Yamaga
Background
The sleepy town of Yamaga in the North of Kumamoto was once a bustling and vibrant settlement due to its prime location on the old Buzen Kaido, the main route that ran between northern and southern Kyushu. Yamaga was also wealthy due to its rich agricultural lands formed by the Kikuchi River plain. Yamaga rice was highly valued for its quality and taste.The land of the Kikuchi valley has been settled since ancient times, Japan’s largest collection of Kofun burial mounds can be found here. The town is also famed for its hotsprings favoured by the Kumamoto Lords and visited by the revered swordsman Miyamoto Musashi. The traditional Kabuki theatre ‘Yachiyoza’ built by local merchants over 100 years ago still attracts large audiences.
Things to see and do
Modern day Yamaga may at first glance seems like any other small country town but in its heart and spirit tradition runs strong. This is symbolised by its stunning and unique lantern festival which takes place in mid August. The beautifully restored 1910 Yachiyoza theatre is the town’s centerpiece. The old Bunko Kaidan street is also worth strolling around with several interesting oldfashioned gift and antique shops, cafes and restaurants.
The Yamaga Lantern museum situated in the old Meiji era bank is also worth visiting particularly to watch the paper craftsmen at work fashioning intricate paper lanterns and architectural models in an art form unique to the area. The famous Yamaga onsens, favourites of the Kumamoto Lords, are also nearby.
There’s also an easy cycling trail along the riverside and into the lush green countryside where you can see the ancient Kofun burial mounds that are abundant in this area. You could spend the whole day in Yamaga or combine it with a trip to Kikuchi Gorge or Kikuchi Castle.
Below you will find activities and sights you can explore in and around the Yamaga area. Click on the picture links to find out more. Then why not plan your own custom made guided tour and contact Explore Kumamoto for a quote.
Higanbana 彼岸花 Spider Lily viewing After a long, hot summer the arrival of the spider lillies in mid September heralds the beginning of autumn. The tall stalks and dramatic bright red blooms seem to shoot up out of nowhere appearing around paddy fields, embankments and verges. The flowering season is
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Ancient Burial Mound Museum The Kumamoto Prefectural Ancient Burial Mound museum in Yamaga celebrates the many and various decorated tumuli of Kumamoto. A tumulus is an ancient burial mound, there are approximately 200,000 of these burial mounds scattered over Japan all dating back from 400 to 700 AD. The era
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Tonkararin If you love a good mystery - or dark, narrow spaces! - , then you are bound to be intrigued by Tonkararin. The many questions surrounding Tonkararin serve to make the site more interesting and you cannot help but come up with your own theories as you explore. Tonkararin is so mysterious
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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