A postcard from... Kumamoto Castle, Kumamoto, Kyushu

Inui-Yagura (turret) - foreground

I have been trying to find a way to see Kumamoto Castle properly since before I was married! I did visit the city before but was unable to give this outstanding medieval embattelemt the attention it deserved.

The buildings & walls suffered considerable damage in a powerful earthquake in 2016, which is still evident today. I know people locally suffered considerably too; the modern part of the city shows no sign of lasting damage.

At first glance, it looks like nothing much has been done to repair the fallen masonry or prop up teeting towers...but closer inspection reveals that actually, there has been a tremendous amount of careful planning (archeological triage), strategic redirection of visitors and massive investment in resources (old and new) & some awesomely clever engineering work arounds...

Boffin information!

Priority #1 was preventing the second (small) keep from collapsing into its sunken foundations (I think!) and to use it as a counterweight to the main keep, which was also completely rebuilt. The schematic diagram below is much more technical than me - the outcome = two very sturdy structures! Yes, modern; really good state of the art, multi-media displays throughout the buildings (and even a lift). My quibble would be that there's no information at all inside in any other language than Japanese. There is a lot of detail presented, which is probably very interesting, but...

The repairs are obviously a work in progress, in stages. Visitors are ushered up, over, around & even under worksites/vulnerable walls. This has been done cleverly & sensitively. I've got no idea how you set about rescuing the teetering turret (above) but it looks like they have a plan to secure it and to restore the walls of the Nishidemaru.

Visiting 'ginko' castle at this time of year has its obvious advantages,as you can see. The famous tree was in all its glory. I can't wait to process all of my photos over the Christmas/New Year holiday. Highly recommend making the time to visit this awesome structure, and its part in Satsuma history.

"Ginko" castle - Kumamoto's main keeps

A postcard from Aso Boy - Mount Aso, Kumamoto, Kyushu

Aso Boy: a 5-minute stop at Aso Station

I was fortunate enough to be travelling on a National Holiday from Kumamoto, towards northern Kyushu. An extra service of  "Aso Boy" was running (usually only at weekends). Of course I grabbed the chance to ride on this 'grand tour' slow train, over the Aso Caldera to Beppu!

It's a slow chugger of a train (not sure if that is the correct techinical description!) with a kids' play area (I avoided) as well as a cafe, taking four hours to climb up & across this active volcanic caldera - erupted last month!

Spectacular views if you take even a local service, but the frontmost or rearmost seats of Aso Boy are very well worth booking, well-ahead of travel time. There's only one service a day (in either direction). There are uninterrupted views of the panoramas as they unfold, as the driver's position is above & behind you, so I recommend clicking away, as every bend unveils another breathtaking gorge or rural view, surging river or cloud-studded skies across forbidding peaks. 

Stark skyline of Mount Aso

I loved the slow reveal of the countryside, with life in the fertile caldera carrying on as usual while some heads were turned by our iconic chariot! Of course you can drive up & around the area yourself (beware, it snows up here!) but why not sit back with a coffee & treat yourself? Cheaper than the blisteringly fast shinkansen, and obviously slower...which is just the way travel some times. 

What's your favourite 'secret' train line/trip in Japan?

Enjoy Kyushu

 You think Kyushu is far from Matsumoto, don’t you? It’s true it’s a long way, but if you take a flight, it takes only an hour and a half from Matsumoto airport to Fukuoka, and from there to the Shinkansen station, Hakata, is only fifteen minutes. My plane took off from Matsumoto airport at 15:30, and I arrived in Kumamoto at 18:00. It is not far!

 

Kumamoto is a pleasant city, not too big, not too small; just right medium size. There is a beautiful castle in the center of city, nostalgic trams trundle around, and there are lots of green spaces even in the city centre.

 

JR Kyushu runs some interesting special trains services. These are completely different from regular trains. Most of these kinds of trains were designed by Etsuji Mitooka, who is a great industrial designer. These trains are eye-catching on the outside, and inside have amazing designs and original styling. One of them has a bar in the train car, another has sofas and bookshelves; there are also lovely mummy & kids’ chairs, wonderful viewing decks, etc.

The inside of "Aso-boy"

 

I experienced the journey from Kumamoto to Beppu aboard “Asoboy”. As a passenger, you can spoil yourself with original food, buy branded souvenirs and be treated to special service. In the train, there are some play spaces for children and lovely pair seats for children and parent. I enjoyed the panoramic view of Mount Aso from the high viewing seats. The friendly crew offered to take memorial photographs for travelers. It was an exciting, lovely experience. I enjoyed a lot.

 

On this trip I realized again how wonderful Kyushu is, especially abundant with beautiful waters. You can enjoy a wide variety of amazing hot springs, or “Onsen”, in places like Beppu, Yufuin and Kurokawa. You can explore unique cities and see abundant nature. Of course, the food is lovely. As I experienced, the people are calm and kind as well.

Teruki