The Cube

From takachiho Gorge Footpath

Takachiho is located in the northern Miyazaki Prefecture. It is known as a spiritual place, as it is said to be the site where the Shinto Sun Goddess, Amaterasu hid herself after disturbed by her brother's (the Storm God) cruel pranks. Takachiho is also known as a "power spot" - a spiritual spot and natural beauty.

Getting to Takachiho from Kumamoto
I chose the easiest and hassle free commute, by bus. I bought a return ticket, ¥4,110* to Takachiho Bus Center from Kumamoto Bus Terminal. Bus departs at 9:22AM and reached Takachiho at 12:38PM. Bus company that run at this service time is Miyazaki Kotsu (Miyakoh). At Kumamoto Bus Terminal, the bus departs from stop #26, to the left of the ticketing office. The bus I was on came with complimentary wi-fi.
Note: *All websites indicated that it is ¥2,370 one way though

Happy meal sustenance on bus

Getting to Takachiho Gorge from Takachiho Bus Centre



The short answer is... I walked. It took about 3 hours on bus and another 30 minutes or so by foot to get to the Gorge. Repeat on the way back. Before I launched into long winded answer, I just want to put it out there that I've seen a package offering online for return bus to Kumamoto, return shuttle bus to the gorge and a beef lunch. I didn't get that but I saw a couple of people who went on the same bus as me printed out an itinerary that indicate that. So there is an alternative option if you chose not to drive and prefer not walk.

Machinaka Tourist Information Centre is located opposite the bus centre. Both centres have washroom services. I popped into the tourist info centre to grab a brochure before I went on my way. Just so happened that on the day of my visit it was also Takachiho Shrine Annual Spring Festival.

This is the first traffic light, turn left here

As you walk out of the tourist info centre (i.e. tourist info is behind you), turn left and walk straight till you reach a set of traffic lights. Turn left here again and continue straight on. Along the way you'll pass by Takachiho Shrine.



It takes about 15 minutes to walk from the bus centre to Takachiho Shrine.


There were signs along the way to assure you that you are still on the right path and to indicate how far more to go.


The roads after were straightforward and no other roads to accidentally turn into. After going down some winding road (just like the map), you'll reach the gorge area!

This is taken from Mihashi Bridge

Takachiho Gorge (高千穂峡, Takachiho-kyō)
Entrance fee: Nil
Rental boats fee: 1 boat ¥2,000, capacity 3 person, time 30 mins
Rental boats opening hours: 8:30-16:30 (may vary depending on season)


Takachiho Gorge was formed by erosion from pyroclastic flows during ancient eruption of Mt. Aso spreading through Gokase River. Inside the gorge is the iconic 17-meter high Manai Falls. One of the best way to get closer to the waterfall is by renting a rowing boat.


There was a queue to the rowing boat. I was alone and don't trust my navigation skills nor arm strength so I skipped this.


Takachiho Gorge Footpath
This pathway is alongside Gokase River and leads to more greenery, Kihachi's Rock and Yaritobi Bridge. I saw a sign that it would also continue back to Takachiho Shrine but I wanted to grab some stuff from the shops and wasn't sure how long it will take to get to the shrine via this route.


Kihachi's Rock (Kihachi-no-Chikaraishi) is a big 200-ton rock, where according to legend it was thrown by Kihachi. Kihachi was a demon who was known for evil deeds. When one of the ancient gods in Japan, Mikenuno-Mikoto came after him, Kihachi was said to have thrown this rock to show off his power.

Kihachi's Rock

This triangle formation of bridge is known as Takachiho Three-Stage Bridge (Takachiho Sandan-Bashi). This formation is made up of Shinbashi Bridge (nearest / lowest) and Takachiho Bridge from the Showa era, and Shinto Takachiho Bridge (furthest) from the Heisei era.



Nagashi Somen at Chiho no Ie
I've always wanted to try nagashi somen so that was it for lunch.


I chose somen noodle set meal.



I was assigned a seat nearest to the spout where the noodles started flowing out, and may have let 2 lots of noodles flowed away while I took some photos...


Fear not, the noodles will be collected at the end and brought back to you.


It was a fun eating experience but the food overall is just mediocre.

Dessert of cremia soft serve with matcha powder ice-cream, ¥550. Creamy and milky.



Takachiho Shrine (高千穂神社, Takachiho Jinja)
Yakagura performance: ¥700


My visit to Takachiho happened to coincide with Takachiho Shrine Spring Festival, which is held on April 16 annually. The festival prays for peace and good harvest. When I got to Takachiho Gorge the sacred shrine was at gorge. I didn't see when the shrine went on a parade around town. However, on my way back, I saw the procession returned to the shrine.




If you are staying overnight in Takachiho, don't miss the nightly Yokagura (夜神楽, night dances). A full yokagura is a series of 33 episodes but the nightly performance is a shortened one-hour version. Yokagura is a reenactment of the legend where Amaterasu went hiding after her brother's cruel prank. She refused to come out and the world was in darkness. In attempt to lure Amaterasu out of her hiding place, one of the goddess, Ame-no-Uzume performed and/or led the rest in a ribald dance causing the rest of the gods to roar with laughter. Amaterasu left her hiding place in curiosity to see the commotion and thus, returned light to the world.


I returned to the bus station after that to catch the 16:57 bus back to Kumamoto. Near the bus centre, there were some stalls selling food and games. Arrival time at Kumamoto Kotsu Center scheduled to be 19:56.

Dinner was a simple meal at Yayoi-ken back in Kumamoto.

Grilled saba meal, ¥630

Side note: This Grand Super Cart running on Amaterasu Railyway looks interesting!

First item on my to-do list was to sort out my bus tickets for the coming days, so my first stop was to the Kumamoto Kōtsū Center Bus Terminal (熊本交通センター). After sorting out the tickets, I crossed over to Sun Road Shinshigai Shopping Arcade to find my lunch destination. The hostel host recommended 2 ramen shops - Akanoren and Kokutei. According to her, both serve local flavour ramen. She likes Akanoren and Kokutei is a very famous shop. I headed towards Akanoren but it wasn't open, looks like only open from dinner to late. So Kokutei it is.


Kokutei Ramen (黑亭)
Getting here by tram: Hanabatacho (9)

I went to the branch on Shimotori Arcade, a long shopping strip that goes on for a few blocks. Kokutei at this branch is located at the basement. Ordering and paying via a vending machine and passing the tab to a service staff.


No prize in guessing which one I ordered - Tamagoiri ramen, ¥900. I opted for two fresh egg yolks, or you could also swapped it for soft boiled egg.

Hello cholesterol!

KUMAMON Square
Getting here by tram: Suidocho (12)


KUMAMON Square is located in Tetoria Kumamoto Building (East Building of Tsuruya Department Store). This is where you can meet the square's sales manager, Kumamon. There is a timetable posted up on their website of Kumamon's whereabouts. He is usually available in his office at 3.00PM. Just so happened that by the time I finished lunch and strolled there, it was still pretty early. I didn't want to hover around till 3PM or backtracked when I was circling Kumamoto Castle, so I missed meeting Kumamon. Don't be like me, go see him ok!

Sales manager out of office

I continue my stroll along the shopping strip and picked up some snacks on my way towards Kumamon Castle.

There was some sort of market and I spotted fresh ichigo daifuku on sale. There were options of red or white bean. I chose the one with red bean. I was a fair bit away from the stall when I had a bite, it was so good that I was still nearby, I would've bought another one right way.

Ichigo daifuku, ¥170

To console myself because I didn't have a second daifuku, I bought another snack. This is a version of taiyaki but in the form of kumamon, maybe it is called kumamon-yaki? I bought the one with seasonal filling of red bean with mochi. It is like oshiruko but dried version! It wasn't too sweet so was good but could be because of the small portion.

Kumamon-yaki, ¥170

Kumamoto Castle (熊本城, Kumamoto-jō)
Getting here by tram: Kumamoto Castle/City Hall (10)


Kumamoto Castle is one of the three famous castles in Japan's top 3. The other two are Nagoya Castle and Osaka Castle. Unfortunately, the castle was seriously damaged in the Kyushu earthquake in 2016. I stayed 2 nights in Kumamoto, 15th and 16th April, exactly 3 years after the earthquake.  Currently the inner grounds remain closed to public but it is still possible to circle the castle from outside.



Katō Shrine (加藤神社, Katō-jinja)
Getting here by tram: 9 minutes walk from Kumamoto Castle/City Hall (10)
Entrance fee: Nil



Katō Shrine is where Kato Kiyomasa, lord of Kumamoto in the late-14th to early 15th centuries is enshrined. This feudal lord designed Kumamoto Castle which was constructed in the early 1600s.


Sakura-no-baba Johsaien (桜の馬場 城彩苑)



The name means cherry blossom riding grounds and is located at the bottom of Kumamoto Castle. There's a cultural centre "Wakuwaku-za" located here, as well as many restaurants and souvenir shops along Sakuranokoji Shopping Arcade.


As the day was still early when I left the Kumamoto Castle grounds and I had a 1-day tram pass, I made my way to Suizenji Jojuen Park.


Suizenji Garden (水前寺成趣園, Suizenji Jōjuen)
Getting here by tram: Suizenji Park (18)
Entrance fee: ¥400


This spacious Japanese style landscape garden was built by the Hosokawa family in the 17th centry, over 3 successive feudal lords and took about 80 years to complete. Jojuen was said to be named after a character in a poem written by Tao Yuanming. The fresh springs in the garden flows from Mt. Aso via underground currents.

The layout of the garden represents the 53 stations of old Tokaido highway from Kyoto to Tokyo. One of the most recognisable landscape of the garden is the miniature Mount Fuji.



Suizenji is also a favourite spot for cherry blossom viewing but by the time I was there, the petals were on the ground barred a few. A bit like I stepped to the ground after Byakuya had his bankai. [insert hashtag dramatic]


After that I returned to Shimotori Arcade for dinner. In my midst of contemplating of what to eat, I was too late to grab discounted cooked meals at the basement of a supermarket. I ended up grabbing a cream cheese teriyaki burger from MOS Burger, ¥390 before returning to the hostel to check-in.



Side note: Detective Conan, episode 720-721 (Kumamoto part episode 721)

Kumamoto (熊本) is a major city in Kumamoto Prefecture. The most famous attraction in Kumamoto  is its castle, even when it is not open to public currently due to reconstruction work following damage in the Kyushu Earthquake on 14th April 2016.

Mentaiko omusubi for breakfast

Getting to Kumamoto from Nagasaki
There is bus option but I went with shinkansen. I bought the 5-day Northern Kyushu Area pass and made the seats reservations the day before. I took the Ltd Exp Kamome 12 and transferred to Shinkansen Sakura 547 at Shin-Tosu. Google map gives options of transportation but I like Hyperdia for breakdown of train time and costs.

Kumamoto Train Station, JR complimentary wi-fi available

Kumamoto City Tram
I initially made a reservation at a hostel near the train station but later on changed my booking to one nearer to Kumamoto Kōtsū Center Bus Terminal (熊本交通センター) as well as the castle. One can get bus tickets in advance in this bus terminal or if you are using SunQ pass, this is also where you can make reservation for the seats in person, if calling isn't your thing. (Note: If you ring for bus reservation, you'll need to call different bus company if you are going with different companies)

This is stop B8 Senbabashi 洗馬橋

I bought the Kumamoto City Tram 1 Day Pass for ¥500, otherwise it is ¥170 per trip. The pass is a flip up card, also with route map printed on the back of the pass.

It is a flip up ticket but I collage the pictures side by side. Front (left) and back (right) for the ticket.

Like above photo, left is top, right is bottom

Like how Nagasaki's streetcar pass, just need to present the scratched off area of the 1-day pass to the conductor before getting off. Free wi-fi is available when riding the tram.

Once you are within the central area, most of the attractions are within walking distance.

Dyeing and Hostel Nakashiyama (染物宿之中岛屋)
This hostel is only open for female guests. If I am to describe the hostel in Nagasaki as modern co-working hub hostel, this one is a cosy, traditional ryokan. A complete opposite but very beautiful home. This hostel is frills-free - no breakfast provided, towels and toiletries are not provided but if needed, can be purchased.

Location wise, it was perfect. It was about 10 minutes walk to the bus terminal, 5 minutes away from Gofukumachi, A5 (呉服町) on tram line A and less than 5 minutes from Sensabashi, B8 (洗馬橋) on tram line B.

Check-in counter manned by Kumamoto bear

I arrived before noon but check-in time is not till 4:00PM. The hostess allowed me to drop my bag and I asked for some recommendations for lunch. I only saw the entrance bit of the hostel when I arrived but after returning later at night to check-in, I was wowed, the place was cosy and beautiful.

Entrance

Kitchen on first floor (i.e ground floor)

Staircase leading up to second floor

Lounge area

See the 3 strings with Totoro, Kiki Delivery Service and Frozen pictures and invitation to pull? I pulled the one with Totoro, and the audio for Totoro's movie started after I heard some machine running sound. I initially thought it works like music box where it only plays the first few minutes but it went on and on. It was late at night and I was really sleepy but stayed there waiting for it to finish. I didn't even switched on the TV to check if the movie was playing, so I am not sure, it could be a movie or just an audio book. By the time the movie reached the part Kanta's grandmother went over to their new house, I decided to give the string another tug and it finally stopped. Haha.. imagine if I waited till the movie finished!

Dorm

One of the powder room

Side note: I'm amazed how staying at home not doing anything works wonder in flu recovery.