Day 5 - Unzen to Kumamoto

From probably the hardest day of cycling of this tour to possibly the easiest.  After all, what goes up, must come down.  Leaving Unzen to the East involves a short climb, but after that, it is freewheeling all the way to the coast.  The 10km descent is reasonably narrow but the turns are sweeping so I don't recall having much need for brakes at all.  We were fortunate to strike almost no traffic on the descent.

After the ferry ride it is a very pleasant, flat run through rice fields and then following the river into Kumamoto.  The total cycling distance is just on 40kms.  

Route

Stay and Eat

We found the Mitsui Garden Hotel Kumamoto to be a good location with a tram stop just a block away and the Castle within easy walking distance.  There was a good lockup where our bikes were able to be stored.

We arrived at Tengaiten Ramen about 15 minutes before opening to find a queue had already formed.  The short wait ensured we managed to get seated as soon as the doors opened.  The char siu ramen is probably my second best ever ramen in Japan.  

See and Do

Kumamoto Castle is the big attraction in town.  I had a vague memory of hearing about the 2016 Kumamoto earthquake but was shocked to see the extent of the damage.  Whole wall sections have been reduced to a tumble of loose rocks, galleries collapsed to the ground and towers dangling above their collapsed ramparts.

The nearby Traditional Crafts Centre is a good browse with many options for more authentic, quality souvenirs.  

We also took in the Museum of Art.  It's an approachable sized collection with a number of pieces that caught our eye.

With only one day (two nights) in Kumamoto, we were unable to make the logistics of getting out to the Mt Aso volcanic region and Takachiho Gorge work.  You really need a car.  If you can, adding another night or two in Kumamoto and adding these to your itinerary would be well worth it.