Cherry Blossom viewing at Kumamoto castle

Kumamoto castle

Kumamoto castle is great to visit during cherry blossom viewing season (late March/early April) . It is a little more crowded at this time of year especially at weekends and holidays but this is because it is more beautiful.

The castle dates back to 1467 but has been partially rebuilt with the main keep being a concrete reconstruction dating from 1960. There are some of the old wooden buildings that still remain.

 It is possible to spend about 2-3 hours walking around the castle exploring all the buildings, even going to the top of the keep.  From here you have a panoramic view of Kumamoto and the surrounding park. There is also a museum showing parts of the original castle and photos of all the castle in Japan.

                
The older buildings also offer a rare glimpse of some of the samurai armour (right) and traditional style rooms.  Again in the larger of these buildings you can climb to the top to gain a better view of the castle and the surroundings.

There is a small shop (above) where you can get a boxed lunch, some snacks and of course edible souvenirs (i.e. delicious foods). It is a good spot for taking a break and people watching.
Travelling to Kumamoto from Fukuoka is easy either by car bus or rail. The Shinkansen (high speed train) will open on the 12th of March 2011 and the trip will then be just 30mins for around 5000 yen. Kumamoto is also just a short hop form Mount Aso