A small shopping mall named EMax is located above the Nishitetsu train station. Stores include InCube, Quest bookstore, and a variety of clothing stores.
Across the main street from the station is "Ichibangai 1", a long covered pedestrian mall with stores that change often. There are a few restaurants there as well.
About 10 minutes by bus from the station is one of Japan's growing chain-mall locations, YouMe Town. Take the #20 bus from the Nishitetsu station and get off right in front of the large mall complex.
Kurume is famous for its kasuri, an indigo dyed cloth used to make kimonos and other traditional Japanese clothes, but you are not likely to find much kasuri in Kurume itself. Yanagawa nearby actually sells more Kurume kasuri than Kurume itself, both in cloth and kimono form, and it looks a lot more like a traditional Japanese town, too.
Kurume is also the home of Bridgestone tires and famous for ramen noodles which are available in plentiful supply.
