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Introduction: How to use this page
Welcome!
This page provides annotated links to English information about Kumamoto, Japan. There is a surprising amount of information about Kumamoto available on the Internet but much of it can only be found after expending considerable time and energy searching the web. This page is an attempt to organize that information so that it can be utilized more efficiently.
The page developed as a by-product of the Kumamoto International mailing list. Much of the information indexed here was first introduced on that list. There is also a great deal of information about Kumamoto (for example, information about restaurants, spas, community issues, etc.) that may be found on the searchable archives of this list but is not indexed here. In addition, inquiries about Kumamoto may be addressed to the list. Accordingly, I strongly encourage all persons interested in obtaining information about the Kumamoto area to subscribe to the list and/or to search the archives.
In putting this page together, I have attempted to included lists of places, hotels, events, etc. that are described on the sites I have linked. I have done this so that viewers can use the search function on their browsers ("control key" + "f" on Windows machines and "apple key" + "f" on Macintosh computers) to locate information more efficiently. For example, if you are looking for information about the Aso area, you can search this page for "Aso." This search will take you to several different sites that contain some information about the area.
I hope you find the page to be useful.
Kirk Masden
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Accommodations
At this writing (November, 2007), information about hotels, minshuku (B&Bs) and ryokan (Japanese style inns) in Kumamoto is rather limited on the web. If you don't find what you are looking for in the links below, you may be better off using your phone instead of your computer. First, if you are looking for a place to stay outside of the Kumamoto City area, I would recommend calling the tourist association in the area. Click here to see a list of numbers for various areas in the prefecture. Second, you can look at the search results for "accommodations" in the Japan Telephone Directory iTOWNPAGE. To do so, click here.
This page provides links to English information about five youth hostels in Kumamoto Prefecture and many others in Kyushu.
This page includes reviews from users. At this writing the top ranked place to stay is a Bed and Breakfast (minshuku) called Higoji. The review is intincing but unfortunately there's no contact information. Seaching the web, I found that the formal name is "Minshu Higoji" and the phone number is 096-352-7860. Click here for the official web site (with English). Higoji is located near Hanaokayama (Mt. Hanaoka, north of Kumamoto Station (map). The web site says that it costs only 3,000 yen per night to stay there (without meals).
This page says that it allows you to "make a reservation at a ryokan (traditional Japanese inn) anywhere in Japan. " It has links to hot spring (onsen / spa) inns in Kurokawa and Aso. The site also provides a link to the Maruko Hotel in Kumamoto City.
You can either click on "Kumamoto" or click on the Kyushu area of the map on this page to look for hotels.
This site allows one to search for hotel throughout Japan (including, of course, Kumamoto) and to make reservations on line.
This site currently provides detailed information on one ryokan (Japanese style inn) in Tamana, in addition to ryokan in other parts of Japan. You can make reservations on the web.
This page provides information on one moderately priced hotel in the downtown area. The page says there is "Wireless LAN Access In Lobby."
Clicking the link show above will take you to a machine translation of a Japanese page about some capsule hotels in Kumamoto. There is quite a lot of information available, including comments by users and links to pictures of the facilities but the machine translations are rather hard to deciphe. For example, for some reason the katakana "capsule hotle" is translated as "tube hotel". Click here to read an essay by a foreign visitor to a capsule hotel in Tokyo.
Clicking on the heading above will take you to a machine translation of Japanese page with links to real estate information for Kumamoto.
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Books
This page has links to Kinokuniya and Marubun. Unfortunately, the main downtown Kinokuniya store is now defunct. For information about the new Kinokuniya store in Hikari no Mori, see the following: Main page from Kinokuniya site (Japanese), Map (Japanese).
Double Decker sells imported English educational products and character goods. Their stock includes childrens' books, DVDs, CDs, teaching materials, stationery, bags etc. In addition, they operate a charity book exchange. For more information, click here and here.
The page began as a post to Kumamoto-i. I thought it deserved more exposure so I made it into a separate page.
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Education
In addition to information about Kumamoto's national university, this "Visitor Information" page contains a series of well-designed and labled maps to illustrate the location of the university.
In addition to pages put out previously by the Office of International Programs and the library, the university has added overall explanations of the various faculties and departments and a campus map.
To learn about a labor dispute that occurred between foreign faculty and the Prefectural University of Kumamoto click here.
"Kyushu Lutheran College was founded as a co-educational liberal arts institution in 1997. It seeks to continue the heritage of the seventy-five year old Kyushu Junior and Senior High Schools and Kyushu Jogakuin kindergarten, with whom it shares a campus."
This list of links shows the names of the institutions in both Japanese and English, though the links are to Japanese sites. It is lists several universities and technical colleges (koto senmon gakko or kosen) that do not have English web sites.
In addtion to a link to "Combating Discrimination at a Japanese University" (a paper about the labor dispute at the Prefectural University of Kumamoto), this page contains links to the English pages of the following schools:
Kumamoto Kokufu High School, Luther Junior and Senior High School, Kumumoto Kita High School
"Jelly Bean English Pre School is in operation to accommodate preschool children between the ages of 4 - 6 years. All staff are experienced Early Childhood Educators."
According to the web page, "London Bridge was established in April 2000 by Jon and Michiyo Bennett. Having moved to Kumamoto from England, they were looking for a suitable school for their children. "
"A new style preschool that combines kindercare, conversation and playtime."
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Events
This is a machine translation (with the Japanese left visible) of "Kumamoto Town Kumamoto Eigakan Joho". The translations are very problematic and the display in your browser is likely to be very slow and skewed. Yet, I think access to this translated page will be a big step forward for movie fans who don't read Japanese. It should give you the clues you need to figure out what is playing where. Photos from the movies are particularly helpful. Be sure to scroll down to the bottom of the page and click on the link just above "The following ten affairs". There are quite a lot of movies that one might see in Kumamoto at any given time and the site only displays 10 at a time so you need to keep looking in order to get a complete idea of what is available.
This site is primarily in Japanese but includes English as well.
This page provides information on a large number of festivals throughout the year.
This large hall is the location of many major events.
This page supplies current information in English about expositions held at the museum.
This calendar is searchable. For example, you can search for all of the events listed for Kumamoto in a given month. The calendar is not complete but may be worth checking, particularly for information about events in other parts of Kyushu.
Clicking on the heading above will take you to a machine translation of a Japanese page with links to various Japanese sites that provide information about local events. As with the movie link above site that provides information about movies being shown in Kumamoto As with the movie link above, the machine translations are done through the Nifty / Global Gate translation site, with various mistakes. Still, if you are not able to read Japanese, the clues to local events that you can find here in the strange English translations prove to be very useful to you. If you would like to go to the original Japanese page, click here.
This page is no longer being maintained. For information on more recent events please see the archive of the "Kumamoto International" mailing list.
If you click on "Events Information" you can obtain information about various classes and social events to be held at the International Center.
This page is part of Kumamoto City's site.
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Health
This detailed and useful page is put out by the Kumamoto Internationial Foundation.
This page, which is put out by the U.S. Embassy, provides names, specialties, addresses and phone numbers of various English speaking physicians.
In addition to information on major medical facilities in the Kyushu area with foreign-language speaking doctors, this page also provides statistical information on the numbers of medical staff, facilities and beds in the various prefectures in Kyushu and an explanation of public medical insurance.
This is a machine translation of a Japanese page about services provided by the Kumamoto Medical Association. The page states that it has information about doctors who can provide medical consultations in a variety of languages: English, Chinese, Korean, Spanish, Portuguese, German, French, and Tagalog. Call 096-362-1221 to get specific information. The Kumamoto Medical Association used to maintain a web page with this information but, unfortunately, they took the page down.
According to their web page, the Agency for Cooperation in International Health (ACIH) has been established with the endorsement of the Japanese Government to participate in international efforts to improve healthcare throughout the developing world. The national headquarters is in Kumamoto City.
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Language
This site functions as a Kumamoto dialect to English dictionary. All of the Japanese words are presented in Roman letters (romaji). Unfortunately, however, I could not find any example sentences and the English translations may be rather problematic.
This school seems to be the best place in town to study Japanese intensively.
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Link collections
Probably the best short list of links to Kumamoto-related pages. The sites are ranked through Google's patented PageRank technology.
A good short list of links to Kumamoto-related pages, all of which are in English.
In addition to links (some of which are to Japanese-language pages), this page provides some basic statistical information about the prefecture.
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Local time
The analog-style clock you see above should show the correct time for Kumamoto. If you would like to double check, click the link shown above to see a page showing the local time in Kumamoto. If you would like to know the time in another part of the world (for example, in order to determine when to place an international telephone call), enter to country name or the name of a major city or state in the following form:
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Mailing lists
"Kumamoto International" is a forum through which foreign and Japanese persons can exchange information and ideas related to the Kumamoto area. To get a sense of the types and quality of information exchanged please have a look at the archives.
This group is for members of the international community in Kumamoto who have a passion for reading. As well as discussing books online, this forum can also be used to exchange, give away, buy and sell books and to organize reading group meetings in the Kumamoto area.
"A group for current JETs to exchange information about events, teaching materials, any ads, ... Former JETs are also welcome to participate to keep in touch with each other, and with what is happening in Kumamoto."
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Maps
This very useful map of the Amakusa area includes links to English pages that describe various tourist destinations in the area.
This page has links to several "WebBooks" (online pamplets). The Kyushu Map Code may be useful for drivers. Though not a map, I would also recommend the pamphlet about the Yamaga Lantern Festival to persons interested in that festival.
This page is part of the Kumamoto-International Wiki and shows the locations of various food stores on a Google map.
Walking Map of Downtown Kumamoto
This color-coded map is an excellent guide to facilities in the downtown Kumamoto area. The map is provided by the Kumamoto International Foundation.
This only allows you to zoom in a little. It may help you figure out where a town is relative to Kumamoto City, for example, but does not provide much beyond that.
I scanned this paper map to make it available digitally. I'm not sure who first put it out but it is fairly detailed and, I think, useful.
Japan National Tourist Organization: Kumamoto
The link shown above takes you to a page from which you can download a PDF map of downtown Kumamoto. The map shows the location of trolley (tram or shiden) stops. You can also get a PDF map of the Aso area from the same site.
The page has a complete map (that is, with all of the station names) of the tram (streetcar, trolley, or shiden) system in Kumamoto. This page also has a map of the Kumamoto Castle Loop Bus route and information about "one day free tickets" for bus and trolley lines. For a PDF map that shows the relationship between trolley stops and local geography see the Japan National Tourist Organization link shown above or click here. By the way, more detailed information about the trolley lines is available here.
This map does an excellent job of showing the location of most communities in Kumamoto and Kumamoto's relation to the Ariake Sea. Unfortunately, however, does not extend south of Yatsushiro.
This map shows the topography of the Kyushu area. You can see the basin in which Kumamoto City is located and the round outline of the Aso area.
This map may help friends and relatives understand where Kumamoto is located.
If you can handle Japanese on your computer, this site provides good maps of Kumamoto and other areas in Japan.
Mergers (amalgamations) of communities in Kumamoto
This map may help you understand the changes that have occurred in Kumamoto as a result of the national government's policy of encouraging the amalgamation of communities. The page is in Japanese with some machine translation.
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Miscellaneous
The following categories of telephone numbers are listed on this page:
Accommodations (Hotels, Ryokans, Real Estate Agents), Churches, Language Schools, Police Stations, Post Offices, Shipping, Tourist Information Offices, Travel Agencies
Wikipedia is a convenient source of basic information (population, etc.) of many communities in Kumamoto Prefecture. If you find that some information is missing, you may want to consider adding it yourself.
This English page is provided by a Japanese language site that is promoting free wireless access (WiFi) to the Internet throughout Japan. If you would like to see the Japanese version of the Kumamoto page, click here. The Japanese page provides links with more information about taking advantage of free wireless Internet service using your own laptop. If you're planning a trip to another part of Japan, you may want to click on "TO FREESPOT MAP" to learn about access points you can use on the way.
This site provides, among other things, information on: the Geography and Climate of Kyushu, International Schools and American School (the Daystar International School of Kumamoto is defunct), and Medical Facilities with Foreign-language speaking Doctors.
This page won't tell how to get a good meal in Kumamoto. The variety of oyster known as the "Kumamoto" is extinct, killed off by pollution.
If you're interested in ballroom dancing, look at this site.
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News
This link uses Google to search a wide variety of news articles for the keyword "Kumamoto."
This news service provides English translations of news items from Nishi Nihon Shimbun. It is sponsored by the Fukuoka Now! site.
Many local news events (often events originally reported in the vernacular press) are summarized in English then discussed on this mailing list.
This newsletter is put out by the Kumamoto International Foundation. You must have Adobe Acrobat to read it on line. Hardcopies are available at the International Center in downtown Kumamoto.
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Organizations (governmental)
Kumamoto Prefecture provides a profile of the area (which briefly introduces the history, nature and various facts related to the prefecture), a "Global Bulletin Board," and a site entitled "Industrial Recruitment & Location Web Site" which is directed as high-tech industries considering locating in Kumamoto. The "Global Bulletin Board" includes the following information:
Up-dates on Sister State Relationship, Kumamoto Prefecture Citizen's Association Bulletin Board, Connecting Kumamoto to the World, The Kumamoto Council for International Exchange, Data on Internationalization in Kumamoto.
This cite, put out by the city government, provides much useful information about Kumamoto. It includes the following:
About HIV Testing, English AIDS Consultation, Application Requests for Copies of the Family Registry, International Relations, Kumamoto City International Center, Newsletter Kumamoto, Kumamoto City Sightseeing, City Map, Downtown Map, Sightseeing Spots & Facilities, Events & Festivals, Flower Viewing Sites, Transportation, Convention Facilities, Sports Facilities, Libraries, Tourist Information, Today's View of Kumamoto Castle.
This site contains all kinds of useful information related to life in Kumamoto. There is also information about language classes and social events that are held at the International Center. The format and contents of this web site almost entirely new at this writing (March 2005). Click here to view the old front page and access links to older pages.
If you are new to the Kumamoto area, I recommend that you stop by the International Center. This page provides a simple map showing the location. I you don't have a computer to use in Kumamoto, you can check your e-mail and surf the net on one of the computers that have been placed in the Center for general use. One of many important services provided at the center is foreign language consultation (counseling). Foreign residents with legal problems in Japan should be aware that free legal consultations are available on every 3rd Saturday between 2-4 pm. The site indicates that it is a good idea to make an appointment in advance. A page entitled "Law and Life Consultation ", which is put out by the Council of Local Authorities for International Relations (CLAIR), says that the legal consultations are done by a "gyosei shoshi" (translated as "public notary") which is specialist in preparing applications and petitions etc. to government agencies. They are specialists in immigration law. Click here to view the original page in Japanese.
The web site of this association says that its purpose it "to strengthen the links between international exchange groups, and to promote international exchange and cooperation in Kumamoto." It does much less to help foreign residents of Kumamoto on a day-to-day basis than the Kumamoto City International Center (see above) but the web site advertizes a consultation service (counseling) someone similar to that of the International Center. In addition to general counseling and consultation, the web site indicates that they welcome inquiries about homestays and will help provide contact with related institutions (Medical Association, Bar Association and Immigration Bureau).
This little site tells you what the official bird of Kikuyo is and provides a few other facts. Click here to see a map show it's location.
This site provides useful information about spots visitors are likely to enjoy. There is also information about festival and other annual events.
Nagomi Town was created in 2006 when Kikusui and Mikawa merged. It is in Tamana Gun (county). This site provides useful information for visitors.
This site provides information on a few places to see, particularly the dinosaur museum.
These extremely basic pages provide extremely basic information about Ashikita.
The Kumamoto Prefecture "LINK" page says that this is the "latest web site of the Aso region. Full of information, from events to attractions, food and accommodations."
Minamata has become known internationally for the environmental tragedy that occurred here. Thousands of people were poisoned with mercury that was dumped into the sea. The disease caused by the mercury has become known throughout the world as Minamata disease. Now, the city is working to become known for its environmental responsibility. This site provides links to information on the environmental past and present of Minamata. One important link that is missing, however, is to the Minamata Disease Center Soshisha. This outstanding site is loaded with lots of excellent information in English. Beginners may wish to start by reading "TEN THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT MINAMATA DISEASE." This essay is also available in Chinese, French, and Japanese. I also recommend Minamata Disease Archives. In addition, The long road to recovery: Community responses to industrial disaster and Industrial pollution in Japan are two books that have been published in full on line (html format) that both have excellent chapters about Minamata disease. Finally, click here to see an image of W. Eugene Smith's most famous Minamata photograph.
Nagasu Machi advertises itself as the hometown of goldfish and Japanese carp. They have improved their website in the past couple of years (as of September 2005). Click here to see a map show it's location.
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Organizations (non-governmental)
This site provides information on the discrimination faced by individuals employed by the Prefectural University of Kumamoto.
This group helps foreigners "solve their problems including visa status, employment and labor condition, domestic violence and divorce, children's education and so on."
This page provides contact-information for local officers and some information about events. Though the Kumamoto JALT page does not contain a link to it at this time, I recommend that you look at the "JALT-bytes" archive to get a better idea of what sort of activies have been sponsored by the Kumamoto chapter of JALT. The Kumamoto JALT page provides information about how to subscribe to "JALT Bytes" (one cannot subscribe from the Yahoo! archive).
This organization is fighting the construction of a dam on the Kawabe River near Hitoyoshi. For more information about the problems associated with the construction of this dam and what you can do to help please see "Say "NO!" to the construction of the Kawabe River dam!."
"Nakakyushu Toastmasters Club (#6759-76), the first Toastmasters club in English in Kumamoto Prefecture, was organized in October 2001 and was chartered in March 2002."
During the late 19th and early 20th centuries Miss Hannah Riddell and Miss Ada Wright did very important work helping victims of leprosy (Hansen's disease) in Kumamoto. For more information on the activities of Miss Riddell and Miss Wright and the memorial hall or museum (kinenkan in Japanese) celebrating their achievements please click here. For information about the history of Hansen's disease in Kumamoto beyond the early 20th century see AN ETHICAL ANALYSIS OF LEPROSY CONTROL POLICY IN JAPAN by Michio Miyasaka of Niigata University.
"Friendship Force" is an international organization with chapters all over the world. The mission statement of Friendship Force International says that the "mission of Friendship Force International is to create an environment where individual friendship can be established across the international barriers that separate people." As I understand it, Friendship Force clubs frequently arrange to visit or be visted by a club in another part of the world. Click here to view the Friendship Force International web site. The history section of the site says that Friendship Force International was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize in 1992.
This page, provided by the Kumamoto International Foundation, lists telephone numbers, e-mail contact addresses and other information about the following organanizations:
Kumamoto Lao Friendship Association (Laos), Kumamoto YWCA, Kumamotoken Japan China Friendship Association, GA Kumamoto (Indonesia), Amnesty International-Kumamoto, KIEP (People's Republic of China, Republic of Korea), Kumamoto Junior Chamber Incorporated, Japan Comittee for UNICEF Kumamoto Area Comittee, We Love Children (For better understanding of poverty, medical and social issues in developing countries)
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Restaurants, bars and grocery stores
This page is a collection of links to messages that have been posted to the Kumamoto International mailing list about various restaurants and bars in Kumamoto. It also has links to places that offer Internet access (wireless as well as computers you can walk in and use).
This page is part of the Kumamoto-International Wiki and shows the locations of various food stores on a Google map.
These sites are not based in Kumamoto but allow people here (and in other parts of Japan) to have foreign foods sent to one's home. By the way, The Flying Pig is also a good place to buy a region-free DVD player.
This page is organized by location (i.e "Shimotori" or "Kamitori"). There are few phone numbers or details about exact locations but the page should give you some ideas of what to look for.
This site provides information on the following Japanese restaurants in Kumamoto:
Tagosaku (kaiseki), Tokuichi (basashi/horse meat, karashi renkon/lotus root with mustard) , Fujinoya (basashi/horse meat), Tateki (deep-fry), and Komurasaki (ramen).
The following restaurants are reviewed:
Aoyagi (Japanese), Fontana di Otani (Italian), Koshintei (Japanese), Senri (Japanese), Shingen Chikai (Japanese), and Tao-Li (Cantonese).
This page, which is part of the Kumamoto Hometown Homepage site, features information about the following establishments:
Keika Honten (ramen), Japanese Restaurant Ginnan, Bauhaus (gourmet coffee store), and Kusaha Mochi Honpo (tea salon).
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Sightseeing
This site has information in Japanese, Chinese, and Korean as well as English). It used to have a lot more information but this seems to have been thrown out by the prefecture.
There are some great videos about cultural life in Kumamoto but you need a very fast internet connection and a powerful computer to enjoy them.
This outstanding site by Andrew Chambers provides information on onsen (hot springs), activities/recreation, accommodations, bars and restaurants, festivals and events, and more!
This is still new but, if Wikipedia is any indication it will grow and become quite useful.
Many factories in the Kyushu area that offer tours are listed on this site in English. At the writing (December 2005) the following factories in Kumamoto offer tours in English:
Kumamoto City Recycle Plaza Information Plaza, Kumamoto Industrial Exhibition Center Grandmesse Kumamoto (offers Spanish as well as English)
If you do not speak Japanese but can get someone who can interpret for you to go with you, there are many, many other tour options that you may find useful.
This outstanding site provides information on the following:
Look back a bit (Kumamoto Castle); Transportation (phone numbers for car rental agencies may be useful); Main Street (a clickable map showing the locations of several spots introduced on the site); Places to Visit (Kumamoto Castle, The former Hosokawa Gyobu-tei residence, Honmyo-ji Temple, Suizen-ji Joju-en Garden); Museums and Park (Residence of Janes, Tokutomi Kinen-en, Natsume Soseki Memorial Museum, Kumamoto Museum); Outdoor Activities (Kumamoto-shi Plant and Animal Park [zoo], Tatsuda Nature Park, Lake Ezu-ko); Local Food (Keika Honten [ramen], Japanese Restaurant Ginnan, Bauhaus [gourmet coffee], Kusaha Mochi Honpo [tea salon]); Arts, Crafts, and Specialties (Higo Inlay, Shodai-yaki ware, Raw Horse Meat, Higo Dengaku, Tangerine Brandy, Seafood); Festivals and Events (Plant Market, Hinokuni Festival, Fujisaki Hachimangu Shrine Grand Festival); Koizumi Yakumo (Lafcadio Hearn); Dialog (a few words in the Kumamoto dialect).
This site is worth checking out. I would particularly recommend their "Useful Information" page. Topics include banks and post offices that can help with currency exchange (including a map clearly showing the locations of most of the banks and post offices mentioned), ATMs at which you can use credit cards to get cash (here, too, with a map), tourist information centers (with phone numbers), information about inexpensive interpretation and guide services, information about city buses and trolleys (street cars; again, with nice maps). There are also downloadable maps of the city but at this writing (November, 2007) their resolution is rather low so their usefulness is limited.
This site provides information on the following places in Kumamoto:
Kumamoto Modern Literature Museum, Tokutomi Memorial Garden, Hosokawa Mansion (Hosokawa Gyobu-tei), Natsume Soseki Memorial Hall, Kumamoto Castle, Suizenji Jojuen, and Kumamoto Terrsa (hotel, fitness club and restaurants).
This site provides information on the following places in Kumamoto (in addition to many other places in the Kyushu area):
Oura Catholic Church (Amakusa), Tsujunkyo Bridge, Mt. Aso, and Suizenji Park.
Frommer's presents information on the following places:
Contemporary Art Museum, Hosokawa Mansion (Kyu-Hosokawa Gyobutei), Kumamoto Castle, Kumamoto Prefectural Art Museum (Kumamoto Kenritsu Bijutsukan), Suizenji Garden (Suizenji Jojuen).
Frommer's also has information on places to shop (including information on where to buy Higo Inlay or damascene and other items for which Kumamoto is known), Kumagawa kudari (shooting the Kumagawa rapids), places in Kumamoto where one may obtain visitor information.
A former JET named Kevin Cassell describes his experience in Amakusa on this page.
VirtualTourist members can (and to some extent have) posted information about the Kumamoto area here.
This site is a must for anyone who loves waterfalls. It is very comprehensive and the photos are quite good.
This site provides photos and introductions to:
Kyokushi Town; Yabe Town Suge; Kikuka Town Fukase; Yabe Town Shiraito; Izumi Village Momiki; Ryugatake Town.
This is a nicely organized, useful site for those interested in sightseeing. It includes information on the following:
Kikuchi-Keikoku Ravine, Aso, Hitoyoshi. (Kumagawa River Kyusendo), Amakusa, Kumamoto City
The page provides basic information (addresses, phone numbers, hours, etc.) for the following museums in Kumamoto:
Yatsushiro Municipal Museum (Yatsushiro shiritsu hakubutsukan); Kumamoto Prefectural Arts & Crafts Museum (Kumamoto-ken dento kogeikan); Kumamoto International Folklore Museum (Kumamoto kokusai mingeikan); Kumamoto Prefectural Museum of Art (Kumamoto kenritsu bijutsukan).
The remarkably complete introduction to Kumamoto seems to have been put up by a private individual. It contains explanations about the follwoing:
Honmyoji Temple, Kumamotojo Castle, Kumamoto Prefectural Traditional Crafts Center, Kumamoto International Folkcraft Museum, Suizenji-Koen Park, Shimada Art Museum, Prefectural Museum of Ancient Ornamental Burial Mounds (Kao Town), Yachiyo-za Theater (Yamaga City), Mt. Aso, Asozan-nishi Ropeway Station, Aso-sancho (Top of Mt. Nakadake)
This is the web site seems to have been put together by a visitor to Kumamoto's largest amusement park.
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Travel
The link above conducts a search of NTT's Japan Telephone Directory (iTownPage) to find the phone numbers and contact information of travel agencies in Kumamoto. More local phone numbers can be accessed from links I have placed in the "Miscellaneous" section of this "Kumamoto Links" page.
The following links are to messages posted to Kumamoto International about local travel agencies:
This convenient page allows you to search for schedule and pricing information about trains and airline flights between any two stations in Japan.
I made this page to help people who unable to or have difficulty reading Japanese use NEXCO Nishi Nihon toll calcultor.
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Weather
This is a page of links and supplementary comments on Internet weather sites that provide weather forecasts for the Kumamoto area.
This page is provided by the Japan Meteorologic Agency and, in addition to information about official warnings and advisories for the Kumamoto area, contains links to earthquake information and a UV index.
This is part of the Kumamoto Prefecture's site. It is in Japanese but the information is presented in a visual manner that may also be useful to persons who do not read Japanese. Click on the map to get more detailed information about an area in Kumamoto. When you click on a particular area, the key you will see on the right presents the warning levels for landslides, flooding, and high tide, in that order from top to bottom. If you are particularly interested in river levels click here for Kumamoto or click here for all of Kyushu. On the page showing river levels in Kumamoto, the rightside up triangles indicate that river levels are going up while the upside down triangles indicate that they are declining. A blue triangle indicates that the river is not at a level high enough to require the flood reaction units (suibodan) to be put on call, yellow means they have been put on call, orange means a flood warning has been issued, pink means evacuation is required, and red means that a flood has occurred. On the page for all of Kyushu (which is less detailed but easier to understand than the page for Kumamoto) grey means a flood warning has been retracted, yellow means a flood warning (chui), red means a high level warning (keikoku), orange means danger (kiken), and black means a flood has occurred. Finally, click here to see where landslides are more likely and how high the danger level is at the moment. Blue simply means that it is raining in the area where you see the blue mark. Yellow, orange, and red signify increasing levels of danger. Red means there is extreme danger. Orange means that we are less than one hour away from red (if rain continues unabated), and yellow is less than two hours from red.
This page is provided by the Japan Meteorologic Agency. Note that the times and dates a UTC (Coordinated Universal Time) so you need to add 9 hours to the times you see. The Japanese version of the page gives the times in local (Japanese) time and provides other information (wind speeds, etc) that is not on the English page. A site called "TropicalStormRisk.com", which is maintained by University College of London, is an outstanding source of information on tropical storms throughout the world, including East Asia. The site is particularly useful because it displays information about the intensity (i.e. "category") of each storm in a clear, color-coded format. Also, click here to view a page with a wide variety of links to sites providing information about tropical storms near Japan and other parts of the world.
This site is maintained by the Center for Climate System Research at Tokyo University. For more information, see Health and Environmental Impacts of NOx.
This outstanding page provides information on average temperatures, precipitation, average number of rainy days, etc. for each month of the year based on thirty years of data. You can choose to view the tempertures in Celcius or Farheinheit by clicking on the symbols toward the top of the page.
If you feel the earth shake and want information about the extent of the quake and its epicenter, go to this page, which is put on by the Japan Meteorological Society. Be sure to check the time listed for the earthquake information to see if it corresponds with the time of the earthquake you felt. This page is constantly updated so a small earthquake that occured somewhere in Japan after the quake you felt may be the first information you see. If that is the case, you can click on "Previous Informations" (sic) to find the information about the quake you felt. If you need information about the JMA seismic intensity levels (shindo), click here. You may also be able to find some information of interest on the IRIS (Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology) seimic monitor page.
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