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Day 5 - Kumamoto
We left early the next morning for Shimabara Port to catch our ferry to Kumamoto. Technically we could've driven along the coast to Kumamoto, but the ferry was definitely faster and more comfortable.
We reached Shimabara pretty early, so we had some time to kill. We visited Shimabara Castle but didn't go inside as we had to pay (yes, your typical Singaporean), so we walked around the grounds. Even though Japan's Children's Day was over, there was a string of carp streamers, or "Koi-nobori", hoisted high into the air. The significance of it would be clear only later, after leaving the castle grounds.
We visited a pretty deserted market street (it was rather early for shops to be open), as well as the only "attraction" in the area, a stream filled with koi, called "Koi no Mizube Machi", or roughly translated, means "The roadside stream of Koi"
Shimabara is supposedly famous for its somen, or thin wheat noodles, so we lunched at a somen restaurant. I ordered a tempura somen, and it was good! Despite the tempura becoming soggy with soup, the noodles were very smooth and silky. The soup was also very flavourful! I've drank many bowls of soup (be it miso, ramen, udon, or just plain soup) in Japan, and so far none of them have disappointed me. I wonder what they add to their stock to make it so good?
We then boarded the ferry that would take us across the bay to Kumamoto. The ferry was crowded with Korean tourists, and the whole deck was soon filled with Korean chatter. Amusingly, the seat next to mine was occupied by this Korean dude who was intrigued by a manga that a Japanese old man was reading. They started to converse in English, and soon they started teaching each other basic Japanese and Korean words! Later some Japanese oba-chans joined in as well, and they were very eager to learn Korean.
After checking in the hotel in Kumamoto, we visited the biggest tourist attraction there - Kumamoto Castle, one of the "3 Famous Castles in Japan". I commented to my dad that this trip was turning out to be a "castle-visiting" trip (lol). It was huge! The stone foundations were also very high, making it almost impossible to climb.
We went inside the castle which housed a museum of the castle's artifacts, and climbed to the top where we had an excellent view of Kumamoto City. On the way out of the castle grounds we ran into a group of girls dressed in matching kimonos. I think there was some kind of festival going on, I could hear shouting and cheers in the distance. Anyway, they gamely posed for a photograph (not for me, but for another tourist T.T)
Night was falling so we took a walk about a nearby market street which was filled with shoppers, salary men, office ladies and students alike. It was probably the "to go" place in Kumamoto in the evenings, especially since there was a huge crowd just standing around outside a big store. It appeared to be the default meeting place for friends, much like our City Hall MRT station.
I spotted an Animate shop and immediately went in :P. I didn't buy anything except a K-ON! Akiyama Mio gachapon capsule for Jarvis. My luck must've been damn good, getting Mio on the first try heh.
Dinner was at a really great restaurant which sold horse sashimi *shudder*. My parents ordered a plate to share but I didn't touch it. According to my mum it wasn't that great, plus the guilt factor after eating it was quite significant. I opted for a safer, grilled skewer set option, together with grilled onigiri (rice balls), all washed down with a mug of refreshing beer.
While we were eating a couple of skimpily dressed cigarette promoters walked in to promote their product. They were very polite, asking every table if they smoked (we didn't, of course). One guy bought a pack and was asked to try it on the spot, the promoter offering a lighter. It was good I guess, judging from his happy puffs. Now that is one scene you won't see in Singapore - cigarette promoters, and smoking within air-conditioned restaurants.
And so that concludes our stay in Kumamoto!
I'm lazy to start on day 6, so I'll leave that to the next post :P
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