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KUMAMOTO CASTLE
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Kumamoto castle is one of the three most beautiful castles
in Japan. It was built over the seven-year period between 1601
and 1607 by feudal lord Kiyomasa Kato, who used his experience
during the Warring States period to design an impenetrable fortress.
The walls are curved in the "musha haeshi" style and are practically
impossible for invaders to scale.
Kumamoto castle is said to be most beautiful in spring, when
the cherry trees are in flower, in early summer, when the greenery
is at its height, and when the gingko trees turn yellow in fall.
The donfon is illuminated with spotlights at night, a sight that delights
both tourists and the inhabitants of Kumamoto City. The observation
deck of the City Hall across the street provides a splendid view
of the castle.
- Today's KUMAMOTO CASTLE
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SUIZENJI PARK
- Created by the Hosokawa family in 1632, Suizenji Park
is said to be one of the six most beautiful landscape gardens in
Japan. Laid our in the "go-round" style, it presents a different
character from every perspective. The park represents the old
highway from Tokyo to Kyoto, and Lake Biwa. Visitors can enjoy green
tea and sweets in the Edo-period tea house and on weekends observe
traditional crafts making Higo inlay nearby. On the first Saturday
evening of August every year, Noh dance is performed by firelight
inside the park at Isume Shrine.
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Mt. ASO- The volcano Mt. Aso is one of the reasons Kumamoto Prefecture
has been called The Land of Fire. It consists of five cones, one
of which is still active. The physical situation of the peak
Nakadake makes it the only live volcanic in the world that
tourists can safely look down into.
A series of violent eruptions ending fifty thousand years ago
efected so much material that the ground collapsed for kilometers
in every direction, creating the world's largest caldera.
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