Yakoboku

Kumamoto, Japan

No. 59 on Asia's 50 Best Bars 2026.

A 15-seat bar in central Kumamoto, fronted by a cypress wall that rotates open onto the street and finished inside in plain wood. Owner Shinya Koba builds the list around Kyushu produce, including house-made amaro, regional citrus and shochu, in cocktails such as a Kyushu Old Fashioned made with haze tree wax and a shochu-based riff on the espresso martini. The name refers to the night-blooming jasmine. The bar holds No. 59 on Asia's 50 Best Bars 2026.