The Kumamoto Yamaga Group Tour offered dinner using local Yamaga ingredients and traditional performing arts at Yachiyoza, a nationally designated Important Cultural Property in Kumamoto. Organized by the Japanese travel company Visit Kyushu, this special group trip traveled round-trip in one day from Hakata Station in Fukuoka to Yamaga. Before dinner at the theater, participants could visit a sake brewery, explore the old town and buy locally made miso and soy sauce. The source introduced two February departures with a special half-price offer; both were in 2024 and have ended.
Â
A Brewery Visit and Sake-Bar Tasting in Yamaga, Kumamoto
Â
Chiyonosono Shuzo, written ćć€ăźćé é in the source, was founded in 1896 and is described as a historic sake maker with more than a century of brewing experience. Its origins as a rice wholesaler explain its particular attention to sake rice. The promotional account describes sake made to enrich the drinkerâs spirit and numerous awards and favorable evaluations at home and abroad. After viewing a museum of old brewing tools, participants would sample three types of nihonshu with paired desserts at a bar within a brewery facility opening in 2024. The sourceâs wording for that facility is unclear. *Menus could change according to circumstances.
Â
Â
A Walk through Historic Yamaga before Dinner
Â
The walk introduced a koji shop dating from the Tenpo era and historic brewing businesses. Buzen Kaido (è±ćèĄé), Yamagaâs main street since the Edo period, retains an old-town atmosphere. A guide would introduce a miso shop with more than 100 years of history and traditional Japanese sweet shops, with a sweet-making experience also described.
Â
Dinner at Yachiyoza, a National Important Cultural Property
Â
Founded in 1910, Yachiyoza (ć «ć代ćș§) is a theater originally staging kabuki and other plays for ordinary townspeople. After closure, residents worked to revive it, and it was designated an Important Cultural Property in 1988. Major restoration returned it to use as a theater, a survival the source describes as unusual. Its beauty combines Japanese architectural elegance with Western structural advantages, while its distinctive Japanese theatrical stage is a highlight. It is usually open to sightseers during daytime hours, according to the event account.
Â
A popular local restaurant would prepare a special dinner for the occasion. *A Japanese-tea experience led by a tea practitioner was offered as an option.
A local Japanese chef would create a special menu with local ingredients, served at the nationally designated Yachiyoza theater.
Kumamoto Yamaga Group Tour â Historical Schedule
3 p.m. â Meet at Hakata Stationâs Chikushi Exit, Fukuoka
4:30 p.m. â Arrive in Yamaga, Kumamoto Prefecture
4:30â5:30 p.m. â Chiyonosono Shuzo: sake and small-bite tasting at the brewery bar
5:30â6:30 p.m. â Guided walk and photography around traditional local shops
6:30â8:30 p.m. â Special Japanese dinner at Yachiyoza
8:30â10:30 p.m. â Return to Hakata Station by bus
Â
Historical One-Day Half-Price Offer â Two Departure Dates Only
Dates: Sunday, February 11, 2024, and Sunday, February 25, 2024
Meeting: 3 p.m., in front of Lawson by the bus stop at Hakata Stationâs Chikushi Exit
Map: https://maps.app.goo.gl/7KoWQ7D3tM458GFf8
Minimum departure: six participants
Price: special half-price rate of JPY 25,000 per person for those dates. After applying, participants would receive an email for online card payment.
The trip included travel insurance for the day. Joining the group locally was also possible; the source states that no discount applied to that option.
Local meeting time: 4:30 p.m.
Local meeting point: Chiyonosono Shuzo parking lot, 1789-3 Yamaga, Yamaga, Kumamoto Prefecture
Map: https://maps.app.goo.gl/fZcK2NXB2oGXC8nh8
Local-joining price quoted in the source: JPY 25,000
Historical Hakata-Departure âYachiyoza Dinnerâ Tour Schedule and Application
Original application form (historical event): https://forms.gle/sDHqiVgh2mqoLjK4A