Funky Friday Finds leaves Kengun and heads towards Kami Ezuko. Hop off the tram headed to the Kengun terminus at Kuwamizu kosaten and head south down Higashi bypass. The road will branch off after 100 meters, follow that road down about a half a kilometer and you’ll be at one of the parking lots for Kami Ezuko. Another 200 meters down on the side where Higashi bypass runs is Yard, one of those hard to describe stores that Japan seems to specialize in. The reason I recommend it is they have a cafe with lunch dishes, coffee and deserts. More info is at their website https://www.com-project.jp/com/
They hold events in the area next to store and have a few small jungle gyms for the kids, when the weather is nice, there is a terrace to sit on.
It’s marked on the FFF Google map, located here https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/edit?mid=1qUH94Bac7Hr939b7_8gtvebaJZffGRsX&usp=sharing
I should also note that across Higashi bypass and next to the downtown tram stop is the Ishikawa bakery, and FFF find from 2018 https://maps.app.goo.gl/u3JbHTWhbVBhZRwi7
A little more about the area. Lake Ezu is divided into Kami and Shimo, with Kami in this case meaning closer to the castle. The -ko in Ezuko means lake, so you probably want to avoid saying the tautological Lake Ezuko, which is Lake Ezu Lake. There are a few other places we’ll talk about this month, but the area is quite nice, with small parking lots around the area and some bridges which allow you to walk from the Densha dori to the far side. A walk I like is to go from the City library/prefectural taikukan and walk behind the library to area. You can also walk down to the lake from the Haccho baba or Kuwamizu Kosaten tram stops. Kami Ezu always has a few people fishing (something that seems especially popular in Kumamoto) as well as photographers set up to take wild life photos. There are also the ‘suwan bo-to’ and other boats to rent, something which I regretfully put off until my daughters were no longer interested, so we never did it. Not being a fisherman, photographer, or a sailor, if anyone has any info on doing any of this, please share in the comments. There is also a path under Higashi bypass that goes to behind the zoo and past the Pho Time restaurant, (https://www.instagram.com/pho___time/) and goes on to Shimo Ezu, a large open park. There are parking lots around both Kami and Shimo Ezu, so if you don’t live next door (like I do) you can still get there and have a nice walk and a meal.
