Culture / Tour Spots in Kumamoto Area

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Kumamoto
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Category

Leisure / Hobbies

Culture / Tour

Suizen-ji Joju-en Garden (Suizenji Park)

4.0

780 Reviews

Leisure / Hobbies

Kumamoto Pref. Kumamotoshichuouku Suizenjikouen 8-1

This strolling garden has been noted as one of Japan's Places of Scenic Beauty as well as a Historic Site. Construction of the garden was started by Lord Hosokawa Tadatoshii, who was the first Hosokawa lord of the Higo province and Kumamoto, and would continue for three generations. The large 10,000 square meter lake in the garden is filled with water from the Aso spring. The park opens at 7:30 AM from March to October and at 8:30 AM from November to February and a morning stroll is highly recommended. Horseback archery events are held in the spring and fall and during the summer Noh theater performances are held by fire light. Entrance to the park is a three-minute walk from the Suizenji Park stop on the Kumamoto streetcar.

If like me, you love japanese gardens, then this is definitely a place you shouldnt miss. Its peaceful, beautiful and well arranged, and you will feel very relaxed after visiting.
Aso Cuddly Dominion

4.0

185 Reviews

Leisure / Hobbies

Kumamoto Pref. Asoshi Kurokawa 2163

Located on a sprawling plot of land at the foot of Mt. Aso, this zoo boasts nearly 500 specimens from approximately 100 species, including about 200 bears. It is famous for the chimpanzee Pan-kun, his daughter Purin-chan, and the dog James (currently James II), all of whom have appeared on television programs. It offers visitors many opportunities to get close and personal with the animals, including an exhibit where they can experience feeding the bears as well as a dog and cat petting facility.

Overcrowding and unnatural forced interactions for the animals. It’s all under the guise of being cute, and one probably wouldn’t recognize the problems unless familiar with signs of distress in...
ASO VOLCANO MUSEUM

3.5

144 Reviews

Leisure / Hobbies

Kumamoto Pref. Asoshi Akamizu 1930-1

This three-story museum in Aso City is dedicated to Mt. Aso, an active volcano. The second floor's permanent exhibit features panel displays of the area's geology and the current conditions of the volcano. The third floor has video facilities showcasing Aso's natural environment and the area's folk culture. The museum lets visitors view the craters in real time, helpful when access is restricted due to bad weather or volcanic activity. Head to the first floor for the gift shop and a restaurant serving light fare.

I visited this after the snow storm. The view is really amazing both along the way to this and around this place FB:กินเที่ยวไม่ซ้ำ จำที่ไม่ได้ Google map:กินเที่ยวไม่ซ้ำ จำที่ไม่ได้
Kumamoto City Zoological and Botanical Gardens

4.0

104 Reviews

Leisure / Hobbies

Kumamoto Pref. Kumamotoshihigashiku Kengun 5-14-2

This park is divided into the three zones of animal petting zone, seasonal flowers vegetation zone, and amusement park zone. Now, due to reconstruction work following the Kumamoto earthquake, the flower bed around the botanical garden, animal petting area, part of animal museum exhibition area (elephants, giraffes) and part of the amusement park have been opened free to the public. It is around a 10-minute walk from the Kumamoto tram’s Doshokubutsuen Irigiuchi Station.

For some of the animals the cages are tiny. Seeing how depressed and lonely some of the animals looked whilst children jeered and tormented them was was a horrible experience. This experience changed...
Amakusa Shiro Memorial Hall

3.5

83 Reviews

Leisure / Hobbies

Kumamoto Pref. Kamiamakusashi Oyanomachinaka 977-1

Near the beginning of the Edo period, Shiro Amakusa led a popular uprising fueled by faith that would become known as the “Shimabara Rebellion.” The “Amakusa Shiro Memorial Hall” introduces the conflict’s background and historical context in an easy-to-understand manner using powerful video footage and other materials. Come trace the origins of this epic struggle for freedom and peace.

向かいに道の駅があり、そちらの観光協会で割引クーポンをもらえました。少し高台にあります。教会風の建物が素敵です。
Iruka Marine World

4.5

93 Reviews

Leisure / Hobbies

Kumamoto Pref. Amakusashi Itsuwamachifutae 2977

This company, located in Amakusa City, Kumamoto Prefecture, offers dolphin watching tours year-round off the coast of Amakusa. As you sail through waters that are home to approximately 200 wild Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins, you’ll have many opportunities to come face-to-face with the curious creatures. Spring and summer are child-rearing season, so you may even encounter baby dolphins as well. The tour lasts about an hour, and young children are more than welcome.

So sad to watch these dolphins that were kidnapped from their pod in the wild and now have to suffer living in tiny tanks. Dolphins were meant to be in the wild, not performing for people in order to...
KUMAMOTO PREFECTURAL MUSEUM OF ART (Main Building)

4.0

61 Reviews

Leisure / Hobbies

Kumamoto Pref. Kumamotoshichuouku Ninomaru 2

This prefectural art museum is on the grounds of Ninomaru Park. It has a wide range of work on display, including paintings, crafts, and a collection of prints from Kumamoto-born artist Hamada Chimei. There's also a room with a reproduction of the decorated tombs found in the prefecture. The museum has high ceilings, and its large windows look out on the wooded surroundings. They hold regular programs too like museum seminars and workshops for kids.

熊本城の敷地内にあり、雰囲気はいいです。常設展はどうなのか、私もさっぱりですので、特別な展覧会が開催されているか確認してから行った方がいいですね。私も今回オードリーヘップバーン写真展が開催されていたので行きました。県立なので、なかなか有名な展覧会が開かれることは少ないですが、年に１回は何かあると思います。(^^; ただ、熊本ではいちばん大きな美術館だと思いますので、展覧会開催には適していると思いま...
Mifune Dinosaur Museum

4.0

30 Reviews

Leisure / Hobbies

Kumamoto Pref. Kamimashikigunmifunemachi Mifune 995-6

A Tyrannosaurus rex stands at the entrance to Mifune Dinosaur Museum, looking as if it is about to move even now. The museum is arranged into five permanent exhibit zones including dinosaur skeletons and fossils. Of these the most impressive is the “dinosaur evolution parade” with displays focused around dinosaur bones. The Pterosaur in the ceiling is so dynamic that it looks as if it is really flying. At the museum’s “open laboratory” one can watch staff doing work such as cleaning fossils up close. This is a museum where the history and evolution of animals come alive.

熊本城を見に行ったついでに笑ここに寄らせて頂きました＾＾。個人的に恐竜がめっちゃ好きで、福井県の勝山市にも大きい博物館がありますが、まだいっておりませんｗカナダにもめっちゃいおおきいのがありますよね-- さて、ここはかなり田舎でのどかな風景が心を癒してくれますね-- で、つくとかなり綺麗な建物で、現在も発掘していて、いろいろこじんまりとした化石があります。恐竜の骨組みは、レプリ...
Kumamoto Prefectural Traditional Crafts Center

4.0

51 Reviews

Leisure / Hobbies

Kumamoto Pref. Kumamotoshichuouku Chibajoumachi 3-35

A cultural facility located in Kumamoto City, Kumamoto Prefecture which focuses on displaying traditional crafts from the prefecture. The museum exhibits a collection some 80 varieties and 1,000 examples of crafts created by Kumamoto craftspersons such as higo zogan inlaying, porcelain, cutlery, bamboowork, and dyed and woven fabrics. Some of the exhibits can be touched, weekly events are held, and the facility also sells crafts by artisans from both Kumamoto and other areas.

A very special place to find gifts and souvenirs - woven place mats, ceramics, scarves, tea sets....
Yoh Shomei Art Museum

4.5

33 Reviews

Leisure / Hobbies

Kumamoto Pref. Asogunminamiasomura Kawayou 5988-20

"An art museum which displays around 40 original drawings and other works of art by picture book creator Shomei Yoh. Situated on a lush, green hill, the museum has a walking course on the hill's vast grass-covered plain called ""Picture Book Lane."" Inside, visitors are greeted by Jake, a dog appearing in Yoh's books; as well as Blue Bee, the blue bee who brings happiness. Visitors are encouraged to enjoy a wonderful tea time in the museum's cafe. The museum also holds original drawing exhibitions. The museum's shop sells a variety of items perfect for gifts and souvenirs, including stuffed animals, picture books, framed pictures, and prints."

ちょうど行ったときブルービーが来ていました。小さくて動きがあるので素人にはいい写真は難しかった。でもこんな蜂がいるなんて知らなかったしとてもきれい。
Kumamoto Prefectural Ancient Burial Mound Museum

4.0

24 Reviews

Leisure / Hobbies

Kumamoto Pref. Yamagashi Kaoumachiwabaru 3085

At this museum on the site of the Iwabaru Tumuli, you can see ruins from the Kikuchi River basin, excavated artifacts, and a 3D panoramic film of a replica of the area's decorative burial mounds. On Saturdays they hold workshops in the ancient ways like making bronze mirrors. You can also see the nearby Futagozuka Tumulus and the Tunnel Tomb Group.

初めて行きましたが。コロナの影響でイベントは中止で、館内はほぼレプリカで残念でした。本物の古墳の見学もコロナのおかげで中止でした。
Shimada Art Museum

4.0

17 Reviews

Leisure / Hobbies

Kumamoto Pref. Kumamotoshinishiku Shimasaki 4-5-28

This is a museum which is famous for storing brushwork masterpieces and belongings of the master swordsmen, Miyamoto Musashi. Exhibits are focused on a collection of Matomi Shimada who was also a researcher of Miyamoto Musashi. There is also a portrait of Miyamoto Musashi designated as an Important Cultural Property from the prefecture, which is exhibited every spring and autumn for four months. It is a 14-minute walk from the “Daniyama-machi” tram stop.

There is an impressive collection of artifacts from Shimada personal collection that he gathered over his life time. It is a good collection of helmets and some weapons. There are explanations in...
Yatsushiro Municipal Museum Future Forest Museum

3.0

11 Reviews

Leisure / Hobbies

Kumamoto Yatsushiro-shi Nishimatsuejomachi 12-35

Standing at the center of the Culture Zone with its various cultural facilities, this museum has a metallic exterior. It houses and displays heirlooms of the Matsui clan, former lords of Yatsushiro Castle, as well as arts and crafts. The building was designed by Toyoo Ito, a globally renowned architect. At the Entrance Hall there's a model display of figurines replicating the Yatsushiro Myoken Festival (a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage), as well as videos where you can see the festival as it is today. There are also arts and crafts such as Yatsushiro ware (Koda ware) and Higo sword guards; the museum showcases the history and culture of Yatsushiro from a variety of angles, with artifacts from ancient tombs and the castle ruins, as well as a model of the Yatsushiro Castle Ruins.

「お姫さまの婚礼道具」展を見に行きました。観覧料４００円。「クイズに答えて夫婦円満バッジをもらおう」という企画が秀逸。ヒッカケ問題もあり5問中2問不正解も受付のお姉さまが手取り足取り回答を導いてくれます。正に貝合せこそ新郎新婦にとっては大切な一大イベント。お一人様お局様の訪問もウエルカムですが、人生奈落の底に突き落とされることでしょう。
Sakamoto Zenzo Museum of Art

4.0

17 Reviews

Leisure / Hobbies

Kumamoto Pref. Asogunogunimachi Kurobuchi 2877

This art museum is located in the Kurobuchi area of Oguni Town, Aso County. It houses and exhibits works by the Oguni-machi-born abstract artist Zenzo Sakamoto. The exhibition facility consisting of a relocated kominka (old house) is the only one with tatami mats covering the entire interior in Japan, and you can enjoy watching works while sitting on tatami. There are also adjoining facilities such as a museum shop, break room and rental space.

「全館畳敷きの美術館」と前に書いてあり、その通りの中は畳敷です。大きい民家の中が美術館で展示されているのは抽象芸術作品でした。日本民家なので湿度の対策が大変なのではなどと考えましたが、内部は現代建築になっているのかもしれません。入って左側が常設展時になっていました。鍋ヶ滝に行く途中の道で道路の反対側に駐車場があります。
Tomioka Visitor Center

3.5

15 Reviews

Leisure / Hobbies

Kumamoto Pref. Amakusagunreihokumachi Tomioka 2245-15

This museum is located on the ruins of the Tomioka Castle's keep in Amakusa County's Reihoku Town. Tomioka Castle was built by Terazawa Hirotaka, who became the feudal lord of Amakusa in 1601. The turret and the Korai-mon Gate have been restored. The facility also distributes tourist information, including on the history and natural environment of the Amakusa region.

２月１８日に訪問先週投稿しましたがまたまた反映されないので再度の投稿。ここは富岡城本丸にある北櫓を利用しているセンターです。高麗門、隅櫓、白壁とセットで復元されているので雰囲気は良いです。高麗門にしめ縄がありますがこの地方では一年中しめ縄をするそうなんです。そういうところも見てくださいね。訪問日は武漢の肺炎が流行している昨今の事情で嶺北町民限定の公開でした。残念ですが致し方ない...
Yamaga City Museum

4.0

13 Reviews

Leisure / Hobbies

Kumamoto Yamaga Nabeta 2085

This museum is a veritable condensation of the ancient romanticism of the Kikuchi River area. The museum displays a variety of historically valuable, ancient, and folk materials from the Kikuchi River region, such as tomoe interlocking comma-shaped copperware, of which there are only some 30 examples in existence; and the only stone knife-shaped ironware in the country. The museum was opened in 1978 as the prefecture's second ever museum. Maintained as part of the Higo Kodai no Mori park, the museum is also a 15-minute walk from Chibusan Ancient Tomb and Obusan Ancient Tomb, two famous decorated ancient tombs. Some of the museum's many highlights include a late Edo period home; and Otsubo Bridge, the country's second irrigation bridge, which have been moved to the museum grounds and restored.

方保田東原遺跡の出土品等が展示されているのですが、展示室は仕方はないのですが、ちょっと古い感じで埃のような黴臭い感じです。
HAKUTAKE DENSHOGURA kuma shochu museum

4.0

12 Reviews

Travel / Tourism

Kumamoto Pref. Hitoyoshishi Gounoharumachi 461-7

This museum in Hitoyoshi City, Kumamoto Prefecture is dedicated to Hakutake, a kind of Japanese rice shochu. It presents the traditional manufacturing process of the Takahashi Distillery through videos and has displays of shochu making equipment in their exhibition area. They also have an area for tastings where you can try shochu varieties like Hakutake and Shiro and then purchase a bottle of the one you like best to take home.

Visited Kuma Shochu Museum to learn how Shochu is made. Followed by shochu and umeshu tasting. We bought a few small bottles of umeshu to try. Nice museum and wide selection of liquor.
Tamana City Historical Museum Kokoropia

3.5

11 Reviews

Leisure / Hobbies

Kumamoto Tamana-shi Iwasaki 117

This museum looks at Tamana and how it has grown alongside its major river. In addition to a standing exhibition and special exhibitions, the museum holds educational activities such as making ancient magatama stone jewels, and a museum quiz rally (in general, such activities require an advance reservation for a group of 10 or more people). The museum's standing exhibition is divided into three parts - the golden age of the Heki clan (ancient times), the age of overseas trade (medieval times), and the age of cargo vessels and the Takase Okura - and visitors can learn how modern-day Tamana City came to be from a variety of angles. The museum can be identified by its 16 huge display towers on the roof.

大河ドラマ韋駄天の主人公ということで金栗四三展をやっていました。展示内容もよかったですが建物の形にかなり特徴のある建物です。
Hanaasobi

4.0

1 Reviews

Leisure / Hobbies

Kumamoto Pref. Asoshi Ozato 781

A multipurpose tourist facility home to Rose Garden Aso, a rose garden boasting some 400 varieties of roses and 4,500 individual rose bushes which blossom in the spring and fall. There is also a strawberry garden and a restaurant serving Japanese Brown beef. The scheduled opening of the rose garden is from the end of April. As portions of National Route 57 are unusable due to the 2016 Kumamoto Earthquake, visitors traveling by car are encouraged to take Kumamoto Prefectural Road 339 from Ozu-machi, Kikuchi-gun and get on National Route 57 from Akamizu in Aso City. A 10-minute walk from JR Aso Station.

If you are on the way from Beppu to Kumamoto or simply visiting Aso, here is where you can relax and have a nice lunch. The cafe set up is great. Can go with a cheese taster. There is a rose garden...
Contemporary Art Museum Kumamoto

Leisure / Hobbies

Kumamoto Pref. Kumamotoshichuouku Kamitorichou 2-3 Plums Bear Sun Hall Kaikan 3F

Opened in 2002, the Contemporary Art Museum Kumamoto is an art museum spreading Kumamoto’s beloved artistic culture far and wide with the works of Kumamoto and Kyushu-born artists active nationwide. With a child-rearing space and childcare studio (Kids Factory) it can be enjoyed by families too. Travel 15 minutes from JR Kumamoto Station by bus or tram, and alight at Torichosuji.

Kumamoto

Kumamoto City Kikuchi / Yamaga Arao Tamana Aso Yatsushiro / Uki / Kamimashiki Amakusa

Leisure / Hobbies Culture / Tour

Aquarium Museum / Science Museum Zoo Art Museum Botanical Garden

Kumamoto Areas

Kumamoto lies in the center of Kyushu, a calm prefecture perfect for easy strolls around the historic center and lazy evenings in the natural hot springs at Kurokawa Onsen. For a slightly more strenuous activity, head to Mount Aso, whose surrounding hills offer hiking opportunities aplenty with views over the active volcano.