Japan
Kumamoto

Kumamoto is situated at the center of the Kyushu Island in the western end of Japan. Mt. Aso stands in the east, the Chikuhi Mountains lie in the north, and the Kikuchi-gawa River, Kuma-gawa River and other rivers flow from the mountains to the northwestern area forming the Kumamoto Plain and Yashiro Plain along the coast of the Sea of Ariake. The Udo-hanto Peninsula juts out to the southwest, and the Amakusa Islands lie beyond the peninsula.

Kumamoto has two national parks, namely the Aso and Unzen-Amakusa, and two quasi-national parks, namely the Mt. Yabahita-hiko and the Kyushu Central Mountains. The total area of these natural parks occupies 20% of the prefecture. The Aso district has an active volcano Mt. Aso with one of the largest calderas in the world and many hot springs. The Amakusa district has the Amakusa-gohashi, or five bridges, historic sites with tragic stories of the Christian martyrs, and scenic sites of the islands and Rias coast. The central mountainous area attracts young people with its valleys, virgin forests and beautiful mountain sights.

 wpeAC.jpg (6494 bytes)

wpeAD.jpg (7938 bytes)

wpeAE.jpg (7438 bytes)
Other must-sees in Kumamoto include Kumamoto-shi with the Kumamoto Castle noted for the stonewalls with "Musha-gaeshi", a special defense design to prevent enemy attacks, and the Suizenji-jojuen Garden, hot springs and valleys in the basin of the Kikuchi-gawa River which empties into the Shimabara Bay, and Hitoyoshi and Kuma with abundant historical sites for the 12th to 14th century.

Getting There
1 hour and 30 minutes from Tokyo Haneda Airport to Kumamoto Airport. 1 hour from Osaka Itami Airport.

For more information on Kumamoto, go to: