Kumamoto Things to Do

My hike in these mountains was one of the highlights of the time I spent in Kumamoto Prefecture. Mt Aso is an active volcano. I am really interested in volcanos and was quite excited to be able to hike over this one. The smell of sulphur is strong (but I am used to it as we have the same smell in Rotorua, NZ!). This area is popular with Japanese hikers in the summer. The great thing about hiking in Japan is that you can relax in a wonderful hot spring (onsen) afterwards! The Aso-Kuju area is no exception, as the area is volcanic there are plenty of natural hot springs to choose from.
The hike across 4 peaks took me and my group a grand total of 8 hours and yes, I was exhausted by the end of it!

It is certainly worth a stroll around these gardens in central Kumamoto. The temple itself was built in 1632 and the gardens have been sculptered over 100's of years. There is a cute tea-house in the center of the garden where you can partake of the Japanese Tea Ceremony. The ponds in the gardens contain carp which you can feed.

The garden is open all day and costs 200 yen to enter.

Colorful and perfectly tended Japanese garden that was made to represent the road to Tokyo. The Shogun made all local daimyo visit him once every two years in Tokyo so the lord of Kumamoto Castle was very familar with the views along this road.

I can't get enough of these. I think there're more than 50 types of cherry blossoms. To see more, please visit my Tokyo click here, Osaka click here & Kyoto click here pages.

Once a year, several 'sumo' (yeah, the big fat guys) schools come to Kumamoto prefecture for a special demostration that last one day. It gives inside information about 'sumo', the schools and shows real fights.
This event should not be missed, and unfortunately each year it is shown in another town, so you have to figure out where it will be held next. During my time in Japan, it took place in Kikuchi.

Try to visit the following festivals - the 'lamp' festival in Yamaga, a small city north of Kumamoto city, and the 'Onda matsuri' in Aso (Mt. Aso area).
There are other festivals, but those were the most impressive. At the climx of the festival in Yamaga, 1000 girls will dance, each wearing a colorful 'yukata' (summer kimono) and having a shining Yamaga- lantern (made out of paper) on the head.
The 'Onda matsuri' is some kind of harvesting festival, with a procession through the fields. Women carrying baskets on their heads and are wearing a special white dress which gives them a muslemic touch - only the eyes are uncovered.

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There was a very colourful inari fox shrine and a shinto shrine very near one of the castle gates. I liked the fact that the inarl shrine had lucky cat purification wash basins.

This black castle was originally built between 1601 and 1607. In 1877 after a siege of 50 days it was burnt down in the final attack. What you see today, is a reconstruction. There is an entry fee.