We were near the end of our Japan Trip for 2025, and with that, our last day of antonymous freedom as the rental car was due to be returned to Kumamoto City. We decided to return it via a bit of detour...
Directly to the west of Kumamoto city is an expansive area of green hills. At it's centre overlooking the city, is Mt Kinbo with the TV antennas adorning the summit visible from the other side of the City and even Aso on a clear day. This is an area I have not explored at all, so I was keen to at least just pass through.
From Uto, we headed north to reach the hills from the west side, with the plan being to circumvent Mt Kinbo and drop back into the city from the other side, thus passing through. It's an interesting area. Once into the hills you expect it to be like, well, typical Japanese mountains; forest covered hills and windy roads. There was a bit of that of course, though it was surprising to see a lot of oranges being grown in valleys on the hill sides, and just how many people were living in this region. It makes sense given it's relative close proximity to the City, and at the same time it feels a million miles away and slightly remote. I can see the appeal.
 |
| Maple trees near Reigando Cave |
Reigando Cave
Our first destination was Reigando Cave. Well technically we went to
Iwato no sato park, which contains Reigando cave. From the top car park there is a nice short walk through the trees, where you'll pass some statues before coming out into the open, to be greeting with a stunning vista across the hills to
Mt Unzen, Japan's deadliest volcano situated across the Ariake Sea. We had a particularly hazy day but it was an impressive sight nonetheless, pictured below with the mountain rising out of the sea of morning cloud.
 |
| Mt Unzen viewed from Iwato no sato |
I do recommend parking at the top car park despite there being parking available at Reigando Cave itself. It's a short 5 minute walk down the hill on a nice little quiet road that is lined with green maple trees. The light cascading down softly through them was quite lovely and made for some excellent portrait photo opportunities. Though if you plan on carrying a baby maybe use a pram or drive. I carried our little girl all the way back up at a brisk march and my arms were just about ready to fall off as I neared the carpark.
 |
| An adorable Kei campervan |
At the entrance to Reigando there is a shrine whereby you can taste the water. They claim it is one of the top 100 best tasting ground waters in Japan. Once you are hydrated, you can pay the entry fee of 200 Yen (100 for Children), take a leaflet with some information and start on the path.
 |
| Gohyaku-Rayan at Reigando |
Along the path you'll pass by a number of small hillsides covered in small statues, These are known as Gohyaku-Rayan. These were made and dedicated to the nearby temple and took 24 years to finish starting in 1779. They are a pretty impressive sight especially when they are all unique in their details. Many are missing heads from various earthquakes over the last 200+ years.
Eventually you make your way up the hill via some stairs to the end of the path and Reigando Cave itself. It's a large natural cave with many historical artifacts from both Musashi Miyamoto's and Toryo Eiyo's time here. There is some additional information pictured on the leaflet below, particularly regarding the temple that I have not mentioned much, as it was at the entrance and aside from tasting the water we just kinda walked on by without paying it any attention. Oops.
 |
| Visitor leaflet for Reigando Cave |
 |
| Reigando cave from the outside |
 |
| Some of the interior of Reigando Cave |
After leaving Reigando, we started driving toward Kumamoto City, heading around the north side of Mt Kinbo until we stopped to visit
Togenochaya Park Museum. There was not a lot here, mainly a historic house in nice surroundings that served as a museum, with traditional features inside. It's the type of place to visit if nearby but not one to make a trip for. From there were took the winding #1 road down toward the city, enjoying the views the road provided over Kumamoto City whenever there was a gap in the trees, and then down into the City centre itself.
 |
| Inside Togenochaya Park Museum |
 |
| Lovely foliage surrounding Togenochaya Park Museum |
Once the car was dropped off, we walked around the city for a while but did not get up to much on this particular visit. We had already done a few shopping excursions here on our trip. We did not visit Kumamoto Castle at all this trip either, as large parts are under repair if all the scaffolding is any indication. I like the hustle and bustle of the inner City though. The shopping areas are largely centered around Shimatori arcade, a large covered shopping area that goes off in a few directions with narrow streets and alleyways then spreading out from there.
 |
| Shimatori Arcade, Kumamoto City |
There is the large Tsuruya Department store also, which is surprisingly enormous and a maze that span across many floors and multiple buildings. It's mainly fashion and food and not much interest to me. I much prefer the Bic Camera store over by Kumamoto station of course. But, as far as malls slash department stores go, there is the relatively new Sakura Machi across the road from the opposite end of Shimatori arcade, and it is just a really nice place to be. I mean, just look at the outside of it:
 |
| Sakura Machi shopping mall in Kumamoto |
The other thing I like about Kumamoto City is the light rail system. Trams are constantly visible (and audible) throughout the city centre, and even miles away in some of the suburbs I was surprised to still see them and learn how far the KCT system reaches. Some of the trams are new, and some are old. It really does provide some character to the City.
We took the Tram to Kumamoto Station, where we waited for the local train to take us back to Oda. Being a bit of a Japanese train enthusiast I was overjoyed at getting to spot the
Kyushu 7 Stars train waiting at one of the platforms. It is one of the most exclusive and expensive trains around, with the cheapest fare for a 4 day trip coming in at $14,000 NZD for 2 people, and even then your ticket is not guaranteed as you go into a lottery. Our train home was an old Kiha 147 series diesel train, which inside and out looked very much like the late 1970s from when it was built.
 |
| Tram in Kumamoto City |
 |
| Seven Stars of Kyushu train spotted at Kumamoto station |
 |
| Kiha 147 series on the Misumi line |
That concludes our 2025 Japan trip really. I'll have no more Japan Travel posts until we are living in Japan next year. Until then I'll tell you about any places in New Zealand we visit over the summer as we do have a few planned, including a weekend to the South Island. Oh and I've finally got permission from my wife to make a post about our Japanese wedding (as it will need to contain our wedding photos).
Below is a neat map I found on a sign board of sightseeing places around Kumamoto that I thought might be useful for any of you planning to travel to the area.
Thanks for reading!
 |
| Kumamoto sightseeing map |
Post a Comment