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Designated city in Kyushu, Japan
Photo: 663highland, CC BY 2.5 via Wikimedia Commons
Kumamoto (熊本) is the capital of Kumamoto prefecture on the island of Kyushu, Japan. It is notable for the impressive Kumamoto Castle.
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熊本城, kumamoto-jō
One of the most beautiful castles in Japan, and the third largest. Kumamoto Castle was burned down during the Satsuma Rebellion in 1877; the current keep is a concrete reconstruction built during the 1960s. The buildings on the grounds took severe damage during earthquakes in April 2016 and July 2026; the main keep has since re-opened to the public, but other surrounding buildings will take years to rebuild. During the cherry blossom season, the castle grounds are filled with hundreds of beautiful blossoms.
江津湖, ezuko
水前寺公園, Suizen-ji Kōen
It is a renowned Japanese traditional garden, considered one of the four best in Japan. You can walk around a lovely course of trees and mini hills (one of them representing Mount Fuji) covered in grass right in the middle of the city, and it feels like you're in the country side! Food stalls are also to be found in the immediate vicinity.
Has its own natural hot springs and animal park.
熊本県伝統工芸館 kumamoto-ken dentō kōgeikan
Exhibits the various traditional crafts for which Kumamoto is well-known. (Includes a gift shop)
本妙寺
It is one of the most famous temples in Kumamoto. Honmyoji was built in honor of Kato Kiyomasa, the builder of Kumamoto Castle. The temple is halfway up a hill at the same level as the castle. There is a long staircase lined with old candle stands to the temple. After the temple there is another staircase that leads to a park at the top of the hill that has a statue of Kato Kiyomasa and a nice viewpoint where you can see the castle towering over the city. In the daytime you can also see Mt. Aso in the background. In the last weekend in March they have the Nighttime Cherry Blossom Festival. Then they have live music and lit up cherry blossoms and candles all the way to the top of the hill.
旧細川刑部邸
Another picturesque place to visit. It's the family home of the Hosokawa Clan (whose descendant, Morihiro, became Prime Minister of Japan in the 1990s.) The building suffered damage in the 2016 Kumamoto Earthquake, so visitors are permitted to walk the perimeter to enjoy the garden during special openings, but the house can no longer be entered.
花岡山
Hanaokayama is a hill near Kumamoto Station. It looks over downtown and has a great night view. On a clear day you can see Mt. Aso towering behind the city. There is also a nice temple and a huge shrine gate (torii) on the top. You can go up by car, which most couples do, or hike about 15 minutes to the top.
藤崎八幡宮
This is the most famous shrine in the city. It is north of Kamitori and not too far from downtown. This is the most crowded shrine in the city every New Year's. It is also crowded for other festivals the most famous being the "Decorated Horse Parade" which is held every September.
金峰山, kinpō-zan
About 11 km from downtown but when you get to the top you`ll be rewarded with a beautiful view over Kumamoto and Nagasaki. The view of the city lights is great and you can also see the peaks of Mt. Aso in Kumamoto and Mt. Unzen in Nagasaki. You can take a bus to the area but then you have to hike for about an hour to the top. On top there is a temple and a famous fence full of locks that couples have locked to a fence on the observation deck. There is no ropeway so you gotta hike or take a car.
熊本市役所
In the heart of downtown. If you go to the fourteenth floor there is a free view of the castle and downtown area.
霊巌洞
Reigandō (霊巌洞, meaning "Spirit Rock Cave") is a cave that lies to the west of Kumamoto, Japan, that became a temporary home to legendary rōnin, Miyamoto Musashi. From 1643, Musashi spent many of his last months in the cave, meditating and writing his Book of Five Rings. The cave is accessed easily by bus from Kumamoto City and nearby Tamana.
藤崎台県営野球場, fujisakidai ken'ei yakujō
A good occasion to watch amateur baseball.
One of the oldest and best sushi restaurant in Kumamoto. The rice for the sushi is made according to the traditional recipe of the owner's family. Besides first quality sushi here you can find many traditional dishes of Kumamoto (especially basashi, karashirenkon and hitomoji guruguru) and, during winter, mushizushi (literally "steamed sushi"; a famous original recipe of the restaurant) and a lot of great Japanese foods (both raw and cooked) and beverages (nihonshu, shochu, etc.) The place is very "Japanese", clean, and comfortable; staff is nice, friendly and considerate.
There are two of them downtown. One is just off of Shimotori on one of the side streets south of Ginza St. The other is on Kami-no-ura St. 上乃裏通り which runs parallel to Namigizaka St. 並木坂通り a couple blocks to the east (Namigizaka is the continuation of Kamitori after the arcade roof ends). Ni no ni is very famous for the gyoza 餃子. Try the tan tan men 坦坦麺and Taipei Karaage 台北風唐揚げtoo. Most of the foods are under ¥500. So you can buy a few foods and have a beer for under ¥2000 easily.
ヨコバチ
This is a great Japanese restaurant. You can get many traditional foods and some local stuff too. They have outdoor and indoor seating. In the spring and fall it's great sitting outside under the stars. Menu is in Japanese only, but if you can say the names of some local specialties or typical izakaya dishes you might be okay. Everyone in Kumamoto knows this place so if you can't find it just ask someone.
スリランカくまもと
This place has some of the best curry in town. The curry is spicy but the taste is amazing, especially in the noodle curry. Some of the side dishes such as the Sri Lanka rolls are also good. You can try Sri Lanka beer if you want but it's an acquired taste. The lunch special is a bargain. You get curry, salad, tea, and dessert for only ¥750! This is just off of Shimotori and very close to Daiei Department Store.
This is the best Indian food in town, it is just behind the downtown Tsutaya and between Shimotori and Kagomachi-doori St.
This building has various restaurants and places to have fun. The Swiss Bakery and Chinese restaurant are on the first floor. The second floor is a great Italian restaurant and the top two floors are themed karaoke rooms. You can sing in jail, on the beach, etc. When the weather is good Second Sight has a retractable wall that opens up and brings in the sun to the main lobby.
This place is open 24 hours and there are one in Shimotori and Kamitori. It is a great place to go when you have been out all night drinking and are sick of McD's. The tonkatsu is good and the rice is all you can eat.
This is the place with the best Turkish kebabs in Kyushu. Goro makes them fresh right in front of you from his van. Unfortunately it isn`t downtown. If you take the tram towards Kengun it is between the Miso Tenjin Mae and Shin Suizenji Stops. It is an orange van behind the Mitsubishi gas station. Goro speaks English and welcomes foreign guests. He also has a kebab restaurant downtown near Kaminoura St.
Nikumaki is a Kumamoto fad. It is an onigiri (rice ball) but instead of being wrapped with seaweed (nori) it is wrapped with meat (niku), you can add cheese too. it is awesome and pretty cheap. they are a good snack when you're drunk after midnight or you just gotta have that meat edit
Excellent seafood directly from local fishermen and from Hokkaido as well as a variety of local cuisine for amazingly reasonalble price! Good selection of Sake and Shochu, Japanese distilled spirit.
紅蘭亭
This Chinese restaurant offers among others the taipi-en (太平燕)
勝烈亭
The Tonkatsu restaurant, established in 1975, is near Karajima station. It serves one of the best Tonkatsu in Kumamoto, and won Michelin Bib Gourmand for years. It has four branches, the listing is the Shisekai branch.
This is the bar with 5000 CDs. Mainly rock and alternative music from the 1970s-90s. Beer is a little expensive for the quality at ¥600 a pop but you can tell them what you want to hear and they`ll play it. It is a little hard to find. Sakaba St. is just off of Shimotori. If you go down the side with the Sakaba St. gate about 100 meters, a sign will say DAYS in black and white. It's on the 3rd floor.
This is the main place for local rock, punk and metal. Sometimes touring bands from overseas play here. Fuji Street is just off of the Shinshigai Arcade 新市街. Club Django is underground so it is easy to pass by it without seeing it. It is almost directly across the street from the Comfort Inn Hotel.
This is another place for local and national acts to be seen. Mainly rock and alternative music. It is three stories and three stages with music most nights of the week.
The most happening club in town. Every weekend this place is pumpin' with Japanese homies and ladies wearing almost nothing. Sometimes special DJs will perform and so there might be a cover charge.
Small foreigner bar just off of Kagomachi St. 鹿児町通り it's across from 7-Eleven on the 8th floor. The floor is covered in sand.
This is a four-storey bar with areas for dancing, pool, darts, karaoke, and just chillin'. It is just off of Shimotori and behind the Taigeki (Bowling Alley) Building. City Hall is also very close.
In Japan new bars open and shut down every day. As long as you stay in the Shimotori/Kamitori/Shinshigai Arcade area you are bound to find something that looks interesting. There are thousands of places to go in that area.
This bar is one of a kind. It is owned by Charlie Nagatani, the most famous country musician in Asia. From the 1960s-90s he played many times at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville. His band has shows every night of the week at the bar. They serve Coors beer here. It's not very cheap but it's worth experiencing Japanese cowboys at least once. The bar is on Ginza St. across from the Karaoke-kan カラオケ館 building on the 5th floor
Small bar very close to Jeff's World Bar. Sometimes many foreigners.
Precious is nice because it's a free dance club and it's open as late as you're there. Some nights it's crowded and other nights it's empty. They also have a pool table.
An international bar. it has a nice atmosphere and sometimes can be crowded. It's in the Fujiichi Building on the 7th floor right across the hall from Club Jail.
One hour of all-you-can-drink for ¥1000. It's right across the street from the big Don Quixote store downtown
Same owners as Cowboy Bar have one with only women serving on Pool`s Court Road, which is just one road over from Nishi Ginza.
Another one owned by the Cowboy Bar folks. It's just down the street from Cowboy Bar but it's in the basement so it's easy to pass by. A little more expensive than the other cowboy bars but more things to do like free karaoke and darts.
Another place to see live music in the city. It's a former movie theater transformed into a big live house. Many rock shows and DJ parties occur here. Many national touring bands and local bands can be seen here.
Includes standard stuff like free drinks but also less common perks such as free ice-cream, free toothbrushes, free razors and free shower usage (with free towel rental) and A coin-operated washing machine. Non-smokers should take a non-smoking booth on the 2F floor beside the drinks machines as it can get pretty thick and gross upstairs on 3F. There's only two flat non-smoking cubicles on the 2F floor, but the recliner chairs they have here are comfy enough to sleep in.
There are several around Kumamoto and are conveniently located. The rooms are small but have everything, including free internet. The staff are courteous and helpful and tolerant of English-speaking guests. Breakfast was good. It is great value. You can book on the internet but can only book a certain time in advance. Suido cho one is well-placed for tourists to Kumamoto.
This hotel is where Naruhito, Crown Prince of Japan, stay during his visit here.
上通
One of the two most popular and accessible shopping districts inside the city. It houses a wide variety shops and cafes, the rear entrance opens out onto an area where a large number of traditional Japanese restaurants are situated.
下通
The other and larger of the two districts, the selection of the shops is very much the same as Kamitori though naturally more comprehensive given the size. Many backstreet shopping areas offshoot from the sides of Shimatori, so if you're looking for something special be sure to remember that.
ゆめタウン光の森 (yume taun...)
large shopping center. There are many shops including: Kinokuniya, Shinseido, Mujirushi, Starbucks café, and so on. It also contains a large cinema complex (TOHO cinemas) with 9 screens.
鶴屋百貨店
This traditional department store has three buildings in the city center: Main, East and Wing.
イオンモール熊本
Formerly "Diamond City Clair Shopping Mall", it is the biggest shopping mall in Kumamoto and at the time of building the biggest mall in Kyushu. It has about 190 stores, a huge Warner Brothers Movie Theater, and a Food Mall with some good restaurants. It is on the far south side of the city and takes about 30-45 minutes to get there from downtown depending on how bad traffic is.
あうね熊本
It is in the heart of downtown at the Torichosuji Tram Stop.
If you just gotta have that foreign snack or macaroni and cheese, there are a few places you can go in town. There are two Don Quixotes, one on Nishi Ginza St. and the other in Kami-Kumamoto. They have a lot like Doritos, Dr. Pepper, and beef jerkey. In Kamitori, there is a Sony Plaza in the basement of the New-S Mall it also has many western snacks and lots of European chocolates. The Tsurya Dept. Store has some stuff in the second basement, but it is mostly expensive. Lastly, there is a small shop on the 6th floor of the Wing Gap building, that's where to buy macaroni and cheese and root beer among other things.
サンロード新市街
This is the third major arcade downtown. It is billed as the widest arcade in Kyushu. It is known for karaoke, pachinko, and hotels. It connects with Shimotori Arcade and Shower Road (an uncovered shopping street).
ピアクレス
The only shopping arcade outside of downtown. Piacres is at the end of the tram line at Kengun Station (健軍電停) on the east side of the city.
By train
Kumamoto is a major stop on the Kyushu Shinkansen. Trains run several times per hour from Hakata station in Fukuoka (40–50 minutes, ¥4990) and Kagoshima (50–60 minutes, ¥6760).
By ferry
If you're coming from Nagasaki, the ferry may be preferable. One ferry route involves travelling via Shimabara.
By car
Kyushu Expressway (九州自動車道, E3), the main artery through the central Kyushu region, serves Kumamoto through many interchanges.
By tram
One tram line runs from Kumamoto Station and the other from Kami-Kumamoto Station. They meet near the downtown area and run east to Kengun Machi. One trip costs ¥150.
By bus
Buses run fairly regularly from stops through Kumamoto City. The new main bus terminal is the Sakuramachi Bus Terminal (桜町バスターミナル).
By bike
Kumamoto is a comfortable city to ride around. For reference, it takes about 30 minutes to get to Kumamoto Gakuen University from Kamikumamoto.
By car
Not recommended. In the city, roads are narrow, traffic jams can be an issue, and finding parking spaces can be difficult and expensive.
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