WoopAndWob

Woop and Wob here, ready to show you the fifth day of our trip to Japan! This time, we will be leaving Kobe and fly to Kumamoto, a prefecture located in Kyushu.

A Large Breakfast

First up in our day: Breakfast! We had a really big breakfast that we bought from the nearby convenience store, Lawson. It was like a feast with all different kinds of foods, from pastries to sandwiches! (And it’s very cost efficient too ;))

For breakfast from bottom left clockwise: cheese roll cake, cheese tart, ham egg and cheese sandwich, fruit sandwich, melon pan, custard souffle pudding, boiled egg, and katsu sandwich! We also had royal milk tea as our drink.

The cheese roll cake looked as beautiful as it was delicious.

Even though there was a lot of food, it was also very affordable. For example, the cheese roll cake was 213 yen, while katsu sandwich was 369 yen. Convenience stores are very convenient in terms of quick and delicious food, aren’t they? :)

Itami Airport

After our nice breakfast, we got ready to leave Kobe. In order to go to Kumamoto, we would be going to Itami Airport to fly. Similar to our plans from New York to Japan, we were going to take ANA to travel to Kumamoto.

To get to the airport, we took the Itami Limousine bus from Sannomiya station. We took a taxi, which costed about 500 yen and the bus was 1,050 yen per person. It was a very quick and comfortable ride to Itami airport. Be careful not to go to the Kansai bus if you’re planning to go to Itami!

At the airport, we decided to go shopping in the Pokemon Store in Itami airport. The Pokemon Store was well stocked and we bought some Pokemon Fit plushies (which you will see later on)! You can find more information here: https://www.osaka-airport.co.jp/en/shop-and-dine/shop/pokemon-store.html

After checking the store out, we went through security and went to the ANA Lounge. The Itami ANA Lounge is a simple domestic lounge, but it was recently upgraded. The lounge had great seats and great views. We had access because Wob’s trainer actually had ANA Platinum Status, which granted us access to the lounge for free (despite being on an economy ticket).

There was a model of the Star Wars aircraft outside the lounge!

A look at the lounge. Each chair has its own set of table and pillow, allowing for some privacy.

A different set of chairs with pillows and tables. They were very comfortable.

The type of airplane we were going to board: the Bombardier Dash 8 Q400 operated by ANA Wings.

Lunch at Itami Airport

Since there isn’t food at the domestic lounges in Japan, we decided to grab something to eat before making our way to the airport. Before we went to Itami Airport, we went to Shin Kobe Station and bought a couple of ekiben. Yes, we were going to eat food meant for a long train ride in an airport. :)

In the ANA lounge, we were able to get complimentary drinks and snacks to combine with our lunch.

At the lounge with our ekiben, along with vegetable juice!

Here are the lunches that we bought! Don't they look delicious?

After relaxing for a bit at the lounge, it was time for our plane to leave. We left the lounge full from our lunch and prepared to board the aircraft.

Flight Details

Flight: NH1627 (operated by ANA Wings) Seats: 8A, 8B, Economy Class Plane: Bombardier DHC8-Q400 Date & Time: May 24, 2019, 13:15-14:30 Price: 7,560 yen/person (ANA Experience Japan fare)

Since we booked way in advance and since Wob’s trainer had Platinum status, we were able to reserve seats that were closer to the front of the plane. Note that the plane is all economy class!

This flight was a very short flight, but it sure beats taking the Shinkansen from Kobe all the way to Kumamoto (which would take like 6 hours!). During the flight, the flight attendants gave a complimentary drink. Snacks were for purchase, but since we just ate a huge lunch, we decided to not buy anything.

It’s such a treat to see an airplane where the turbines are not encased in a shell!

Welcome to Kumamoto, home of Kumamon!

After about an hour flight, we arrived at Aso Kumamoto Airport. As we went over to get our luggage, we were greeted with a few friendly faces: Kumamon and Asora-kun.

Here is Kumamon, the mascot born in Kumamoto, ready to lead the luggage carousel!

Meet Aso Kumamoto Airport’s mascot, Asora-kun! Asora-kun is also helping with the luggage carousel!

ANA Crowne Plaza Kumamoto New Sky

After getting our luggage, we drove to our new hotel: the ANA Crowne Plaza at Kumamoto.

Hotel: ANA Crowne Plaza Kumamoto New Sky Price: ~15,000 yen/night (~$135/night) + 8% Ebates refund Dates: May 24, 2019 to May 27, 2019

We received a promotional rate since there was an Asia promotion at the time of booking. In addition, Ebates had their own promotion, which allowed us to get an additional 8% back! In this case, it was approximately $32 back!!! If you don’t have an Ebates account, you should definitely sign up for one. You will get $10 back after your first purchase from any site via Ebates: http://bit.ly/2Y97N1d

While this is the same type of hotel as the one in Kobe, there was a little difference in the rooms that made the Kumamoto branch stand out from the rest.

Kumamon Room

Here is our room: the Kumamon Room, where Kumamon is everywhere the eye can see! Only in Kumamoto!

Our beds were covered with Kumamon. Kumamon plushies were also watching over us!

The sofa was also filled with soft Kumamons.

Even the bathroom had Kumamon goods, from toothbrushes to the cups.

Our complimentary water bottles also had a bunch of Kumamons!

We also got some Kumamon souvenirs!! Handkerchiefs!!

The room looked amazing and was well worth the price. We recommend experiencing a stay at the Kumamon room is you are in the Kumamoto area. It will be an experience you won’t want to miss!

Tsuruya Mall

After checking in, we decided to go to Tsuruya Mall, which is a quick tram ride away. At the mall, we checked out the basement of the department store and saw lots of goodies!!

We also purchased our dinner at the mall too! We bought croquettes and niku-man, which are steamed pork buns.

And with that, our first day in Kumamoto had come to an end. We prepared to go to bed in our Kumamon room for the next exciting day in Kumamoto.

Next time: Day 2 of Kumamoto! What sort of adventures awaits us?

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