Exploring Kumamoto, Japan

After the rain, I took a walk around Kumamoto Castle. Grasses on the Sunayakushi-zaka slope looked very heavy with water drops on their heads. Location:  https://maps.app.goo.gl/mLH7LrC7LZtrBw6B7 Walking to the Plum Gerden, the plum trees were covered with fresh greenery and had changed their appearance! Please compare it with the photos from around April 7th in this link . Plum fruits have grown considerably. I looked around the garden, but I didn't see many plums. Location:  https://maps.app.goo.gl/LRtHxNDqNYuLVS1W8 Kumamoto Castle seen from Miyuki-Zaka slope. Kumamoto Castle can barely be seen through the greenery. Location:  https://maps.app.goo.gl/7oEeCAeByGmA9zqn6 A tourist was taking pictures of Kumamoto Castle at the same place as I was. Descending the slope from the plum garden and reaching the intersection with the Kumamoto City Tram street, you will find a rowan tree on the corner. Around this time of year, it blooms with beautiful flowers. Location: https://ma...

The other day, I had the opportunity to see the dawn scenery at Senomoto Plateau (920m above sea level), so I took some photos. Shortly before 6:00 a.m. on April 11, 2025, a contrail drew a straight line in the blue sky. The act of drawing lines on empty space seems to express "challenges to new things" and "hopes for the future." It's a simple scene, but it's one of my favorite scenes. Location:  https://maps.app.goo.gl/UvgXn2UZo17xXpRS8 If you look slightly to the side, you can see the Aso mountains in front of the swing at Senomoto Kogen Hotel. Sunrise on the plateau around 6:20am. The Aso mountains are illuminated by the morning sun. The side lighting shades the mountainside, creating a unique appearance. This photo of the Aso mountains was taken from the Kuju Kogen Observatory along the road, about 5km from Senomoto Kogen Hotel. This photo was taken around 9:30 a.m. The sky was cloudy. Location:  https://maps.app.goo.gl/Bx1r8HkCGGE4oXhL8

It has been 30 years since we lived in Kumamoto. We had always wanted to go to the Carp Streamer Festival (Koinobori matsuri in Japanese) in Tsubetate Onsen someday. However, we had heard that the festival was terribly congested with cars on holidays, so we avoided it, but this time we finally got to see it in person. It was about noon on a weekday when we arrived. There was no traffic jam and we were able to park smoothly in the free parking lot. It was well worth the trip. When we got out of the car and saw the countless carp streamers swimming, it was such a spectacular sight that my wife and I both exclaimed, "Wow!" Date: April 11, 2025 Location:  https://maps.app.goo.gl/J9cRWzcSfRXq3m5g9 Other photos: This is a short 4K video I took at that time. I hope it conveys a little bit of what the carp streamer festival is like. I think it's best to see it with your own eyes rather than watching a video. This year's festival will run until April 24th, 2025. 　

Today is April 14. Kumamoto Prefecture was hit by a series of major earthquakes on April 14 and 16, 2016 (the 2016 Kumamoto Earthquake). It has been 9 years since the earthquake. The main damage was in Mashiki Town, Kumamoto Prefecture, but there was also extensive damage in other areas, including the collapse of the Aso Ohashi Bridge here in Aso City. In Aso Shrine, the tower gate, a nationally designated important cultural property, was completely destroyed. The sight of the collapsed gate was a shock to many people. It took seven and a half years of post-disaster restoration work for the tower gate, which was completed in December 2023. We visited Aso Shrine for the first time after the restoration was completed. The tower gate was restored to its splendid appearance. Location:  https://maps.app.goo.gl/aVLuKGHjEortcBuDA On the day of the festival held during the cherry blossom season, tatami mats are laid on the road in the shopping street in front of the Aso Shrine. This is a u...

I watched the cherry blossoms in the San-no-Maru Park of Kumamoto Castle every day. The following photo was taken in late March (March 29) when the cherry blossoms were in full bloom. The cherry blossoms were shining white.   March 29,2025 Location: https://maps.app.goo.gl/2P4VR1kZqSEFVLuz9 The following photos were taken daily after they were in full bloom.   April 2,2025   April 3,2025 This year, after the cherry blossoms were in full bloom, the temperature dropped to midwinter levels, so the blossoms seemed to last longer. After the temperature recovered, it became spring weather and the cherry blossoms began to fall.   April 6,2025   April 7,2025   April 8,2025 The following video shows a series of photos of the cherry blossoms on April 7, 2025, taken approximately every hour from the time the sun begins to rise in the early morning until the sun sets. Depending on the direction of the sun, the cherry blossoms show various appearances. A Day of Cherry B...

The plum blossoms in Kumamoto, which bloomed 22 days later than average, reached full bloom in early March( See this blog ). About a month later, in the first week of April, the cherry blossoms in full bloom became the main topic of conversation in Kumamoto City. A few days ago (April 2, 2025), we visited the plum garden of Kumamoto Castle. The plum trees, in contrast to the cherry blossoms, were either full of leaves or left with only bare branches. Location:  https://maps.app.goo.gl/LRtHxNDqNYuLVS1W8 When we got closer to one of the leafy trees and took a closer look, we found tiny baby plums beginning to grow. On a different tree of another variety, baby plums with a reddish hue were growing. Last year (2024), due to the mild winter, it seems that the plum harvest in Japan was quite poor. We hope for a bountiful harvest. 　

The cherry blossoms in Kumamoto City, which had remained in full bloom for a long time, gradually began to fall as April began Cherry blossoms at San-no-maru Park 2025/4/3(Location: https://maps.app.goo.gl/LgSmaKrAn2B93puU6 ) In the evening, the wind grew stronger, and cherry blossom petals were dancing like a snowstorm at San-no-maru Park. 2025/4/2 (Location: https://maps.app.goo.gl/o9uiZSzaSfUxgb8q8 ) Cherry Blossoms Beginning to Fall at San-no-maru Park (4K Video) The row of cherry trees below San-no-maru No. 2 Parking Lot isn’t very crowded. It might be a hidden gem for cherry blossom viewing. 2025/4/3(Location: https://maps.app.goo.gl/KoS3vLSismnTMdgb7 ) Let's explore inside Kumamoto Castle. The cherry blossoms and Kumamoto Castle viewed from Miyuki-zaka slope. During this time of year, Miyukizaka is extremely crowded with tourists during the day. 2025/4/2(Location: https://maps.app.goo.gl/P572RDLeEr7WPXJFA ) 2025/4/2 The cherry tree-lined path of Hokke-zaka slope . The ch...