Kumamoto

Culture, attractions
and entertainment

Kumomoto Castle is truly not only a symbol of the city, but also one of the most famous castles in Japan. Second only to Osaka and Nagoya castles, it is the third largest in the country and has the status of “National Treasure of Japan”. It was here that the famous samurai Saigo Takamori fought in 1877, leading the armed struggle against the imperial army. As a result, the castle was stormed and burned. Today, in the premises of the castle there is a museum with many exhibits, where you can get acquainted with the rich samurai history of these places and the main stages of the war against Emperor Meiji. The landscape Japanese garden of Suizenji Koen was built in the seventeenth century. This garden recreates in miniature the famous Tokaido Highway, which stretched in the Middle Ages from Kyoto to Edo (now Tokyo). There is a mound whose outline is recognizable as Fuji, traditional tea houses where travelers rested, and a small pond in which Lake Biwa can be seen. The amazing Aso-Kuju National Park, also located on the territory of the prefecture, almost in the center of the island of Kyushu, deserves a separate trip. Aso Volcano is the largest active volcano in Japan and one of the largest active volcanoes in the world. Its giant caldera, the largest in the world, was formed about 90 thousand years ago as a result of a catastrophic eruption of an ancient volcano. The caldera of the ancient Aso volcano is so large that about 50 thousand people live here and a railway has been built. Nowadays, on its picturesque territory there are as many as seventeen new cones, of which the largest and most active is the Nakadake volcano. There is an observation deck on the borders of its caldera, making it the only place in the world from which you can observe the open mouth of an active volcano. On the slope of the Aso volcano there is also one of the oldest temples in Japan - the Aso-Jinja Shinto shrine, whose history goes back over two thousand years. In addition, in the territory of Kumamoto Prefecture, the city of Kurokawa, where the famous thermal resort Kurokawa Onsen is located, also deserves attention. It is located about 20 km north of Aso Volcano and is famous for its hot mineral springs. You can get to Kumamoto from Tokyo by the Shinkansen super express in six hours, changing at Shin-Osaka or Nakata stations. You can also fly from Haneda Airport in about two hours.