Here you will find information on some of the lesser known sites in and around the Kumamoto and central Kyushu region. Just scroll down to find someting that interests you…
The World Heritage Manda Pit, also known as the Manda Kou in Japanese, is part of the Miike Coal Mine, which was once the largest coal mine in Japan. The mine played a huge role in enabling Japan’s modernisation during the Meiji era and war years, producing 10% of Japan’s coal. The pit, built using British […]
World Heritage Manda Pit 万田坑 Read More »
Very sadly one of my favorite spots in Aso, the Laputa Road Viewpoint was badly damaged in the earthquakes of April 2016 and can no longer safely be visited. The photos below show the landslides and road damage that occurred. Before the earthquakes One of the top spots to see in Aso, but
Laputa Road ラピュタロード Read More »
If you are visiting Kurokawa Onsen, Aso or just a fan of waterfalls put the Nabegataki Falls high on your list to see. Only recently discovered as a tourist location, the fall itself is a wide sheet of water; though not particularly high at 10 meters it makes up for it with a width of around 20
Nabegataki Falls 鍋ケ滝 Read More »
Rent a Bicycle What better way to explore the city and beyond than by renting a bicycle for a day. Kumamoto City is a great place to cycle around with wide pavements and very few slopes. You can reach Suizenji Park or Tatsuda Nature Park from the city center within a leisurely 30 minute bike ride or head
Sightsee by bicycle Read More »
Experience the old town of Yamaga in the traditional way with a handpulled rickshaw ride. The 20 minute course costs 1500 Yen per person. Maximum 2 people. Yamaga Rickshaw Rides can be booked up to the day before and take place between 09:00 and 17:00 Rickshaw rides are available all year round except for the New
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The Yamaga Lantern Craft Museum, 灯籠民芸館, introduces the history and culture of the traditional craft of paper lantern making. This rare and extraodinarily delicate paperwork has been passed down since ancient times and is unique to the Yamaga area. The museum is situated in the old bank just a couple of minutes walk down the
Yamaga Lantern Museum 山鹿灯籠民芸館 Read More »
Yamaga Lantern Dance Festival – Yamaga Toro Matsuri 山鹿吐露祭 in Japanese, is held on the evenings of August 15th and 16th in the city of Yamaga every year. The highlight is the One Thousand Lantern Dance when hundreds of women, dressed in simple white summer yukata and red obi sashes dance elegantly through the night wearing beautifully crafted paper illuminated
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The town of Yamaga is situated an hour’s drive north of Kumamoto City. In its heyday, over a hundred years ago, Yamaga was a prosperous, bustling agricultural town and a very lively onsen retreat. In 1910 the local merchants funded the very first kabuki theatre in Kyushu and called it the Yachiyoza (the Eternal Place). This theatre born
The Reigando Cave, in Japanese simply Reigando 霊巌洞, is a mysterious and sacred cave located on the Western slopes of Mt. Kinpo the 200,000 year old extinct volcanic peak that is the backdrop to Kumamoto City. Famed as the cave where the great philosopher swordsman Musashi Miyamoto spent his last years in meditatation and created
Tatsuda Nature Park is well worth putting on your itinerary for a day out in the city. Tucked away behind Kumamoto University, perhaps its difficult to find location means that it is not more well-known. The park stands on Mt. Tatsuda, a forested hill in the north eastern part of the city. Step through the park
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