Kumamoto City

Kumamoto city is the capital of this Kumamoto prefecture with a population of around 750,000. This city is home to Kumamoto Castle, one of the three most famous castles in Japan. Travelers can enjoy a mixture of shopping, sightseeing and explore the history of samurai during their visit to Kumamoto city. Some important samurai figures include Kato Kiyomasa and Miyamoto Musashi the most famous samurai warrior known to the western world. Enjoy shopping at Shimotori arcade which is the largest shopping street in Kumamoto. Over 511 meters filled with numerous fashionable shops, cafés, karaoke, restaurants and bars attract many young locals to spend their time here.

Travelers can tour Kumamoto Castle, which was an extremely well built fortress designed by Kato Kiyomasa. During the Sengoku feudal period of Japan, Kumamoto Castle was regarded as an impenetrable center of power of current day Kumamoto. The original castle was burnt down in 1877 with the one standing today as a ferro- concrete reconstructed model which was completed in 1960. While at Suizenji Garden, visitors can stroll along the 64.6 hectares of land with an intricate layout of 53 post towns of the old Tokaido highway built for the Hosokawa clan over a spread of 80 years. At the former Hosokawa Residence, visitors can see what the lifestyle was like for a ruling feudal samurai lord. This beautifully renovated mansion also displays a variety of artifacts from clothing to items of everyday use during the Edo period. Enjoy the local specialties at Kumamoto like basashi or raw house meat and Ikinaridango, which is a sweet dish consisting of sweet potatoes, red bean paste carefully wrapped in a salty dough bun. Karashi Renkon is another signature dish which consists of boiled lotus infused with spicy mustard and miso fried in yellow batter. Lastly, don’t forget to try out some of the famous Kumamoto sake and shochu produced with the finest rice and crystal clear water.

Things To Do in Kumamoto City