Conference tour-Dinner

Kumamoto Castle

Kumamoto Castle is a hilltop Japanese castle located in Chūō-ku, Kumamoto in Kumamoto Prefecture. It was a large and extremely well fortified castle. The castle tower (tenshukaku) is a concrete reconstruction built in 1960, but several ancillary wooden buildings remain of the original castle. Kumamoto Castle is considered one of the three premier castles in Japan, along with Himeji Castle and Matsumoto Castle. Thirteen structures in the castle complex are designated Important Cultural Property. Kumamoto-jo was ranked number one in the "castle you want to go again” Trip Advisor Japan in 2013.

The Main Towers

The area around the main towers and the Hon-Maru Goten was destroyed by fire for three days before the Seinan Rebellion began. The cause of fire is unknown.The present main towers were rebuilt in 1960 to restore the castle's exterior.The larger main tower has 6 stories with a basement and about 30 meters above the stone fence,and the smaller main tower has 4 stories with a basement and about 19 meters in height. Exhibitions and historical relics of the tow ruling feudal families, the Kato's and Hosokawa's as well as of the Seinan Rebellion are housed in the tower buildings.

Sakura-no-Baba Jousaien Castle Town

This recently opened tourist spot features a number of interesting areas for visitors to Kumamoto to explore. The main attraction is the Sakuranokouji historical castle town area, featuring shops and restaurants that offer souvenirs and specialty foods unique to the Kumamoto region. Next to this is the Wakuwaku-Za, a facility where visitors can experience some of Kumamoto's special history and culture in a variety of hands-on, interactive exhibits. A general tourism information desk is also located within Johsaien, with plenty of information on interesting historical and cultural sites throughout Kumamoto City and Kumamoto Prefecture. Information is available in English and a number of other languages as well.

Buffet restraint 「GINNAN (ぎんなん)」

We apologize for not being able to visit Aso area as scheduled due to Aso volcano eruption warning.

Kumagawa River

Kuma River (球磨川, Kuma-gawa) is a river in Hitoyoshi, about 80 km from Kumamoto City. It is 115 km long and has a drainage area of 1,880 km².
It is considered to be one of the three most rapid rivers of Japan (the other two being Mogami River and Fuji River).

Kuma River is a popular tourist spot. About 70,000 tourists take a ride on the river every year. The river is also used for fishing, mainly in June, and for irrigation of nearby rice fields. It then empties into the Yatsushiro Sea.

Miso and Soy Sauce Traditional Factory

Miso (みそ or 味噌) is a traditional Japanese seasoning produced by fermenting soybeans with salt and the fungus Aspergillus oryzae, known in Japanese as kōji (麹), and sometimes rice, barley, or other ingredients. Miso is still widely used in Japan, both in traditional and modern cooking, and has been gaining worldwide interest.

Miso and Soy Sauce Traditional Factory located 10 minutes from Hitoyoshi Station. In this factory we will see how miso and soy souce are prepared traditionally.

Kyusendo Cave

"Kyusendo” is the largest limestone cave in Kyushu. It was discovered in march 1973 and extends for about 4.8 km. It is the nature mystery of 300 million years.

Many stalagmites, stalactites, limestone, and flowstone can be seen In this cave.

Stalagmites is a type of rock formation that rises from the floor of a cave due to the accumulation of material deposited on the floor from ceiling drippings. The corresponding formation hanging down from the ceiling of a cave is a stalactite. Limestone is a type of speleothem (cave formation) in the form of a stone dam. Flowstones are composed of sheet like deposits of calcite formed where water flows down the walls or along the floors of a cave.

Sake Traditional Factory in Sengetsu Shuzo Co. Ltd

In case of the bad weather, we will go to Sake Factory instead of Kumagawa River.

Sake Traditional Factory in Sengetsu Shuzo Co. Ltd also very popular tourist attraction in Hitoyoshi. Sengetsu has limited and special Sake products which are derived from “delicious rice” in Kumamoto Prefecture as well Saga, Chiba, and Iwate.

Sake is an alcoholic beverage of Japanese origin that is made from fermented rice. Sake is sometimes referred to in English-speaking countries as "Rice Wine". However, unlike wine, in which alcohol (ethanol) is produced by fermenting sugar that is naturally present in grapes, sake is produced by a brewing process more like that of beer.

JAPNESE Cusina 「SHIROMIYAGURA (城見櫓)」