I wasn't all that keen to check out the castle up close and personal but Jelloman had different ideas. Since it's closing in about an hour, we decided to hurry up and started our hike up the hilly trail.
Kumamoto Castle is one of the largest fortified castles in Japan. Built between 1601 and 1607, it was only behind Osaka Castle and Nagoya Castle in terms of its footprint. Many famous battles were fought here so everyone was sad when the castle was partially destroyed during the April 2016 earthquake.
While some of the gardens were still intact inside the premise, the majority of the site including the colossal castle was very much in its rebuilding stage. After spending 10-15 minutes walking around the site, we already ran out of places to go. So, we turned around and made our way back to the entrance. The whole trip didn't take more than half an hour (Maybe they shouldn't open to general public at this point since it's not nearly ready).
Everyone was sweating in this hot autumn day and I couldn't help but spot Itsukiya Honpo (五木屋) on our way out.
Founded more than 8 decades ago, Itsukiya Honpo is a brand famous for its homemade fermented tofu and they have a little shop here on Sakuranobaba Johsaien (城彩苑 桜の小路) at the foot of the castle (a small marketplace setting).
While their tofu looked pretty nice, it was their tofu ice-cream that really caught our eyes.
The tofu milk ice-cream was pretty nice but it was no match for the soy milk ice-cream flavored with black sesame. Just love the deep soybean flavors.
Food Rating: 5.5/10
Price: ￥￥
Address: 1-1-2 Ninomaru ,Chuo-ku, Kumamoto, 860-0008 Japan
Tel: +81 (0)96-288-5500
Website: www.itsukiyahonpo.co.jp
Opening Hours: 9:00am - 7:00pm daily
Post a Comment
Please tell us what you think