Comfortable lawn at the entrance
Museum and library with cafe

Once I got off at Matsuhashi Station, it was a 10-minute walk from there. With my digital single-lens reflex camera, which was finally introduced on this trip, in hand, I set out for the Shiranui Art Museum and Library in high spirits.
After passing through the tunnel in front of the building, the Shiranui Art Museum and Library finally came into view. The building was designed by architect Atsushi Kitagawahara and Ito Architects based on the symbolic image of "Shiranui," a mirage phenomenon created by the Shiranui Sea.
The exterior of the building is very distinctive, with 95 meters of continuous organic white lines stacked on top of each other, and the contrast with the green grass surrounding the building is beautiful.
As soon as you enter, you are greeted by the Book & Café. As I was holding my camera ready, I was told, "Sorry, photography is not allowed inside the library. The café is fine." A staff member warned me, "You're not allowed to take pictures inside the library. The camera boy's day ended early. After circling the library, I ordered an iced café latte at the café and left the Shiranui Art Museum and Library after relaxing for a while.

*As of April 2025

*As of April 2025

A new
business hotel in the Kuhonji area.

After seeing the Children's Book Forest Kumamoto, we returned to the business hotel "RESTERS BED&CO." on a panicked Kumamoto tram and took a break for the evening meeting.
This hotel was built based on the concept of "a comfortable rest at the end and beginning of the day," and exhibits the works of Kumamoto artists, etc. We were attracted by the simple yet stylish space and decided to stay.

The "Talking about Studio with a side of Studio" is a behind-the-scenes project of the "Tour of Architecture in Japan". This is a project to meet with Studio users in the areas they visit and ask them about Studio.
This time, we were joined by Mr. Furusho, Studio's first ambassador, and Mr. Maru, a designer who came all the way from Fukuoka for this event.

Mr. Furusho, the first ambassador of Studio, and Mr. Maru, a designer who came all the way from Fukuoka for this event. and other topics such as reevaluating the value of reality and people, as well as the different impression of graphics in Fukuoka and Kumamoto.
It was a very enjoyable evening, and we talked about everything from creativity to our personal lives, including our respective families and children.

We also enjoyed Kumamoto's standard food such as horse sashimi, a Kumamoto specialty, and spicy lotus root, which Kumamoto residents usually don't eat. The horse liver sashimi served with sesame oil and green onions was especially delicious.
The night in Kumamoto made me realize how great it is to talk with locals over drinks like this. Kumamoto has a lot of young people who are rooted in the local community and want to make Kumamoto a better place. It was a wonderful town, and I could understand why so many young people are rooted in their hometowns and want to make Kumamoto a better place.

Tour with a classmate from high school
A trip to the great nature of Aso

If I had a chance to visit Kumamoto, I would have loved to see Mt. Aso.
And it is a miracle that a friend of mine who spent the same time in high school, prep school, and college lives in Aso.
He has loved motorcycles since his high school days, and after graduating from college, he joined Honda because of his love for motorcycles. He was also involved in the production of a large motorcycle for the Hollywood live-action film version of Ghost in the Shell, a dream come true to the point of envy.

When I told my friend that I was going to Kumamoto, he graciously agreed to take me on a one-day driving tour of Aso. (Let me tell you the story of how he broke both his heels at the after-party of my wedding somewhere else.)

Discover the fascination of motorcycles
Honda Kumamoto Welcome Park

After being picked up at Kumamoto Castle first thing in the morning, we headed first to "Honda Kumamoto Welcome Park," a recently built facility next to the main gate of Honda Motor Kumamoto Manufacturing, which he had never been to before.
The facility includes an exhibition space, a garage box made from a container, and a hands-on experience area. The exhibition space displays motorcycles and general-purpose machines that were manufactured at Honda Kumamoto Manufacturing, as well as MOTOGP motorcycles and legendary motorcycles.
It was a strange feeling for me to see not only the motorcycles on display, but also to see my friend's face that I usually don't see, as I ran into his boss in the facility. It has been about 10 years since my friend moved from Tokyo to Kumamoto. I could feel the passage of time as we started our tour of Aso.

*As of April 2025

Aso Gogaku and Aso valley can be viewed at
Hole in the road

Next, we headed to "Kabutoiwa Observatory," one of the best viewing points from which you can see the five Aso peaks and the Aso valley.
It is not the kind of place you would come to in a big bus on a tour, but there is a store and restrooms, so it is a nice little hole-in-the-wall.
After work, my friends and I would come here and smoke cigarettes while watching the sun set. There are no more smoking areas at the factory. My friend says, "I can't believe I get to see a view like this every day after work.
I envy him for being able to see such a view every day after work. (It was cloudy that day).

There are about 500 shrines in Japan.
The head office of "Aso Shrine

After lunch, we took a walk to the nearby Aso Shrine, which was severely damaged by the Kumamoto earthquake in April 2016. The restoration work took about eight and a half years, and all restoration work including the tower gate will be completed in December 2023.
About 11,000 parts and materials were recovered from the completely collapsed tower gate and repaired while reusing them as much as possible, resulting in a reuse rate of 72%.
The shrine looks as dignified as if nothing had happened to it. One can only wonder how many people were involved in the construction, and one can only be thankful to those who completed this daunting task.

Location of that movie!
Popular Power Spot Shrines

Since my return flight was at night, I was taken to Kamishikimi Kumanoza Shrine in the second half of my trip to Aso.
The shrine is said to have first attracted attention as the setting for the animated film "To the Hotarubi no Morihe" by Yukio Midorikawa, a manga artist from Kumamoto Prefecture, and more recently as the location for the final chapter of the movie "Rurouni Kenshin" (Rurouni Kenshin).

The stone lanterns lined up on both sides were majestic and beautiful, and the sunlight filtering through the trees created a very mysterious atmosphere.
After slowly climbing the stone steps for about 10 minutes, the main hall appeared. The "Ugeto-iwa," a hole in the huge rock wall further up the steps, is said to be famous. The other side of the hole seemed to be connected to some other world. It was truly a power spot.

Roadside Station with spectacular views

The roadside station "Asobo no Sato Kugini" was on the way back to the airport to take me home. The view from here was very beautiful.
However, all the stores were closed by the time we arrived because of the early closing time. The view from the observatory on the way to the station was so beautiful with the light coming through the clouds that I was lost in admiration for a while.
A young couple next to me asked me to take their picture, and I was able to get a nice one, but this was just two old men enjoying the scenery on the way back home.

When we arrived at the airport, we were told, "Kumamoto is also good for udon noodles and chicken tempura. So we had dinner at "Japanese Restaurant Rindo" in the airport.
It was the first time for the two of us to be alone together for such a long time, so we talked about work, family, future, and other things that we could talk about here, which really moved me.
We have grown up together, haven't we? And so our most enjoyable trip to Kumamoto and Aso came to an end. (Once again, let me tell you the story of how he broke both of his heels at the after-party of my wedding.)