Sorry… didn’t have much energy the last week or so. I’m trying to catch up now.

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The main reason for me visiting Kumamoto was to see Kuya Carlo again after a long 10 years. 

Similarly to Osaka I’m condensing this down a bit:

Day 1:

I was slowly but surely feeling the effects of bad and too little sleep. Physically and mentally. 

So the first morning was pretty slow. I slept in and tried to do some planning throughout the day. In the evening I was picked up by Carlo 🙂 We went for some Izakaya with a couple of colleagues of his.

The food was really good, but the Karaage was the one that blew me away!

Day 2:

On the 2nd day Kuya had put together a great sightseeing plan. Salamat!

In the morning we went to visit Kumamoto castle which was spectacular. It offered great views over the city and was an architectural masterpiece.

For lunch we went to one of his favourite spots. It was a restaurant famous for its Aburasoba (basically ramen without the broth). I took the spicy one. Kuya recommended adding some cheese (parmigiano). And let me tell you. It was fockin delicious!

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In the afternoon we made our way into the mountains. 

First stop was a really enchanting spot. It was a shrine built around a cave. As legends have it a famous sword man spent about 5 years there meditating and writing books.

The main attraction imo was 500 statues of buddha disciples. Dotted along the way to the cave it was definitely a sight to behold!

The cave gave off a very serene vibe. I felt at peace.

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After the cave we headed to a bamboo forest. It wasn’t as extensive as Kyoto’s, but definitely a lot less touristic, which made it feel a lot more special.

There we met a really sweet elderly farmer’s couple. Another one of those moments that showed me that the world ain’t all bad after all.

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On the way back to the hotel Carlo showed me what a second hand super store looks like in Japan. It’s on a whole other level. From Cameras, to guitars, to clothing, to golfclubs. They even had a raclette grill!!!

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To finish the night off we went to Kuya’s favourite music bar. A great little nifty spot with an awesome sound system. 

There Kuya showed off his shredding skills with the electric guitar. Sugoi!!!

Hontoni arigato kuya!!! ♥️

Day 3:

To do something for myself I did my first jogging on my trip. It felt really good, but of course I haven’t done any since…

I had to do some planning for Mt. Aso which was my next stop.

Other than that I had a rather slow day to recharge some energy.

To finish the day off I had an amazing local dinner set. 

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My first time in Kumamoto was amazing! Thank you!