In Kumamoto Prefecture, one of the few popular tourist attractions in Kyushu, Japan, there are not only transportation hubs and convenient shopping experiences in metropolis, but also many historical tourist attractions with super popularity, as well as the popular mascot "Kumamon" known to the world. Walking in the streets of Kumamoto, you can see Kumamon in MengMeng everywhere. He is a famous figure that China tourists are very familiar with and love.

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Kumamoto Prefecture is the center of Kyushu, and the Kumamoto metropolitan area outside Japan's three metropolitan areas is formed with Kumamoto as the center. Kumamoto Prefecture is known as the "country of fire", and there are different opinions about its origin. Some people think that it is because there are many active volcanoes in Kumamoto Prefecture, and others say that the territory of Kumamoto Prefecture in ancient times was "the country after fat", which was called "the country of fat" or "the country of fire" with the same pronunciation as "the country of fat" in Japanese.

In any case, the well-known elements such as Kumamon, kumamoto castle, Kumamoto Lamian Noodles, Kumamoto horse meat, Yasu volcano, etc. have ignited people's curiosity to come to Kumamoto to find out. Then let's feel the charm of the country of fire with our hearts.

Transportation

Arriving at the airport: Fukuoka Airport or Kitakyushu Airport

By train: Take the JR Shinkansen directly to Kumamoto

Schedule overview

DAY1 Kumamoto, Kumamoto Prefecture

kumamoto castle, Sakura Racecourse City Caiyuan, tasting Kumamoto Lamian Noodles, Shuiqian Temple Park, Cool Mameng Square and experiencing the hand-made "Fat Elephant Embedding"

JR Yasu Station, Yasu Shrine, Menmachi, Yasu Neimu Hot Springs, Neimu Hot Springs Hotel

DAY3

Songyue Scholar's Museum, boat tour in Liuchuan City, Fukuoka Prefecture, and steamed eel rice (Yuanzu Benjiwu)

Experience the "THE RAIL KITCHEN CHIKUGO" sightseeing train

Map overview of the railway station

. In this bustling metropolis, the quaint old town streets and kumamoto castle, one of the three famous Japanese cities, are still preserved. From the Edo era to the Meiji era, Kumamoto was the largest city in Kyushu. It was set up as Kumamoto in 1889 and was one of the first cities in Japan to be set up as a "city". Soseki Natsume, a famous Japanese writer and great writer, called Kumamoto "the capital of forests". He lived in Kumamoto for five years, and his old home with his family still remains in Kumamoto, which is also a very popular scenic spot.

rich historical background and natural beauty, attractive food and lovely Kumamon and animation culture. With the changes of the times, Kumamoto has always stepped on a steady pace. Its change, unchanging appearance and new look attract visitors of different ages.

(This picture shows kumamoto castle before the earthquake)

Visiting historical cities

kumamoto castle, Osaka City and Nagoya City are also called the three major Japanese cities. When you travel to Kyushu, you must not miss kumamoto castle. It is a witness to Japanese history, an important scenic spot to understand Japanese history and culture, and a famous cherry blossom viewing resort in spring. The picture shows what kumamoto castle looked like before the earthquake, but since the 216 earthquake, the stability of kumamoto castle has been destroyed, and reconstruction has begun here, and it has not been opened to the outside world. Except for seeing the scenery outside the city wall, I can't appreciate the beauty inside. The restoration work in kumamoto castle continues, and some areas have been opened for visit. It is expected that in the spring of 221, Tianshou Pavilion will be fully restored and open for internal visits.

Chengcai Garden is located in Sakura Horse Farm at the foot of kumamoto castle. As a symbolic building of Kumamoto, kumamoto castle shoulders the heavy responsibility of publicizing local food culture and historical traditions and enhancing the charm of kumamoto castle and Shimonoseki. Under this concept, the color garden of Sakura Racecourse City came into being.

In Chengcai Garden, you can feel the charm of Kumamoto. Of course, food from all over the world also gathers here. You can enjoy the food at the dining place, or you can eat while walking and enjoy the nostalgia of Shimonoseki. There are "Yong Yong Zuo" where you can experience Kumamoto's history and culture, and "Sakura Path" which serves Kumamoto's local snacks and local products. The street view of Shimonomachi in the Edo era is reproduced in the park, and it is interesting to walk here.

among Kumamoto's many delicacies, Lamian Noodles is the most famous and popular. Kumamoto Lamian Noodles cooked chicken ribs with dolphin bones, and made a white turbid soup head, which was refreshing and delicious. Thin and straight noodles with black fungus, roasted garlic slices and sesame oil, its unique flavor is unforgettable when you taste it. The aroma of roasted garlic slices is slightly bitter, which makes people's appetite double.

After tasting Kumamoto Lamian Noodles, I came to the scenic Shuiqian Temple Park, which was built in 1636 for 8 years. The park is centered on the pool where the underground water gushes out, and rockeries, pumice and pine trees sublimate the beauty of the park to a dripping and exquisite level. Chengqu Garden is built around the pool water in the center of the garden. There is a shrine on the north side and a "energy stage" on the south side to perform traditional Japanese dance music-energy music. Both of them were built during the Meiji period.

The most interesting part of Chengqu Garden is in the hilly area of Chidong. It is said that this area is a back-to-back garden built by imitating the scenery of Tokaido (Tokaido 53 post) between the three bridges of Edo Japan Bridge and Kyoto in the Edo era, and you can also experience the tea ceremony in the garden.

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Looking for Kumamon

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In Minister Kumamon's office, there is a photo of the whole wall, which is very chic. Besides, when Minister Kumamon is here, he can also watch stage performances. So be sure to remember to go to the official website to confirm the timetable before you go!

Another recommendation for my trip to Kumamoto is the experience of making Kumamoto's traditional handicraft "Embedding the Fat Elephant". Embedding other materials on decorative materials can be experienced through "light-assisted embedding of fat image". Don't forget to make an appointment in advance

When I came to experience the "Fat Elephant Embedding Light to Help", I actually met Kumamon, the "Minister of Business and Minister of Happiness" in Kumamoto Prefecture again. What a surprise! I was so happy!

carefully place the small pure gold and sterling silver ornaments on the bear-shaped iron plate with tweezers, and then knock them carefully with a mallet.

after that, the project will be handed over to the skilled craftsman. The finished product will be delivered in two weeks. Unique in the world, it belongs to my business minister and happiness minister Kumamon.

Decorations embedded with fat elephants are also displayed in the shop. The fat elephant inlay is a kind of metalworking elephant inlay, because the gold and silver embedded in the pattern are not doped with any other materials and do not use pigments, so the fat elephant inlay can give full play to the charm of gold and silver and reflect the heavy feeling and elegant beauty of samurai culture. After the fat like embedded and kumamoto castle, have a history of more than 4 years.

Asu City is located in the center of Asu area in the northeast of Kumamoto Prefecture, and its main urban area is located in the north of the crater basin formed by Asu volcano. Asu area is one of the most famous active volcanic areas in Japan. It is famous for its large-scale crater-breaking compound volcano. It consists of five volcanoes, namely, Zhongyue, Gaoyue, Chengdao Yue, Eboshi Yue and Genziyue, and forms a central crater group, which is called "Asu Wuyue". The five mountains in Asu have been volcanic since prehistoric times, and the surrounding areas can witness the geological traces of different times and get a glimpse of the long history. It is also a hot spring resort in Kumamoto.

The cutest train on the surface

The biggest highlight of the train is the parent-child design that can be seen everywhere. The rows of seats are large and small, and the children's small seats are specially arranged on the side of the window to facilitate the viewing.

The whole train is not designed with sharp objects near the ground, and the corners of the seats are also grinded into proper radians. The car is equipped with panoramic seats that can enjoy Asu Wailun Mountain and look forward to the scenery on both sides of the car, as well as a playground and picture book library. It's really fun!

In front of the promenade,

There are also various designs related to kuro dogs in JR Asu Station, and there is a stationmaster's room designed for kuro for tourists to take photos. The comprehensive consultation office of "Ashu, the Road Station" next to the station has Chinese consultation, and you can also temporarily leave your luggage. Starting our trip to Asu from here, the first stop is Asu Shrine, the landmark building of Asu.

The Ashu Shrine is said to be an ancient shrine with a history of more than 2,5 years, with the crater of Mount Ashu as a symbol of the gods, offering sacrifices to 12 gods of his family. It has a cross-participation road, which is also extremely precious and rare in Japan, as well as a "wishing stone" that can make people's wishes come true and a "pine of high sand" that prays for good marriage. It is regarded as an important cultural asset of Japan.

Menmenmachi, as its name implies, is a street near Asu Shrine, where the ancient style is gurgling and it is very retro in Japan. The characteristic of Qianmenmachi is that each shop has a different taste. Although it is not big, it is very interesting to decorate. Walking here is the best way to spend time.

Unlike the pedestrian street in front of other places of interest, the shops on both sides of the street here are selling products with local characteristics. The facade of the shop is decorated in a quaint style, and some small things are also collected by shopkeepers from all over the world. After buying snacks, you can choose to sit in front of the door and taste it slowly. In winter, if it is after the snow, sitting by the oven and enjoying the snow scene while eating snacks has become the protagonist of Japanese idol drama.

The proud Neimu Hot Springs

are distributed in the hot springs around the world's best caldera and volcano Asu Mountain, and are always called Asu Hot Springs Township. Among them, the largest hot spring street is Asuneimu Hot Spring. There are many restaurants in Wenquan Street, which is also the location of the 21st episode of the famous Japanese film and television drama "The Story of Yinjiro".

There are a large number of hot springs and hot spring hotels in Neimu, with different facilities, ranging from Japanese-style hotels to large-scale hot spring resorts and small and medium-sized hotels for family travel to meet the needs of all kinds of people. In addition, it is also known as the city of literature, which has been loved by many great writers since ancient times. Natsume Soseki, the farmer Yamagata, and others have visited this place, and Natsume Soseki also created "Two Hundred Days" on this stage.

In Neimu Hot Spring, the room where famous writers in Meiji era, Xie Ye Tiegan and Yosano Akiko once lived is still well preserved. The hot springs here introduce a slightly turbid source of beauty into Tang Chi, which can enhance the skin's moisturizing power.

while soaking in water, you can enjoy the vastness of the land. The fertile grassland stretches all the way to Eboshi Mountain, and you can see grazing horses from time to time. This kind of scenery is like a song, and it is also interesting. Therefore, Kumamoto is proud of Kyushu in the baptism of time, whether it is food, natural scenery or historical humanities.

From Kumamoto to neighboring Fukuoka, our trip to Kyushu continues. Liuchuan City is a city in the south of Fukuoka Prefecture. There are many canals in the city, and it is a beautiful town, also known as the water capital. This is the hometown of Hakushū Kitahara, a poet, a student of Mr. Zhu Zhiyu (Zhu Shunshui) (a native of Yuyao, Zhejiang) who lived in Japan, and the hometown of Anton Temple, a "great Confucian in the West Sea" in Japan. The friendship between teachers and students between Zhu Zhiyu and Anton Temple is legendary in the local area.

The first floor of the Songyue Scholar's Museum is the Songyue Wharf Office, where you can take a boat trip to Liuchuan. Before boarding a boat trip here, you might as well visit the second and third floors of Songyue Scholar's Museum. There once gathered many literati, and it was the place where the short song magazine Duomo, edited by Hakushū Kitahara, was held, and the birthplace of some literary works such as Kyushu Literature, edited by novelist Liu Hanji. Today, the museum also displays the articles and photos they left behind. There are more scholars who have lived and traveled in Liuchuan temporarily, so Liuchuan, a water town, is also known as the hometown of literature.

It is the best way to swim in Liuchuan by boat, which means to travel along the river by boat. There are several routes. The boat is shaped like five fish, and the boatmen who wear hats and hold boats with bamboo poles sing boat songs, which is quite local. Liuchuan people have set up 32 literary monuments for those literati-poems, songs and sentences, all of which stand on the banks of the river, and the boatman will point them out to introduce them to tourists. If time and physical strength permit, it is suggested to take another literary walk along the "waterside promenade" by the river.

among all kinds of Japanese food, eel rice is believed to be a classic delicacy suitable for all ages. Liuchuan used to be a famous producing area of eels, and there are many eel shops in the city. When it comes to eels, it generally means "roasted eels". The oldest eel shop in Liuchuan, which was founded in 1681, "Yuanzu Benjiwu" is the birthplace of steamed eels.

When most people come to Liuchuan, they will queue up at Benji House in Yuanzu, and we are no exception. When you walk into this Japanese mansion, you can smell a thick eel fragrance. The atmosphere in the store is reminiscent of Japanese restaurants and hotels, wooden stairs and traditional decorations, which make people feel like sitting in the scenes of film and television dramas.

We ordered "Steamed Eel to Order Food". When the lid of the red lacquer box was opened, a faint steam came out, accompanied by a thick eel fragrance. Rice soaked in brown sauce is covered with a large piece of eel, and there is a large piece of eel under the egg. This is the largest quantity of eel rice in the store, and the rice pressed under it has absorbed enough soup, not to mention how fragrant it is.

The biggest difference between steamed eel and steamed eel is the taste. Steamed eel will not reduce the water content in the fish, which breaks people's impression that the eel is burnt dry. Q-elastic cotton glutinous rice is very appropriate to describe steamed eel.

There are two other eel dishes in the order, namely, pickled eel cold dish and boiled eel. As the name implies, white roast is an eel baked without sauce, which embodies the original flavor of eel. Benjiwu is the most famous eel rice store in Liuchuan. The ceremonial dining environment, the process of finding fragrance in deep alleys and the super-high quality eel rice all bring endless aftertaste.

novel experiences "track kitchen" and "slow train"

In Japan, novel experiences of delicious food and fun are endless. No, West Rail's new sightseeing train "THE RAIL KITCHEN CHIKUGO" has also started operation. Sitting in the train to start a romantic nostalgic journey, accompanied by food, is very recommended. It can not only show you the scenery of Tsukuji area in Fukuoka Prefecture, but also make the whole train a mobile kitchen.

Railway travel is a travel mode chosen by many people, and there are also many experienced railway fans in Japan. Use local