eggs, curry, and pork soup are all available for takeout.

The photo shows the ``Large Dashi Rolled Egg Set Meal'' (780 yen including tax). The dashi rolled egg is made with 3 eggs, and comes with today's side dishes, homemade pickles, rice, pork soup, and green leafy greens for a hearty meal. Each bowl of pork soup with rice and local vegetables comes with a free refill, so you can enjoy it from morning.

(Left) The soup-wrapped egg, which feels jiggly and fluffy when you touch it with chopsticks, is a product we are proud of, the result of over a year of research and eating at famous restaurants in the Kansai region. The base eggs and soy sauce are purchased directly from local soy sauce brewers and poultry farms.

(Right) Goes great with locally grown terraced rice! The flavor of the dashi soup is rich, and eating it with rice makes it even more delicious.

All of our ``pickles'' are homemade, and many people are addicted to them once they try them. The shop owner, Mr. Sasamoto, had a hobby of making pickles even before he opened the shop, and there are 7 to 8 different types of pickles, including spicy pickles, Chinese cabbage pickles, green mustard greens, and pickles. In addition to being available as a set meal, pickles are also sold for 280 yen each. It's so popular that we can't keep up with it...some happy cries!

Sasamoto Shoten

Sake Brewery Kakuuchi Chiyonosono Sake Brewery

It would be great if you could take a break and enjoy a drink of Daiginjo while walking around Buzen Kaido. A standing bar called ``Kakuuchi in the corner of Sakagura'', which opened in November last year, will make that wish come true. The location is on the grounds of Chiyonoen Sake Brewery, a long-established sake brewery founded in 1899. Inside the store, which is a renovated old folk house, you can casually enjoy the sake of the brewery, which has won numerous awards at domestic and international competitions, including daiginjo, sake, liqueurs, and limited edition sake. Some of them are raw unprocessed sake that is not available outside the gate! Because it's directly managed, you can enjoy it at a reasonable price, and it's slowly becoming a hot topic among tourists.

The landmark is the aged light blue door. It was once used in a sake brewery, and along with the cedar beads hanging from the eaves, it blends into the quaint atmosphere of the town.

The interior of the store is impressive with its old beams and pure white walls, which are typical of an old folk house. Tables are placed around three sake cellars, and you can choose your drink from among them.

A ``drink comparison set'' where you can enjoy small portions of Chiyonoen Sake Brewery's sake. There are three types of courses: Snow, Tsuki, and Hana, but our recommendation is the most luxurious, ``Yuki.'' Choose from three brands of Daiginjo and Junmai Daiginjo, priced at 1,200 yen

Among the sake sailors, you can also find “Junmai Daiginjo Shu Sake”, which won the gold medal in the “Feminaries World Wine Competition 2023 Sake Junmai Daiginjo Sake Category”, as well as “Kurakai Daiginjo”, which is rarely seen! Mainly sake and liqueurs from the same brewery, we also have Yamaga craft beer and soft drinks.

(Left) There is also a sake-based liqueur made with lemon, yuzu, and blueberries from Kumamoto Prefecture.

(Right) We also have snacks.

Chiyonosono Sake Brewery

Once upon an egg

About 8 minutes by car from Yamaga City Hall. "Once Upon an Egg" is located on a small hill and is a shop where you can enjoy free-range fertilized eggs, food and sweets made with those eggs, and freshly brewed coffee. The approximately 10,000 square meter site was created by cutting out a forest, and includes a store and a park shaped like a chicken coop. Since opening in May of last year, it has been crowded with many people, mainly women and families. What customers are looking for are the eggs, which took two years to develop by the store's parent company, Tsuboi Foods. Free-range fertilized eggs, which satisfy chickens' desire for free movement, are characterized by their rich richness and sweetness, and are produced under the supervision of current professionals such as the popular pastry chef ``Sweet House hibi'' and culinary expert Yusuke Hotta. In addition to tasting it on the collaboration menu, you can also purchase it individually.

(Left) Inside the store, there is a direct sales booth for fertilized eggs on the left, a coffee and baked goods booth in the center, and a restaurant in the back right.

(Right) Baked sweets supervised by ``Sweet House hibi''. There are various types available depending on the season, and all of them are made with once upon an egg.

(Left) Eggs that can be easily purchased for 40 yen each. We also sell paper cartons and reusable trays that are convenient to take home.

(Right) This cute home-shaped pack is perfect for gifts such as souvenirs and family gifts.

A restaurant with an all-glass wall and an outstanding sense of openness. The aisles are wide, so you can enjoy your meal in a relaxed atmosphere.

(Left) Crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside, this tart was supervised by confectionery shop hibi (680 yen). It's served on a tray, so you can enjoy it on the terrace or in the park on the premises. Using beans from the brand ``LAYYERD COFFEE'' produced by Kyoto Unir, it pairs well with the authentic coffee roasted in-house.

(Right) Rich and full of egg flavor! "Once's Egg Soft" with a custard-like taste (400 yen)

Once upon an egg

Kirali Brewery

“Craft beer” is made in a small brewery with a lot of time and effort. The taste varies from fruity to characteristically bitter. There are probably many people who say, ``I don't like commercial beer, but I like this.'' Kirali Brewery, which opened in February last year, is recommended for such people. This is Yamaga City's first craft beer brewery, run by Yukari Mori, a female brewer, one of the few in Japan. From brewing to fermentation, aging, and bottling, each beer is made with love, and there are currently 6 types of beer, including limited-time flavors. We have a wide selection of unique beers, including our signature pale ale and IPA, as well as those made with Yamaga rice and tea. The brewery also has a store, so feel free to stop by.

About 8 minutes by car from Yachiyoza. The first floor of the building will be a store. There is also a parking lot in front of the store.

Inside the store with tables and chairs. After purchasing, you can enjoy the craft beer in the refrigerator in the back. While tasting, you might be able to select a bottle as a souvenir. By the way, what you can see through the glass in the back right is the fermentation tank, which is essential for beer brewing. Although it is compact, it is full of full-fledged brewing equipment.

Craft beers that will get you excited with their cute labels. From the left are Pale Ale, Weizen, and India Pale Ale (IPA), and on the far right is a coffee stout with roasted coffee and malt flavors. A bottle with an irresistible aroma of coffee the moment you pour it.

"Takema Tea IPA" has a beautiful color inspired by the color of tea. When you actually drink it, the first thing you notice is the faint scent of Takema tea. As you continue drinking, the elegant sweetness of the tea spreads in your mouth, and the aftertaste is refreshing. When exposed to the air, the scent of tea becomes even stronger.

(Left) The original coaster is also so nice! The packaging is apparently designed by brewer Mori.

(Right) The store name and logo of "Kirali Brewery" embody the idea of ​​"helping women shine brightly..."

Kirali Brewery