Inside Yakoboku, a bar rooted in Kumamoto’s terroir helmed by Shinya Koba

Within Kumamoto city in Kyushu island in Japan lies Yakoboku, one of Asia’s most respected bars, helmed by husband-and-wife-duo Shinya and Mika Koba. Cocktails here are distinctively shaped by Kumamoto’s terroir and produce, and the bar is located in a 150-year-old traditional Japanese house. “We focus a lot on seasonality and local ingredients, so the guest experience is always dynamic,” the well-natured Shinya smiles.

Yakoboku refers to the night jasmine, a flower that blooms only in the evenings, reflecting the late-night nature of the bar industry.

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Shinya Koba

Yakoboku

Shinya began his journey at the ripe age of 19, working in a liquor shop in Kumamoto, where he was born, and decided to open his first bar six years later. “That experience made me realise how much I still didn’t know, and I ended up closing the bar,” he says honestly. Rather than treating this as a setback, he took it in his stride, moving to Singapore for five years to learn more.

Yakoboku

Mika Koba

During his time in Singapore, he was told to cultivate a sense of individuality: “From that point on, I would always question my own style and identity, and that process has shaped the way I approach my craft ever since.” It is this humility that has led Shinya to such success, allowing Yakoboku to become what it is today.

Yakoboku, the bar’s signature cocktail

Now, the Kumamoto bar carries a clear sense of place and purpose; its cocktails are truly shaped by Shinya’s upbringing and culture and can only be found with ingredients sourced from its surroundings.

The Yakoboku uniform

However, Shinya remains humble: “By having the opportunity to step behind different bars across the world, I’m able to experience firsthand how each place operates as well as different approaches to hospitality, and when I come across something I really respect, I take that inspiration back with me and adapt it into our own bar.”

The Yakoboku team

To this day, what intrigues him the most is discovering cocktail bars outside major cities, located in more regional or rural areas. “Like Yakoboku, I believe these bars hold unique cultures and ingredients that we may not yet be familiar with, and this sense of discovery is something I’m always looking for when I travel.”

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Inside Yakoboku, a bar rooted in Kumamoto’s terroir helmed by Shinya Koba