There are so many souvenirs, with a dazzling selection that you could just keep spending. But if you go later, the dango are half price.
Otherwise, one tiny piece isn't exactly cheap.
Today I also got to try a Kumamon-shaped ningyo-yaki.
And it just happened to be the last day!
It's less than a minute from the station exit,
and it'll make a serious dent in your wallet.
AMU PLAZA Kumamoto
A large multi-purpose complex directly connected to JR Kumamoto Station, this 9-story building stands out as a landmark worthy of Kumamoto’s gateway.
It's right next to Kumamoto Station, so you'll see it as soon as you come out. The flowing-water display on the first floor is beautiful, and there's also a tax-free counter.
I even found the hairbrush endorsed by Jang Wonyoung!
A straight 100 out of 100.
The whole space also feels very comfortable.
After shopping, I hopped right on the train home.
But the 3.3% tax-free deduction really hurts.
Seems like all department stores do this.
Kokura Castle
Hosokawa Tadaoki helped in the victory of the Battle of Sekigahara, entered the area and started building a castle in 1602. It took seven years to complete. Then, it was occupied by Lord Ogasawara, but all but the stone wall was burned down in 1866. After WWII, upon the citizens’ fervent request, the castle tower was rebuilt.
So far, my favorite castle is... Kokura Castle!
I actually only had an hour left to look around, but there happened to be very few people that day, so I had an absolute blast 🤣
And Kokura Castle isn't just a place where you look at historical exhibits. There are lots of interactive features, making it great for learning about the castle while having fun.
I especially liked the “Book of Five Rings” section!
When you put your hand on the scroll, a quote appears on the screen with super cool effects ✨
I tried all five of them〜
There was also a horseback archery experience. I thought it would be pretty easy, but my arms actually got pretty sore!
But I still did it twice〜
And then there was the most ridiculous expense of this trip.
I thought engraving would only cost JPY 30, but then I found out I had to buy a souvenir coin, so it suddenly became JPY 700 🥹
And the worst part is that I... engraved! It! Wrong!
When you think about it, the souvenir coin actually cost more than admission〜 Oh well, I'm on vacation, after all.
Anyway,
travel is full of things you never planned to spend money on, but end up buying anyway!
Also, there's currently an event where anyone with the character “千” in their name can enter for free〜 I'm so jealous.
Kokura Castle also has a VR experience, but I arrived too late and couldn't try it, which was a bit of a shame.
I'll definitely have to come back for it if I get another chance! (Because everything else was so much fun.
And the whole place is really beautiful. Even the restrooms have a faint woody scent 😍
Finally, I went up to the fifth floor and got some photos of Kokura at night.
All I can say is that this place was way more fun than I expected〜 I really recommend it.
There was also a little unexpected twist.
My original plan was: hurry to Kokura Castle → go back to Mojiko and shoot some more footage.
But then...
Pa! Chin! Ko! Appeared!
It was my first time playing pachinko, and it had me trapped for two whole hours 🤣
Luckily, I won in the end!
Suddenly, those two hours didn't feel wasted.
(And I'd always wanted to try it anyway.
So that's it〜 Everyone should go check out Kokura Castle, because even someone like me who doesn't really enjoy visiting castles thought it was a lot of fun!
Misumi West Port
Misumi West Port was opened in 1887 as an export point for coal sourced from Miike Coal Mine. It’s one of the 3 biggest ports built in the Meiji Era and the only one of which to still remain today in its original form since its building approximately 100 year ago. In 2015 it received UNESCO World Heritage status as of one of the Sites of Japan’s Meiji Industrial Revolution.
I finally got to ride the A-Train this time!
I don't know if it was because of the torrential rain warning, but the train was almost empty. Or maybe it was because I took an afternoon train. Either way, the whole ride was unexpectedly relaxing.
After getting off, I walked around nearby first. Since I had reserved a different A-Train for the return trip, I had a total of two and a half hours to wander around here.
But... unfortunately, I hadn't done any research at all.
Everyone, please make sure to take the boat to Matsushima to see the dolphins. Don't be like me!
I wandered around here, wandered around a convenience store, then went to a supermarket, and eventually even went to a clothing store? The whole trip was just me wandering around aimlessly because I didn't know what to do 😔
Later, when I was getting ready to take the train back, I suddenly noticed that everyone was carrying a blue souvenir bag.
I even went out of my way to ask a Malaysian person, and that's when I learned that you could take a boat to see dolphins. And his Chinese was so good!
Then, when I went back to board the A-Train, I couldn't help asking the couple in front of me where they'd gone.
Then I saw the blue bag... They enthusiastically showed me their dolphin photos.
All I could do was console myself by thinking that I get seasick, so it wouldn't have suited me anyway.
Misumi Port is very pretty too, but it was cloudy today...
Great, that didn't make me feel better at all, and now I've even started blaming myself...( ･᷄ὢ･᷅ )
Also, look at the JPY 500 sparkling drink I just bought. I even asked the train attendant which one they recommended, and after happily bringing it back,
I knocked it over the very next second!
Then I had to go ask the attendant if they had a mop...
I did clean it all up myself in the end!
But
what is going on today? 🥲 Ugh, I hate this.
