There are several bars around Kyocera Hotel, but the bars and nightlife in Kokubu are only about a 10–15 minute drive away.
It takes just a little extra time to get there, but you’ll find many more places to choose from. In fact, many guests staying at Kyocera Hotel choose to spend an evening in Kokubu.
Hotel bars have their own unique charm.
I enjoy spending time in them, too.
But sometimes I want an evening where I can simply relax.
When I’m in a hotel bar, I often find myself sitting a little straighter and behaving a little more formally.
There’s nothing wrong with that.
Sometimes, though, I’d rather leave the hotel and spend the evening in a small local bar where life feels a little more relaxed and ordinary.
The difficult part is knowing where to go.
When you’re traveling, it’s easy to find information about restaurants online.
Finding a local bar that feels right isn’t nearly as easy.
Some websites still list bars that have already closed.
Online reviews can also be confusing because everyone is looking for something different.
Many years ago, I was traveling with the woman who helps me run Chiduru. Our guests simply call her “Mama.”
One evening we said,
“Why don’t we try a local snack bar tonight?”
We asked the hotel front desk if they had a recommendation.
The receptionist smiled and said,
“Our company president goes there almost every night.”
It sounded promising.
So we walked in with high expectations.
Several elderly regulars were sitting at the counter, drinking beer and nibbling slices of baguette.
We quietly looked at each other.
“This isn’t quite what we imagined.”
Still, someone had kindly recommended the place.
So we stayed for one drink before leaving.
On another trip, a taxi driver recommended a different bar.
We each had only three glasses of oolong tea and stayed for less than an hour.
Even so, the bill was surprisingly expensive.
Later, a local resident told us there might have been an arrangement between the taxi driver and the bar.
Experiences like these taught us that choosing a local bar while traveling takes a little courage.
Opening the door to a place you’ve never visited before can feel a little like buying a lottery ticket.
Sometimes you discover a place you’ll never forget.
Sometimes you don’t.
We’ve also met wonderful people during our travels.
After returning home, we exchanged local specialties with some of them.
But as time passed, many of those connections quietly faded away.
A year later, we visited one of those bars again.
The owner remembered us, but somehow the atmosphere felt a little awkward.
That experience stayed with us.
Eventually, we realized something important.
People don’t just want to know what a bar looks like.
They want to know who the people behind it really are.
That’s why, back in 2016, we started sharing our everyday life on our website.
Not advertisements.
Not carefully polished stories.
Just everyday moments.
The changing seasons.
Conversations with our guests.
The quiet rhythm of everyday life.
Today, many people who first visited us while traveling still stop by our website from time to time.
Some send us photos from their latest trips.
Others exchange local gifts with us.
Little by little, we found ourselves building the kind of friendships we had always hoped to find during our own travels.
Not long ago, a guest from Fukuoka walked in with a smile and said,
“Those dolls… they’re supposed to be you two, aren’t they?”
He had spent time reading our website before visiting, so he immediately understood the playful way we portray ourselves there.
Because of that, it didn’t feel like meeting for the first time.
Before long, we were talking naturally about our families, our work, and everyday life, just as old friends do.
Some people enjoy one-time encounters while traveling.
Others prefer to keep their distance.
We think both are perfectly natural.
Still, we hope that one day you’ll find yourself thinking,
“I’m back in Kirishima.”
“Maybe I’ll stop by Chiduru.”
If that thought ever crosses your mind, we’ll be here, just as we always have been.
Since 2016, we’ve been sharing our everyday life through this website.
Before you visit, we hope you’ll take a little time to get to know not only our bar, but also the people who spend their days here.
Perhaps that will make walking into an unfamiliar local bar feel just a little less intimidating.
And perhaps your evening in Kirishima will become one of those memories that quietly stays with you long after your journey has ended.
We’ll continue sharing little moments from our lives, one story at a time.
Whenever your travels bring you back to Kirishima, we hope you’ll think,
“Let’s stop by Chiduru.”
We’ll be here, just as we always have been.
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