Kumamoto | Hello from the Five Star Vagabond

Kumamoto trams sake yakitori

November 20, 2016 by David Herd

Too much sashimi is never enough

Kumamoto trams sake yakitori

Kumamoto trams sake yakitori was on my list travelling from Hiroshima to Kagoshima on the Shinkansen, so I decided to spend 24 hours in Kumamoto to see the earthquake damage to the beautiful castle.

Kumamoto trams sake yakitori

One of my passions is Japanese food, which help make my visits to the great country a total joy.

As for the sake

Well that’s another story, it kind of sneaks up on you after 2 or 3 small bottles. Made from rice, “Sake” is an alcoholic beverage peculiar to Japan. It has a long history dating back to the 3rd century A.D.

Yakitori

Plus edamame washed down with cold beer, delicious.

Lots of choices here

Often language can be a barrier in Japan, however in restaurants like this you just have to point. 🙂

Seattles best coffee

Any idea who they may be having a go at, and I wonder what Starbucks thinks of the name? 🙂

Seattle’s other coffee

From what I have read about Seattle it always seems to be raining, perhaps that’s why everybody sits in coffee shops because it’s too wet to go outside. 🙂

Their coffee & cake suits me

I must admit I am a Starbucks fan.

Covered arcades

Japan in famous for it’s covered arcades which are simply shopping walkways crisscrossing the cities. Many as you can see have circular transparent domes running along the roof line letting in light and sunshine.

Pachinko

Japanese people seem to be addicted to these noisy gambling parlors which occupy prime positions in all of the busy parts of a city. The pachinko machine is like a vertical pinball machine with no flippers and a large number of relatively small balls. The noise inside these parlors is so loud it certainly must have a detrimental effect on the hearing of their customers.

Heavily promoted

Walking past you are nearly knocked over by the noise. 🙂

Trams fares are only 170 Yen

A great way to get around the city, comfortable & cheap.

I think upstairs is some sort of shrine

I couldn’t quite work out if this was a shrine or a temple.

Part of the ritual

The people visiting here would step through this circle a number of times before continuing upstairs.

Toyoko Hotel

My budget hotel was in an excellent location, good rooms with free WiFi, for a great rate just book using THIS LINK.

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Earthquake damages Kumamoto Castle

November 19, 2016 by David Herd

Earthquake-Trams-food-Kumamoto-Kyushu-Japan

Kumamoto Tram

Earthquake damages Kumamoto Castle

Earthquake damages Kumamoto Castle, I was travelling on the Shinkansen from Hiroshima to Kagoshima & decided to spend 24 hours in Kumamoto to see the earthquake damage to the beautiful castle. I am very glad I stopped, firstly the damage was more than I expected, secondly Kumamoto turned out to be yet another very interesting Japanese city. The colourful efficient trams were a great way to move around the city.

Comfortable, cheap & efficient

My hotel the Toyoko Inn was in a terrific location but I couldn’t check in until 3 pm so I took a tram to the castle and walked around the perimeter.

First glimpse of the castle

My first reaction was there didn’t seem to be much damage, however I was totally wrong.

Not too much damage on this side

However the further around I went the worse the damage was.

The extent of the damage is starting to show

Naturally the castle is closed due to the damage and lots of work is being carried out.

Crumbling walls

Very few structures have survived the centuries since the castle’s construction in 1607. The original castle keep burnt down in 1877 just before the siege in in the Seinan Civil War.

Three years to repair wall

The city hopes to repair the main keep within three years, while the rest of the grounds are expected to require about 20 years to be fully repaired.

What a mess

Naturally as you would expect the castle grounds are closed to the public indefinitely until further notice. Knowing the nature of Japanese workmen they will ensure the repaired buildings and grounds will be close to perfect for the public to once again enjoy this great Japanese castle.