Sakura no baba Josaien — Attraction in Kumamoto

Visited in July 2025

Back in the day, the site was a stable for the troops stationed in the castle. But now the days of horse transportation is long gone and it has been repurposed as a tourist center. The Wakuwakuza museum is inside the complex as well. Due to the absence of any real food courts or shopping centers nearby and around the castle area (the city's major shopping arcade is 500+ meters away), the price of the foods here are way more expensive, borderline tourist trap level even.

That being said, there are some items I found interesting. For instance, there is one stall that sells anything horse meat, from croquette, sausage on skewer, and even sushi. Forgot to ask whether the latter is grilled or raw horse meat on sushi rice (seems to be on the former). Another sells some Kumamon-shaped cake with some filling. AFAIK there's one shuttle bus running between the place and...

This place could get busy at times, specially on weekend where there are many tourists but it is still tolerable. The place is nice and has different stores that offer food and drinks. I particularly love the matcha store there. Offers great variety of food and has available seats on the side. Local sellers are welcoming and very kind. At times, there are presentations in the morning and afternoon, I am not so sure about the schedule and if it is something seasonal.

I believe local sellers are used to meeting foreigners and despite the fact that most of them dont speak English, they still try to be patient and warm. I have not tried the restaurants there but will try my best to visit it next time.

Added some...

This place was very nice to visit. At the top of the area is the Kumamoto Castle still in existence since the 17th century. The 2016 Kumamoto earthquake left the castle with outer tiles fallen and structural damage. But the reconstruction is an ongoing process using technological advances of anti-earthquake techniques, so in some places you may see the rebuilding. At the foot of the castle is an area with speciality shops selling local specialties like horsemeat sashimi (basashi), mustard-stuffed deep-fried lotus root (karashi renkon), and sweet-potato dumplings (ikinari dango), I recommend eating them all and don't forget the ice cream too! A very...