Off the beaten path
Kumamoto Castle, in Kumamoto-prefecture
One of the three great castles along with Nagoya Castle and Osaka Castle and one of the
100 best places in Japan to view cherry blossoms. The current castle was built in 1601 by
Kiyomasa Kato, a great commander and took 7 years to complete. The 980,000-square-meter
premises are dotted with many memorable view such as donjons, turrets, turret gates, castle
gates and long fences.
This castle is particularly famous for its beautiful curving stonewall called “Musha-gaeshi, which
were built to defend against invading armies. The stone walls have been designated a National
Historic Site and 12 buildings in addition to the Uto-yagura turret have been designated National
Treasure.
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Aso, in Kumamoto-prefecture
Aso is located almost in the center of Kyushu and possesses the world’s largest
Caldera with 18km west-east and 24km north-south, created by 4 periods of explosive
volcanic activity in the ancient times.
The Caldela is surounding the Outer edge mountain with a circumference of around 120 km
In the Aso Caldera, there are Aso five mountains including Naka-dake mountain
which is an active volcano where the crater can be viewed from the top.
Daikanbo peak, on the nirthern part Outer edge mountain is the must place
to visit offering panoramic views of the magnificent scenery including the
Aso five mountains and the serene and beautiful green plains below.
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One Piece Statues, in Kumamoto-prefecture
The Great Kumamoto Earthquake occurred in 2016, causing extensive damage
throughout Kumamoto-prefecture. As part of the Kumamoto Reconstruction Project
from Earthquake, a statue of Luffy was erected in the Kumamoto Prefectural
Government Promenade in November 2018. This was realized with the cooperation
of Eiichiro Oda, a native of Kumamoto-city and the author of the popular manga “One Piece,”
to support the reconstruction of the areas affected by the Kumamoto Earthquake.
In November 2020, another 9 statues were erected at other places in Kumamoto-prefecture.
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Amakusa, in Kumamoto-prefecture
Amakusa is situated on an archipelago consisting of several island on the
west side of Kumamoto. It possesses a beautiful lush green landscape and
natural geological formations giving the islands the designation “national
Geopark”. Marine activities such dolphin watching, boat tours, seafood &
local delicacies can be enjoyed. Amakusa also has an important historical
significance to Christians.
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