{"id":20737,"date":"2026-01-29T08:06:20","date_gmt":"2026-01-28T23:06:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/multipoints.jp\/?p=20737"},"modified":"2026-02-23T08:39:25","modified_gmt":"2026-02-22T23:39:25","slug":"en-traveljapan-kumamoto","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/multipoints.jp\/en\/en-traveljapan-kumamoto\/","title":{"rendered":"The Soul of Kyushu: Exploring Kumamoto Castle and Beyond"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Kumamoto: Where History Stands Strong and Nature Breathes<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you&#8217;re planning a trip to Kyushu, you cannot miss Kumamoto. While there are countless spots to explore, the heartbeat of this city is undeniably <strong>Kumamoto Castle<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Seeing it for the first time is breathtaking. It\u2019s not just about the massive black walls and the towering presence; it\u2019s the story behind it. After the 2016 earthquake, the castle became a &#8220;Symbol of Reconstruction.&#8221; Walking along the specialized viewing path, you can see the intricate restoration work happening right before your eyes. It\u2019s<strong><span class=\"swl-inline-color has-swl-deep-03-color\"> a powerful mix of 400 years of samurai history<\/span> <\/strong>and modern Japanese engineering. The view from the top of the Main Keep (Tenshukaku) gives you a stunning panoramic look at the city and the distant mountains. It truly feels like you&#8217;re standing at the center of history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>After wandering the castle grounds, head over to <strong>Sakura-no-baba Johsaien<\/strong> at the foot of the hill. It\u2019s a lively area designed like an old castle town. For a real local experience, you have to try Kumamoto\u2019s specialties: <em>Basashi<\/em> (horse meat sashimi) or <em>Aka-ushi<\/em> (red wagyu beef). The flavors are rich and unique\u2014definitely a highlight for any foodie.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/multipoints.jp\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/B89D9BCB-D702-46C1-8029-1A5DF559FA76-768x1024.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1385\" style=\"aspect-ratio:0.7500040811662341;width:307px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/multipoints.jp\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/B89D9BCB-D702-46C1-8029-1A5DF559FA76-768x1024.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/multipoints.jp\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/B89D9BCB-D702-46C1-8029-1A5DF559FA76-225x300.jpeg 225w, https:\/\/multipoints.jp\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/B89D9BCB-D702-46C1-8029-1A5DF559FA76-1152x1536.jpeg 1152w, https:\/\/multipoints.jp\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/B89D9BCB-D702-46C1-8029-1A5DF559FA76.jpeg 1440w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>But the journey doesn&#8217;t stop in the city. Just a train ride away on the adorable <strong>&#8220;Aso Boy!&#8221; limited express<\/strong>, you\u2019ll find the magnificent <strong>Aso<\/strong> region. Sipping a craft coffee at <strong>Kusasenri Coffee Roastery<\/strong> while looking out over the emerald-green volcanic plains is a memory I\u2019ll never forget. From the spiritual atmosphere of <strong>Aso Shrine<\/strong> to the crystal-clear waters of <strong>Shirakawa Suigen<\/strong>, Kumamoto offers a perfect balance of urban history and raw natural beauty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Kumamoto isn&#8217;t just a destination; it\u2019s an experience of resilience and Japanese hospitality. Put it at the top of your Kyushu bucket list!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/multipoints.jp\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/IMG_1024-1-scaled-1-1024x768.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-21029\" style=\"width:271px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/multipoints.jp\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/IMG_1024-1-scaled-1-1024x768.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/multipoints.jp\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/IMG_1024-1-scaled-1-300x225.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/multipoints.jp\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/IMG_1024-1-scaled-1-768x576.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/multipoints.jp\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/IMG_1024-1-scaled-1-1536x1152.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/multipoints.jp\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/IMG_1024-1-scaled-1.jpeg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-wp-embed is-provider-kazutana-com wp-block-embed-kazutana-com\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\nhttps:\/\/multipoints.jp\/en\/en-traveljapan-enryakuji\/\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-wp-embed is-provider-viewing-the-world-from-multiple-angles wp-block-embed-viewing-the-world-from-multiple-angles\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\nhttps:\/\/multipoints.jp\/en\/en-traveljapan-kanda__trashed\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-wp-embed is-provider-kazutana-com wp-block-embed-kazutana-com\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\nhttps:\/\/multipoints.jp\/en\/en-traveljapan-akita\/\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-wp-embed is-provider-kazutana-com wp-block-embed-kazutana-com\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\nhttps:\/\/multipoints.jp\/en\/tarveljapan-yokohama\/\n<\/div><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Kumamoto: Where History Stands Strong and Nature Breathes If you&#8217;re planning a trip to Kyushu, you cannot miss Kumamoto. While there are countless spots to explore, the heartbeat of this city is undeniably Kumamoto Castle. Seeing it for the first time is breathtaking. It\u2019s not just about the massive black walls and the towering presence; [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":20745,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"swell_btn_cv_data":"","footnotes":"","_wp_rev_ctl_limit":""},"categories":[6,8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-20737","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-en","category-traveljapan"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/multipoints.jp\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20737","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/multipoints.jp\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/multipoints.jp\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/multipoints.jp\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/multipoints.jp\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20737"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/multipoints.jp\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20737\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":21968,"href":"https:\/\/multipoints.jp\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20737\/revisions\/21968"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/multipoints.jp\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/20745"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/multipoints.jp\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20737"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/multipoints.jp\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20737"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/multipoints.jp\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20737"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}