When it comes to Japanese winter food, it’s all about hot Ramen which makes your “body” warmer. Tamana Ramen is one of the most famous local foods in the northern part of Kumamoto prefecture. Tamana city is crowded with about 16 Ramen shops, which are at a high level.

Yachiyo-za is a theater which was established by gentlemen in 1910. Traditional style of building as a theater in Edo area still remains in this theater such as box seats, balcony seats and turning stage in two storied wooden building, and there still are performances in this theater in recent years. When you visit to see this theater, a guide will give you a interesting presentation for highlights of the theater. There will be a dance performance, which is called “Yamaga-doro Dance”, on the stage by women dancers put Yamaga-doro, which is one of government-designated traditional crafts, on top of their heads. The dance performance is powerful enough to induce audiences to the dream-like world and to enable them to forget daily life.

Here is detail on regular performances of “Yamaga-doro Dance’.

Before the dream-like stage of “Hyakka Hyakusai/ Yamaga-doro Dance”, it’s time to bathe in a hot spring as it’s a cold winter. It is highly recommended to visit Hirayama Onsen in this prefecture. Texture of this hot spring has outstandingly smooth thick consistency other than these hot springs reviewed similarly. It enables to warm up your “body” and gradually as well as your “soul” as the scenery of Onsen town brings you on a feeling of warmness in a cold winter day.

It is not exaggerated to say that this is a one of the climax of this trip. A lot of art works, which are made of Japanese umbrellas and bamboos, are decorated all over the town, and it makes the scenery as otherworldly atmosphere with the evening twilight. Even though it is a street at cold night, with the light gently brows in the wind, you can feel warm in your “soul”.

Reigando Cave is at the foot of Mount Kinpu, where is located in the west of Kumamoto City. The statue of Goddess of Mercy, called as Iwato Kannon, is enshrined  inside the cave. And "Musashi Miyamoto” had stayed in this cave and written “The Book of Five Rings”, a book of swormanship.

In the last, I’ll introduce Kumamoto Castle. The castle tower of Kumamoto castle is now under construction, but when it’s lit up, you can see the air of dignity and dream-like. And it would be also a good experience to visit this castle during the renovation periods once in several hundred years. Please come and enjoy the solemn breathtaking scenery. (as of October 2019)