YOKA GOURMETG O U RM
YO K AaPo -Tam

PotamaPiping HotPork and egg rice balls

ETAso Kumamoto Airport News Letter

1F Phone/ 096-201-8880 Hours/ 7:00 - 19:00 Eat-in or takeaway

Sorayoka Dining［commerce wing］

vol . 1

◀ Enjoy pairing the succulent
and tender Akaushi Beef
Steak with Potama.

Only available here!
Akaushi Beef Steak is #1 in popularity!
Potama, which specializes in Okinawa-style pork andegg rice balls, is dedicated to serving freshly preparedfood. The Akaushi Beef Steak （¥1,200） is the mostpopular dish at the Aso Kumamoto Airport branch, whilechildren love the Chikuwa Salad （¥750）. These twodishes, along with the Karashi Renkon （¥700）, areexclusive to the branch and must be tried! In addition tothe famous Potama（¥390）, they offer 12 more rice ballvarieties. All of them are made with Koshihikari rice
farmed with water from the River Shirakawa in Aso,Kumamoto, and nori from the Ariake Sea.

04/2024SPRING

Stop by ev
en if
you're notflying♪

Aspiring to be a Welcoming Airport
The 1st Anniversary of the Terminal Building

The rice, cooked withinfour days of milling,
has a stronger aroma,umami, and sweetness. ▶

"Come and try our great Potama"
Hiroko Yanaka（left）and staff

6 – 1619 – 2120 – 21繁體中文Information
한국어2 nd Aso Lantern Festival［ Aso ］

On Launching Sorayoka

Ushibuka Haiya Festival［ Amakusa ］
Yamaga Onsen Festival［ Yamaga ］

21 Otsu Azalea Festival［ Otsu ］

3–4

Hino Kuni Nagasu Goldfish Festival［Nagasu］
Takase Urakawa Iris Festival［ Tamana ］

May

17 May – 1 Jun

June

1

2 nd Kumamoto Airport Marathon

28

Aso Shrine Onda Festival［ Aso ］

The main event is on 25 MayJuly

Late JulySweetfish Festival［ Kosa ］*Events are subject to weather conditions, etc.

3

Sakura Machi
Kumamoto

Kumamoto
StationKyushu Expressway

JR Kagoshima
Main Line

To Fukuoka

JR Hohi Main LineThe 2nd Kumamoto Airport Marathon Sat.1 June 2024
The marathon takes place on the airport's
10km runway.
Get more*General entry is closed.
info ▶

On Launching Sorayoka

57

Airport Route 3
Kumamoto I.C.

Airport RouteAso Kumamoto Airport

57

Airport Route 228206

36

Mashiki-Kumamoto Airport I.C.
To Yatsushiro

简体中文Introducing the terminal building
A symbol of creative reconstruction following the Kumamoto Earthquake

Events Calendar

Apr - Jul 2024

English

YOKA GOURMET Potama

Information

April

InauguralIssue

28

Kumamoto Takamori Route●Approx. 60 mins by car from JR Kumamoto Station●Approx. 15 mins by car from Kyushu Expressway Mashiki-Kumamoto Airport I.C.
●Approx. 50 mins by airport limousine bus from Sakura Machi Kumamoto

President and CEOKyushu Kumamoto
International Airport Co., Ltd.

We are excited to announce the launch of Aso
Kumamoto Airportʼs new public relations
magazine. Visitors will be provided withinformation on airport amenities, staﬀ, dining
and more to help them familiarize themselveswith the redesigned airport. We aim to provide
information that visitors will appreciate andrespond to positively by saying “sorayoka” orHideaki Yamakawa “Thatʼs great!” Please pick up a copy!

Find out more about accessibility, e.g.,
airport limousine bus and train services ▶
April 2024 [Inaugural issue]
Published by Kyushu Kumamoto International Airport Co., Ltd., 1802-2, Oyatsu, Mashiki-machi, Mashiki-gun, Kumamoto Prefecture

KKIAC vision:The world’s most welcoming airport, bringing smiles to both visitors and employees.

Aso Kumamoto Airport
official Instagram

QR Code is a registered trademark of DENSO WAVE INCORPORATED

Sorayoka is the public relations magazine of Aso Kumamoto Airport in Mashiki, Kumamoto Prefecture. The
moniker is a coined term that combines “sora,” meaning sky, and “yoka,” which means good in theKumamoto dialect; the phrase also means “that’s good!”. Scan the QR code for English, Simplified andTraditional Chinese, and Korean versions.

A so Ku ma m o to A i r p or t R e por t

4

1

Many seats have power sockets or USB
ports, and there are also sofas forrelaxing while enjoying the plane'sview.

5236

Shopping

Well-designed boarding area

Aspiring to be a Welcoming Airport
The 1st Anniversary of the Terminal Building
The passenger terminal building at Kumamoto Airport opened on 23 March 2023, a symbol of creative
reconstruction following the Kumamoto Earthquake. The integration of domestic and international ﬂight
facilities has made it more user-friendly, and the improvement of the passenger waiting space for thoseboarding the planes has also received widespread notice. On the occasion of the ﬁrst anniversary of theterminal building, we would like to provide a review of its features.

Kumamoto

4Focus on Kumamoto's uniqueness
12

3

The mural of Mount Aso greets passengers arriving inKumamoto by plane. Plasterers built the artwork with gravelfrom Kumamoto’s River Shirakawa. The ceiling is made ofOguni cedarwood, a softwood with brand status in
Kumamoto, creating a warm ambiance. The timber producedin the prefecture is also used for the exterior awnings and thefront entrance. The total amount of wood used for the entire
passenger terminal structure is 694 cubic meters, with 82%,
or 568 cubic meters, produced within the prefecture.

56The boarding area beyond security checks offers 25 storeswith Kumamoto cuisine and souvenirs. The boarding andretail space at the airport is 46 times larger than the typicalcounterparts, measuring around 2,500 square meters. It is arare example of an integrated facility that can be used bypassengers on both domestic and international flights andhas attracted a steady stream of visitors from all over thecountry.

The Food Court offers a variety of popular foods from Aso aswell as fresh seafood from Amakusa. In the Depachika area,
visitors can enjoy demonstrations of karashi renkon - a dishmade of lotus root with mustard. The range of items available isdiverse, ranging from fashion accessories to games.

The building’s exterior, modeled on Kumamoto Castle,
features black and white lines that create shading. The
eye-catching curved design is inspired by Kumamoto Castle’s“Musha-gaeshi” stone wall.

SafetyEnsuring safety and security

Doughnut-shaped icons can be spotted in different places,
especially on information boards (signs). These icons havevarious meanings like “snake’s eye,” which is the family crestof Kato Kiyomasa, the builder of Kumamoto Castle, “thecenter of Kyushu,” which simply indicates Kumamoto’s
location, “ripples of water,” symbolizing the abundant water
resources, and “the caldera of Aso.”
The Flight Information System (FIS) features Kumamon andprovides flight schedules. Enjoy his various expressions!

TO PICpen!

The Sorayoka Area, consisting of commercial facilities, a plaza, and a tourist center adjacentto the passenger terminal building, will open this autumn. It will be a destination for all airport
visitors to enjoy !

Ne w

OThe new passenger terminal building won the Kumamoto Association of Wood SocietyAward at the 29 th Kumamoto Prefecture Competition for Outstanding Facilities Utilizing
Timber! The airport received recognition for its extensive use of locally sourced wood.

tions!
ulaT O PI C

*Fire drill（March 2024）

CongratThe building is designed to withstand multiple major
earthquakes that occur in quick succession, drawing on
lessons learned from the Kumamoto Earthquake. Multiple
systems can provide electricity, and an emergency
generator is operational for 72 hours in the event of anemergency. Efforts to maintain safety and security continue,
including fire drills in case of a fire in the terminal building.