Kumamoto is famous for its city icon – Kumamon – which is absolutely everywhere – in the street, on cushions in the hotel, on souvenirs, on food …
Kumamoto is also famous for its castle – the third largest in Japan – but unfortunately an earthquake in 2016 brought it down, so it’s currently being rebuilt, We decided therefore to give it a miss and to go, instead, to Suizenji-jojuen, one of Japan’s most highly-rated gardens. It was started in 1632 and built over eighty years by three Hosokawa lords. Here is one of the fiercest:
And although the day wasn’t bright, the garden was stunning:
Apparently the design is supposed to mimic 53 scenes on the road between Tokyo and Kyoto but the only one we recognised was Mount Fuji:
But other bits were incomprehensible:
There was, of course, a beautiful shrine:
The shrine receives its fair share of children dressed in traditional clothing with parents employing professional photographers to take pictures. The photographers use a soft ball to try and keep the children’s attention – not seen that before!
The carp are enormous – I couldn’t use Sue for scale as I usually do, but believe me, this was one thumping fish:
Oh – and Kumamoto’s speciality is horse sashimi (raw horse). Sue and I did not try it – nor did we buy any of this horrible-sounding horse oil:
We left Kumamoto to drive on the expressway (mostly tunnels through the mountains) to Kirishima. Seeing signs for an open-air art museum, we followed them to find a really beautiful and remote setting for some recognisable artists:
Some of the art indoors was entertaining as well. This is made of wood:
And this funny creature is supposed to be Van Gogh reimagined as if he had turned up on some tropical island riding a motorbike and eating a banana:
So much to enjoy in Kyushu!
So many contrasting wonders! A big shout out to your models – Sue is heroic inside the sculpted ring (you couldn’t persuade her inside the shoe?). And those bewildered kids – must have taken hours for someone to dress them. Loved the garden! – and the exquisite Have a Break woodwork.
Thank you, Tara! I was in place next to the shoe for scale but it was decided the very large shoe had more impact without the scale signifier. Bewildered is right for the kids – they look cute but weird ( on the other hand, looking on the bright side, they’re not dogs dressed in dungarees being wheeled round in prams…). I too loved the wood sculpture – camphor word as I recall.
Thought the garden was beautiful though the statue rather contradicts the usual gardener stereotypes. Sorry you didn’t try the raw horse. I’ve eaten it cooked (in Sicily, nowhere near as exotic) and it was delicious. Not so sure about the horse oil. Love the art. I thought the thing with a red tail looked like a beetroot!
I like to think the stern gardener is holding some kind of benign tool , like a trowel, though it’s probably a sword for beheading enemies. I think I could probably eat cooked horse – there’s just something about horse sashimi that a bit ugh. Horse oil I think you rub on which is also a bit unsettling. Glad you enjoyed the art!
Beautiful, serene gardens, somehow better in the subdued light
Yes, very atmospheric – greens and greys with golden carp the size of ? Dunno, small dolphins?
Spectacular gardens
Yes, they really were – calm and beautiful and not crowded. Suspect they heave with visitors in cherry blossom time..
The garden is beautiful – as you would expect a Japanese garden to be! Intrigued by the horse oil – is intended for culinary use or are you expected to slather it on as a cosmetic treatment?
I think it’s for burns and rough skin conditions – the idea of cooking with it is really unpleasant – so, slather not sauté is what I’d suggest.