Not sure where to eat on your Kumamoto trip?

When you start planning a trip to Kumamoto, the list of places you want to visit and foods you want to try grows quickly. So, as a Kumamoto native, I’ve narrowed it down to three restaurants to consider when you can’t decide where to eat. I’ll also touch on mobile data, which can make or break how comfortable your trip is. If you’re curious about Rakuten Mobile, please read to the end.

3 Must-Visit Restaurants for Your Kumamoto Trip

1. Imakin Shokudo (Uchinomaki, Aso): The Famous “Akaushi Don”

Imakin Shokudo in Uchinomaki, Aso, is a long-established restaurant that officially describes itself as “over a hundred years old.” It is sometimes featured in the media as the birthplace of akaushi don.

Its signature dish is the akaushi don: a bowl generously covered with seared lean akaushi (Kumamoto red beef), coated in a sweet-savory special sauce and topped with an onsen egg. Expect to pay in the 2,000-yen range.

It is a popular restaurant that does not take individual advance reservations. Instead, you pick up a numbered ticket at the shop on the day. According to reviews, waits of 2–3 hours or more are possible on holidays, and it can get quite crowded on weekdays depending on the time. Business hours are roughly 10:00–16:00 (last registration), and please check the official announcement for closing days.

A popular way to spend the wait is to arrive early, pick up your ticket, and stroll around the Uchinomaki hot spring town. If you can’t wait in line, the takeout reservation service “CatchMeal” is also handy. Reservations open at 10:00 on the day, and pickup is available as soon as 45 minutes later.

2. Sugano-ya Ginza-dori Branch (Kumamoto City): Horse Meat Dishes Including Basashi

RThis is a horse meat specialty restaurant in Shimotori, Kumamoto City’s downtown district. It belongs to a group that handles everything from raising and processing to sales, and you can enjoy horse meat in many ways, including assorted basashi (raw horse meat sashimi), hot pot, and steak bako-zen sets.

Dinner tends to be crowded, so a reservation is recommended; online booking is available. As a rough budget, lunch starts from the 3,000-yen range and dinner from around 8,000 yen. It is a 2–3 minute walk from the Hanabatacho tram stop, but there is no dedicated parking lot.

3. Kōran-tei Shimotori Main Branch (Kumamoto City): The Soul Food “Taipien”

Taipien is a local Kumamoto Chinese noodle soup made with a chicken-and-pork-bone broth, containing glass noodles, fried egg, seafood, and vegetables. Kōran-tei was founded in 1934, and its official website describes it as “one of the places said to be the originator.”

It costs just over 1,000 yen (around 1,080 yen including tax), making it an easy bowl to enjoy for lunch. It is inside the Shimotori shopping arcade, about a 3-minute walk from the Torichosuji tram stop. Hours are 11:00–21:00 (last order 20:00), and it may be closed during the New Year holidays. Reservations are accepted.

But what about phone signal on the road?

At any of these restaurants, how well your phone works changes how much you enjoy the trip.

• Maps and transit directions while traveling
• Checking restaurant information and making online reservations (such as CatchMeal) while waiting
• Posting photos of food and scenery on social media

If the signal is weak and the map won’t open or the reservation screen freezes, it’s a real shame for a trip you’ve been looking forward to.

As a Kumamoto native, my impression is that signal problems within the prefecture are rare. However, reception varies by carrier and location. Especially in mountainous areas such as Aso, it’s reassuring to check the official coverage map before you go.

Rakuten Mobile Points to Know Before Your Kumamoto Trip

Pricing is tiered. The “Rakuten Saikyo Plan” costs 968 yen (tax included) for up to 3GB of data, 2,068 yen (tax included) for up to 20GB, and 3,168 yen (tax included) for over 20GB (as of October 2026). These prices include the “Saikyo Family Discount”; if you are not in a family group, each tier is 110 yen higher.

Tethering is available. It is included at no extra charge on eligible plans, but may not work on some devices.

Calls via a dedicated app. Domestic calls made through the “Rakuten Link” app incur no call charges. You can use it to phone restaurants for reservations, but numbers starting with 0180, 0570, etc. are not covered.

You can sign up online. For eSIM-compatible smartphones that work with Rakuten Mobile, the official site says activation can take as little as 3 minutes if you apply using the app’s “Easy Smartphone ID Verification.” This may vary if a SIM unlock is required or depending on the screening status, so allow plenty of time before your trip.

Watch the coverage area. The coverage determination may differ from actual signal conditions. Also, the au network roaming used in some areas is being scaled back. Please check the official coverage map before applying.

Rakuten Mobile has a referral campaign that also gives the referred person Rakuten Points. However, conditions apply: you must apply after logging in with your Rakuten ID from the referral page, make a call of 10 seconds or longer on the “Rakuten Link” app, and people who have previously had a Rakuten Mobile contract are not eligible. Benefits and conditions may change, so please check the latest information on the official page before applying.

Enjoy delicious meals, and keep your phone fully usable for maps, photos, and reservations. Why not consider Rakuten Mobile as part of your Kumamoto trip preparations?

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