🐻Kumamoto, Japan | Cute in the Kumamoto Bear's Dens
00 min
Nov 14, 2024
Nov 14, 2024
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Kyushu is really a great long route for an in-depth tour of Japan. If you have enough time, it is recommended to reserve two days in Kumamoto, one day in Kumamoto and one day in Aso.
We traveled from Hakata station in Fukuoka this time, and the trip to Kumamoto station is half an hour by Shinkansen. We bought reserved seats for the trip, but for the return trip, we bought a free seat without a ticket, but luckily, there were a lot of empty seats.
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After arriving at Kumamoto Station, you can first buy a one-day ticket to Kumamoto City directly, City Tram is enough, 500 yen to play in the city, Kumamoto Castle tickets can also be discounted!
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This one-day ticket requires you to “manually” scratch off today's date and show it to the driver when you get off the bus. It's ancient. It's like scratching a lottery ticket.
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There are only two lines in Kumamoto City, line A and line B, and several must-see spots are covered.
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Kumamoto Castle is not big, and the places worth visiting are marked on the day pass. If you want to make a recommendation, we suggest the following route: [ Kumamoto Minister's Meeting] → [Kumamoto Castle] → [Sakura-no-Maiba Josaien] → [Suizenji Sengokuen].
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Minister Kumamoto usually meets twice a day, and we recommend the 11:30 show, which is half an hour long. I was worried that I wouldn't be able to make it to this one, so I arranged for the 2:00 show, which made the rest of the program a bit too rushed.
The exact arrangement of the meeting can be found on the official website: https://kumamon-land.jp/squares/, the minister will also travel from time to time, in addition, if the minister happens to be sick on that day can not be seen, it is best to confirm in advance not to run empty oh.
If you bring children will be prioritized seating (location is very small, a small circle), come late if there may not be able to enter, it is recommended to enter 30 minutes in advance, is to wait up really tired (pure standing).
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The minister was really hard working and the atmosphere was great, we came early to get the first row seat in the center view. In the middle of the performance, the minister would keep circling around and posing, so that everyone could get the perfect picture, which was quite thoughtful.
It was raining that day, so the minister wore a raincoat to the show, and there was also a raincoat bar at the venue, which was very ceremonial.
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There is also a bear cave on site where you can see Kumamoto bears fall into the abyss hahaha.
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Kumamoto Castle is one of the three oldest castles in Japan, and the ruins of Kumamoto Castle are listed as a National Special Historic Site. Nearly a third of the castle's walls were damaged by the earthquake, and none of them have been fully repaired yet, but visitors are allowed to enter and visit. The castle walls are relatively high, but there are elevators on almost all routes, making it quite easy to visit. Tenshukaku is accessible, the building is relatively small, and you can climb to the top floor to overlook the city of Kumamoto.
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There is a very, very large ginkgo tree in the city that is especially beautiful and would be stunning to visit in the fall. There are also 800 cherry blossom trees around Kumamoto Castle, which would also be beautiful if you come in spring.
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Located at the foot of Kumamoto Castle, Sakura-no-Maiba Josaien is a recreation of the Edo-era Kumamoto castle townscape and a food court. There are two roads in total, one Sakura Road and one Wakuwakuza.
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There's a matcha store here that has a 1%-5% concentration and it's pretty tasty.
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Kyushu cuisine is just too much, and Kumamoto's specialty must-tries include Kumamoto ramen, horsemeat sashimi, and pork cutlet.
The must-visit Katsurei-tei is a Michelin one-star restaurant, both at Kumamoto Station and under Kumamoto Castle. We went to the Kumamoto Station one, no queue, ipad ordering, unlimited refills on small plates and wraps. The pork chop comes with a variety of sauces, and you can have both Western and Japanese styles.
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The pork chops were quite tender and very rich in fat, but I still felt a bit greasy towards the last few pieces, or maybe it was just a really large portion. Needless to say, their small dishes were really good! We ate half of the can on the table.
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I was in a hurry, so I ended my day in Kumamoto. Of course, I hope to see you again next time.
 

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