Enjoy Magnificent Nature and a Wide Variety of Attractions! 13 Recommended Sightseeing Spots in Kumamoto for Family Trips

Kumamoto has attractive spots scattered across the area, including places to enjoy natural scenery, historic sites, shrines and temples, zoos, and hands-on facilities.
Many places are inconvenient to reach by public transportation, so especially for families with children, renting a car allows you to plan your schedule freely and travel comfortably.
It also makes it easier to choose rest stops and places to eat based on your child’s pace, and luggage is easier to manage.
In addition, it is easy to travel from central Kumamoto City to areas such as Aso and Amakusa, so you can efficiently enjoy a variety of sightseeing experiences in one day.
With a rental car, your family trip will be even more fulfilling.

If you are not using a rental car, we recommend exploring mainly around Kumamoto City, which has good transportation access.
The city has a well-developed bus and streetcar network, and you can reach popular sightseeing spots such as the zoo, Kumamoto Castle, and museums from the city center using only public transportation.
There are also plenty of restaurants and shopping facilities, creating an environment where even families with children can go out comfortably.
There is also a wide variety of accommodations, including many family-friendly hotels and ryokan, so you can stay with peace of mind.

The Aso area is surrounded by magnificent nature and offers plenty to see, including volcanoes, grasslands, and hot springs.
It is also perfect for families with children, with many athletic facilities, farms, and hands-on sightseeing spots where you can play freely in the vast natural surroundings.
You can also enjoy scenery that changes with the seasons and gourmet food made with local ingredients.
For families who want to play to the fullest in nature, we recommend staying in the Aso area for several days and enjoying a relaxing time.
A full and satisfying experience awaits both children and adults.

Suizenji Jojuen Garden is a strolling garden that uses spring water.
Its origins date back to when Lord Tadatoshi, the first feudal lord of the Hosokawa family, built a teahouse on this site where underground water from Aso wells up.
Later, the third lord, Tsunatoshi, carried out large-scale garden construction, and it came to be called “Jojuen” after a poem by Tao Yuanming.
Within the garden stand Izumi Shrine dedicated to the Hosokawa family, a Noh theater, and the Kokindenju no Ma relocated from the Kyoto Imperial Palace, while cherry trees and pines, floating stones decorating the pond, and an artificial hill modeled after Mt. Fuji still convey the atmosphere of the Edo period today.

Kumamoto Castle is a famous castle built in 1607 by Kato Kiyomasa. It was constructed using the most advanced technology and labor of the time, and later became the stage for many important events in Japanese history.
During the Satsuma Rebellion in 1877, the castle tower was destroyed by fire, but it was rebuilt into its current form in 1960.
Later, it suffered extensive damage in the 2016 Kumamoto Earthquake, but restoration of the castle tower was completed in March 2021. Be sure to enjoy the spectacular view from the top floor of the newly strengthened and restored tower.

Sakura-no-Baba Josaien is an open-air tourist exchange facility at the foot of Kumamoto Castle that recreates a castle town from the Edo period.
It features restaurants where you can enjoy Kumamoto’s local gourmet food, shops where you can discover local specialties, and facilities where you can learn about Kumamoto’s history in a fun way.
At “Sakura no Koji,” where more than 20 restaurants and shops line the street, you can savor famous local foods from around Kumamoto Prefecture, including horse meat sashimi, Akaushi beef from Aso, and seafood from Amakusa.
There is also a wide selection of light snacks perfect for eating as you walk, such as ikinari dango, horse meat minced cutlets, sea urchin croquettes, and Jintaiko soft serve ice cream.

Mt. Aso is the collective name for a group of volcanoes, including the Aso Five Peaks, that developed inside a depression (caldera) formed by four massive eruptions Approx. 270,000 to 90,000 years ago.
Railways run through the caldera, and Approx. 50,000 people live in the three municipalities of Aso City, Takamori Town, and Minamiaso Village, making it one of the world’s largest volcanic regions.
Daikanbo is located on the northern side of the caldera rim (outer rim mountains) and offers views over the large-scale collapsed terrain.

The Aso Caldera is vast, and its outer rim mountains stretch for Approx. 128 km around.
The scenic road that runs for 45 km along the northwestern ridgeline is Prefectural Route 339 Kita-Gairinzan Ozu Line and Route 45 Aso Park Kikuchi Line, commonly known as “Milk Road.”
It was originally a farm road used to transport milk from ranches along the route, which is why it came to be affectionately known by the nickname Milk Road.
As the name suggests, green grasslands like pastureland continue along the roadside ridge of the outer rim mountains.

Aso Farm Land is a health promotion facility produced by health experts, with a vast site of Approx. 1,000,000 m² filled with a variety of facilities for both adults and children to enjoy.
It offers plenty of spots where you can spend the whole day, including exercise facilities, an interaction park, hot springs, gourmet food, and hands-on facilities, and you can also stay overnight in dome-shaped hotels in the forest.
If you want to play using your body to the fullest, head first to “Genki no Mori.”
Approx. 70 types of exercise equipment are installed in a space that makes use of the natural forest and valleys, allowing visitors to enjoy full-body exercise suited to their age and physical strength.

Kumamon, Kumamoto Prefecture’s PR character, serves as the prefecture’s sales manager and happiness manager.
He travels all over to share the charms of Kumamoto.
Sales of Kumamon-related products such as merchandise are said to be nearing a cumulative total of 1 trillion yen.
Kumamon Square is the office of Kumamon, the super civil servant.
If your timing is right, you may even get to meet Kumamon.
Much of the space is taken up by an interaction area that can be described as Manager Kumamon’s reception room.

In March 2020, “Kumamon Port Yatsushiro” was completed at Yatsushiro Port, a logistics hub in southern Kyushu, as a facility capable of receiving some of the world’s largest international cruise ships.
Around the passenger terminal, facilities have been developed including “Kumamon Park,” a relaxing park themed around Kumamon.
A total of 84 Kumamon statues, large and small, welcome visitors.
On the site of more than 20,000 square meters, there are plenty of photo spots where you can take pictures with all kinds of Kumamon, including “Big Kumamon,” Japan’s largest Kumamon statue at 6 m in length, and the “Kumamon Chorus,” where 54 Kumamon statues with different expressions are lined up in a fan shape.

This zoological and botanical garden boasts a vast site near Lake Ezu in Higashi Ward, Kumamoto City. It exhibits Approx. 700 animals of 130 species and Approx. 50,000 plants of 800 species.
In the animal zone, you can see elephants, giraffes, golden snub-nosed monkeys, and more, while at “Touch Ai Land,” you can interact with goats and guinea pigs.
The botanical zone features a Japanese garden and an arboretum, and you can also view tropical plants in the large greenhouse and orchid room.
The amusement park zone has a Ferris wheel and merry-go-round, making it popular with families with children as well.

The “Monkey D. Luffy Statue” was installed on the Prefectural Office Promenade in 2018.
It was built to commemorate Kumamoto-born manga artist Eiichiro Oda receiving the Prefectural Citizens Honor Award, and as a symbol of recovery support following the Kumamoto Earthquake.
In front of the Monkey D. Luffy Statue is a photo spot with an AR function where you can take pictures with Luffy using your smartphone. Other statues of the Straw Hat Pirates members are also scattered around Kumamoto Prefecture.
It has become one of the sacred places for ONE PIECE fans.

“Greenland” is one of Kyushu’s largest theme parks, located in Arao City on the border with Fukuoka Prefecture.
It boasts one of the largest sites in western Japan and includes an amusement park, hotel, golf course, and natural hot springs.
At the amusement park, you can enjoy the 105 m-tall giant Ferris wheel “Rainbow,” a huge dinosaur coaster, and more than 80 other attractions.
In summer, a water park opens for a limited time.
Events featuring 10,000 fireworks are also held, drawing local families and tourists alike.

Aso Milk Farm is a hands-on ranch in Nishihara Village, Kumamoto.
In addition to interacting with dairy cows and goats, you can also try milking cows and making bread.
Touring the cheese workshop and enjoying soft serve ice cream are also popular.
There are also plenty of events such as animal races and a tractor bus, allowing you to fully enjoy nature and food at once.

“Mifune Dinosaur Museum” is a specialized museum displaying dinosaur fossils and full dinosaur skeletons from around the world.
With Approx. 850 fossil exhibits, it is one of the largest collections in Japan.
In its five exhibition zones, visitors can learn about the history of life and changes to the Earth, and in the “Open Lab,” they can also observe fossil cleaning and research facilities in real time.
There are also fossil excavation experiences and monthly workshops, making it a place of learning that both adults and children can enjoy.

A city hotel located just outside the Shirakawa Exit of JR Kumamoto Station, Kumamoto’s main transportation hub.
From the spacious guest rooms, you can enjoy views unique to Kumamoto, including Aso, central Kumamoto City, and the Ariake Sea.
In the detached suite “THE SUITE,” you can spend a special time in a space furnished with traditional crafts and interior design connected to Kumamoto, along with a large garden facing the living room.
The hotel also offers excellent facilities, including a large public bath with garden views, a sauna, and a fitness room pleasantly lit by a skylight.
Another attraction is the restaurant, where you can enjoy creative cuisine featuring ingredients from Kyushu.

“Daishizen Aso Kenko no Mori” is the dome-shaped accommodation facility at Aso Farm Land.
Inside Aso Kuju National Park, it features detached dome houses in all rooms, with Approx. 300–400 units arranged across the grounds.
You can choose from three zones, Royal, Village, and Dream, and there are also private gardens and character-themed domes.
With hot springs (Aso Kenko Kazan Onsen), bedrock baths, health checks, athletic experiences, and a healthy buffet at the farm restaurant, it is a stay-style resort where you can fully enjoy health and nature.

“Aso Plaza Hotel” is a long-established hot spring inn in Uchinomaki Onsen, Aso City, Kumamoto.
It has two hot spring sources on the property, and guests can enjoy various hot spring baths, including the rooftop open-air observation bath “Takeyu Sorahai,” garden open-air baths, and private courtyard baths.
The guest rooms are mainly Japanese-style, and some have a tasteful atmosphere with views of the Aso Five Peaks and the townscape.
There are also plenty of facilities and activities, including a shop and café, outdoor pool (summer only), sports gym, and power spot experiences.