Getting There

By Plane -- JAL and ANA fly to Kumamoto from Tokyo in 1 hour and 40 minutes, with one-way fares ranging from ¥19,000 ($181) for a 21-day advance purchase to ¥31,000 ($295) for a regular ticket. Local airline Skynet Asia Airways (tel. 0120/737-283 toll-free) offers a regular one-way ticket for ¥22,300 ($212), a 6-day advance ticket for ¥18,300 ($174), and a bargain ticket for ¥9,800 ($93) if purchased 2 months in advance for certain dates. Airport shuttle buses operate from the airport to Kumamoto Station and the Kumamoto Kotsu (bus) Center downtown, taking about 50 minutes and costing ¥670 ($6.40).

By Train -- It takes about 9 hours to reach Kumamoto from Tokyo, not including transfers, at a cost of ¥23,020 ($219) for an unreserved seat. From Fukuoka's Hakata Station (terminus of the bullet train from Tokyo), limited express trains depart three times an hour, reaching Kumamoto in about 1 1/2 hours and costing ¥3,740 ($36) for a reserved seat. (In 2011, a new bullet train will connect Kumamoto and Fukuoka in 24 min.) There are also four express trains daily from Beppu, reaching Kumamoto in 3 hours.

Bus & Ferry from Unzen Spa -- From Unzen Spa, the fastest way to reach Kumamoto is to take a bus (there are two bus companies, with 16 departures daily) 35 minutes to Shimabara Port (fare: ¥730/$7), where you can then board a 1-hour ferry (fare: ¥590/$5.60) or a 30-minute Ocean Arrow (fare: ¥800/$7.60) to Kumamoto Port. Buses connect Kumamoto Port with Kumamoto Station in 20 minutes for ¥420 ($4).

Visitor Information

The leaflet "Kumamoto and Mount Aso," distributed by the Tourist Information Centers in Tokyo and in Narita and Kansai international airports, contains information on how to get to Kumamoto and places of interest in the city (you can also download it from JNTO's website). In Kumamoto, there's a Kumamoto Tourist Office inside Kumamoto Station near the main exit (tel. 096/352-3743; open daily 8:30am-7pm). It has a good English-language map and brochure and is staffed by helpful English speakers who can make lodging reservations. In the city center, there's another Kumamoto Tourist Information Center on the first floor of the Sanbun Kaikan Building (which is part of the Sangyo Bunka Kaikan complex; tel. 096/322-5060; open daily 10am-6pm, closed second and fourth Mon of the month), opposite the Sunroad Shinshigai covered shopping street and in front of the Karashimacho streetcar stop. If you're coming by plane, stop by the Kumamoto Airport Information Office (tel. 096/232-2810; open daily 6:50am-9pm).

More information is available on the city's website, but a more comprehensive overview is provided by Kumamoto Prefecture's website.

Internet Access

The Kumamoto City International Center, 4-8 Hanabata-cho (tel. 096/359-2121; streetcar: Kumamotojo-mae), offers three computers with free Internet access on the second floor Monday to Friday 9am to 8pm and weekends 9am to 7pm (closed the second and fourth Mon of every month). Otherwise, Media Café Popeye, located on the Kamitori covered shopping street (tel. 096/326-6767; streetcar: Toricho-suji), is open 24 hours and charges ¥420 ($4) for an hour's use of its computers.

Mail

Kumamoto's main post office, with ATMs that accept international credit cards, is located beside Kumamoto Station to the north and is open Monday to Friday 9am to 5:30pm and 9am to 5pm Saturday and Sunday.

Orientation & Getting Around

Kumamoto Station lies far south of the city's downtown area, but transportation between the two is easy via streetcar no. 2, which departs from in front of the station and reaches the downtown area in about 10 minutes. Downtown centers on three covered shopping streets called Shimotori, Kamitori, and Sunroad Shinshigai, with many department stores, shops, hotels, bars, Pachinko parlors, and restaurants in the area. Here, too, is the city's bus station, the Kumamoto Kotsu Center, from which all buses in the city depart. Just north of downtown, within walking distance, rises Kumamoto Castle, which is surrounded by moats, turrets, and expansive greenery, on the edge of which are several museums and historic sites. Suizenji Garden lies far to the east.

Getting around Kumamoto via old-fashioned streetcar is easy because there are only two lines. Streetcar no. 2 is most convenient for tourists; the only one departing from Kumamoto Station, it passes through downtown and near Kumamoto Castle (stop: Kumamotojo-mae) before going onward to Suizenji Garden (stop: Suizenji-Koen-mae). Take a ticket when you board; fares increase the farther you go, from ¥130 to ¥200 ($1.25-$1.90) and you pay when you get off.

Because the grounds surrounding Kumamoto Castle encompass 97 hectares (242 acres), with a circumference of 9km (5 1/2 miles), many visitors opt to see sights via the Shu-yu shuttle excursion bus, which makes a circular route around the castle grounds every 30 minutes and stops at Hosokawa Mansion and other places of interest. On weekends and holidays, an additional bus, the Kumamotojo shuttle bus, makes runs between the train station and castle every 20 minutes. These buses charge ¥130 ($1.25) for a single journey, ¥300 ($2.85) for the whole day; as always, children pay half fare.

If you plan on taking public transportation at least four times in 1 day, you can save money by purchasing a 1-day pass, which allows unlimited travel on all city buses (including the above shuttle buses) and streetcars for ¥500 ($4.75). It includes a 20% discount off admission to a few sights, including Kumamoto Castle.