Kumamoto 熊本

Kumamoto Travel Guide

Things to see and do in Kumamoto

Kumamoto Castle is the town's main attraction and a spectacular site, which underwent restoration in time for its 400th anniversary. Kumamoto Castle, built by Kato Kiyomasa between 1601-1607, is Japan's third largest castle after Osaka Castle and Nagoya Castle.

Kumamoto Castle is a masterpiece of defensive architecture and has never been successfully stormed.

The outer walls of Kumamoto Castle measured 13 km and the inner walls 5 km. The original castle had 49 turrets and 29 gates. Kato planted camphor and gingko trees to provide firewood and edible nuts in time of siege and also dug 120 wells to provide the inhabitants with water.

The wood used in the castle's construction was stained a dark color with persimmon tannin and pine soot to withstand insects and the changes in the weather.

Most of the original wooden buildings were destroyed in a fire during the 1877 siege of the castle by a rebel army led by Saigo Takamori (the model for the Hollywood blockbuster The Last Samurai during the Seinan War. The defenders under the command of Kanjo Tani (1837-1911) still managed to hold out for 50 days until reinforcements arrived and Saigo's rebellion was crushed. Only the Uto-Yagura turret survived the fire.

Reconstruction of Kumamoto Castle began in 1960 and continued during 2007 so the castle can be restored to its former glory for its 400th anniversary. The huge Hon-Maru Go-ten Ohiroma reception hall of the feudal lord is now an impressive piece of wooden architecture, with much of the reconstruction work done by skilled carpenters and painters from Kyoto.

The main tower of the 6-storey, 30-meter keep (donjon) contains an interesting museum detailing the history of Kumamoto Castle along with exhibits of Japanese armor, shells used in the 1877 attack and original black and white photographs.

A short walk northwest of the castle is Hosokawa Gyobu-tei a 300-year old residence and gardens of Lord Gyobu, a member of the ruling Hosokawa clan.

The 24 rooms of the mansion open to the public contain Edo Period furniture including a rare clock, lacquerware and items of clothing.

The kitchen has a number of original pots and pans as well as an original kamado stove, and such a large samurai mansion remains one of the few left in the country.

Museums & Galleries in Kumamoto

Kumamoto Castle grounds and the sloping path leading to the castle are popular places for cherry blossom viewing and contain Kumamoto's modernist Prefectural Art Museum in Ninomaru Park with displays of the family possessions of the Hosokawa and Kato clans, a tea room, modern European and Japanese paintings and items found in archaeological digs in the area including some stone Buddhist sculptures. Kumamoto Prefectural Art Museum was designed by the noted architect Maekawa Kunio, who is also responsible for the Saitama Prefectural Museum in Omiya.

The Kumamoto Prefectural Traditional Crafts Center has displays of ceramics, bamboo crafts, lanterns and wood carvings. Access by bus to the Dento-koteikan-mae bus stop.

Contemporary Art Museum Kumamoto is located on the second floor of a commercial building on the north side of the main street that runs west from Kumamoto Castle between Tori-cho Suji and Sudoucho tram stops.

Entrance is free although special exhibitions have an entry fee. As well as galleries there is a tea room, shop, children's studio and workshop and a rather fine library.

The library and foyer include light-based artworks including one by American James Turrell.

Suizenji Garden

A short tram ride southeast of Kumamoto Castle is Kumamoto's other must-see sight - Suizenji Garden.

This beautiful strolling garden and tea arbor was built over a period of 80 years from 1632 by three successive Hosokawa feudal lords.

The centerpiece of this Momoyama-style garden is the pond which is fed by pure, underground streams from nearby Mt. Aso.

The layout of the garden represents the 53 Stations of the old Tokaido highway from Kyoto to Tokyo.

The garden contains an instantly recognizable, miniature Mount Fuji and Lake Biwa, Izumi Shrine (dedicated to the ancestors of the Hosokawa clan), an Inari Shrine, a Noh stage (with Noh performances in spring and fall), a statue of the garden's creator Tadatoshi Hosokawa and a classical teahouse.

Suizenji Garden takes about 30-40 minutes to walk but is also a favorite spot for cherry blossom viewing or just sitting and relaxing in general.

The ongoing Kumamoto Artpolis project began in 1988 and aimed to encourage top architects to design in Kumamoto and its surrounding area.

Striking modern structures built as a result include the North Kumamoto Police Station, the Misumi Harbor Ferry Terminal, Mamihara Bridge, Tamana City Observatory Museum, Kuma High School of Industry, Saishunkan Lady's Residence, Shinchi Public Housing development, Kouda Akebono Nursery School, the Reihoku Community Hall, the Yatsushiro Municipal Museum and the Prefectural Decorative Tumulus Museum designed by Tadao Ando and the Kumamoto Prefectural Museum of Art Chibajo Annex (see image above) by Spanish architects Elias Torres and José Antonio Martínez-Lapeña, which was constructed in 1992.

The Former Residence of L.L. Janes was the first western-style building constructed in Kumamoto and was the home of the American educator and missionary Leroy Lansing Janes (1838–1909). Janes was invited to teach at the Kumamoto Yogakko and designed a curriculum entirely in English.

Kumamoto Temples & Galleries

Kumamoto's other sites include Honmyoji Temple which contains the mausoleum of Kato Kiyomasa, which was built to be at the same height as the keep at Kumamoto Castle.

Nearby is the Shimada Art Gallery, which has exhibits relating to the life of master Edo Period swordsman Miyamoto Musashi, who spent his last years in Kumamoto. Take a bus to Jikei-byoin-mae bus stop.

Writers Lafcadio Hearn and Natsume Soseki both lived in Kumamoto for periods in their lives and it is possible to visit their former homes. Hearn's previous house, which is now a museum is at 2-6 Ansei-machi in the center of town.

Natsume Soseki's residence is preserved as the Soseki Memorial Hall at 4-22 Tsubo-machi, north of the castle.

Tatsuda Shizen-koen northeast of downtown Kumamoto includes Taisho-ji Temple, which contains the grave of Hosokawa Gracia (1563-1600), a convert to Christianity and the daughter of Akechi Mitsuhide, the betrayer of Oda Nobunaga at Honnoji Temple in Kyoto. Married to Hosokawa Tadaoki, she was killed by a servant in Osaka Castle on the orders of her husband to prevent her being taken hostage by Ishida Mitsunari, an enemy of Hosokawa and his ally Tokugawa Ieyasu.

Eating in Kumamoto

Horse meat is a local delicacy and can be sample in a number of eateries near Kumamoto Castle. Another local food is karashi renkon - deep-fried lotus root. The volcanic soils of the area are also supposed to produce a distinctive sake.

Getting around Kumamoto

The bus and tram network covers all of Kumamoto's main sites but traffic can be heavy with people driving in from surrounding areas and cross-Kyushu traffic. It is possible to buy one-day passes for the street car network which are also valid on the green city buses (700 yen). The Castle Loop Bus (shiro-megurin) runs from the bus station and passes many of the city attractions. The service runs 18 buses daily from 8.30 am-5 pm over the 50-minute loop and a one-day ticket is 300 yen.

How to get to Kumamoto 

By Air

Kumamoto Airport has direct flights to Tokyo, Osaka, Naha (Okinawa), Nagoya (Chubu and Komaki), Kobe and other cities in Japan. Kumamoto Airport is about 50 minutes from downtown by regular bus. Airlines that fly into and depart Kumamoto Airport include ANA, JAL, Cathay Pacific and Asiana.

There are buses to Kumamoto Airport from Kumamoto railway station and Kumamoto bus station. There are bus services from Kumamoto Airport to Oita (3 hours), Beppu (4 hours), Takachiho (3 hours), Aso (1 hours) and Kurokawa Onsen (90 minutes). Buses from Kumamoto to Miyazaki take 3 hours, 15 minutes.

By Train 

Rail The JR Kagoshima Line runs north from Kumamoto Station to Hakata Station (Fukuoka) in about 90 minutes with journeys south to Kagoshima taking approximately the same time. The JR Hohi Line has trains to Beppu in 3 hours. The Kyushu shinkansen line opened on schedule and now extends from Fukuoka to Kumamoto and on to Kagoshima with a branch to Nagasaki.

By Bus

There are highway bus services from the Kumamoto Kotsu bus station, south of the castle, to most major destinations in Kyushu. The north-south Kyushu Highway connects Kita-Kyushu, Fukuoka, Kumamoto and Kagoshima.

The Kumamoto Castle Loop bus, Shiromegurin, starts from Kumamoto JR station and then heads to Kumamoto Castle where it does a loop around the extensive grounds before heading downtown and then back to the station. Many of the most popular tourist sites in the central area are reachable by it. The Kumamoto Castle Loop Bus stops at the Kotsu bus station, castle parking area, Children's Culture Center, Prefectural Art Museum, Municipal Museum, Hosokawa Residence, Traditional Crafts Center, and the Art Museum Chibajo Annex. Downtown it stops near the Contemporary Art Museum and Lafcadio Hearn House.

By Ferry 

To Kumamoto Two ferry companies run car ferries from Shimabara to Kumamoto. The crossing takes one hour on the cheaper, slower boat run by Kyusho Ferry or 30 minutes on the more expensive quicker boat operated by Kumamoto Ferry. The last crossing on weekdays from Shimabara to Kumamoto is 5.30 pm with Kumamoto Ferry and 6.55 pm with Kyusho Ferry. Both companies have later sailings on weekends and public holidays from April to December. 7.20 pm for Kumamoto Ferry and 7.05 pm for Kyusho Ferry.