Spots in Yatsushiro / Uki / Kamimashiki Area

  • Aoi Aso-jinja Shrine
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    4.0
    206 Reviews
    Travel / Tourism
    Kumamoto Pref. Hitoyoshishi Kamiaoimachi 118
    This shrine was built in 806, the first year of Emperor Heizei’s reign, and became known as the shrine dedicated to the local deity of the Kuma region. The main building was constructed starting in 1610 over the course of approximately three years by Nagatsune Sagara, and it still stands today. It features a black thatched roof with steep slopes, as well as gorgeously colored, exquisitely decorative Momoyama-style sculptures. In 2008, the five sections of the main shrine building were designated National Treasures. White flowers bloom around the lotus pond in early summer, making it quite a sight to behold.

    This wooden carving Aoi Shrine has over 1200 years history. The 5 structures has been recognized National Treasures in 2008; The gate, Mail hall, Corridor, Offering hall and Oratory. There are...

  • Roadside Station Uki
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    4.0
    44 Reviews
    Transportation
    Kumamoto Pref. Ukishi Matsubasemachikugu 757-3
    This roadside station is in Uki City near the center of Kumamoto Prefecture. Apart from providing tourist information, they have a specialty shop that sells fruit like locally harvested strawberries, melons, pears, and decopon citrus, as well as vegetables, meat, and flowers. They also offer syrups made with local fruit such as figs and lemons and other specialty products too.

    地元のJAが経営しているようで農産物が充実してます。 そこそこ大きい規模の道の駅で店内は広め、柑橘類の種類の多さ・充実度は近隣の道の駅の中でもナンバー1かもしれません。 土産品の種類も多いのでここに来れば地元のものが何でも手に入りそうな気がしました。 トイレ休憩のみではもったいない道の駅です。

  • Mifune Dinosaur Museum
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    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...

  • Hitoyoshijo Castle History Museum
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    4.0
    39 Reviews
    Travel / Tourism
    Kumamoto Pref. Hitoyoshishi Fumotomachi 18-4
    Located on the site of Hitoyoshi Castle, this museum has displays on the construction and history of the castle, including the 12-meter long Kuma Ezu diagram. A reconstructed stone cellar gives you a chance to see the masonry of that period. These are quite rare in Japan. They also have facilities for meetings and trainings, and locals use it as a place to study.

    人吉城跡は、天守閣などの建物はほとんど残っていません。代わりに、こちらの歴史館で見たり学んだらすることができます。土日には、歴史館近くにある門櫓という横長の建物も見学できます。

  • Eikokuji Temple (Ghost Temple)
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    4.0
    55 Reviews
    Travel / Tourism
    Kumamoto Pref. Hitoyoshishi Dotemachi 5
    "This historic Soto sect Zen Buddhist temple is the ninth stop on the Higo pilgrimage to 33 sites sacred to the bodhisattva Kannon. Also known as the Ghost Temple, it has a hanging scroll depicting a ghost from a temple legend that has been passed down since ancient times. The pond behind the main hall is where the ghost was said to have appeared. They have a popular Ghost Festival every August, where for one night only they open a ""Ghost House"" and various festival stands set up shop."

    永国寺と言えば別名を幽霊寺とも言うそうです。 お寺の横の駐車場に車を停めて、立派な門をくぐり透けて進むと、本堂がありました。本堂には、自由に入ることができました。正面の仏様にお参りを済ませた後、改めて本堂を見渡すと、側面の壁に「幽霊が描かれている掛け軸」が下げられていました。 この幽霊の掛け軸は、こちらのお寺を開いた和尚さんが書かれたものと伝えられているそうです。本堂から奥に進むと、庭が見え...

  • Gokanosho
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    4.5
    26 Reviews
    Travel / Tourism
    Kumamoto Pref. Yatsushiroshi Izumimachi
    Gokanosho is a collective name for a region of five local settlements, and is approximately 60 minutes from the Matsuhashi or Hitoyoshi Interchange of the Kyushu Expressway. This region surrounded by the steep ravines of the Kyushu Central mountain range is said to have been established by the Heike clan after being defeated at the Battle of Danno-ura. Located here is the Heike no Sato, culture and history museum which tells of the settler’s folklore and lifestyles of that period. Also the Kureko Kodai Dance, a National Important Intangible Cultural Property, is performed annually within the Kureko shrine precincts commemorating their settlement on August 15, September 1, and November 3. This region is also an exquisite spot for enjoying autumnal foliage and fresh verdure.

    once you pass the toll gate for Nita Pass, the scenery changes and brilliance explodes in front of your eyes!! be sure to head there right early in the morning as the sun rises quite early. the...

  • ECO PARK MINAMATA
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    4.0
    23 Reviews
    Leisure / Hobbies
    Kumamoto Pref. Minamatashi Shiomichou 1-231-12
    This large 58-hectare park is on land reclaimed from Minamata Bay. It's divided into Sea, Town, Village, and Mountain zones, and has a rose garden, a roadside station, an athletic field, and other sports facilities. A place the locals like to gather, it's frequently the venue for sporting competitions.

    テニスの大会で訪れたのだが、テニス場はもとより競技場,野球場、グランドゴルフ場、公園と複数の集合体であり,凄まじく広い! 広いとメンテが行き届かないリスクもあるが、それも皆無です。きれいに整備されてますので、非常に気持ちがいい。 閉鎖的な設置状況でもなく、オープンな作りであり,市民,県民みんなが心地よく使える施設群である。 ちょうど薔薇の咲く季節だったので、時間潰しの散策にも打って付けだった。

  • Kuma River Boat Cruise
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    4.0
    38 Reviews
    Travel / Tourism
    Kumamoto Pref. Hitoyoshishi Shimoshinmachi 333-1
    "It is located an approximately 10-minute drive from the Hitoyoshi Interchange on the Kyushu Expressway. This popular activity lets you descend the Kuma River, one of Japan's three most fast-flowing rivers along with the Mogami River and Fujigawa River, in a wooden boat that the boatman skillfully maneuvers. You can feel the exhilaration of passing through huge rocks you come very close to and rough waves. The approximately 50-minute ""Seiryu course"" from the Hitoyoshi departure dock to the hot spring town of Hitoyoshi is available from March to November. Between December and February, it becomes relaxing boat with kotatsu (tables heated underneath), offering a different way of enjoyment than the rough rafting in the summer."

    Must do activity while in Hitoyoshi. Made reservation at the Hitoyoshi tour information center and enjoyed a very nice tour.

  • Aeon Mall Kumamoto
    Shopping
    Kumamoto Kami-mashiki-gun Kashimamachi Uejima Osa Ike 2232
    "This shopping mall is located five minutes from the Mifune Interchange on the Kyushu Expressway. Designed around the concept of the ""creation of a community overflowing with kindness,"" the mall is occupied by some 200 establishments. Combining wide selection with comfort, this regional shopping center boasts some of the largest grounds of any such facility in Kyushu, resulting in a friendly, stress-free shopping space. The mall was designed to be both environmentally and people friendly and, as a trendsetting destination, is a gathering space for large numbers of local residents no matter the time of day or day of the week."
  • GRANDMESSE KUMAMOTO
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    3.0
    3 Reviews
    Travel / Tourism
    Kumamoto Pref. Kamimashikigunmashikimachi Fukudomi 1010
    This event hall is in Mashiki Town, Kamimashiki County, Kumamoto Prefecture. The first floor consists of a roughly 8,000 square meter exhibition hall, and the second floor has a convention hall, conference rooms, and a restaurant. Their ample parking facilities can accommodate 2,200 vehicles, so it's often the venue for large prefectural events, seminars, and training sessions.

    仕事の発表会で利用した。熊本から空港行きのリムジンバスで行ったが、バス停から大きな道路を横切って会場までアクセスしなければならなかった。会場はゆったりしており、トイレや自販機等の設備も十分に揃っていた。レストランはビュッフェ形式で、おかずも多かったので満足できた。

  • Otachimisaki Park
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    4.5
    11 Reviews
    Leisure / Hobbies
    Kumamoto Pref. Ashikitagunashikitamachi Tanouramachi 145
    A park located in Ashikita Town, Ashikita County, Kumamoto Prefecture. The park's full array of facilities includes lawn skiing, slides, tennis courts, a fishing ground, putting golf course, and campground. In summer, the park's beach, the largest artificial beach in the prefecture, attracts large numbers of visitors. The park is also a renowned destination for flower viewing, with some 1,300 Yoshino cherries growing along the road, and during the blooming season the park bustles with visitors.

    Otachimisaki Park is a cape with stunning views of Amakusa islands and the Ashikita coastline. The Ashikita symbol tower offers a particularly good panorama. In April, cherry blossoms line the road...

  • Ukishima Jinja
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    4.5
    15 Reviews
    Travel / Tourism
    Kumamoto Kami-mashiki-gun Kashimamachi Itera 2828

    イザナギとイザナミが祀られています。両親が子どもを守るということです。赤ちゃんを連れた若い夫婦が参られていました。小さな神社です。周りを取り巻く湧水の池が大きいため透明な明水に浮かんでいるような気持ちになる神社です。子どもの御守りがかわいいです。御朱印は小さな神社ですが立派で、よいご縁をいただきました。熊本市から近いのでまた来たいと思いました。

  • DEN-EN Symphony Happiness Train
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    4.5
    14 Reviews
    Travel / Tourism
    Hitoyoshi City Kumamoto Prefecture Hitoyoshi Onsen Station-Yumae Station
    This luxury sightseeing train running from Hitoyoshi Onsen Station to Yumae Station offers a relaxing ride while taking in the scenery of the Kuma region. Operated by the Kumagawa Railway, the colorful seats and other aspects of the interior have seasonal designs. The train slows down while passing sights along the way. Their Hospitality Corps provides services to passengers at the stations the train stops at.

    終点の湯前まで乗った普通列車が田園シンフォニーでした。観光列車だと思ってたので人吉温泉駅では乗ってイイのかなと思った位に素敵な車内でした。時期的に空いていて、車窓も桜が咲いていて、天気も良く風景も満喫出来とても良かったです。

  • Hitoyoshi Onsen Shirasagiso
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    4.5
    14 Reviews
    Accommodations / Hot Spring
    Kumamoto Hitoyoshi-shi Shimobayashimachi 2647-2
    "A hot spring hotel located about a 10-minute drive from Hitoyoshi Interchange on the Kyushu Expressway. Visitors enjoy the hot spring water flowing continuously from the source. The spring is also known as ""Bijin-no-yu"" and ""Kodakara-no-yu."" The sodium chloride hydrogen carbonate water leaves the skin feeling soft and slippery to the touch. It's a well-known hot spring, used widely by locals and those from further away, both within and outside the prefecture. Its Japanese restaurant overlooks the spring water pond, selected as one of the 100 Best Springs in Kumamoto Prefecture. The eatery is a good place to try Hitoyoshi Kuma's local cuisine, including sweetfish, yamame trout, and carp. Both banquet and private rooms are available, making it great for a variety of occasions."

    ラフティングに向かう途中の昼食で寄らせて頂きました。メニューも豊富で鮎、うなぎなどあります。鰻がフワフワで非常に美味しい!これは是非食べて頂きたいです。

  • Shohin-ken
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    3.5
    17 Reviews
    Travel / Tourism
    Kumamoto Yatsushiro-shi Kitanomarumachi 3-15
    "A teahouse built in 1688 by Matsui Naoyuki, the lord of Yatsushiro Castle. It was named after the beach in those days, with its view of the Yatsushiro Sea and Unzen over the dense pine forest. Also known as ""The Beach Teahouse,"" its design incorporates the magnificent sea and distant scenery. It's been designated a national Place of Scenic Beauty as it has an important example of an early Edo period feudal lord's garden. In early June, the large flowers of the park's roughly 5,000 Higo irises blooming together is a site to behold. The Matsui Bunko archives display important heirlooms of the Matsui family, including a hanging scroll with calligraphy related to Miyamoto Musashi and a hand carved wooden sword."

    It is a garden of Matsui Family, the castle keeper of Yatsushiro Castle. Although quite powerful, they were not the same level as the feudal lord of Kumamoto. So the garden is also quite modest. In...

  • HAKUTAKE DENSHOGURA kuma shochu museum
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    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.

  • Tsunagi Onsen Shikisai
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    4.0
    10 Reviews
    Accommodations / Hot Spring
    Kumamoto Pref. Ashikitaguntsunagimachi Iwaki 435
    A day trip hot spring bathhouse located in Tsunagi Town, Ashikita District, Kumamoto Prefecture. The bathhouse' vaunted scenic outdoor bath is reached via a ride on a retro monorail; built halfway up a cliff, bathers can enjoy a 270 degree panoramic view of downtown Tsunagi and the Yatsushiro Sea. The waters of the bathhouse' mildly alkaline simple spring are said to treat such ailments as nerve pain, stiff shoulders, sensitivity to cold, and fatigue. These muddy, light brown waters are also used in the bathhouse' four family baths. People say you can soak in the outdoor bath all day without getting tired of it. Due to its high position, it is also famous as a sightseeing destination.

    夕方に立寄り湯で訪れました。館内は閑散としていて他には数組しかいませんでした。入口で展望風呂と大浴場どちらを先に行くか聞かれ、暗くなる前に展望風呂に行きました。モノレールは4人乗りくらいの小さなものでテンションが上がります。帰りはフロントに電話して迎えに来てもらう仕組みでした。お風呂は露天風呂なので少し葉っぱなどは落ちていますが海を見ながら入れる絶景風呂。新幹線が通るのも上りと下り両方見ることがで...

  • Hitoyoshi Onsen Bussan kan
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    3.5
    10 Reviews
    Travel / Tourism
    Kumamoto Pref. Hitoyoshishi Kamiaoimachi 120-4
    This specialty shop is near Aoiaso-jinja Shrine in Hitoyoshi City, Kumamoto Prefecture. It's popular with Hitoyoshi sightseers. The shop sells local specialty items such as the Japanese sweet yubeshi, onsen manju buns, and local sake. The restaurant serves local cuisine and has a menu catered to groups. There's a footbath just outside the building, too.

    人吉温泉物産館は、「青井阿蘇神社」の隣にあるおみやげ屋さんです。おみやげ屋さんの他に足湯もあり、お食事処もありました。 おみやげ屋さんは、「蔵元屋」という球磨焼酎のお店がありました。27蔵にもおよぶ球磨焼酎の酒蔵の焼酎をそろえていて、広いスペースで、じっくりと球磨焼酎を選ぶことができました。

  • Yatsushiro Municipal Museum Future Forest Museum
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    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。

  • Roadside Station Komoriuta no Sato Itsuki
    Transportation
    Kumamoto Pref. Kumagunitsukimura Kou 2672-54
    This roadside station is in Itsuki Village, Kuma County. Its specialty shop sells shochu liquor made with local rice, venison, seasonal produce, and prepared items like gelatin and juice made with village grown citrus fruit. Watch for the vendors preparing salt grilled masu trout. Their spa is equipped with a whirlpool and electric bath. There are also a traveler's center providing information on sightseeing events and more and a natural hot spring bathhouse.

Kumamoto Areas

around-area-map

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.

Kumamoto Photo Album

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