Kumamoto is a big city on Japan’s southern island Kyushu. It’s most famous for the beautiful castle (currently getting repaired) and its mascot Kumamon. During my stay on Kyushu it was my base for exploring the rest of the island. In this post, I tell you about my experience in the city and how I explored it during one afternoon and evening.
Location
Kumamoto is in the western central part of Kyushu and well connected to Kagoshima in the south and Fukuoka in the north. So it’s perfectly located for some day trips. In contrast to the other cities it’s not directly on the ocean. Another point you have to be aware of is the long distance between the train station and the city centre. You can either take a tram or walk like me. It takes around 30-45 minutes to the centre.
Arriving in Kumamoto
I arrived in the city around noon and first checked into my hostel. After that I was ready to explore the centre. I walked along a river until I reached a big street which directly leads to Kamitori Shopping Street. It’s a roofed pedestrian street with many different shops and restaurants. I have the feeling that this kind of street exists in nearly all Japanese cities. But the street itself was quite empty on an early afternoon. Anyways, I ate a nice ramen there and continued my journey to Kumamoto’s main attraction, the castle.
Visiting the castle
Unfortunately, most of the castle is currently a construction site due to the devastating earthquake in 2016 which destroyed many parts of it. There are already some renovated and reconstructed parts, but I still saw quite many broken walls and stone piles.
Nevertheless, the castle is still impressive from the outside and will hopefully soon shine in its old glamour. The original castle dates back to the early 1600s when it was constructed by Kato Kiyomasa. Even back in these times, this castle was one of the most famous ones in Japan.
Visiting an observation deck
After I visited the castle grounds, I went to a more unknown spot. Opposite of the castle next to a big road is the city hall of Kumamoto. It doesn’t look impressive from the in- or outside, but there is a free observation deck on the 14th floor where you can look across the city and castle. The floor itself looks very unspectacular and empty. It appeared that there’s a cafe though. But it was closed on my visit, so I don’t know whether it’s already closed for a long time. That wouldn’t surprise me too much. The views of the surroundings make this sterile room still worth a visit.
Spending time in the evening
Later, it was already getting dark. I decided to relax in the city for some time before I searched for some dinner. I spent the evening walking around the centre of Kumamoto. There I visited the Christmas market on the square next to Sakura Machi Shopping Mall. The mall itself is also worth a visit as it has a great rooftop garden with a beautiful view of the square and the Christmas market. I spent some time there just looking at the people and market below me.
At my time there, I noticed several groups of women in official jerseys. So I looked it up and realized that I’m there at the time of the Women’s Handball World Championship. I especially saw many Argentinians who seemed to really enjoy their time there and tried to make the most out of it. There were also some of them with me on the rooftop garden enjoying the view.
Other sights of Kumamoto
Kumamoto also offers several other attractions which I haven’t visited on my short afternoon visit. Most notably is probably Suizenji-jojuen which is a beautiful large garden next to a lake. I decided against a visit as it was winter, and I saw other amazing gardens in Japan before.
There are also several hiking options close to the city when you would like to be more active. For example, Hanaokayama Hill close to the centre which offers spectacular views of Kumamoto. Or Mount Kinpo slightly outside the city which is a longer hike of roughly one hour to the top.