Travel Date: 2025/08/13-18
This summer we once again traveled to Japan, this time to Kumamoto. It was our second visit to Japan, but to be honest, I didn’t feel very excited at first. I had actually wanted to visit Korea instead.
Last year, we went to Japan by cruise and the experience left me feeling bored and uninterested. We had too little time to explore, and I thought Japan wasn’t for me. But this time was completely different! After spending a few days in Kumamoto, I totally changed my mind - Japan is an amazing place to visit. Lesson learned: don’t take a cruise if you really want to get to know Japan.
Our flight happened to be scheduled on the same day as Typhoon Podul. The day before, we weren’t even sure if it would be canceled or delayed. Luckily, everything went smoothly.
We had to wake up at 3 AM and probably slept no more than two hours. We drove to Taoyuan, parked at Dayuan Car Parking, and took the shuttle to the airport. Until we reached the parking area, there wasn’t much rain, but the wind was so strong that the highway had warnings against using elevated sections. Still, we arrived safely.
The airport was quiet, so check-in and boarding were very fast (unlike flying back to Europe). The flight to Kumamoto was short - less than two hours. We flew Starlux Airlines for the first time. Their food was tasty, though salted pork rice at 8:30 AM felt a bit heavy for breakfast. Sadly, I didn’t get a window seat and the flight was too short to finish a movie, but I liked how quick it was compared to our 32-hour trip back to Poland!
Arriving in Aso Kumamoto Airport
Everything went very smoothly at Kumamoto Airport too - it took only about 30 minutes.
This was technically a work allowance trip for my husband, so we traveled with a few coworkers and their families. Luckily, it wasn’t a big group, and after taking some required photos together as proof of travel, we mostly explored with just one coworker and his father. They had rented a car, so we shared costs and transportation. My husband didn’t want to drive in Japan, and taking buses wouldn’t have been convenient for the places I had planned.
I’ll write separate posts with more details, but here’s a quick overview of our itinerary:
- Kumamoto Castle and nearby shrines
- Suizenji Jojuen Garden
- Aso Volcano and nearby Kamishikimi Kumanoimasu Shrine – one of the most amazing experiences!
- Yamaga Lantern Festival and the Thousand Lantern Dance
- Shopping on the last day (since evenings in Japan end early and many shops close by 8 PM)
Getting to Kumamoto City
We took the bus from the airport to the mall (about 1 hour). The distance isn’t far, but Japanese speed limits (60–100 km/h) and traffic make the ride longer. I was impressed by how drivers always stop for pedestrians - so different from Taiwan! Hardly any scooters either, which made crossing the road stress-free.
Bus tickets cost 1000 yen for adults and 500 yen for children. You can easily buy them at the airport vending machine, and staff with signs help guide passengers to the right bus. Even with limited English, communication wasn’t a problem.
The bus station being inside a shopping mall was super convenient. Before checking in at the hotel, we found food and explored the shops. There are tax-free stores, convenience stores, restaurants, and a big Daiso.
Shops close early (8–9 PM), and after that, even the escalators stop, leaving only elevators. The supermarket inside the mall was the best we visited during the trip. But fruits? Way too expensive. We bought three peaches for 260 NTD, and one was rotten inside. They weren’t even sweet. Honestly, Taiwan fruits taste much better and are cheaper.
On the other hand, sushi from the supermarket was fantastic—fresh and sweet, much better than what we get in Taiwan at Costco or Sushi Express.
Where We Stayed
We stayed at Daiwa Roynet Hotel, a great choice in a very convenient location. It’s close to Kumamoto Castle, Shopping arcades and Sakuramachi Shopping Mall, which also has the main bus station.
The hotel itself was fine, but honestly, the room was too small for a family of three. There wasn’t much space around the bed, and we all had to share one bed, which was very inconvenient. The first night was terrible - eventually, I gave up my spot and slept at the foot of the bed by my husband’s and son’s legs. Surprisingly, that turned out to be the best decision, since I wasn’t kicked all night by our son. The only real problem was the quilt—it was difficult to cover all three of us at once.
It wasn’t easy to find a hotel room in Japan that could accommodate all of us - we would have to get 2 separate rooms, which is quite different from our experiences in Taiwan or Poland, where rooms usually have either two beds or a bed plus a small sofa for the child.
We chose a room without breakfast (which would have cost an extra 400 NTD). The room itself was around 2600 NTD per night, which I think is very cheap compared to Taiwan, where downtown hotels are often expensive but of poor quality. In contrast, this hotel in Japan was very clean and mostly quiet (except for one family speaking Chinese - the mother often yelled at her child).
Fresh towels and bottled water were provided daily (optional). Room cleaning was mandatory every three days; simply leaving trash outside didn’t count, as staff would still enter to clean.
Overall, I think this hotel is a great choice for couples or for a business travel, thanks to its convenient location. It also offers coffee and tea, vending machines, coin laundry, an ice machine, and a microwave for guest use. The staff were friendly and spoke English, so communication wasn’t a problem. The only downside was booking - since we reserved through Booking.com, the hotel didn’t provide any contact option other than a phone number, which made it difficult to confirm the reservation beforehand.
Around Kumamoto City
The city has a tram system with many stations. A single ride costs 200 yen for adults and 100 yen for children, no matter the distance. That means short rides aren’t worth it, but for longer ones it’s fine. If you plan to ride multiple times, buy a one-day pass for 500 yen - unlimited rides!
Apart from Daiso, I recommend visiting 3COINS for affordable and cute items. Unfortunately, the one near us was small, so some things I wanted (like cups I saw on YouTube) weren’t available.
One thing I found confusing: prices are displayed before and after tax. The pre-tax price is printed larger, so it’s easy to think something is cheaper than it really is. Don’t be surprised when the final bill is higher! As a foreigner, you can usually get a tax refund if you spend over 5000 yen, though not all shops (like Daiso) qualify.
During the day, Kumamoto felt incredibly safe and calm. But after 10 PM, the atmosphere changed. Suddenly, many women in flashy outfits appeared, clearly looking for business. Bars and alcohol shops became more active, and children were no longer allowed in many places. Normally, we wouldn’t be out that late, but one evening after returning from Yamaga, we looked for food and noticed this shift.
Cleanliness and Politeness
Japan impressed me with how clean everything was, despite very few trash cans. Streets, rivers, even drainage water looked clear and fresh. No cigarette butts, no random garbage - so different from Taiwan.
People also keep to themselves. Nobody stared at me or pointed out that I’m a foreigner. Japan is quiet, and honestly, we felt like the noisy ones! If we did hear noise, it was usually in Chinese - from tourists from Taiwan, Hong Kong, or China.
Even at the hotel, the loudest guests were Chinese-speaking families, with kids running wild. I have to admit, compared to Japanese children, kids in Taiwan (including my son sometimes) are much louder and less disciplined. Taiwanese parents often just let kids do what they want, while in Japan, there’s a noticeable sense of order and respect.
This trip completely changed my impression of Japan. While my first cruise trip left me bored, this visit to Kumamoto was full of history, nature, culture, and discoveries. Japan is clean, safe, polite, and fascinating.
I’ll share more detailed posts about each place we visited, but for now, I can confidently say: Kumamoto was worth it!
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