Kumamoto Castle

Kumamoto Castle

The Kumamoto castle is located in the city of the same name and lies in the middle of the southernmost island of Kyushu. The castle was built by the Samurai lord Kiyomasa in the beginning of the seventeenth century which signaled the end of the war filled Sengoku period, which led to the unification of the island nation.
The castle is really intimidating in terms of size covering a total area of 98 hectares all built into a circumference of nine kilometers.

The walls of the castle are a sight to watch as they are constructed of enormous stone blocks one of which continues in a straight line to about 250 meters. The walls have been designed in such a fashion that climbing them was next to impossible thus sanitizing the entire area from attacks.

This castle considered one of the best in Japan along with Osaka and Nagoya castles has imposing buildings in the center including the keep, these are mostly black in color with slate roof tiles and charcoal stained wood.

The keep has been converted to a museum which has loads of collection dating back to the Seinan Rebellion. The visitors are also allowed to climb on the top of the castle to enjoy the grand view of the castle grounds along with the city of Kumamoto.

The castle was destroyed in the numerous battles that took place and it was only in 1960 that the castle was rebuilt as a tourist attraction.

The castle is deemed to celebrate its 400th birthday in the 2007 and efforts are on to restore the castle back to its original glory.

How to reach

It takes only a quarter of an hour to reach the castle from Kumamoto station by car and from the Kumamoto International Airport it takes nearly forty minutes to reach the castle by bus. The town is also well connected by trains with important cities like Tokyo or Osaka.

Where to stay

There are quite a few hotels which are available in the city of Kumamoto ranging from four star hotels ranging from four stars to discount and cheap hotels.

Places to see

The castle itself is the most attractive structure and is rated among the best attractions in Japan other than the castle you can check the city of Kumamoto where you can check out the beautiful garden of Suizenzi Jojuen or reach the world's largest caldera and active volcano at Aso, which takes only an hour by car from the city of Kumamoto.

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