Kumamoto » Yatsushiro, Hitoyoshi, Kuma
Yatsushiro, Hitoyoshi, and Kuma are home to sightseeing spots such as Takayama, Kitadake, and Matuma-iwa, sightseeing events such as the Tanabata Festival, Yatsushiro National Fireworks Festival, and Cherry Blossom Festival, and local delicacies such as horse sashimi, karashikon, and taipingen.
Yatsushiro is a castle town facing the calm Yatsushiro Sea. It is also the base of the Hisatsu-Orenji Railway, which runs along the west coast of Kyushu. The restaurant train "Orenji Shokudo" is popular, where passengers can enjoy meals made from local seasonal ingredients in the train while gazing at the blue sea. The station is also the departure station for the Kyushu Shinkansen bullet train, making it the gateway to Southern Kyushu.
Visitors can also enjoy river cruising on the Kuma River, which flows through the center of the city. There are two courses to choose from: one is a leisurely course through clear water, and the other is a more daring course through rapids lined with oddly shaped rocks. For a more thrilling experience, rafting is also available.
The Kuma River used to be the outer moat of Hitoyoshi Castle. The Hitoyoshi Castle Ruins also houses the Hitoyoshi Castle History Museum, where visitors can learn about the prosperity of the Sagara clan, which ruled the Kamakura period (1185-1333). Aoi Aso Shrine, a national treasure, is also located in the area, and a tour of historical sites is recommended.
Hitoyoshi area is also known as a town of warehouses, and is dotted with craft stores, breweries, and restaurants that carry on the traditions of the Sagara clan. A must-stop during your tour of the breweries is the Kuma Shochu shochu brewery, which offers tours and tastings.
There is also a samurai warehouse, a reconstructed samurai residence, where you can catch a glimpse of the lifestyle of high-ranking samurai of the time. There is also a café where you can take a break and enjoy a cup of green tea ice cream or shochu ice cream.
Visitors may also enjoy visiting Hitoyoshi Craft Park Ishino Park, where they can experience a variety of traditional crafts. Visitors can try their hand at pottery making, making kijiji-ma, a local toy, and bamboo-copter making. The small town is also attractive in that you can take a river cruise, visit warehouses, and enjoy hot spring baths all within walking distance from the park.
After a day of fun, why not relax at one of the public hot spring baths? In fact, there are as many as 50 sources of hot springs in the area, and more than 20 public hot spring bathhouses are scattered throughout the area.
All of them have a retro atmosphere, and you can stop by and enjoy a bath for 200 to 300 yen at a reasonable price. After taking a bath, it is a blissful time to taste river fish dishes such as eel and local dishes made from local seasonal ingredients.