My last destination before heading back to Tokyo was Kumamoto, way down in the south. I got there by train and ferry. This was fun, if not necessarily the most direct route.
I was staying with Japanese/Irish friends of my parents who were exceedingly kind to me and did their best to give me a taste of Japanese home life as well as showing me the sights. Unfortunately, the rain that had held off for most of the week, came down in buckets for the 48 hours I spent in Kumamoto.
I saw the statue/shine of Lord Kiyomasa Kato (the most famous big cheese of the area, who ruled about 400 years ago) in the rain,
and visited his castle in the rain.
A brief respite from the weather to look inside one of the residential areas of the castle complex, where we saw this room that was restored by local painters. The screens represent a story about a Chinese princess,
and the ceiling depicts the four seasons, through different flowers.
The last visit was to a famous local garden, featuring a miniature Mount Fuji and this lovely shrine.
Let’s face it: even in the rain, Japanese gardens are beautiful.
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