Like the good residents of Granada in southern Andalusia, notorious for their drastic mood swings, natives of Kumamoto have a reputation for being stubborn and sulky. These durable folk (Kumamoto has one of the country's largest contingents of centenarians) are also reputed to be both easy to anger and generous to a fault, a combustible mix summed up in the local word mokkosu, which roughly translates as "feisty."
The longevity of Kumamoto residents is routinely ascribed to the relaxed ambience of the place, a passion for living and a healthy diet. The latter includes karashi renkon (deep-fried lotus root stuffed with mustard miso), and various brands of sake and shochu made from water supposedly purified by the area's rich volcanic soil.
A city with a small-town atmosphere, a mild climate and semitropical flora, Kumamoto was an important seat of power during the Tokugawa shogunate. The city's star attraction, one of the largest castles in Japan, dates from this period. The main shopping precinct and sights are compressed into an area south of the castle, the original location of the merchant and craftsmen's quarters.