October 27 - October 28, 2000

Our goal for the day was mainly to get to Nagasaki in time to have a look around while it was still light.  I regret that we didn't take the time to go see Kumamoto Castle...but we needed our sleep that morning..

Our Hotel, the Ark Hotel Kumamoto (quite lovely) was just a couple of blocks from the Castle...and what a castle it is.  It's striking, much in the way that Okayama Castle was, since it's a black "crow" castle.  The fortress walls are just ponderous, and the castle rises well above it.  Man, I'm wishing we had gone there!  But, time waits for no tourist...

The one really neat thing we saw in Kumamoto was Suizenji Garden.  It's a very small garden, but it contains miniatures of the main sights on the old Tokaido Highway, which connected Kyoto to Tokyo.  It's quite lovely, with a small lake (representing Lake Biwa), and a grass-covered mini-Mt. Fuji.

One thing here...you'll hear the Japanese refer to Mt. Fuji as "Fuji-san", and you'll probably assume that the "-san" is just an honorific ending like "Seth-san."  You'll be quite mistaken if you make this assumption.  When attached to a name, "-san" does, in fact, mean "Mr/Mrs/Ms/Mz", but "san" also means "mountain."  Just thought I'd do a little educating....

Anyway, it was raining, but I think it almost enhanced the look of Suizenji Garden.  It was a nice little tour, and it didn't keep us from our next appointment, which was the Prefectural Arts and Crafts Center.  We toured it, looking at all the local wares, looking, but not buying.

We went back to the hotel, and after making reservations for Fukuoka (the Ark Hotel Fukuoka), we headed for Nagasaki.

Given how short our stay was, I don't have much else to say about Kumamoto.  Just go to the castle if you have time.  If you don't have time, consider going anyway.

Running at a torrid (horrid?) pace...to Nagasaki...

• Kumamoto City Sightseeing

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This was just two blocks from our Hotel.  Way cool.  Kumamoto Castle is absolutely mammoth!

Now this was really cool.  Suizenji Garden, which is a miniature model of the old Tokaido Highway, which connected Kyoto and Tokyo.

We didn't make it to the real Fuji-san, but here's Elaine with the mini-Fuji.

Another miniature, this one of the famous Lake Biwa.