If you can handle your alcohol and are planning an excursion down to Kyushu this winter, you should strongly consider adding an extra day to your itinerary to explore Hitoyoshi in Kumamoto prefecture.
Surrounded by mountains in the heart of southern Kyushu, the city on the Kuma River – also known as Hitoyoshi Kuma – is home to plenty of historic gems. These include the National Treasure-designated thatched-roof structures of Aoi Aso Shrine, castle ruins and other sites related to the 700-year-rule of the Sagara samurai clan, and the SL Hitoyoshi steam locomotive*, which was retired from service earlier this year at the respectable age of 101 and is now on display in front of Hitoyoshi Station.
But above all, Hitoyoshi is a place any true shochu connoisseur dreams of visiting. Shochu made from rice has been produced in the region since the early sixteenth century, and that heritage is embodied today by Kuma Shochu. This premium single-distillation variety is protected by a ‘geographical indication’, meaning that only shochu crafted at any of the around 25 distilleries in Hitoyoshi can be labelled Kuma Shochu.
Now, with the world waking up to the pair-ability of Japanese spirits with pretty much any dish, the shochu-promoting powers of Hitoyoshi are getting in on the action by unveiling an array of unlikely food-and-shochu partnerships at restaurants across the city.
From January 17 to February 2 2025, the four eateries listed below will add a selection of particularly booze-compatible French and Taiwanese dishes to their menus. Seek them out and expand your culinary horizons.
The participating restaurants are:
1496 Kawarayamachi, Hitoyoshi, Kumamoto
93-2 Kokonokamachi, Hitoyoshi, Kumamoto
Ichigoya 2F, 15 Shinmachi, Hitoyoshi, Kumamoto
2740-1 Youra Higashi, Sagara, Kuma, Kumamoto
*To learn more about the SL Hitoyoshi, pick up an English-language leaflet detailing the history of the locomotive at the Hitoyoshi City tourism information centre.