Kumamoto is booming. Since the world’s largest contract chipmaker, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) announced building of its plant in Kikuyo Town, Kumamoto Prefecture in 2021, this prefecture has been gaining a lot of attention both domestically and internationally. While the first plant is slated to begin mass production between October to December this year, according to Nikkei Asia, the chipmaker is planning to build its second plant in the same town.
Apart from the recent attention Kumamoto is gaining as the first base of TSMC, it has long been known for its natural beauty. In this article, we will focus on the tourist attractions in Kumamoto, staying in Kikuyo or the neighboring Ozu town.
Once you are ready, let’s head to Kusasenri or Kusasenri-ga-hama. Kusasenri is a vast grassy plain that offers an open view of the peak of Mt. Nakadake, an active volcano and the highest peak on Kyushu Island at 1,791 meters. It is impressive to see the volcano spitting out smoke. The photos above were taken in mid-March 2023 after the yearly controlled burning. Towards summer, the plain will be filled with lush green grasses grown out of the nutrients the burning returned to the soil.
You can take a walk around Kusaesenri. The breeze that runs through the vast plain will disconnect you from the outer world and lets you enjoy the view and nature. If you feel like some snacks, there are restaurants and souvenir shops at the car park. It is fun to try out various local snacks from the shops and food stalls, or a cup of coffee from the café enjoying the scenery.
Mt. Aso consists of five peaks, namely Mt. Takadake, Mt. Nakadake, Mt. Nekodake, Mt. Kijima, and Mt. Eboshi. Currently (as of February 4, 2024), Mt. Aso is under Eruption Warning Level 2. The entry within the 1km diameter of the Mt. Nakadake crater is prohibited. You can check the warning levels real-time on this website.
Aso Volcano Museum is also worth a visit, if you are interested in learning more about this active volcano.
For more information, visit here.
If you are a Japanese manga/anime fan, you may want to make a quick pit stop at Usopp statue in Aso city on the way to the next destination. Usopp is a character in the manga/anime series “ONE PIECE”. Written and illustrated by Eiichiro Oda, the series has been one of the most popular manga since its debut in 1997. As part of a collaboration with Eiichiro Oda, who was born and raised in Kumamoto City, a total of 10 statues of the Straw Hat Pirates of ONE PIECE have been installed throughout Kumamoto Prefecture. The ONE PIECE statues are part of a larger project to help Kumamoto recover after the 2016 Kumamoto Earthquakes.
Now, let’s go take a panoramic view of the Mt. Aso five peaks. Our next destination “Daikanbo” is about less than 1 hour drive away from Kusasenri-ga-hama, about 30 minutes away from Usopp statue. On the way you will find the magnificent landscape shaped by Mt. Aso and the Kuju Mountain Range. They say the five peaks of Aso from Daikanbo look like Buddha lying with his face up. Can you see that too?
For more information, visit here.
After a long day of driving and walking, dinner time is something that we look for. There are plenty of places to dine in near JR Higo-Ozu station. One of them is Ikiiki Tei, an izakaya style restaurant with private rooms. Trying out local food is one of the attractions of a trip. If you are in Kumamoto, you should try Basashi (raw horse meat sashimi) and Karashi Renkon (Lotus root stuffed with Japanese mustard). You can try both of them here.
Day 2 starts with another One Piece stop! Roronoa Zoro’s statue is at five-minute walk from JR Higo-Ozu Station. After a wefie with Zoro, you could go to Kimchi no Sato to find some good kimchi and other pickles for souvenirs and JA Kikuyo Ozu Toretate Ichiba market to see fresh produce from the farmers in the area.
We cannot miss ramen either if we go to Kumamoto. Kumamoto Ramen is one of famous local ramen on Kyushu Island, together with Hakata Ramen (Fukuoka) and Kurume Ramen. Kumamoto Ramen is characterized by the rich tonkotsu soup based on pork bone broth and deep-fried garlic chips and/or garlic oil sprinkled on it.
Nabega-taki Waterfall became well-known among Japanese tourists by a TV commercial of a Japanese tea brand. This 10-meter-tall and 20-meter-wide waterfall is said to have been made about 90,000 years ago when the big eruption of Mt. Aso created the caldera we see now. It is also interesting to walk behind this elegant curtain-shaped waterfall. Tickets have to be booked and admission paid prior to your visit. There are a limited number of slots every hour and there are steep stairs down to the waterfall in the park. Please note that the park where the waterfall is located is closed for maintenance works currently (until the end of March, 2024).
For more information, visit here.
After the waterfall, or directly while the maintenance works of the waterfall park are ongoing, let’s visit Kurokawa Onsen hot spring town. The attractiveness of Kurokawa Onsen lies in its quiet and secluded atmosphere, without big concrete buildings or flamboyant neon lights. If you would like to try different hot springs, you can buy a “nyuto-tegata”, a slice of wood that works as an entry ticket to three different hot springs of your choice from the list. If you miss the Nabega-taki waterfall due to the maintenance works, you can do some hiking (about 1.5 hours) in this area before soaking yourself in the hot bath.
For more information, visit here.
You can either stay in one of the ryokans in Kurokawa Onsen and enjoy the dinner there or come back to Ozu town.
Since we have enjoyed meat in the last two days, let’s eat some seafood. Kaki-O (literally meaning Oyster King) offers seafood barbeque of various kinds, from oysters from different areas of Japan to prawns, scallops, and squid. The restaurant opens at 11:00AM, so make sure you leave where you stay early enough so you can arrive early to get a table without waiting too long.
Get directions here.
After the seafood lunch, take a walk on Nagabeta Kaishoro (seabed road) to aid your stomach digest the lunch while your eyes enjoy the view of Ariake Sea. Ariake Sea is famous for its biggest tidal range in Japan. The road appears only when the tide is low. This road is used to cultivate Nori seaweed. According to the Kumamoto Tourism website, the scenery that a lot of trucks are lining in the sea is interesting to see and the best timing to witness it is 2 hours before and after of the lowest tide.
For more information, visit here.
Another ONE PIECE stop! The statue of Jimbei, a whale shark fish-man and a powerful master of Fish-Man Karate, is at the entrance of Nagabeta Kaishoro.
If you have some more free time before going to the airport for your return flight, you can visit Kumamoto city center. The Kumamoto Castle was severely damaged by the Kumamoto Earthquakes in 2016. The restoration of the Tenshukaku (main castle tower) was completed in March 2021 but the works in other areas are still ongoing. You can see the magnitude of the earthquakes and the restoration efforts of the city. After the castle, another brief stop at ONE PIECE statue collection before heading to the airport. The statue of Monkey D. Luffy’s statue is about twenty minutes away from the castle by car.
Let’s head to Kumamoto Airport. Do not forget to fill up the gas in the car. There are several gas stations on the way to and one inside the airport premises. Hope you enjoyed the trip!
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