A New Hideaway Along Higashi Bypass — Location & Interior

Cafe106 (pronounced “Café Ichimaruroku”) opened its doors on April 25, 2025. It sits right along Kumamoto’s busy Higashi Bypass — yet somehow manages to feel like a tucked-away retreat, the kind of place you settle into alone and lose an hour without noticing.

The café is located near the Ryūtsū-danchi intersection, directly across from Miyuki Chūō Park (御幸中央公園). Coming from the Yumetaun Hamane side, you can pull straight off the bypass into the parking area. Coming from the Ryūtsū-danchi direction, the café will be on the opposite side of the road — loop around at the next junction before heading back.

A tall roadside sign and a cheerful light-blue flag make Cafe106 easy to spot from a distance. Several regulars mentioned they first noticed it simply from the flag catching their eye along the bypass.

Parking is shared with other tenants in the building, but the entire area visible in this photo is available to café customers — well more than the two or three spaces most small cafés offer.

One important note: spaces beyond the marker labeled “101” belong to the apartment building next door. Please park only within the shared area designated for café guests.

Inside, you’ll find a mix of table seating, window counter seats, and plush sofa spots. Large windows flood the room with light. Every seat comes equipped with power outlets, USB ports, and free Wi-Fi — the owner’s message is clear: take your time and truly settle in.

High chairs for toddlers are available, making Cafe106 an easy yes for parents on a family lunch outing. A dedicated children’s menu is also in the works for future visits.

Terrace seating is also planned for the near future — ideal for takeout customers who want to enjoy their frappe in the open air.

The entire interior is non-smoking. A designated smoking spot with an ashtray is set up just outside the entrance door — please use only that area.

What to Order: Menu Highlights & the Signature Peach Frappe

The menu covers lunch, a café afternoon slot, and dinner. Here’s a full breakdown.

· 106 Daily Lunch Set — ¥1,060 (excl. tax)

· Add-ons available with the daily set:
Drink Set +¥200 / Mini Parfait +¥470 / Kids’ Ice Cream +¥200

À la carte mains — all ¥1,200 (excl. tax):
· 106 Handmade Hamburger Steak
· Baked Curry Doria (Japanese-style rice gratin with curry)
· Omurice with Demi-Glace Sauce (omelette over seasoned rice, a beloved Japanese comfort dish)
· Beef and Takana Pilaf (takana = pickled mustard greens, a Kyushu specialty)
· Chicken Piccata with Lemon
· Salmon and Ikura Cream Pasta (ikura = salmon roe)
· Red Wine Bolognese

Drinks:
· 106 Original Coffee — ¥400
· Earl Grey Tea — Straight ¥400 / Milk ¥430 / Kiwi Float ¥580~ / Orange Float ¥580~
(Floats available with or without sparkling water)

Frappes (all excl. tax):
· Choco Mocha Latte Frappe — ¥580
· Caramel Latte Frappe — ¥580
· Peach Cream Frappe — ¥630
· Matcha Frappe — ¥630

Beyond the mains and drinks, Cafe106 also serves cakes and sweets plates — meaning you can genuinely go from a full lunch all the way through dessert without moving. The ice cream served with parfaits and sweets plates comes in four flavors; pick whichever suits your mood.

A bonus for early visitors: at the time of our visit, the café was running a free vegetable giveaway for all customers — dine-in and takeout alike. The promotion is irregular, but it’s the kind of warm, unexpected gesture that tells you a lot about the owner.

Our meal started with a crisp salad, served with a dressing that includes a hint of wasabi (Japanese horseradish) for a gentle, nose-tickling kick. Skip the wasabi and eat it plain if heat isn’t your thing — a clean, refreshing opener either way.

The daily lunch special on our visit was the Red Wine Bolognese. The set rotates through the regular menu, so what you get is a pleasant lottery — with the same affordable price every time. Among permanent options, the 106 Handmade Hamburger Steak and the daily set are consistently the most popular.

The pasta is fettuccine — thick, chewy ribbons with real bite. Chunky bolognese clings to every strand, making it a genuinely satisfying plate.

A generous blanket of Parmesan finishes the dish. For anyone who believes more cheese is always the right answer, this pasta will not disappoint.

We added the Mini Parfait (+¥470) — absolutely worth it. Fresh strawberries are used while in season; the fruit will rotate once strawberry season winds down in early summer.

The parfait layers: grape ice cream, berry cake, crunchy crumble, and whipped cream. The colors alone are enough to lift your mood before you take a single bite.

Dig deeper and you’ll find a layer of strawberry sauce and yogurt — surprisingly light after a full lunch. The nut crumble adds a toasty crunch and a nutty aroma that keeps every spoonful interesting.

Then there’s the Peach Cream Frappe (¥630) — the drink that defines this café. The owner perfected a house-made peach sauce through dozens of test batches before opening day. Real peach pulp is packed into the bottom of the cup. You genuinely cannot get this anywhere else.

The pale-pink topping is a sakura (cherry blossom) syrup — delicate, lightly sweet, and just as pretty as it sounds. The cup is generously sized, roughly equivalent to a Starbucks Grande. Big enough to share with a small child, though fair warning: you may find the whole thing gone before you get a second sip.

The Story Behind Cafe106 — A Conversation with Owner Iori

We sat down with Iori, the café’s owner and chef, to hear the story behind the name and the dream that built it.

The “106” in the name isn’t random. It’s a nod to Japan’s pocket bell (ポケベル) pager culture of the 1990s, when teenagers sent numeric codes to spell out messages. In that system, “106” renders the name “Iori” — and so the café wears her name without literally saying it. The “0” in the logo is printed in coffee-brown, a quiet wink at the café identity tucked inside the number.

Iori’s path here started in elementary school, watching her father run a pork butcher shop in Kikuchi (a city north of Kumamoto). That spark sent her to culinary school straight from junior high, and from there into years of work across various restaurants — absorbing techniques, tasting, refining — until April 2025, when she finally opened her own door. Most days the café runs with three people: Iori, her mother, and one staff member.

On choosing the location, she was clear about her priorities: “Parking came first. I wanted families with children to feel welcome — and two or three spaces just wouldn’t cut it. I needed plenty.” Large windows with an open view of the street sealed the decision. Being on Higashi Bypass, she added, has made the café far easier to find than she expected.

Asked for a personal recommendation, Iori didn’t hesitate: “The Berry Parfait and the Peach Cream Frappe. I tested a lot of crumbles before settling on this one — the nuttiness and the crunch are exactly what I wanted. And the peach sauce is completely original, something I put together from scratch. As summer arrives, I hope people cool down with the frappe or refresh with the yogurt-based berry parfait.”

That warmth carries into everything about the space. An evening menu of drinks and casual small plates (otsumami — Japanese bar snacks) is also planned for dinner hours, making Cafe106 equally at home as a solo afternoon retreat or a relaxed night out. Solo diners, families, groups — everyone is welcome.

※ Information correct at time of visit. Prices, hours, and menu items are subject to change. Please confirm directly with the café before visiting.