World Travel GuidesKumamoto Prefecture (熊本県) Travel Guide


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Landscape of Kusasenrigahama at Mount Aso, Kumamoto Prefecture
Landscape of Kusasenrigahama at Mount Aso, Kumamoto Prefecture
Author: 날개 (Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported)



Kumamoto Prefecture (熊本県) is a prefecture on the central western part of Kyushu Island in southern Japan. It covers 7,404.14 sq km and has a population of 1.8 million people (2011 estimate). The capital is also called Kumamoto.


Suizenji Japanese Garden in Kumamoto, Kumamoto Prefecture
Suizenji Japanese Garden in Kumamoto, Kumamoto Prefecture
Author: 663highland (Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported)

Kumamoto Prefecture is bordered by Fukuoka Prefecture to the north, Oita Prefecture to the northeast, Miyazaki Prefecture to the east and Kagoshima Prefecture to the south. It faces the Ariake Inland Sea to the west. As with the other prefectures of Japan, Kumamoto Prefecture was created during the Meiji Restoration of 1871. It was formerly known as Higo Province.

Kumamoto Prefecture is the location of Mount Aso, the most active volcano in Japan. It is located in the eastern part of the prefecture.


Tsujun Bridge, Kumamoto Prefecture
Tsujun Bridge, Kumamoto Prefecture
Author: Eiko (Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic)

Visiting Kumamoto

You can reach Kumamoto by taking the Kyushu Shinkansen bullet train from Fukuoka (50 min, ¥4990) and Kagoshima (60 min, ¥6760). From Honshu Island, you can take the Sanyo Shinkansen from Osaka (3 hr 20 min, ¥18,020), Okayama (2 hr 30 min, ¥16,030) or Hiroshima (1 hr 45 min, ¥12,970) to Kyushu Island, and change to the Kyushu Shinkansen.

You can also fly to Kumamoto, arriving at the Aso-Kumamoto Airport (KMJ), which receives flights from Tokyo-Haneda, Nagoya-Centrair, Nagoya-Komaki, Osaka-Itami, Kobe and Seoul-Incheon, among others. It's an hour by shuttle bus from the airport to Kumamoto (¥670).


Kurakawa Onsen, Kumamoto Prefecture
Kurakawa Onsen, Kumamoto Prefecture
Author: hiroooooki (Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic)







Cities of Kumamoto Prefecture

  1. Kumamoto - capital
  2. Amakusa
  3. Arao
  4. Aso
  5. Hitoyoshi
  6. Kami-Amakusa
  7. Kikuchi
  8. Koshi
  9. Minamata
  10. Tamana
  11. Uki
  12. Uto
  13. Yamaga
  14. Yatsushiro

Tourist Attractions of Kumamoto Prefecture

  1. Kumamoto Castle
  2. Mount Aso
  3. Suizen-ji Japanese Garden
  4. Tsujun Bridge


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