Tamana to the west, Yamaga to the east Travelers are surrounded by ancient historical sites
Dedicated Site
This RV park is "RV Park Smart".
RV Park smart is operated by Trust Park Co.Overnight stay facility exclusively for online reservationsIt is. For details on how to make reservations, etc., please visit the Trust Park Co.
Spend your free time in an old private house that has remained from the Edo period.
This is an open-air museum of old private residences that have been relocated and reconstructed from typical private residences remaining throughout Japan. There are seven old private homes, including the former Sakai Family Residence (designated a National Important Cultural Property) built in March 1830, the former Fuse Family Residence (designated a town-designated Important Cultural Property) in Joetsu City, Niigata Prefecture, which is approximately 300 years old, and a stone roof house in Tsushima Prefecture. These houses are being used to provide lodging, woodworking, buckwheat noodle making, pottery making, and other hands-on activities for a fee. There is also a history and folklore museum that displays excavated artifacts from the preceramic period to the Kofun period according to period, and a café.
Kumamoto Prefecture is a Mecca of decorative burial mounds⁉ If you are a fan of ancient burial mounds and ancient history, this is a must-see!
There are approximately 700 decorative kofun tumuli in Japan, with designs and paintings on the inside and outside of sarcophagi, stone chambers, and side tombs, and about 30% of these, or about 200, are concentrated in Kumamoto Prefecture, mainly in the Kikuchi River basin. The Kumamoto Prefectural Museum of Ornately Decorated Kofun Tumuli serves as a specialized museum for the protection, utilization, and research of "ornately decorated kofun" tumuli. The building, designed by Tadao Ando, is modeled on the shape of a posterior round burial mound, and is built so that it is point-symmetrically opposite to the Iwahara Futagozuka burial mound, one of the largest posterior round burial mounds in Kumamoto Prefecture, which is located on the site. Inside the museum, visitors can see a faithful reproduction of the interior of the decorative burial mound, and artifacts excavated from the Pre-Paleolithic Period to the Middle Ages are also on display. Visitors can also try their hand at making kodama, or "sacred beads," a type of clay tablet. There is also an outdoor "haniwa park," a parkway where visitors can enjoy walking among the tombs, and the Iwahara Yokonana Tombs on the plateau wall, making it a must-see for fans of ancient burial mounds.
address (e.g. of house)
3085 Iwahara, Shikao Town, Yamaga City, Kumamoto Prefecture
Don't miss the ancient lotus "Ooga," which bloomed from a seed about 2,000 years ago!
The "Shikao Ancient Forest" adjacent to the Kumamoto Prefectural Museum of Decorative Tombs has two lotus gardens: a lotus garden with more than 20 species, including the light red Maihime lotus and the white Kinrin lotus, and an ancient lotus garden with the "Ohga lotus". The "Ohga Lotus" was germinated from lotus seeds unearthed in Chiba Prefecture by botanist Ichiro Ohga. It is called the "Ancient Lotus" because the seeds were from a lotus plant estimated to be 2,000 years old. It is bright pink in color and about the size of a human head. There is also a water lily near the product center. Don't forget to visit the sunflower field next to the Ancient Forest Park.
address (e.g. of house)
2965 Iwahara, Shikao Town, Yamaga City, Kumamoto Prefecture
Aiming for Kumamoto Whisky to Spread its Wings to the World
The first whiskey distillery in Kumamoto Prefecture, completed in November 2021 and grand opened in April 2022, located near the "Shikao Ancient Forest. With technical support from Hombo Shuzo, the brewing water is deep groundwater from the Kunimi mountain range and the Kikuchi River system. The malt used is non-peated and heavily peated. The brewery aims to create a clean but strong whiskey with a core quality as a whiskey that will spread its wings to the world. Tours of the production process are free of charge and reservations are not required. There is also a lounge where you can enjoy "new pot (original sake)" and original coffee, and a store where you can purchase products and original goods.
address (e.g. of house)
980-1 Gozato, Shikao Town, Yamaga City, Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan
This hot spring resort stretches along the Shiganegi River in the center of Tamana City. The history of this hot spring is as old as 1,300 years, and legend has it that it was discovered when an egret was healing a wound. Currently, there are about 5 day-trip hot spring facilities and 11 hot spring inns, and a free footbath is located in the center of the hot spring resort. The hot water is clear and colorless, and contains a large amount of radium and is slightly alkaline. The water is smooth and slippery to the touch, and is said to be highly effective in retaining moisture, making it a "hot spring for beautiful women" and a hot spring that does not cool down.
One of the largest wisteria trees in Kumamoto Prefecture Lose track of time in the sweet fragrance of the flowers.
This wisteria is located on the grounds of Yamada Hiyoshi Shrine, halfway between the main temple and the inner sanctuary of Rengein Birth Temple, at the foot of Mount Kottai in northern Tamana City. The tree is believed to be more than 200 years old, with a trunk circumference of 2.4 meters, and two branches that split off at 60 centimeters above the ground. Its branches stretch 12 meters from east to west and 10 meters from north to south. It is said to be one of the largest wisteria in Kumamoto Prefecture. It is in full bloom from late April to early May. The clusters of flowers, which can be as long as 1 meter, hang down and give off a rich fragrance. The wisteria is also illuminated at night when it is in full bloom. Designated as a natural monument by Kumamoto Prefecture.
One of your wishes will surely come true! Be sure to experience Shakyo Zen meditation!
The main temple is located at the foot of Mt. The main deity is Koen, a high priest of the Tendai sect in the Heian period (794-1185) who was born in this area, and is called Daibosatsu by the temple. The temple was founded by Taira Shigemori in 1177, but was destroyed by fire in 1582 during the Warring States period. It was rebuilt in 1930, about 350 years later. The Okuno-in Temple was built in 1978 and is visited by 300,000 people a year as a place for ascetic monks to practice asceticism, as well as a temple for the "fulfillment of one's wish" and "banishment of bad luck," where one's wish is always fulfilled. The temple is also home to a five-story pagoda, the world's largest bell "Hiryu no kane" (bell of the flying dragon), and seasonal flowers such as Japanese apricots, cherry blossoms, rhododendrons, and azaleas. Visitors can also experience sutra copying and zazen meditation.
address (e.g. of house)
Okunoin, 1512-77 Tsukiji, Tamana City, Kumamoto Prefecture Main Hospital, 2288 Tsukiji, Tamana City, Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan
