Kumamoto Prefecture is probably the most influential area of Kyushu Island in Japan. This area is also known as the Land of Hearth due to its energetic volcano, Mt Aso.
The prefecture’s capital, Kumamoto Metropolis, is among the largest on the island, with a inhabitants of round 750,000. It’s recognized for its important points of interest, the historic Kumamoto Fort and Suizenji Park. And whereas Kumamoto Metropolis is a vacation spot in and of itself, it’s the extra rural areas exterior Kumamoto Metropolis that maintain the largest draw on this area.
On a current journey to Japan, we found a small area within the south of the prefecture often called Kuma Valley, a good looking vacation spot with lush landscapes, fertile agricultural lands, and a longstanding tradition.
The valley lies alongside the banks of Kuma River, surrounded by the Kyushu mountains.
Kuma River, Kumamoto, Kyushu
Kuma Valley, A Hidden Gem in Kumamoto, Kyushu
Having explored this area, we’re satisfied that Kuma Valley is considered one of Japan’s hidden gems.
Protected for over 700 years by the Sagara clan, Kuma Valley is seeped in deep cultural traditions and heritage and showcases a aspect of Japan that’s missed by many.
The primary hub of the valley is Hitoyoshi. This historic citadel city can be famend for its culinary traditions, supported by the encircling rice fields, tea plantations, and fruit orchards.
In Kuma Valley, we didn’t simply see examples of traditions, we skilled them firsthand, diving deeper into the Japanese lifestyle.
Sundown over Kuma Valley, Kumamoto, Kyushu
The Devastating Floods of 2020
In 2020, Kuma Valley skilled devastating floods that worn out a lot of the city’s infrastructure. The affect and injury reverberated all through the group, and rebuilding took years.
However out tragedy, a possibility was born. As part of the restoration course of, the city of Hitoyoshi has chosen to deal with sustainable tourism initiatives, prioritizing initiatives that shield the landscapes and the fantastic thing about the area.
This shift has led to a brand new momentum for the area, forcing many tourism operators to reevaluate their tourism choices.
Immediately, the realm feels filled with hope and thrilling alternatives. New adventures and superb experiences are being developed yearly, providing increasingly more to travellers who select to go all the way down to this off-the-beaten-path vacation spot.
So what’s there to do in Kuma Valley? Learn on to be taught extra about our prime experiences in Kuma Valley, and prepare – there are some true gems!
Okay. Let’s dive into our most memorable experiences in Kuma Valley and a few of the issues we advocate you do on this a part of Kyushu.
Issues to do in Kuma Valley, Kumamoto, Kyushu
Go to Kumamoto Metropolis
We’ll be trustworthy, we didn’t get an opportunity to go to Kumamoto Metropolis throughout our time within the area. However the capital of Kumamoto Prefecture presents numerous points of interest value including to your itinerary, together with Kumamoto Fort and the Up to date Artwork Museum, Kumamoto, to call a couple of.
The Kumamoto Fort is taken into account a image of Kumamoto and is one of many three nice castles in Japan. It’s conveniently positioned close to the JR Kumamoto Station, making it simply accessible by way of the Shinkansen bullet practice.
Kumamoto is a good spot to go to initially of your journey to the area.
Shochu Distillery Go to
Discover the world of Kuma Shochu, a conventional Japanese rice spirit that originated within the Sagara area of the Hitoyoshi Kuma area.
With a longstanding historical past of greater than 500 years, the alcoholic drink is comprised of native elements, together with kouji (malted rice) comprised of two-stage fermentation and pure water from the realm. Shochu is finest tasted oyuwari (diluted with scorching water), straight or on the rocks, as an appetizer or alongside a important dish.
Immediately, shochu is made in 27 distilleries all through central Kumamoto, with a really particular distillation technique utilized by every grasp distiller.
Take a tour of a distillery (or two) and pattern the distinctive liquor discovered nowhere else on the planet. Throughout our go to, we bought an opportunity to not solely go to a distillery and see its operation firsthand but additionally bought to know one of many native households who’ve been brewing shochu for generations.
Hyoho Taisha Ryu Samurai Expertise
Hyoho Taisha Ryu is a conventional kind of martial artwork of Kumamoto prefecture. It was based by the legendary samurai Marume Kurando within the Hitoyoshi area within the late sixteenth century.
Whereas many locations in Japan provide samurai coaching, this was by far the most genuine samurai expertise but!
What makes Taisha Ryu distinctive is that this particular martial artwork remains to be taught by an unbroken lineage of samurais and masters in Yatsushiro metropolis. The grand grasp or sensei of Hyoho Taisha Ryu, Yamamoto Takahiro, is understood for instructing not simply kamae (stances) and reihō (etiquette) however for incorporating mindfulness practices as a part of the artwork.
Yamamoto-san welcomes guests to his day by day practices. In the course of the go to, you’ll be able to delve into the world of samurai warriors and be taught the fundamentals of the artwork and its historical past. To our shock, this wasn’t a touristy encounter however a informal drop-in lesson with actual taisha ryu college students, an expertise that felt genuine and really particular.
We bought to satisfy Yamamoto-san and a few of his college students and had the honour to follow taisha ryu with them, to watch their coaching in motion and to realize a deeper understanding of samurai tradition via their eyes.
Studying from the grasp
Tea Tasting
One factor chances are you’ll not find out about Kyushu is that the realm round Kuma Valley and Kagoshima prides itself on being one of many prime tea-growing areas in Japan.
Right here, tea-clad hills add color to the landscapes and act as dwelling to many small-scale tea farms within the space. One among them is Miyazaki Tea Backyard, a small-scale household tea farm specializing in rising a wide range of Japanese inexperienced tea.
It was a pleasure to go to the farm, to frolic within the stunning tea plantations, and style their teas and pattern some scrumptious tea-flavoured treats.
We bought to style various kinds of Japanese tea grown and produced on the farm, together with conventional unfermented inexperienced tea, sencha tea, which consists of complete tea leaves completed like a needle, houjicha, a sort of roasted inexperienced tea, and tamaryokucha which consists of rounded tea leaves that’s fairly uncommon in Japan.
For a tea lover, this was a real spotlight!
Tea and treats at Miyazaki Tea Backyard
Dwelling Keep at Ryukinka no Sato
Positioned within the village of Asagiri within the southern a part of Kumamoto Prefecture, Ryukinka no Sato is a homestead that connects individuals with the land and tradition. The charismatic proprietor of Ryukinka, Sechan, is seen as a matriarch of the village and a pacesetter within the homestay motion of the area. Her ardour for sharing conventional meals with guests is simply one of many many causes we actually cherished this expertise.
Staying at Ryukinka was like coming dwelling. This small visitor home was a lot greater than a spot to put our heads at evening. It was an area to be taught, to take part and to share. And nothing was as significant as the chance to be taught instantly from Sechan.
Cooking Class
One of many highlights of our keep was a cooking class, the place we donned aprons and joined Sechan and her sou-chefs within the kitchen. Over the course of the night, we bought an introduction to native meals customs and discovered to make numerous native dishes utilizing solely farm-fresh elements. Conventional recipes mingled with native elements ensuing within the stunning medley of dishes that crammed the eating room desk.
Plenty of sake was had, and shochu shared, with dialog flowing freely regardless of the language limitations. Sechan shared tales about her life, the struggles of girls within the space and her continued efforts to empower and encourage the group via meals and relationships.
It was a good looking night that gave us a deeper understanding of life on this area.
The elements
Zen Meditation at Shingu-ji Temple
Positioned simply exterior of Hityoshi in Nishiki village, Shinguji Temple is the southernmost temple of the Obaku Zen sect. It’s a sect of Zen Buddhism that influences many elements of native tradition, together with literature, historical past, delicacies, and artwork.
The unique temple web site was in-built 1405 however destroyed by fireplace in 1576. Since then, it has undergone many reconstruction efforts. Surrounded by stunning hundred-year-old ginkgo bushes, it’s most stunning when the bushes are coated in vivid orange hues through the fall.
What made our go to to this temple so particular is the alternative to satisfy with the pinnacle priest and luxuriate in a uncommon dialog about Zen Buddhism practices. We dove head first into a brief however highly effective guided Zen meditation expertise that helped us hook up with our physique and our breath and discover extra presence within the second.
Zen meditation, or zazen, is a major follow of Zen Buddhism, and the peaceable environment throughout the temple make it a perfect place to get pleasure from some quiet reflection.
The place to Keep: Ryokan Ayu-no-Sato
Initially established in 1941, Ayu-no-Sato is a superbly renovated ryokan, a conventional Japanese inn overlooking the Kuma River within the metropolis heart of Hitoyoshi. We have been actually impressed by the resort and its services and would extremely advocate it as a base for exploring the area.
The rooms at Ryokan Ayu-no-Sato are merely gorgeous, providing an ideal mix of custom and modernity. The decor options smooth shades of timber and earth tones. Every room boasts river or mountain views, and a few actually have a non-public outside onsen.
The resort’s massive pure scorching springs and baths are one other stand-out characteristic, with views over the river and ruined citadel grounds of Hitoyoshi. The terrace presents gorgeous sundown views and is an ideal place to wind down on the finish of the day.
The culinary expertise at Ayu-no-Sato is on one other stage. A standard kaiseku meal is something however fundamental. The dishes characteristic seasonal elements and conventional Japanese dishes with a contemporary twist. The fragile flavours ooze sophistication when paired with beautiful sake cocktails ready by the on-site sommelier.
Non-public onsen contained in the room at Ayu-no-Sato Ryokan
Sundown on the terrace at Ayu-no-Sato
How you can Manage This Journey in Kumamoto Prefecture
We hope you really liked studying about our experiences in Kuma Valley and really feel impressed so as to add a few of these distinctive actions to your Japan itinerary.
In case you are planning a visit and are questioning how one can embrace these experiences in your individual itinerary, you’ve gotten 2 choices:
- Contact Kodo Journey. As talked about, our itinerary in Kuma Valley was organized by Kodo Journey, an area tour operator with deep connections and relationships in Kumamoto Prefecture (together with many different elements of Japan).
- E-book via Ryokan Ayu no Sato. The resort is completely positioned as a hub of actions within the space and is dedicated to working carefully with native tour operators and expertise suppliers in Hitoyoshi. You may contact the resort and use their concierge companies to ebook all actions within the area.
Using an e-bike is an eco-friendly solution to journey round!