Travel / Tourism Spots in Yatsushiro / Uki / Kamimashiki Area

  • Aoi Aso-jinja Shrine
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    4.0
    206 Reviews
    Travel / Tourism
    Kumamoto Pref. Hitoyoshishi Kamiaoimachi 118
    This shrine was built in 806, the first year of Emperor Heizei’s reign, and became known as the shrine dedicated to the local deity of the Kuma region. The main building was constructed starting in 1610 over the course of approximately three years by Nagatsune Sagara, and it still stands today. It features a black thatched roof with steep slopes, as well as gorgeously colored, exquisitely decorative Momoyama-style sculptures. In 2008, the five sections of the main shrine building were designated National Treasures. White flowers bloom around the lotus pond in early summer, making it quite a sight to behold.

    This wooden carving Aoi Shrine has over 1200 years history. The 5 structures has been recognized National Treasures in 2008; The gate, Mail hall, Corridor, Offering hall and Oratory. There are...

  • Roadside Station Uki
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    4.0
    44 Reviews
    Transportation
    Kumamoto Pref. Ukishi Matsubasemachikugu 757-3
    This roadside station is in Uki City near the center of Kumamoto Prefecture. Apart from providing tourist information, they have a specialty shop that sells fruit like locally harvested strawberries, melons, pears, and decopon citrus, as well as vegetables, meat, and flowers. They also offer syrups made with local fruit such as figs and lemons and other specialty products too.

    地元のJAが経営しているようで農産物が充実してます。 そこそこ大きい規模の道の駅で店内は広め、柑橘類の種類の多さ・充実度は近隣の道の駅の中でもナンバー1かもしれません。 土産品の種類も多いのでここに来れば地元のものが何でも手に入りそうな気がしました。 トイレ休憩のみではもったいない道の駅です。

  • Hitoyoshijo Castle History Museum
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    4.0
    39 Reviews
    Travel / Tourism
    Kumamoto Pref. Hitoyoshishi Fumotomachi 18-4
    Located on the site of Hitoyoshi Castle, this museum has displays on the construction and history of the castle, including the 12-meter long Kuma Ezu diagram. A reconstructed stone cellar gives you a chance to see the masonry of that period. These are quite rare in Japan. They also have facilities for meetings and trainings, and locals use it as a place to study.

    人吉城跡は、天守閣などの建物はほとんど残っていません。代わりに、こちらの歴史館で見たり学んだらすることができます。土日には、歴史館近くにある門櫓という横長の建物も見学できます。

  • Mifune Dinosaur Museum
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    4.0
    30 Reviews
    Leisure / Hobbies
    Kumamoto Pref. Kamimashikigunmifunemachi Mifune 995-6
    A Tyrannosaurus rex stands at the entrance to Mifune Dinosaur Museum, looking as if it is about to move even now. The museum is arranged into five permanent exhibit zones including dinosaur skeletons and fossils. Of these the most impressive is the “dinosaur evolution parade” with displays focused around dinosaur bones.  The Pterosaur in the ceiling is so dynamic that it looks as if it is really flying. At the museum’s “open laboratory” one can watch staff doing work such as cleaning fossils up close. This is a museum where the history and evolution of animals come alive.

    熊本城を見に行ったついでに笑 ここに寄らせて頂きました^^。 個人的に恐竜がめっちゃ好きで、福井県の勝山市にも大きい博物館がありますが、まだいっておりませんw カナダにもめっちゃいおおきいのがありますよね-- さて、ここはかなり田舎でのどかな風景が心を癒してくれますね-- で、つくとかなり綺麗な建物で、現在も発掘していて、いろいろこじんまりとした化石があります。 恐竜の骨組みは、レプリ...

  • Eikokuji Temple (Ghost Temple)
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    4.0
    55 Reviews
    Travel / Tourism
    Kumamoto Pref. Hitoyoshishi Dotemachi 5
    "This historic Soto sect Zen Buddhist temple is the ninth stop on the Higo pilgrimage to 33 sites sacred to the bodhisattva Kannon. Also known as the Ghost Temple, it has a hanging scroll depicting a ghost from a temple legend that has been passed down since ancient times. The pond behind the main hall is where the ghost was said to have appeared. They have a popular Ghost Festival every August, where for one night only they open a ""Ghost House"" and various festival stands set up shop."

    永国寺と言えば別名を幽霊寺とも言うそうです。 お寺の横の駐車場に車を停めて、立派な門をくぐり透けて進むと、本堂がありました。本堂には、自由に入ることができました。正面の仏様にお参りを済ませた後、改めて本堂を見渡すと、側面の壁に「幽霊が描かれている掛け軸」が下げられていました。 この幽霊の掛け軸は、こちらのお寺を開いた和尚さんが書かれたものと伝えられているそうです。本堂から奥に進むと、庭が見え...

  • Kuma River Boat Cruise
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    4.0
    38 Reviews
    Travel / Tourism
    Kumamoto Pref. Hitoyoshishi Shimoshinmachi 333-1
    "It is located an approximately 10-minute drive from the Hitoyoshi Interchange on the Kyushu Expressway. This popular activity lets you descend the Kuma River, one of Japan's three most fast-flowing rivers along with the Mogami River and Fujigawa River, in a wooden boat that the boatman skillfully maneuvers. You can feel the exhilaration of passing through huge rocks you come very close to and rough waves. The approximately 50-minute ""Seiryu course"" from the Hitoyoshi departure dock to the hot spring town of Hitoyoshi is available from March to November. Between December and February, it becomes relaxing boat with kotatsu (tables heated underneath), offering a different way of enjoyment than the rough rafting in the summer."

    Must do activity while in Hitoyoshi. Made reservation at the Hitoyoshi tour information center and enjoyed a very nice tour.

  • GRANDMESSE KUMAMOTO
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    3.0
    3 Reviews
    Travel / Tourism
    Kumamoto Pref. Kamimashikigunmashikimachi Fukudomi 1010
    This event hall is in Mashiki Town, Kamimashiki County, Kumamoto Prefecture. The first floor consists of a roughly 8,000 square meter exhibition hall, and the second floor has a convention hall, conference rooms, and a restaurant. Their ample parking facilities can accommodate 2,200 vehicles, so it's often the venue for large prefectural events, seminars, and training sessions.

    仕事の発表会で利用した。熊本から空港行きのリムジンバスで行ったが、バス停から大きな道路を横切って会場までアクセスしなければならなかった。会場はゆったりしており、トイレや自販機等の設備も十分に揃っていた。レストランはビュッフェ形式で、おかずも多かったので満足できた。

  • Gokanosho
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    4.5
    26 Reviews
    Travel / Tourism
    Kumamoto Pref. Yatsushiroshi Izumimachi
    Gokanosho is a collective name for a region of five local settlements, and is approximately 60 minutes from the Matsuhashi or Hitoyoshi Interchange of the Kyushu Expressway. This region surrounded by the steep ravines of the Kyushu Central mountain range is said to have been established by the Heike clan after being defeated at the Battle of Danno-ura. Located here is the Heike no Sato, culture and history museum which tells of the settler’s folklore and lifestyles of that period. Also the Kureko Kodai Dance, a National Important Intangible Cultural Property, is performed annually within the Kureko shrine precincts commemorating their settlement on August 15, September 1, and November 3. This region is also an exquisite spot for enjoying autumnal foliage and fresh verdure.

    once you pass the toll gate for Nita Pass, the scenery changes and brilliance explodes in front of your eyes!! be sure to head there right early in the morning as the sun rises quite early. the...

  • Yatsushiro Municipal Museum Future Forest Museum
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    3.0
    11 Reviews
    Leisure / Hobbies
    Kumamoto Yatsushiro-shi Nishimatsuejomachi 12-35
    Standing at the center of the Culture Zone with its various cultural facilities, this museum has a metallic exterior. It houses and displays heirlooms of the Matsui clan, former lords of Yatsushiro Castle, as well as arts and crafts. The building was designed by Toyoo Ito, a globally renowned architect. At the Entrance Hall there's a model display of figurines replicating the Yatsushiro Myoken Festival (a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage), as well as videos where you can see the festival as it is today. There are also arts and crafts such as Yatsushiro ware (Koda ware) and Higo sword guards; the museum showcases the history and culture of Yatsushiro from a variety of angles, with artifacts from ancient tombs and the castle ruins, as well as a model of the Yatsushiro Castle Ruins.

    「お姫さまの婚礼道具」展を見に行きました。観覧料400円。「クイズに答えて夫婦円満バッジをもらおう」という企画が秀逸。ヒッカケ問題もあり5問中2問不正解も受付のお姉さまが手取り足取り回答を導いてくれます。正に貝合せこそ新郎新婦にとっては大切な一大イベント。お一人様お局様の訪問もウエルカムですが、人生奈落の底に突き落とされることでしょう。

  • Ukishima Jinja
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    4.5
    15 Reviews
    Travel / Tourism
    Kumamoto Kami-mashiki-gun Kashimamachi Itera 2828

    イザナギとイザナミが祀られています。両親が子どもを守るということです。赤ちゃんを連れた若い夫婦が参られていました。小さな神社です。周りを取り巻く湧水の池が大きいため透明な明水に浮かんでいるような気持ちになる神社です。子どもの御守りがかわいいです。御朱印は小さな神社ですが立派で、よいご縁をいただきました。熊本市から近いのでまた来たいと思いました。

  • DEN-EN Symphony Happiness Train
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    4.5
    14 Reviews
    Travel / Tourism
    Hitoyoshi City Kumamoto Prefecture Hitoyoshi Onsen Station-Yumae Station
    This luxury sightseeing train running from Hitoyoshi Onsen Station to Yumae Station offers a relaxing ride while taking in the scenery of the Kuma region. Operated by the Kumagawa Railway, the colorful seats and other aspects of the interior have seasonal designs. The train slows down while passing sights along the way. Their Hospitality Corps provides services to passengers at the stations the train stops at.

    終点の湯前まで乗った普通列車が田園シンフォニーでした。観光列車だと思ってたので人吉温泉駅では乗ってイイのかなと思った位に素敵な車内でした。時期的に空いていて、車窓も桜が咲いていて、天気も良く風景も満喫出来とても良かったです。

  • Shohin-ken
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    3.5
    17 Reviews
    Travel / Tourism
    Kumamoto Yatsushiro-shi Kitanomarumachi 3-15
    "A teahouse built in 1688 by Matsui Naoyuki, the lord of Yatsushiro Castle. It was named after the beach in those days, with its view of the Yatsushiro Sea and Unzen over the dense pine forest. Also known as ""The Beach Teahouse,"" its design incorporates the magnificent sea and distant scenery. It's been designated a national Place of Scenic Beauty as it has an important example of an early Edo period feudal lord's garden. In early June, the large flowers of the park's roughly 5,000 Higo irises blooming together is a site to behold. The Matsui Bunko archives display important heirlooms of the Matsui family, including a hanging scroll with calligraphy related to Miyamoto Musashi and a hand carved wooden sword."

    It is a garden of Matsui Family, the castle keeper of Yatsushiro Castle. Although quite powerful, they were not the same level as the feudal lord of Kumamoto. So the garden is also quite modest. In...

  • HAKUTAKE DENSHOGURA kuma shochu museum
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    4.0
    12 Reviews
    Travel / Tourism
    Kumamoto Pref. Hitoyoshishi Gounoharumachi 461-7
    This museum in Hitoyoshi City, Kumamoto Prefecture is dedicated to Hakutake, a kind of Japanese rice shochu. It presents the traditional manufacturing process of the Takahashi Distillery through videos and has displays of shochu making equipment in their exhibition area. They also have an area for tastings where you can try shochu varieties like Hakutake and Shiro and then purchase a bottle of the one you like best to take home.

    Visited Kuma Shochu Museum to learn how Shochu is made. Followed by shochu and umeshu tasting. We bought a few small bottles of umeshu to try. Nice museum and wide selection of liquor.

  • Hitoyoshi Onsen Bussan kan
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    3.5
    10 Reviews
    Travel / Tourism
    Kumamoto Pref. Hitoyoshishi Kamiaoimachi 120-4
    This specialty shop is near Aoiaso-jinja Shrine in Hitoyoshi City, Kumamoto Prefecture. It's popular with Hitoyoshi sightseers. The shop sells local specialty items such as the Japanese sweet yubeshi, onsen manju buns, and local sake. The restaurant serves local cuisine and has a menu catered to groups. There's a footbath just outside the building, too.

    人吉温泉物産館は、「青井阿蘇神社」の隣にあるおみやげ屋さんです。おみやげ屋さんの他に足湯もあり、お食事処もありました。 おみやげ屋さんは、「蔵元屋」という球磨焼酎のお店がありました。27蔵にもおよぶ球磨焼酎の酒蔵の焼酎をそろえていて、広いスペースで、じっくりと球磨焼酎を選ぶことができました。

  • Ichifusa Dam Lakeshore
    Travel / Tourism
    Kumamoto Pref. Kumagunmizukamimura Yuyama
    "Ichifusa Dam was built in 1960 in Mizukami Village, Kuma County, Kumamoto Prefecture. Yoshino cherries were planted around the dam lake when the dam was built, and today the lakeshore is a renowned destination for viewing cherry blossoms in spring. The area's ""10 thousand"" cherries sprawl along the shore for 14 kilometers, and visitors can appreciate their beautiful blossoms. A cherry blossom festival is also held here during the season, and a portion of the trees are lit up at night to delight visitors."
  • Orange Restaurant Express
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    4.5
    5 Reviews
    Travel / Tourism
    Kumamoto Pref. Yatsushiroshi Shin-Yatsushiro Station - Sendai Station
    Enjoy a meal while rolling down the tracks on this dining train run by the Hisatsu Orange Railway. They serve a variety of fare depending on which train you take, including baked goods and coffee for breakfast, lunch with authentic French cuisine, and delicious dinners you can enjoy while taking in the sunset.

    かつての鹿児島本線を走る肥薩おれんじ鉄道。新八代から川内の間をゆっくりと景色を眺めながらスペシャルランチをいただきます。 車内に調理設備は無くて途中駅で料理を積み込む方式でしたが、冷めきっているようなこともなく美味しく頂けました。 コロナ対策で乗客数を絞っていることもあり、車内にはゆとりが生まれており目の前に広がる風景を堪能でき、スタッフの手厚いサービスも受けられて大満足です。その分チケット確保は...

  • Ganjo-ji Temple
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    4.0
    5 Reviews
    Travel / Tourism
    Kumamoto Hitoyoshi-shi Ganjojimachi 956
    The family temple of the Sagara clan, which ruled Hitoyoshi for about 700 years between the Kamakura period and the Meiji Restoration. It was founded in 1233 by the first lord of Hitoyoshi Castle, Sagara Nagayori. During the Edo period, it was the highest-ranking temple in the province, and various temples throughout the Hitoyoshi-Kuma area were under its jurisdiction. It houses many temple treasures, including Buddhist scriptures and images like a seated wooden statue of Amida Nyorai, the principal object of worship and an Important Cultural Property. The Sagara clan's cemetery behind the main temple has numerous gorinto funerary pagodas and other objects and is an impressive example of a resting place for feudal lords.

    スマホのナビで歩いて行ったら変な所から入ってしまったが、出る時に保育園の方から出たらこちらの道の方が解りやすかったです。墓地の雰囲気も良かったです。

  • Roadside Station Komoriuta no Sato Itsuki
    Transportation
    Kumamoto Pref. Kumagunitsukimura Kou 2672-54
    This roadside station is in Itsuki Village, Kuma County. Its specialty shop sells shochu liquor made with local rice, venison, seasonal produce, and prepared items like gelatin and juice made with village grown citrus fruit. Watch for the vendors preparing salt grilled masu trout. Their spa is equipped with a whirlpool and electric bath. There are also a traveler's center providing information on sightseeing events and more and a natural hot spring bathhouse.
  • Sekisuiji Temple
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    4.5
    4 Reviews
    Travel / Tourism
    Kumamoto Hitoyoshi-shi Shimoharadamachi Nishi Kado 2348
    A temple founded in 1417 belonging to the Soto school of Zen Buddhism. Up the approach from the huge hollowed out stone that serves as the main temple gate, there is an area with spring water and an arched stone bridge that's said to be the oldest of its kind in the Kuma region. In the main temple's attic, you can view a stone plate print of the sixteen disciples of Buddha who attained Nirvana and a hanging scroll of the ten kings of the Buddhist hell. In early April, 500-year old Hall crabapple trees come into bloom, dyeing the temple precincts a pale pink.

    国道から少し狭い道を1km程入った場所にあります。 観光客が増えて迷惑じゃないかな?と投稿することを躊躇するくらい静かで石橋と石をくりぬいた山門が目を惹きました。 お参りしようにも扉が閉まっていてお賽銭箱も見当たらず、左手の石段の上の小さな建物がお参り出来るようになっていたのでそこで参拝しました。 地元の方によれば行事があるときには賑わうそうです。

  • Hitoyoshi Castle Ruins
    Travel / Tourism
    Kumamoto Pref. Hitoyoshishi Fumotomachi
    Counted as one of the top 100 castles in Japan. After being appointed the lords of the castle in the Kamakura period, the Sagara clan lived here for some 700 years. The castle was constructed utilizing’ both the Kuma and Mune rivers as its moat. The castle wall is distinguished by overhangs designed to deter climbing invaders. The castle was destroyed in a large fire in the Edo period, with only the wall remaining. Various turrets, towers, and fences have been restored on top of the wall. The cherry trees blooming over the wall in spring are gorgeous and have made this a renowned site for cherry blossom viewing.

Kumamoto Areas

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Kumamoto lies in the center of Kyushu, a calm prefecture perfect for easy strolls around the historic center and lazy evenings in the natural hot springs at Kurokawa Onsen. For a slightly more strenuous activity, head to Mount Aso, whose surrounding hills offer hiking opportunities aplenty with views over the active volcano.

Kumamoto Photo Album

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