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Best Things to Do
Top 10 Best Things to Do in Kumamoto [2025]
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Kumamoto Castle
4.6
/5
536 reviews
6.4
From € 4.44
393m from downtown
Phone +81963525900
Address: 1-1 Honmaru, Chuo Ward, Kumamoto, 860-0002, Japan
Recommended sightseeing time: 1–2 hours
Highlights:
360° view of Kumamoto
One of Japan's top castles
Saved by 600 users212 positive reviews
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Kumamoto Castle is full of ingenuity. In my mind, the castle ruins are truly magnificent.
Most astonishing are the piles of stones beneath the walls. They were rolled down during the Kumamoto earthquake. While progress is slow, they will one day be rebuilt.
The environment is nice, clean and tidy, with an antique feel. However, it has been almost ten years since the earthquake. The building was not repaired the last time I went there, and there was no significant progress this time. It is still a long way to go before it is repaired. I guess it is very difficult to repair ancient buildings, and there is no way to fix it.
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Kumamon Square
4.5
/5
155 reviews
5.4
Based on 266 reviews
450m from downtown
Phone +81963279066
Address: Japan, 〒860-0808 Kumamoto, Chuo Ward, Tetorihoncho, 8−2 テトリアくまもとビル 1階
Recommended sightseeing time: 0.5–1 hour
Highlights:
Official limited Kumamon souvenirs
Photo op with Kumamon
Saved by 272 users40% positive reviews
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There are two performances every day, from 2:00 to 2:30 in the afternoon, which is very suitable for parent-child activities. Of course, adults are also very happy. Minister Bear is cute, lively and interactive. Not bad 👍
The mascot of Kumamoto City, the last person to speak, is always crowded wherever he goes, all wanting to see him! That is Kumamon, known as the Minister of Bear! The office is always empty, because he is on patrol!
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Mount Aso
4.8
/5
213 reviews
5.2
37 km from downtown
Phone +81967223111
Address: Takawara, Aso, Kumamoto 869-2223, Japan
Recommended sightseeing time: 0.5–1 day
Highlights:
View active volcano & vast grasslands
Scenic trails around the crater
Saved by 302 users28% positive reviews
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Aso has a unique weather and is home to flowers, birds and butterflies. More than 2,500 mm of rainfall falls on the grassland every year, seeping into the vast land and becoming the source of six first-level rivers, providing water for about 2.3 million people in Kyushu. There are as many as 1,500 places in Aso that are known as "famous water". Because the grassland is fertile and the grass grown is suitable for grazing, the milk produced here is also very fresh. Let's drink this glass of milk from Mount Aso🥛
I was very lucky. This time when I went to Aso, I happened to encounter the crater opening, so I could check in the volcano up close.
We made an appointment for Aso Boy at the manual window three days in advance, but failed to make an appointment, so we took the ordinary JR to Aso. So if you want to take a special train, it is best to make an appointment online in advance.
Aso Volcano is free, but the transportation cost is not cheap. Excluding the cost of going to and from Aso Station, it costs 730 one way and 1460 round trip from Aso Station to Aso Mountain. There are 5 stations on this line. Generally, Kusa Chisato will come down to take a look. It is recommended to buy a pass for 1500 yen. From Aso Mountain to the crater, the one-way cost is 600 yen, and the pass cannot be used. So it costs 2660 yen for a round trip.
In addition, you must pay attention to the time. We went to Kamishiromi Kumanoza Shrine first. When we arrived in Aso, there was only the last bus to Aso Mountain, so we didn’t get off Kusa Chisato. It was so beautiful to see Kusa Chisato on the bus. Don’t miss it. I’m really sorry.
The last bus from Aso Station to Mt. Aso is at 14:55, and the last bus to the crater is at 15:30. The last bus to the crater is at 15:45.
In addition, if you get on the bus from Kusa Senri and take the last bus back to Aso Station, you must leave time for the return JR. because you may not be able to squeeze into the shuttle bus.
The scenery is amazing, it is worth a visit, and if you have enough time, you can also take a helicopter.
No.
4
Aso Boy
4.7
/5
22 reviews
5.0
2.3 km from downtown
Phone +815037861717
Address: Kumamoto-remote area
Recommended sightseeing time: 1–3 hours
Highlights:
Breathtaking views of Mount Aso
Ball pit & exclusive seats
Saved by 122 users
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This is a sightseeing train from Kumamoto Station to Sankaku Station. The calm and majestic black color is embellished with a golden exterior, with angel-carved glass, a wooden ceiling inlaid with a golden logo, velvet seat covers with classical patterns, and colorful icy glass everywhere.
Aso Boy, a JR limited express train that originally ran from Hakata, Kyushu, to Aso. Due to the 2016 Kumamoto earthquake, the road from Kumamoto to Aso was damaged and was changed to run between Beppu Station and Aso Station. All seats are reserved in the car. The black puppy is its LOGO. There are 4 carriages in total, and the third carriage (Cargo3) is a parent-child carriage. The cafe, ocean ball pool, and stamping are all located in this section. A must-do JR train when going to Kyushu.
No.
5
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Sakuranobaba Josaien
4.3
/5
45 reviews
4.8
Based on 575 reviews
392m from downtown
Phone +81962885577
Address: 1-1-2 Ninomaru, Chuo Ward, Kumamoto, 860-0008, Japan
Recommended sightseeing time: 3 hours
Highlights:
Free Japanese costume photo op
Edo-style town architecture
Saved by 164 users28% positive reviews
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Next to Kumamoto Castle is Sakura-no-Baba. It's not a big place, it's actually a small market with food and shopping. There are quite a lot of people. You can find a place to sit down and eat something. If you don't eat, you can basically finish the shopping in 20 minutes. It's not a must-visit place, but because it's right next to Kumamoto Castle, it's nice to stop by and take a look.
Go around the southwest of the city wall and enter Sakura-no-Babajo-saien. It is divided into two parts: Wowa-Woza and Sakura-no-Koji. Wowa-Woza mainly uses real scenes and digital reproductions to take visitors back to the era of Kato Kiyomasa, the founder of Kumamoto Castle; Sakura-no-Koji reproduces the street scenes of the Edo period and brings together 23 local cuisines selected from Kumamoto Prefecture, allowing visitors to buy souvenirs and enjoy delicious food in this nostalgic neighborhood. The sanitation workers are lying on the city wall to clean up the weeds. It seems that there are no protective measures, which is as thrilling as rock climbing with bare hands.
No.
6
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Suizenji Jojuen Garden
4.6
/5
182 reviews
4.7
Based on 793 reviews
2.7 km from downtown
Phone +81963830074
Address: Kumamoto-ken, Kumamoto-shi, Chūō-ku, Suizenji Kōen, 8−1
Recommended sightseeing time: 1–3 hours
Highlights:
Mount Aso: Nature & Manmade Fusion
Recognized as a national treasure
Saved by 211 users30% positive reviews
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Suizenji Jojuen Garden is also a place you can visit in Kumamoto. It takes 10 to 20 minutes by car from the city. The whole garden is quite designed. There is a very beautiful lake in the middle with many fat fish. If you like history, you can spend more time there. Normally, one and a half hours is enough to finish the tour. If the weather is good, it is still quite photogenic.
The tickets for Suizenji Chengqu Garden are quite unique. We bought them from a vending machine, and the pattern on each ticket is different.
The scenic spot is not big, and the ticket is not expensive, 400 yen. One hour is enough to walk around and take photos.
Except for the shade of the trees at the entrance, it is relatively cool. The whole scenic area is quite sunny, which is really unbearable in the summer.
The courtyard is average, and the waterscape feels a bit cramped. But the fish are quite fat. There is also a small torii in the scenic area, but it’s a pity that there are always people nearby, otherwise it would be quite photogenic.
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