Kumamoto/Kyushu

Kumamoto Castle is one of the three strongest fortifications in Japan along with Osaka Castle and Nagoya Castle. It was originally built by Kiyomasa Kato, the feudal lord who were good at laying out and building the castle in 1600. It took 7 years to complete.



The scale of the castle property is equivalent to 20 times of baseball stadium. Unfortunately, it was burned down in late 1800, while 11 turrets among 49 are still surviving.


Walking along unique dark corridor under Honmaru Goten, the residence of the lord,you are welcomed into restored residence, whose interior is dazzlingly beautiful.


The Suizenji Jojuen Garden is a typical stroll-type garden comprising a miniature representation of the 53 stations of the old Tokaido Highway connecting Tokyo and Kyoto. The fresh spring water release clean, cold water, which flows from Mt. Aso via underground currents.
A group of guides including me travelled to Kyushu in the midst of torrential rain during rainy season, largely inspired by the opending of Kyushu Shinkansen, connecting Fukuoka and Kagoshima.We flew from Osaka Itami Airport to Kumamoto taking only one hour by plane. We rented a car, started driving for 5 days.