Afternoon in Kumamoto

On a recent trip to Kyushu, we had one afternoon in Kumamoto. We arrived at Kumamoto Station around 1:30 pm, and immediately began spotting Kumamon (Kumamoto’s popular mascot) everywhere.

First we went to the hotel to drop off our luggage. The ANA Crowne Plaza Kumamoto New Sky was very accommodating and let us check in early. Once we saw the beautiful view of the Shirakawa River from our room, we decided to return in time to watch the sunset.

Our next stop was Kumamoto Castle. The hotel was conveniently located by bus and tram stops, but we took a taxi since we only had three hours before the castle closed.

The 2016 Kumamoto earthquake caused extensive damage to the castle.

The damage is still visible, but the rebuilding has been impressive. The reconstruction will last until 2038.

The castle complex partially reopened for the Rugby World Cup in 2019 with a new walkway to safely guide visitors through the area. It’s a good way to view the castle grounds and watch the reconstruction.

The main castle keep reopened in 2021. Several floors of exhibits cover the castle’s 400 year history. There are fascinating displays on the castle’s role in significant events in Japanese history, including the Satsuma Rebellion.

The observation deck on the top floor of the tower offers a great view of the city.

After exploring the castle, we walked down to Sakura-no-Baba Josaien, recreation of a 17th century castle town. It was a little touristy, but a great place to try local cuisine and buy souvenirs. There were a number of full service restaurants and street food vendors. We didn’t have much time before closing, so we skipped the sit-down meal and tried a few local specialties.

We got renkon karashi, lotus root stuffed with hot Japanese mustard and miso. It paired well with the local Fukuda Farm beer.

The woman selling Ikinari Dango (mochi covered sweet potato and sweet bean) recommended her two favorites. The first had sweet potato and Japanese sweet bean with seasonal chestnut. It was good, but the combination of the chestnut and sweet potato was a little dry. The second had cream cheese which added a nice creaminess and tang to balance the other fillings.

The salada chikuwa was fish cake with Japanese potato salad. I would never have though of mixing the two, but the combination worked! 

We also tried the Kumamon ningyoyaki, a grilled pancake-like batter filled with red bean or custard. It was almost too cute to eat.

We had a great afternoon in Kumamoto, but there is so much more to see. After our snacking, we’re not hungry enough to eat the famous Kumamoto ramen, basashi (horse sashimi), or the local beef. We also ran out of time to visit the Kumamoto City Hall Observatory for a great view of the castle and Suizenji Japanese garden.

At least we made it back to the hotel in time for a beautiful sunset.

The next morning we stopped by Shoyouken, a 100 year old wagashi (Japanese sweets) shop. We picked up two #zokkon, the store’s popular new fusion of scones with traditional Japanese and modern fillings. The original #zokkon with creamy butter and sweet bean paste and flakey scone was incredible. We also got the roasted tea scone with dried fig and cheese. The hotel had Kumamon themed china in the rooms, so it was the perfect end to our short visit before we headed back to the station.

Details

Kumamoto is less than two hours from Tokyo by plane, or 6 hours by Shinkansen (bullet train). The Japan Rail Pass doesn’t cover the fastest express trains, so it will take one hour longer using the pass.

We stayed at the ANA Crowne Plaza Kumamoto New Sky, about four minutes by car or a 10 minute walk from Kumamoto Station. Although slightly dated, the rooms were comfortable and large for Japan. Given the central location, excellent service, and great view, I would definitely stay again.

To see more, check out our YouTube Video.